Is Jesus Political?

A Meditation for Christ the King Sunday

Lectionary Reading: Colossians 1:15-20

I am one of those people who doesn’t like to talk about politics with strangers, and usually only discuss my ideas with friends and people I respect. If someone who doesn’t know me very well asks for my opinion I’m likely to say, “Oh, I’m not political”. The problem is not that I don’t have opinions and desires about my government. I would love to have equal rights someday, and I care deeply about the issues of immigration, war, and health care. I try hard not to be part of the problem, but, I’m not really part of the solution either. Hence, I am not political. But as a Christian, I have to ask – is Jesus political?

In the liturgical calendar, today is Christ the King Sunday – a day when we celebrate the Kingship of Christ and a traditional early Christian feast day. The title King is a political position – so there’s a clue to the answer. We also are given the New Testament scripture to the Colossians which clearly shows Christ’s political position.

Verse 16: For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on
earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or
authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

Clearly – Jesus was political. But not the way we see people claiming Christian faith go about politics in our day – with contributions to candidates who espouse their beliefs, pressure on public servants to vote with a particular viewpoint, and a review of a candidate’s religious history. I don’t think Jesus was about the process of politics. When asked, Jesus made a distinction between what was Caesar’s business and what was God’s – and also made it clear that his business was God’s. But he was about the product of politics – justice, mercy, and change. So what does that mean for Christians?

There is an old chemistry joke: “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the precipitate!” (well, I think it’s funny)

The precipitate, of course, is a solid mass left behind after a chemical reaction has occurred. It’s an indicator that a chemical change has happened and something new has formed. When I look at the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, I see him as the catalyst – the one sent to create change in our world, and Christians as people who were supposed to be the evidence of the change Jesus is making – so – we are the precipitate.

Christ as King of Justice

One of the roles of any king was be the head judge (and in smaller kingdoms the only judge) of disputes and decision making. The king decided ownership, punishments, and made the laws. A good king made laws for the sake of justice. Christ the King sought justice through many ways. He called upon the temple leaders to create spiritual justice and get rid of cruel temple exclusions and pharisaic law (that got him killed). He called on disciples to create social justice – caring for the widows, the poor and oppressed. He called on individuals to act justly with one another.

As followers of Jesus the Christ (another political title), we too should strive for just actions with one another, and for social justice in the world around us. We should follow the advice of James – “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” Imagine if that word “religion” was replaced by the word “politics” – how different would our world be? Would we be at war? Would 1/3 of the homeless be children? Would scandal be the hallmark of our political leaders?

Christ as King of Mercy

There’s an ironic twist to understanding our beloved Jesus as a champion of justice. What he did on the cross was the antithesis of justice. He became grace, and grace is about as far from justice as one can get. The dictionary defines justice as “… the impartial assignment of merited rewards or punishments.” In other words, justice means you get what you deserve. And according to Romans, what we deserve for sin – the willful disobedience of God’s law – is death. But Christ brings grace into the arena – dying in our place so that we can experience salvation, relationship with God, and hope eternal. Because of Jesus we don’t get what we deserve – we get what God desires. God desires relationship with us and love.

As followers of the Redeemer, we too should take mercy into our lives and world. Imagine the immigration debate if it were framed in terms of mercy as opposed to economics, job quotas and punishment. Imagine our health care system if it were designed around mercy for the sick as opposed to how much insurance one carries.

Christ’s grace really isn’t so opposite from justice as it seems. Justice and mercy are the two sides of a coin. They are symbiotic. Thomas Aquinas said, “Mercy without justice is the mother of dissolution; justice without mercy is cruelty.”

Christ as King of Change

If there is anything distinguishing about the rabbi from Nazareth, it is his capacity to create change. Every life Jesus encountered he changed in some way. For the corrupt temple leaders, his presence made them insecure, defensive and scheming. For the pagan Roman soldiers his message opened them to the possibility of the One God, creator of all. For the common people, Jews and Gentiles alike, his healing gave them sight, mobility, hearing and spiritual freedom from demons and prejudice. We are all born again in his presence. We are all the precipitate – the evidence of his change.

Is Jesus political? You bet. Not in a “mark you ballot and lobby your cause” kind of way – but in a more profound and personal way. As election season begins to run in its fullness, I fear we will all have more politics thrust upon us than we may desire. But as we make our decisions, donations and demands of our government – let us first follow Christ into bringing the products of good politics into our midst. Justice, mercy and change are the fruits of Christ’s labor and should be our priority as well.

