OLLIE, OLLIE, OXEN IN FREE

Today is a Sunday on which many churches will celebrate All Saints Day and/or Reformation Day, which was October 31. I considered these because I find deep meaning in lifting up the saints who have gone before and on whose shoulders we stand… and in a time where things need to be reformed, including the church, I was tempted to preach on the five tenets of the Reformation- Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Sola Christus, Soli Deo Gloria- because Scripture, Grace. Faith, Christ, and Praise are foundational to our journeys.

But today, is also a Sunday in which our lectionary invites us to preach on Luke 19:1-10, and so I will. The passage is about a wee little man named “Zacchaeus,” but it is addressed to each and every one of us who seeks Christ and grace, and feels small in a variety go ways. There are books and articles written about Zacchaeus, but the passage says at least this much to me:

1)Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus and we don't know why. Perhaps he wanted to tell his story, maybe he wanted to repent, or get out from under his guilt. It’s hard to say.  Some commentators suggest that it was simply curiosity that motivated Zacchaeus to run ahead and climb a sycamore tree, but I suspect it was more than that. However, his motive doesn't matter. He wanted to see Jesus;

2)Zacchaeus made considerable effort- running ahead, climbing a tree- to see Jesus. He didn't know and couldn’t control what Jesus would do, but he could control what he would do. He had no way of knowing what would happen, but he did put himself is a place to see Jesus. He did what he could do and that’s good advice for us,

3)Jesus knew Zacchaeus’ name. He knew who he was. He knew that Zacchaeus was not only a tax-collector, but a chief tax collector who oversaw the collection of taxes and the payment of tolls on Jericho’s well-traveled road. He knew that Zacchaeus didn’t have a friend in the world. He knew him like he knows us, but instead of judging him…

4)Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus’ house for a meal, which is a personal and intimate thing. I know many people whom I consider to be good friends with whom I have not dined. Eating together, especially in a home, is a personal and vulnerable thing. Instead of chastising Zacchaeus, Jesus sought to know him better. This is an important thing for us to keep in mind.

5)There was excitement in the air and a sense of urgency. Jesus’ invitation was not one of those “we’ll have to get together someday” invitations, but rather, hurry now, because we’re dining today. It was the right moment and both men seized it. The Bible tells us to choose God while God is near, to not let Jesus pass on by, no matter how long we’ve waited, how much we’ve sinned, of how many obstacles there are. Our lives have pasts and most likely, futures, but they are lived in the now.

6)Many of the men in the crowd immediately began to grumble because Jesus was dining with a known sinner. We all know that we’re known by the company we keep, but now we come to verse 8, which is either a sign of Zacchaeus' transformation in response to God's grace... or Zacchaeus' claim that he was already handling his duties in a righteous way. Scholars are debating this because the NRSV (and others) translate verse 8 as a promise for the future- "Look, half of my goods, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much" while the ESV (and others) suggest that Zacchaeus was defending the righteousness that he was already displaying- "Behold, half of my goods I give to the poor and if I have cheated anyone, I restore it four times."

7)I suspect that most of us want to think that Zacchaeus was converted by Christ's visit, and he may have been. But the greater point is this: in either case, he was saved because the passage ends with these words, “Today salvation has come to this house because the Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost.” Our eternity starts today. Heaven waits for us, but in Christ we are already part of the throng. We are saved now and I suggest that we would change the world if we lived as if this was true! 

“For God so loved the world that he sent his Son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish.” “Whoever lives and believes in me shall not die, and whoever dies believing in me shall live.” Do we believe this? That God has his eye on us? That God hears our prayers and see our tears? That God wants to meet us? That Jesus is knocking on our door? Do we hear Jesus calling, “Ollie, Ollie, oxen in free?” Do we believe that Jesus died to set us free and know that, when the Son sets us free, we are forever free? God is not only around. He is not only waiting. He is searching for me and for you, and for those we know and love- the good ones, the not-so-good ones, the tall ones and the short ones, the ones who are trying hard and also the ones who have never even considered it. Zacchaeus was short- really short- but we all feel small at times, and some of us feel small much of the time. None of us is worthy, but Jesus would love to dine with us. And he will today. Let us stand and sing our communion hymn.