Community Church Sermons
Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost – October 31,
2004
“What Has Your Faith Done for You
Lately”
Luke 19:1-10
Margaret I. Manning
What has your faith done
for you lately? If you were Martin
Luther, the man who launched the Protestant Reformation on this day in 1517,
you’d say that your faith started a revolution! Today is Reformation Sunday,
the day we commemorate Luther’s nailing the 95 Theses on the door of the
Catholic Church in Wittenburg, Germany.
One of those 95 theses concerned the issue of justification. The word ‘justification’ is a high falutin’
way of talking about how a person is brought into right relationship with
God. In Luther’s day, corrupt priests
taught that in order to be in a right relationship with God, one had to buy
indulgences, among other things one had to do to earn God’s favor. Buy enough indulgences and you’ll buy your
way into heaven. The sale of
indulgences was one way the church taught that one can only come into a right
relationship with God through works – do enough good works, and you might end
up being saved.
In contrast to this
teaching, Luther argued that we come into relationship with God through faith
alone, not by works. Now, whatever you
think about Luther’s theology, his protest spawned the Protestant Reformation –
a reformation of the entire Christian movement that eventually enabled the
formation of churches like this one. I
use Luther as an example, not only because it is Reformation Sunday, but
because I want us to notice Luther’s faith.
Most of us would have thought Luther crazy in taking on the Catholic
Church! What a fool! Luther gave up
everything - his position, his church, his status, his friends - everything
because of what he believed. His faith
motivated him to do something about
the situation around him, so much so that he put his life on the line. Remember, his was a time when heretics were
burned at the stake. Ultimately, Luther
was excommunicated from the church he so desperately wanted to reform –
excommunication was the ultimate form of rejection from the church. Those who were excommunicated were destined
for hell. Ask Martin Luther what his
faith has done for him lately and he’ll tell you faith compelled him to act
even if it cost him his life.
In the years and centuries
that followed Luther’s Reformation, the Protestant notion of justification by
faith lost its reformational potency.
Now what do I mean here?
Ironically, the very faith that revolutionized Christianity became
simply an idea, rather than a way to revolutionize our life of faith. To be a Christian meant simply that one gave
‘ascent’ to various theological ideas and it meant less and less that faith compelled any action on the part of
the believer.
Now wait just a minute,
some of you might be getting a bit nervous with what I’m saying here. Am I challenging the Protestant
Reformation? Heavens no! We are saved by grace through faith – I
firmly believe that. We cannot earn our
way into God’s favor – I mean how could we ever know when we’ve done enough to
please God? Don’t worry – I’m not
arguing that we are justified by our works.
But, what I am challenging is a complacent, comfortable Christianity
that has perpetuated the wrong notion that faith is only about belief, and not
about action. The story Luke tells of
Jesus’ encounter with the tax collector Zaccheus is a case in point and will
serve to enlighten all of us, as it did for me in preparing to preach today,
about the way we understand faith. My
hope for all of us on Reformation Sunday is that we might leave with reformed
ideas of what it means to live by faith and what living by faith requires of
us. I want us all to wrestle with the
answer to the question, ‘what has our
faith done for us lately?’
The story of Zaccheus is a
story about active faith. Many of us
recall this story of the short, little man who climbed into a sycamore tree to
get a glimpse at Jesus. But, I’d like
to highlight for you how the story demonstrates a faith that is alive with
works – works that bring about justice and reconciliation, works that
demonstrate the vitality of faith. I
want us to see how Zaccheus answered the question, ‘what has faith done for you lately?’
First, Zaccheus
would tell us that faith motivates us to go beyond acceptable social convention
and self-pride. Let me tell you why. Zaccheus was a chief tax collector, and as a
chief tax collector Zaccheus would have been very concerned to establish
respect for his power and authority.