As for the rest – let us remember the wise words of Paul to the Colossians – “He is before all things and in him all things hold together.” In other words – it’s all about Him. Not us. Not Democrats, Republicans, Liberals or the Conservative Right. It’s about Him. Let us pause to honor and live to exclaim – Christ the King.

Some Early Christmas Wisdom

Happy Thanksgiving, all. It should not surprise you than on this great holiday I'm playing on the computer and adding to my blog. Nerds just celebrate thankfullness differently. (Later, I'll watch some Star Wars. I'm thankful for light sabers too). Speaking of nerdom - A friend has directed me toward "facebook" - which I have to admit is a lot more fun than I had suspected it would be. How could a nerd like me not have known that??? If you're a facebook person, or decide to join the fun - be sure to stop by my page and say Hi.

The pic on the blog is my house - which I decorated for our first Virginia Christmas (we are very excited by the whole thing). If you are wondering: "How did a geek like Kellie Rupard-Schorr hang lights on her roof all by herself when everyone knows she is the clumsiest nerd alive?" - I'll have to tell you about the "magic pole" (otherwise known as a "shingle hanger" )that allowed me to do the whole thing without getting on a ladder (or falling off one).

Now to the wisdom: My friend Debra sent me an email forward written by Ben Stein about the issue of the word "Christmas" - and our yearly fight over stores saying Holidays instead of Christmas and outlawing nativity scenes in town squares. I verified it through snopes.com (nerd note: always check stories on a verifier - don't just believe it because its on the web!) and printed the actual part said by Stein. It think it is good wisdom as we prepare for Christ's birth celebration.

____________________

From the CBS Morning Show, December 2005 by Ben Stein (in regard to the media hype surrounding Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson)

My confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period.

I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.

God's Not Angry - We Are

Reading: Psalm 13

In 1741 Calvinist minister Jonathan Edwards gave one of the most famous sermons in history. It is so renown the sermon is used in English and Religion classes as an example of the writings of the time. The title of the sermon is “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. The image of this sermon is of God holding all people in God’s hands over the pit of hell – and in anger allowing some of them to fall to their eternal torment. To say it is a fiery sermon is an understatement. To say it accurately reflects God would, in my opinion, be a misstatement. Yet, we all sometimes get caught up in the “Angry God” theology. Some pastors preach the most important thing is to recognize ourselves as sinful beings who are separated from God and anger God. Others refer to the Old Testament as “the side of the Bible with the angry God”.

While it is important to recognize the sin in our lives, it is more important to understand first that we are beloved by God. We are God’s created, desired children (not just a bunch of bad seeds who disappoint God every day). Jesus didn’t come just because we have sinned. He came because we are loved. The God of the Old Testament is only angry if you just read the first half of each story. Every time God exiles Israel because of their worship of false gods, God brings them back to the Promised Land. Every time God punishes, God also heals. God tosses Adam and Eve out of Eden, and then gives them children. Their son kills the other son. God gives them another son. The God of the Old Testament isn’t always angry – that God is patient and more forgiving than we will ever know. So where does all this anger come from? I think it comes from us.

We are an angry species sometimes. We are not just angry when our country is attacked or injustice causes harm, but when we are driving (road rage, anyone?), when we feel cheated, lost, grief stricken or embarrassed. We hold anger. We remember it. We use it. We sell it. We buy it. We vote with it. We sleep with it. The 13th Psalm is full of it.

1How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

The psalm of lament says everything we say to God in our anger – Where are you, God? How long are you going to ignore my needs/wants/hurts? Don’t you care? Are you there?
There are three things to know about our anger with God.

Don’t be afraid to be angry

Many people are raised in religions that stress you should never be angry with God, question God or express doubt. The tragedy to that is it robs people of their right to ask important questions and to have an honest relationship. What happens is people start to carry anger at God inside them, and because they never express it honestly it eats them up from the inside out.

Imagine if you could never ask your parents, “why”? Think of all the things you would not learn. Would it be good if a parent told you not to touch a hot stove, but never told you why? Would you enjoy getting a C on your report card without knowing how the grade was assigned? Would it be okay if you came home from high school and were told you were being grounded for three weeks and to go to your room – without ever learning why? Questions and doubt are important to our growth and development as God’s children. When we fail to ask, we rob God of a chance to answer.

