The people mutter, “Jesus has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” And they were right. Zacchaeus was a sinner of the worst kind. He had gotten rich from collaborating with invaders and by fleecing his neighbors. So, his neighbors regarded him as human filth. His name became a sneer on the lips of fellow Jews. He was a standing joke. But for some reason, Jesus chooses to dine with the most hated man in town.
When you throw a party, one of the first things you do is make up a guest list. The list would be about whom to include and whom not to include. God’s list of guests consists of some surprising people. God invited the lowest on the social ladder and welcomed the prominent and wise. That’s God’s idea of a party.
Can you imagine Danny Devito playing Zacchaeus in a movie? Then you might understand how vertically challenged Zacchaeus was. Yet Zacchaeus throws respect out the window as he shimmies up a tree for just a look at Jesus. What emotion made the rich wealthy chief tax-collector yearn to see Jesus. What was missing from his life? Might it be missing from our lives?
A diverse group of people were drawn to Jesus. Tax Collectors, Sinners, Pharisees and Teachers of the Law were all interested in Jesus. Some thought they were unworthy of God’s love and some thought they had earned their way into God’s love. Both these assumptions turned out to be wrong. Those who knew they were lost were on the right track and those who thought they weren’t part of the lost group were in jeopardy of being lost. In the lost and found chapter of the Bible, Jesus reaches out to both types of people.
God loves you and there is nothing you can do that will make Him love you any less.
Sermon preached at Gold Canyon United Methodist Church in Gold Canyon, Arizona on January 28, 2018 by Rev. Fred A. Steinberg
Sermon preached at Gold Canyon United Methodist Church in Gold Canyon, Arizona on October 15, 2017 by Rev. Fred A. Steinberg
Sermon preached at Gold Canyon United Methodist Church in Gold Canyon, Arizona on March 12, 2017 by Rev. Fred A. Steinberg
Sermon preached at Gold Canyon United Methodist Church in Gold Canyon, Arizona on January 8, 2017 by Rev. Fred A. Steinberg
Sermon preached at Gold Canyon United Methodist Church in Gold Canyon, Arizona on August 30, 2015 by Rev. Fred Steinberg Gold Canyon United Methodist Church 6640 S Kings Ranch Rd. Gold Canyon, Arizona 85118 480-982-3776 www.GoldCanyonUMC.org
Sermon preached at Gold Canyon United Methodist Church in Gold Canyon, Arizona on August 16, 2015 by Rev. Fred Steinberg