Chief tax collectors were the C.E.O.’s of the tax collection business
and in a town like Jericho, which was quite prosperous and large, Zaccheus
would have been very rich, and would have had quite a large business. So, here is this C.E.O. of a profitable and
prominent business pushing his way through the crowds who were on their way to
Jerusalem for the Passover Feast, and then climbing up a tree, hoisting up his
garments around him and exposing himself, so that he could get a glimpse of
Jesus. Zaccheus climbing up a tree is
like a corporate executive shinnying up a telephone pole. As a filmmaker you'd give this part to
Danny DeVito. Zaccheus had obviously heard the stories
about this Jesus; his healings, his radical love and acceptance, and his
remarkable, authoritative teachings. He
had heard about Jesus, but now his curious faith compelled him to see for
himself if all that he had heard was really true. His faith and desire to meet this Jesus for himself compelled him
beyond what would have been acceptable for his social status and station in life.
Zaccheus’ humbling climb
up that sycamore tree is even more amazing in it’s willingness to risk
reputation and defy social convention when you understand that Zaccheus was a
hated man. You see, the Jews hated tax
collectors – and chief tax collectors even more! Chief tax collectors contracted with the Romans to collect taxes
in a particular town or region. It’s
like he bought a franchise from the Roman government at a substantial price,
and then subcontracted the actual collection of the taxes to a group of men who
worked under him. His profit was the
difference between the franchise fee he paid the Roman government, and the
amount of taxes he collected. The
system was prone to abuse, and rewarded tax collectors for excessive
collections. So, the Jews saw tax collectors as
mercenaries and thieves. In addition
they hated tax collectors all the more because they had ‘sold out’ to the Roman
government. For a Jew to be in business
with the Romans meant utter ostracism from the Jewish community. So we can understand why Luke points out
that all who heard Jesus invite himself over to Zaccheus’ house for dinner
grumbled and muttered to themselves. Zaccheus was not a popular guy in Jewish
society – but, his faith, demonstrated in his desire to climb up and then hurry
down out of that sycamore tree at Jesus’ request- withstood the ridicule and
the shame that would have come from the crowds that followed Jesus. Zaccheus, ‘what has your faith done for you
lately?’ He would answer that his faith
compelled him to follow Jesus, no matter how society viewed him or how foolish
he looked in the process. He asks us
in return, “What has your faith done for you, lately?”
Second, Zaccheus would
tell us that faith demonstrates remarkable gratitude. In response to
Jesus’ inviting himself over for dinner – and the gracious acceptance
demonstrated by Jesus, Zaccheus responds with generous gratitude. “Lord, half of my possessions I will give to
the poor.” Jesus has asked for nothing
but hospitality from Zaccheus, and in response, Zaccheus, the very rich man,
willingly surrenders half of his wealth.
This is not an attempt of Zaccheus to earn Jesus’ favor by works, but
rather a faith-motivated response to Jesus’ love and acceptance. Zaccheus’ willingness to let go of half of
his wealth demonstrates a faith that trusts in God’s gracious provision. His faith frees him to let go of the false
god he has trusted in for all these long years. God’s graciousness towards him prompts his gracious
donation. Zaccheus, ‘what has your
faith done for you lately?’ He would
answer that his faith motivated gratitude – gratitude that gives generously in
response to God’s generosity towards him; gratitude that frees him to trust in
a gracious God who will provide for his needs.
He asks us in return, “What has your faith done for you, lately?”
Finally, Zaccheus would
tell us that faith demonstrates itself in visible and tangible ways.
In his case, Zaccheus’ response of faith seeks not just to show
gratitude to God, but also seeks to restore justice to those who have been
defrauded. It wasn’t enough for
Zaccheus to give away half of his wealth in response to Jesus’ grace and
acceptance; he insists on repaying those he has defrauded. Now, the Old Testament requirement for
restitution is for the amount defrauded plus one-fifth. Zaccheus doesn’t just meet the letter of the
law he exceeds it by offering to repay four times as much as he has defrauded
others! That’s visible and tangible
faith! Four-fold restitution will
impoverish Zaccheus, as he’s already committed to give away half of his
wealth. Zaccheus will voluntarily do
what the rich, young ruler, whom Luke tells us about in the previous chapter to
our text this morning. Unlike the rich
young ruler who comes looking for salvation and goes away sad because he cannot
willingly part with his wealth, Zaccheus, in response to Jesus parts with his
wealth as a sign of his salvation.