Our walk with God is a relationship, and every relationship endures anger. I used to tell couples planning to get married that they could tell the strength of their relationship not just by how much they laugh with each other, but by how well they forgive each other – because disappointments and anger happen even in the best of love. How we get through it is what matters most. Think of your deepest relationships – with your mom or dad, your brother or your sister, your best friend or your lover – as much as you love those people – haven’t there been times when you could just shake them, scream at them, or pull the car over and say ‘GET OUT’? Still you love them. Being angry with God over disappointments, unfairness, loneliness, heartache or illness is a normal part of a real relationship. Learn how to express your anger and let the healing between you and your loving Creator begin.

Don’t be addicted to being angry

Then there are other folks who want to carry their wounds and hurts around with no real thought to a solution or the relationship being repeatedly damaged. Anger is an energy source. It can empower, motivate and even propel people into action. It is powerful, and it is addictive. However, one of the major sermons God gave when Jesus was nailed to the cross was that reconciliation and forgiveness is the dream of God for us all. In other words: it is okay for us to get angry. It is not okay for us to stay angry.

Sometimes people use anger as a reason to hide from God. They say stuff like “I believe in God, but not organized religion” (because disorganized religion is soooo much better?). My experience with that phrase is the person employing it has been hurt before – by a church, a pastor or a person and is holding that anger against God. By avoiding the places and people of God, they never have to face their anger or resolve their feelings. It hurts them, and it hurts God. Be honest and open with God. Soon, you won’t be so afraid of religion, because you’ll be past that and into a real relationship.

Listen to the Emissary

Every once in a while a person can become so consumed with anger they can no longer adequately express or deal with it. The anger festers in them and they no longer have the ability or words to resolve it. That’s especially hard when your anger is at God. Sometimes even when God is trying to give comfort, you are too mad to hear the words.

"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" revolves around a space station that encountered a unique problem. It was run by Starfleet – the military establishment, but inhabited by Bajorans – a race of people highly involved in their religion. They listened to the prophets. The two sides would conflict frequently in the battle of might versus spirit. In order for this group to work together the prophets picked an “Emissary” – someone who would speak for them. They picked a Starfleet Captain. That way – both sides could hear the voice of the prophets through the experience of a military person. Both sides would listen.

In one episode, a war is coming to the station. The Starfleet crew begins amassing weapons and preparing for battle, but the prophets say to pray and wait. The two sides fight openly about their differing points of view. Worf is a Klingon, a member of a warrior race, and it is expected he will take the side of the soldiers. However, he takes the other side. Someone hisses at him saying, “Since when did YOU believe in the prophets?” Worf answers wisely, “What I believe in is faith. Without faith there is no victory”. He turns to the Emissary (Captain Sisko) who settles the dispute and averts bloodshed.

Every time I watch that show, I think, “That’s what we need in our conflicts and issues with God. We need an Emissary.” And every time God is quick to remind me that we have one: Jesus the Christ. The voice of God in the form of us. Through Jesus, both sides can listen. When we are angry with God, we can look at the life Jesus led on earth and see how he resolved the situation.

On the cross, Jesus accuses God of forsaking him – Ever notice how much like us he sounds? “My God, why have you forsaken me?” sounds a lot like:
“I’ve been praying about this job for MONTHS, why won’t you answer?”
“You know I am lonely. Why won’t you send someone to love me?”
“Why did you let my father die?”
“Why won’t you take this pain from me?”
“Why do I have cancer?”
“Why why why why why why why????”

So what does our Emissary do with his angry question? He asks it! Then look at what is next – he says “into your hands, I commend my Spirit.” He asks. He yells. And then he trusts God. As Worf would say, “Without faith there is no victory”.

When you are angry with God, find the Emissary – Jesus - and learn from his life, death and resurrection. Tell God, listen to God, and then trust God to heal, guide and comfort you. Psalm 13 starts out as an angry accusation about the absence of God. But look how it ends.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me.

Amen.

