Luke Reflections: Zacchaeus
Written by Very Reverend Peter Howell-Jones, Luke 19:1-10
A collection of church jokes includes the following true story. As a vicar drops a friend at a railway station a stranger mistakes the car for a taxi, climbs in and asks to be taken to a hotel. On arrival he offers a £5 fare. When the vicar explains, the stranger pockets the £5 and offers a 50 pence piece for the church collection. That’s tithing for you!
What Moves Us to Generosity?
So what moves us to generosity? What makes us want to give? What makes generosity a natural thing to want to do? A friend’s generosity was challenged when a Christian who delivered Christmas shoeboxes in Romania told how he gave a child an orange. The child held it in wonder and said, ‘is all this for me?’
Should we not be moved by need? Should not gratitude for all that has been given to us move us to generosity? Generosity is natural when life and love takes hold of us so why should it be different when we are gently held, sustained, challenged by the love and grace of God?
Zacchaeus and the Power of Grace
That’s how it was for Zacchaeus. He has heard the rumour of forgiveness that goes wherever Jesus goes. He climbs a tree to see Jesus and then finds Jesus looking at him, looking for him. That is what grace is all about.
As a tax collector for the hated Romans, with a reputation for corruption and profiteering Zacchaeus is not popular. No wonder, then, that people grumble when Jesus comes to tea. But that meal, like our shared Sunday communion, is a public, prophetic sign of saving grace.
Generosity in Action
In response to Jesus’ presence two remarkable things happen in Zacchaeus, both with generosity in their DNA. First Zacchaeus pledges to give half of his wealth to the poor. Such generosity springs from a sense of being accepted, forgiven, welcomed. It far exceeds the requirements of the tithe and it helps Zacchaeus re-engage with the community of God’s people. Secondly, Zacchaeus promises to straighten out his financial dealings. Again his promise to repay those he has defrauded four times over far exceeds the requirements of the law. The extravagant grace of Jesus invites an extravagant response.
Faithfulness and Generosity
Faithfulness with our money is a natural part of discipleship and generosity is the litmus test, the hallmark of that faithfulness. It is a challenge to the 50p tip and to the £5 fare. Such generosity is more than what we put on the offering plate, more than personal piety. For Zacchaeus and for us grace invites us to give generously. St Paul says “It is required of stewards that they should be found trustworthy’ (1 Cor 4:2). How we think and feel around money and how we choose to use it reflect that trustworthiness and faithfulness.
John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Living Generously
Jesus came so that everyone might have life in all its fullness (John 10:10). Entering into that fullness must surely involve generous living. “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” (Winston Churchill)
Reflect
Think of a time you have been moved to give generously: what motivated your decision to give?
What are some of the modern day challenges if we are to ‘straighten out our financial dealings’
Do you agree that generosity is the litmus test of our discipleship around money?