Jesus declares, “Today, salvation has come to this house, because he too
is a son of Abraham.” What does Jesus
mean by calling Zaccheus a son of Abraham?
Like Abraham, he responds to God’s invitation with faith. Abraham believed God and it was ‘counted as
righteousness.’ Abraham’s belief in God prompted
action. His faith compelled him to
follow God’s lead even though that meant leaving family, land, comfort and
security. In the same way, by
voluntarily impoverishing himself, Zaccheus demonstrates that he is a child of
Abraham because he too, lives by faith.
Not faith as an idea or theological principle, but faith that is
demonstrated in action and in living a certain kind of life in response to
God’s generosity towards him in Jesus Christ!
I would be remiss if I did not highlight that the
tangible and visible faith of Zaccheus is a faith that acts to benefit the
community around him. In other words,
Zaccheus’ faith had a social component to it.
At some point after Jesus invites himself to Zaccheus’ home, Zaccheus
rises--uncoerced, unadmonished and unprompted--and commits himself to doing
justice. His faith prompts repentance,
and his repentance demonstrates itself in righting the wrong he has committed
against his community. For Zaccheus,
justice rolls down like waters from the hospitality of Jesus, and it flows in
two expressions: the sharing of wealth (half his possessions to the poor) and
the making of reparations (fourfold to the defrauded).
Justice is the will of God distributed. It involves discerning what symbols,
resources and powers belong to whom, and giving them back. Like Zaccheus, we
may awaken to discover that we have participated in two modes of injustice: the
systemic vast, inherited, social disparities and the personal (our own
dishonest choices). These injustices overlap, of course, and Zaccheus's
response to Jesus shows his intent to redress them both. He moves toward
systemic justice by relinquishment, or the sharing of his wealth with the poor.
He moves toward personal justice by making reparations to the individuals he
has betrayed. Zaccheus, ‘what has your
faith done for you lately?’ He would
answer that his faith compelled him to visible and tangible acts of
justice-both for his personal injustice and for his willing participation in a
corrupt system that defrauded the multitudes.
Zaccheus asks us, ‘What has your faith done for you
lately?’ Has it taken you beyond your comfort zone
doing things in the name of faith that friends, colleagues and/or family have
called ‘foolish’; has it filled you with gratitude so that you abundantly give
of your time, your talents, and your resources; has it shown up through visible
and tangible demonstrations of love and justice? Or, has your faith become simply an idea – an intellectual belief
that makes no claim on the way you live your life? If so, then the story of
Zaccheus should serve as a powerful motivator for self-examination in order to
be sure that the faith we profess is the faith we live –‘today salvation has come to this house.’ Jesus offers all of us a gracious and generous salvation – he
wants to come and dine with all of us, as we are – sinners in need of
grace. Have we taken that generous
offer for granted, or do we respond to that grace with a faith that makes a
difference not only in our lives but in the lives of others?
There was another principle that came out of the
Reformation – semper reformanda – which
means, ‘always reforming.’ As we
allow Luther and Zaccheus to ask of us, “What has your faith done for you lately”, I
hope, in the spirit of the Reformation we remember today, that we’ll apply this
principle to our faith life. God is
calling each one of us to follow Him by faith – I cannot tell you what God asks
of you, or where God is leading you.
That’s between you and God. For
some, it’s to give generously of your wealth by faith, for others, it’s to give
generously of your time by faith, or generously of your talents. I don’t know all of the details of God’s
call on your life, but I do know that God is calling – faith is calling us to
follow with our lives, and with our actions.
As we follow, faith will always be reforming our lives to follow God’s
call. In the spirit of Zaccheus, and in
the spirit of the Reformation may our faith be more than an idea, more than a
comforting and an insulating principle, and be the motivator for works of
courage, justice, and gratitude in our own lives, for the sake of others.
Amen.