Do All Dogs Really Go to Heaven? (and why we should care)

Readings: Gen: 1:20-25, Rev 21:1-5

My dog lied to me again. I wish it hadn’t happened – I wish Buddy always told me the truth. But, it happened again yesterday. I woke up late, and she ran up to me as I stumbled in the kitchen, then ran to the food bowl – looking expectantly, wagging her tail and making herself look as if she hadn’t eaten in three weeks. “Did you get breakfast?” I asked. She jumped and bounced around the bowl, all but saying the words, “I need to be fed! I’m starving!!!” But, even with her lie dripping off her soft velvety ears and channeling through her pretty brown beagle eyes – I knew the truth. Cathy would never go to work and not feed them breakfast (in fact, I’m not sure they would let her out the door if she tried). So I said, “Don’t lie, Buddy…” and she flattened her ears and went back to the couch to sleep. I was muttering as I made my morning tea, “how can I trust anything in this world when my own dog is a pathological liar” when I remembered a question many people have asked me over the years – do animals go to Heaven?

Who You Callin’ Soul-less?

The arguments against animals in heaven (which have been a staple of the Catholic Church and conservative Christianity for centuries) are:

1. Animals don’t have a soul and thus are not redeemed by Jesus Christ on the Cross
2. Animals do not participate in the Christ’s Body and Blood in the Eucharist (communion) and are not baptized, so they don’t get to go.
3. Animals do not sin and do not require redemption or choose to love God through Christ.
4. The Bible doesn’t say animals go to heaven.
5. If animals went to heaven then every fly, fowl and herring would be there and we would be stuck with all of them – it just doesn’t make sense.

However, the other side of the debate has its points too. Theologians who believe pets go into the next soul step point out the following rebuttal.

1. Angels aren’t redeemed by Jesus Christ, and they get to be in heaven. When did Heaven get such an exclusive policy? Who says animals don’t have souls?
2. Many Christians don’t take communion or take it infrequently, and baptism may be a desire of God for us, but the Bible does not say it gets us in, or keeps us out of heaven. Besides, communion and baptism aren’t how humans get there either.
3. Animals aren’t tempted to sin, and aren’t a fallen species. They have a different purpose and plan.
4. The Bible doesn’t say animals don’t go to heaven, either. And Paul says in Romans 8:21, 22 all creation awaits redemption – not just people.
5. The Bible promises a new heaven and earth – anything is possible in them.

Or as the age-old bumper-sticker reads: “If my dog ain’t there, then it ain’t Heaven.”

In studying this for a long time – I have to say I do believe animals can go to Heaven – but I think there is a more important lesson for us to learn from this issue. First, here are my thoughts…

Paradise First, Paradise Last

We (humans) are a fallen species who live east of Eden. Eden has long been recognized as “Paradise” – the way God intended things to be. Have you noticed? Eden is full of animals! They were there in the beginning, and they weren’t thrown out because they ate from a forbidden tree! (Although, If Buddy had been there – well – at least one breed of dog would be headed east!). Eden, like Christ, is the Alpha – the beginning – and animals were there.

Interestingly, the book of Revelation, also like Christ, is the Omega – the end – and guess what? Animals are there too. Whether it’s the four horses who carry the drivers of the apocalypse or the animals gathered around the throne – the animals (long thought to be symbols in the wild and highly debated prophecy) are everywhere in the book. In Revelation 4 – around the throne are 4 representations: a lion, an ox, an eagle and a human. In A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament, author and scholar - E.W.Bullinger writes that the four images represent "the heads of animate creation; the lion of wild beast; the ox of tame beasts; the eagle of birds; the man of all [mankind]."

In fact, even though the Bible does not say animals were present when the baby Jesus was born, we instinctively put lambs, oxen and donkeys in the nativity set with him and write hymns about that. Why? Because I think deep down each of us believes they probably should be there too. After all, according to prophecy and Luke – Jesus was born in a MANGER in a STABLE – an animal place. Who is willing to say the Son of God can be born in their house but they can’t go to his?

Of course, a lot of this debate centers on whether you take the bible literally or interpretively – but that doesn’t really matter to me – either way – its clear animals and their imagery are important to God and are placed at the beginning and end of our human journey on this earth.

Why Should We Care?

Whether you are an animal lover or allergic to cats – you should care about this question simply because it reveals one of the most troubling aspects of Christianity in our generation. (wow, that sounds serious, huh?) – It reveals our human tendency to take over what is God’s domain, and re-shape it in our own image. When people go around pronouncing animals can’t go to heaven – they are thinking of heaven as THEY believe it to be. Animals don’t fit their theology – so, animals are out. Sadly, those kinds of people often do that to other human beings who don’t fit their theology either.

