Day 4
Lisa Scheffler, author
According to legend, a reporter asked millionaire tycoon John D. Rockefeller, “how much money is enough?” Rockefeller replied, “Just a little bit more.”
While the story may not be true, the sentiment resonates. It’s the way most Americans view money and possessions. Very few people are content with just enough money to put food on the table and a roof over their heads. They want more. And that “more” is translated by advertisers into invitations to get the “latest,” what’s “new and improved,” a “must-have,” or something “cutting edge.” We become convinced that we don’t want the latest phone, a brand-new car, or a luxury vacation — we need it.
As we’re seeing this week, the two-faced idol of money and possessions prey upon our insatiable desires and our fear of scarcity. We want to enjoy all the benefits of the good life and insulate ourselves from anything bad, and we believe the idols who tell us money is the key to both. How much is enough? Just a little bit more. The goal posts keep moving and we find ourselves in a never-ending pursuit of the “win.”
We’re not alone. The biblical figure whose story we’re reading today found himself in a very similar trap. Only Jesus could free him.
Read
Luke 19:1–10
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Ask Yourself
- How had greed made Zacchaeus a social outcast? What did it his wealth cost him?
- Why do you think Jesus attracted a man like Zacchaeus?
- What is surprising about Jesus’ invitation to Zacchaeus? What about Zacchaeus’ response?
Reflect
If such a publication had existed, the city of Jericho might have a featured spot Judean Weekly’s “Best Places to Live.” Archaeologists tell us that Zacchaeus’s hometown was described as the “garden city” because it contained vast estates that acted as winter palaces for Judean Kings.[1] If there had been such a thing as a Chamber of Commerce back then, it surely would have advertised Jericho as a city that could give you everything.
In this place of wealth, royalty, and beauty lived Zacchaeus, a man who was taking advantage of what this city had to offer by amassing a fortune of his own. Yet we might conclude that he found his success hollow. The way he was making his money was not winning Zacchaeus any friends. His fellow Jews would have labeled him a crook, and worse, a traitor to his people.
The Roman empire levied notoriously heavy taxes on occupied lands, not only to fill its coffers, but to keep the inhabitants firmly under its thumb. Roman authorities chose tax collectors from among the locals. In exchange for their service, the Romans tuned a blind eye to any extra “taxes” their collectors gathered to line their own pockets. As you can imagine, these activities would not make such people popular with their kinsmen. Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector.
Beyond his occupation and his small stature, the only other thing Luke tells us about Zacchaeus was that “he wanted to see who Jesus was” (Luke 19:10). We know that stories about Jesus of Nazareth had spread throughout the area and that crowds often gathered in large numbers to hear him teach and witness his miracles.
We also know that Jesus had a reputation for reaching out to tax collectors and others who were on the fringes of society. Perhaps Zacchaeus, miserable in his wealth and tired of being an outcast wanted to see the compassionate miracle-worker who spoke harshly to the Pharisees but kindly to the “sinner.”
Of course, it could have been guilt that motivated him. Maybe that morning he had eaten his ample breakfast and looked around his fine home, and felt the stirrings of conscience. Jesus was also known to be a forgiver of sins.
Zacchaeus was just hoping to catch a peek of Jesus as he climbed that tree, but what he got was a full-fledged encounter with the Son of God. Sometimes that happens in our own lives. We timidly take a step, daring to hope for just a glimpse of God’s goodness, and Jesus overwhelms us with his presence and generosity.
While Zacchaeus was basking in the acceptance of the Savior, the crowd was appalled. What was Jesus thinking? The crowd didn’t realize that they were as reliant on God’s grace as Zacchaeus was. The tax collector knew he wasn’t worthy. When Jesus called up to him, he knew the gift he’d been given.
Out of his joy at being accepted by Jesus, Zacchaeus responds with generosity. Like a prism, Zacchaeus receives the light of God’s grace and then immediately bends that grace outward to share it with others. That’s what Spirit induced transformation looks like. Followers of Jesus aren’t reservoirs storing up the love and kindness of God for themselves. They are conduits of God’s goodness, allowing it to flow out to others. But we cannot be that conduit unless we turn from the false gods of our culture and worship Jesus alone.
When offered the love and acceptance of Christ, Zacchaeus counts his riches as nothing. Unlike those mumbling and judging in the crowd, Zacchaeus knows he is a sinner and that Christ’s offer of fellowship should be rightly met with gratitude. He hasn’t found satisfaction in Jericho’s “good life” and can now see his wealth as a tool to help others.
Zacchaeus saw the Savior’s beauty and worth and realized that what Jesus was offering was more valuable than all the riches of Rome. Worshipping Jesus gave him far more satisfaction than worldly wealth. Jesus can bring us to the same realization. He can loosen the grip we have on our idols and pull us into his arms. Like Zacchaeus, we can let go of our old lives and step forward into a future with Jesus Christ.
Pray
Allow the Spirit to invite you into the story of Zacchaeus. We probably share more in common with the Jewish tax collector than we realize. Jesus’ astounding grace, loving acceptance, and willingness to forgive should prompt our acts of repentance and generosity. Ask the Spirit to reveal those to you as you pray.
Talk about it
- What are you able to let go of in light of God’s love for you? What wrongs are you motivated to right, especially in the realm of finances?
- How does the story of Zacchaeus encourage you to smash the idol of money? How are you receiving God’s love and grace through Jesus and sharing them with others?
[1] A Negev, The Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land, (New York: Prentice Hall Press, 1990).
