SHORT PEOPLE

 
 
 
 
 
 

Luke 19:1-10

This morning, I’m here to talk to and about short people.  No - I’m not here to talk necessarily to or about people who are short in physical stature.  I didn’t come today to talk to or about those who are perhaps “vertically challenged.”  But this message is for some short people.

I’m here to share some things with all of us – because in some way – we’re all short.  The apostle Paul said it best when he declared that “we’ve all sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  

We’re all short in one way or another - short on mercy and grace in our lives – short on loving our neighbors – short on caring for the needy – short in the areas of generosity and compassion – short in gentleness and kindness – short on doing justice and walking humbly with God – short in forgiveness - short on speaking the truth in love - short on caring for the environment – short in our commitment to the church - short in our love and relationship with God.  We’re all short in one way or another. 

And we need to know that Jesus was profoundly concerned about short people.  He said, “I have come to seek and save that which is lost.”  He was concerned about you and me, and how in the midst of our fallenness, and brokenness, and recalcitrance - we might draw closer to God.

And so it is in Luke 19, that we find the story of a man named Zacchaeus.  We know that Zacchaeus, though he was a man short in physical stature, was well-to-do in terms of his stature and status in the community.  He was a tax collector – a publican.  Zaccheus had a good, high-level, well-paying government job – he was a man of means – wealthy, an executive and administrator Zacchaeus was.  

He had certainly been well-educated at one of the finest business schools in Palestine, with an MBA in hand from a place like Harvard or Wharton or Morgan or Hopkins, with CPA credentials, Zacchaeus had made it to the top of his Wall Street world.   He had it made.

And Zacchaeus had made his way up the career ladder by being a crook (as they used to call them).  He was a corrupt man, a crooked man, an unethical man, a man who had stepped on a lot of folks on his way up.  And those who knew Zacchaeus had not forgotten how much of a crook Zacchaeus had been.

There are many people today, who find themselves in Zacchaeus’s shoes.  I’m reminded of the story of a businessman well known for his ruthlessness who once announced rather proudly to another person, "Before I die, I plan to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  I will climb Mount Sinai and read the 10 Commandments aloud at the top."

"I have a better idea," replied the other person. "You could stay right where you are and keep the commandments." 

Zacchaeus was a short man – short on respect for others – short on love for his neighbors.  He was a sinful man.  St. Augustine wrote centuries ago about sin, and said that there are three stages with sin: (1) Lord make me good, but not yet;  (2) Lord make me good, but not entirely; and (3) Lord make me good.  

Maybe, Zacchaeus had gone through these first two stages of sin, and had been trying to straighten his life out, and get himself together, and now as he encountered Jesus, he was at the third stage, and he had been praying, “Lord make me good.”

All of a sudden, Jesus had come to town and – and of all people – Zacchaeus happens to be one of those in the crowd.  By the time we get to chapter 19 of Luke, Jesus already had a reputation, as he traveled from Galilee down into Judea.  He had a reputation for helping the least and the lost in his midst. 

People had heard that Jesus could and would heal the sick and raise the dead.  They had heard that Jesus had fed the hungry multitudes and put people in their right mind.  Jesus was even known already for hanging out with sinners and trying to help those deemed to be the least deserving in the neighborhoods where he travelled.  

But Zacchaeus – of all people - showed up to see Jesus. 

And as was the case in many of the places that Jesus showed up, there were some “remember when” people in the crowd on that day.  There were some people who wanted Zacchaeus to ‘remember when’ he used to be the crook that he was – remember how he used to treat folk – remember where he used to hang out – remember who his friends used to be.  When we meet Jesus, there will always be some “remember when” people who come by to remind us of what we used to be. 

And they asked Jesus, ‘why are you eating and hanging out with sinners?’

But Jesus wanted those in the crowd to know that he was more concerned about Zacchaeus’ future than he was about his past.  Jesus was more concerned about his salvation than his sin – more concerned about his right relationship with God tomorrow than what he had done wrong yesterday.  The Lord reminded those in the crowd that “I’ve come not to pull anything out of anybody’s closet, but I’ve come to seek and save that which is lost.” 

And the Good News today is that the same concern that Jesus had for this short man, Zacchaeus, he has for you and me.  Jesus wants to hang out with you and me today.  Jesus wants to hang out with some sinners today.   That ought to be really good news to somebody whom it seems can’t find their way… or who has lost their way… or who feels like they are about to lose it. 

Jesus wants to hang out with some short people.  Jesus wants to hang out with us.  I’m glad that Jesus came to seek and save you and me.  Indeed, Jesus is concerned about us, and comes to see about us.  I’m glad that he looks beyond our fault and sees our need.  Jesus came into the world on a lost and found mission to save some short people. 

And we can imagine that as Jesus saved him, Zacchaeus went away singing something like – “Amazing grace…how sweet the sound… that saved a wretch like me…  I once was lost… but now I’m found…. Was blind but now I see!”