Heaven is God’s domain, home and future with us. We don’t have the right to demand what happens there or make judgments about who gets in. We aren’t given biblical authority to make up rules, roles, declarations, or visions of this area. We are charged by Christ with a task of bringing the Kingdom of God to earth – not sit around all day figuring out what heaven is like and who or what species can or cannot get there. Remember the Lord’s Prayer? “Thy will be done ON EARTH as it is in heaven.” Even Jesus is praying “Get your heads out of the clouds and get in the game! Use your life to bring the Kingdom of God to EARTH. Heaven can take care of itself.”

I have always maintained that loving God and accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord so you can go to Heaven, is like marrying someone for his money. We should love God because God made and loves us – and we should want and seek an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ where we honor his Lordship because it’s rightful and faithful to do so.

Heaven-focused Christians always seem to me like they have gotten the whole thing confused with "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" – where God is inviting only a few special children into the magical playground and Jesus is the “golden ticket”. What an appalling way to see the one who loves us so dearly and has so much more to share with us on an eternal journey.

How would you feel if the man or woman of your dreams took you to dinner, got down on one knee – looked at you with eyes full of love, opened a ring box and said, “I want you to be my spouse so I won’t go to hell.”? I’m betting you wouldn’t feel happy. Yea, maybe God feels unhappy about that too. God wants to be chosen; to be loved for who God is – not simply as an insurance against an unpleasant afterlife.

I’m pretty sure about human sin, Christ’s sacrifice, salvation and having an eternity with God. But I’m not sure what that eternity looks like. I don’t believe in “pearly gates” or “streets of gold” (frankly, if I get to heaven and there is traffic, I’m going to be very upset!). I believe the Bible doesn’t give us many clues – other than allusions and allegories. But I trust God to have a future for my soul called Heaven and I don’t have to know the details today. I just have to know God – and I’m trying to walk in God’s son’s way every day to know God more. That’s all I think about Heaven.

Don’t be so eager to exclude other people who think or act differently from you from Heaven. Let God be in charge of that. Don’t be so eager to exclude animals from Heaven. Let God be in charge of that too. In fact, be passionate about walking Christ’s way in relationship with the Creator, and all the rest – the new Heaven and Earth that we cannot fathom - will come to pass.

I’m sure that even Buddy, who lied about breakfast, is a part of God’s plan and love for me. I am also aware that I encouraged the lie by asking if she had breakfast when I already knew the answer. To that critique I can only respond with the immortal words of that theological master – Homer Simpson. “It takes two to lie, Marge. One to lie and one to listen.”

Disclaimer: Buddy does not confirm or deny the breakfast incident.

How Does It Look On You?

Lectionary Reading: Luke 19:1-10

The movie Chocolat features a story about a free-spirit single mom who opens a chocolate shop during Lent in a provincial French village. Because Lent is seen by the Catholic church as a time of self denial, the opening of a shop selling rich, delicious and healing chocolate seems pagan and terrible to the people who openly demonstrate against the shop (although they manage to privately purchase and eat the chocolate). Through this whole struggle, a young priest is working on his first self-written sermon. After the intolerance of the church folks reaches critical mass and a terrible fire results, the townspeople are divided between self-righteous justification for their meanness and guilt over the tragedy when the young priest finally delivers his sermon. Here is what he says:

“…we can't go 'round measuring our Christianity by what we don't do, by what we deny ourselves, what we resist and who we exclude... we've got to measure our faith by what we embrace, what we create, and who we include.”

What a perfect message of Christ – for those people and for us.

Measuring Christianity is an interesting notion. Some people have a Christianity measured by their love of Christ and their continuing efforts to walk in his Way. For others the measure isn’t something that beautiful or eternal. Others measure it by how good they are (or look), how much they donate to or attend church, how other people think of them, or how successful they have become. If you measure cloth with the wrong tool, your clothes won’t fit and they look bad on you. If you measure your faith by the world’s view, it looks bad on you too. In fact, to the rest of the world it looks bone ugly.

In his new book “Unchristian”, researcher David Kinnamon looks at attitudes of 16 to 29 year-olds (churched and unchurched) and finds the age group to be “skeptical and frustrated with Christianity”. Only 16% of that age group said they had a “favorable view of Christianity”. The age group’s most common comment was, “Christianity no longer looks like Jesus. Its “unchristian”. When asked to describe Christians with 5 adjectives the top five were:

Judgmental
Ignorant
Hypocritical
Homophobic
Political

Wow. That’s certainly a tragic vision of the Christian Way, and sad news for that generation. But in today’s very familiar lectionary story we find some great news. It’s a story that helps us use the right tools – and measure our Christianity in a way that befits Christ, and show’s God’s beauty to the world.

A Christianity Measured by Vision

People who have grown up in church have heard that song over and over. “Zacchaeus was a wee little man; a wee little man was he. He climbed up in a sycamore tree, for Jesus he wanted to see…”

Have you ever wondered why the Bible pauses to tell us that detail? Who cares if he is short? Why do we have to know he climbed sycamore tree? The purpose of this tidbit is to give us a sense of where Zacchaeus is in his faith walk. He’s a tax collector (a person the Jew’s consider a traitor because he works for Rome, and probably cheats people in the process), so we assume he is not at the beginning of Christ’s way. BUT, look again. He WANTS to see Jesus – so much so that he climbs a huge tree (sycamore-fig trees can grow to be 20 meters tall) just to see him. Salvation comes to Zacchaeus’ house because he is looking for Jesus.

Christians should still look for Jesus. Are you looking for him? Not just in prayer and at church or when you are sitting in the doctor’s office waiting for test results, but are you looking for him when it’s not easy? When you are too short (short on patience, short on time, short on grace) to see him, are you willing to go out of your way to look for him? When you have that person in your office or kid in your classroom that you’d just like to strangle – can you see Jesus sitting by him or her – holding hands, talking, healing? When someone disappoints or hurts you badly, are you willing to see him walking down the street, knowing forgiveness of that person is what he wants from you? Don’t measure your walk by how many times you think you show Jesus, measure it by how many times you climb to see him.

A Christianity Measured by Transformation

The people all scoff and snicker when Jesus goes to Zacchaeus’ house (and let’s be honest – we would too – we are all a little short on mercy sometimes). But the act of being with Jesus changes Zacchaeus in a way nothing else could. Suddenly the man whose only claim to fame was his ill-gotten wealth gives half of it away, and offers refunds that will take the other half. One visit from Jesus and the little guy goes from being Bill Gates to being Bob Poor-house overnight (plus, he has to get a new job). And it doesn't seem to bother him! Zacchaeus’ encounter with the Holy Christ transforms him into a man who values God's opinion and lives Christ's way.

Transformation isn’t just what happens when we meet Jesus. Its not the case that we encounter Christ, get changed and just live the rest of our lives as the aging new creation we’ve grown comfortable being. Transformation is an on-going life journey in a relationship with Jesus. It involves communion every day with God (churchy folks call that prayer or meditation), reviewing our ideas and actions, learning new things and correcting old habits. To the Christian, transformation is transportation – a way of getting closer to the person God made you to be.

A Christianity Measured by Intention

Notice everything Zacchaeus says is a “gonna”. He’s gonna pay the folks he cheated 4 times what he owes – he’s not getting out his wallet at the table – but he intends to make it right. I hope he did. Sadly, this like many encounters ends without telling us what happened next. Did Zacchaeus really give away his money? Did he pay back 4 times what he owed?

What do you think Zacchaeus did when he found out Jesus was crucified? He lived in Jericho – not Jerusalem – but he would have heard the news about that radical rabbi who got hung on a cross. So what does he do when he gets the news? Does he feel like a fool and say, “Dang, I gave away my wealth to follow that guy – now I’m broke and he’s dead! Call my Centurion boss; I want my old job back!”? Does he mourn the too young death of the rabbi who changed him from a money-grubbing sinner to a man who followed God’s justice and hope? I hope for Zacchaeus that he kept on the Way he intended and heard to good news that Jesus rose again.

Our Christianity means we need to keep our intentions before us. We need to keep following the path of peace, justice, love and transformation God set us on through Christ no matter what the future holds. If we give up on faith; if we give up on each other; if we give up on ourselves or give up on God because we meet some resistance - we have left our intentions in the dust and need to climb that tree and start over again. Christianity is measured by the walk we make in the rain, as well as the sunshine of God’s love.

So, look in the mirror of God’s eyes and show your walk of faith to God. Ask God as honestly as you ask your best friend when you’re shopping, “How does this look?” If God’s answer isn’t one you want to hear, then accept God’s forgiveness and start your walk anew. Sooner than later you’ll look around and see brothers and sisters – churched and unchurched – willing to share the journey of Christ with you step by step and day by day. Be open to them. Then, the Bible says, in the end God will say, “Well done my good and faithful servant” or translated into our modern words, “looking good!”