Reflections...

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on 06 April 2025, by Rev. Judy Chan. The scripture readings that day were 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, and Luke 19:1-10.

Sermon – “2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Luke 19:1-10"

Good morning. Back in 2014, a Catholic priest named Fabian Baez visited Rome. He was a long way from his home in Argentina. But he hoped while in Rome, he might be able to see the new pope – Pope Francis. In fact, he had known him for 20 years when Francis was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. In fact, Fr Fabian had been ordained to the priesthood by this very same holy man. But since they hadn’t been that close, there was no way now he could get a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican. So Fr Fabian tried to get a ticket for the General Audience at St Peter’s Square. As luck would have it, he was out of luck. No tickets available. He’d just have to stand way at the back outside the Square behind the barricades with the masses. Maybe he could get a photo from a distance as the Pope’s open vehicle, known as the Popemobile, entered the area. 

Well, as luck would have it, the Popemobile drove right past where Fr Fabian was standing. He called out the Pope’s name in Spanish. Francis saw him and shouted, “What are you doing here?” “I came to see you,” the priest shouted back. Then the Popemobile circled around again. This time, Francis told the driver to stop. He motioned him to come to the vehicle. Fr Fabian ran as fast as he could, pushing his way past the people in front of him, past the wooden barriers, past the large security team who, no doubt, were appalled at this shocking breach of protocol. “I thought he just wanted to greet me,” said Fr Fabian, “and I gave him a hug.” Imagine his surprise, when Francis said, “Come, get on” and sat him down on the empty seat in the Popemobile right next to his papal assistant. 

Fr Fabian said it was surreal. Minutes earlier, he would have been grateful just to catch a glimpse of the man. Now here he was with the best seat in the house! The Popemobile continued going around the crowd as Francis blessed the sick and kissed babies one by one. At the end of the ride, a few minutes before he was to deliver his sermon, Pope Francis told him, "If you are in a hurry don't worry about it, but if you stay until the end, we can talk for ten minutes."

"So I stayed, of course,” said Fr. Fabian. “I didn't have absolutely anything else to do except hoping to see the Pope." As he reflected on his extraordinary experience afterwards, he called the meeting a sign: "a sign … we Christians do not believe in coincidences, coincidences are, as a friend of mine says, 'God-incidences'." 

What does that mean? It’s been said a coincidence can be an event that has two meanings. Chance supplies the first, God supplies the second. The Bible assures which one we should believe. God doesn’t play dice with the universe. 

I think this is also a lesson we can take from today’s story about Zacchaeus. When you’re dealing with Jesus, nothing happens by chance. Case in point: In Hebrew, the name Zacchaeus means ‘pure’ or ‘righteous’. That must have seemed like a joke considering how hated tax collectors were. And Zacchaeus was not just your ordinary cheating tax collector. He was the chief tax collector, meaning he had a lot of people under him doing the dirty work, making himself wealthy and despised in the process.

Then, Jesus is passing through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem. You could say, that was logical. Jericho was a gateway town, a natural stopping point for travelers before the last push up the steep hills toward the Holy City. But Jesus wasn’t passing through Jericho because a guidebook recommended it. He purposely stopped in Jericho because he had divine appointments.

He had divine appointments and one of those was with Zacchaeus. But how were they to meet? Jesus could easily miss him. The crowds were big and Zacchaeus was small. But the wee little man wasn’t leaving anything to chance either. As they say, desperate situations require desperate measures. Zacchaeus may have been short, but God also made him fit. Luke says he ran ahead and climbed up a tree. He ran ahead and climbed up a tree! What was he thinking?? Probably, I don’t care! Jesus might never pass this way again…it’s now or never.

As it turned out, it was now. Jesus passed right by where he was and looked up. “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down. I must stay at your house today.” Who would have thought it? Jesus calls him by name. Tells him to get down right now because he’s coming to his house to break bread together.

Zacchaeus had to have been shocked. Going to someone’s home for a meal was a big deal back then. It signaled approval and honor. Zacchaeus would never have dared to invite Jesus himself. Righteous people had nothing to do with the unrighteous. But now the holiest man in town announced he was going to the home of the biggest sinner in town. It was unheard of. For Zacchaeus, this was like the King or Queen choosing him, his house, his family for a royal visit. There was no way he was going to turn it down!

The crowds were equally shocked. How dare Jesus invite himself to the worst home in all of Jericho! How dare he scandalize everyone like this. In their minds, there was a special place in hell for tax collectors. They colluded with the occupying empire. They ripped off their own people right and left. They loved money and power more than God and neighbor. If Jesus insisted to befriend this immoral, unclean sinner, he deserved no better than Zacchaeus himself. He deserved nothing but shame and scorn. 

Do you see what’s happening here?  Zacchaeus and Jesus have actually swapped places. Zacchaeus and Jesus have traded places.  As Pastor Brad O’Dell puts it:  

…Zacchaeus is very honored to have… this eminent figure, come and say, “I want to eat at your house.” So all of Jesus’ honor and renown is transferred onto Zacchaeus. He is the one who gets to host the teacher, the Rabbi, the King! But also we see that all of Zacchaeus’ shame and scorn gets transferred onto Jesus, and they say, “How could Jesus eat with this person? How could Jesus spend time with this person?” Jesus got Zacchaeus’ shame and scorn; Zacchaeus got Jesus’ honor and renown.  

When you’re dealing with Jesus, nothing happens by chance. It’s no coincidence this story happens on the last stop before his final entry into Jerusalem. The story of Zacchaeus then foreshadows what Christ will do for everyone at the Cross. It’s what’s been called the great or wondrous exchange. It’s what St Paul meant in 2 Corinthians 5:21: “For our sake God made the one who knew no sin to be sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

For our sake, says O’Dell,  

Jesus took our sin, Jesus took our shame, Jesus took our punishment, Jesus took our disgrace upon himself, and in the same token he transferred to us his righteousness, he transferred to us his life, he transferred to us his victory over these things. He even transferred to us the rights of his sonship that he has with the Father. 

In short, Jesus was rejected in our place so we might be accepted forever.

In short, we have more restored to us in Christ than ever was lost in Adam. 

In short, in Christ Jesus, we are seen, we are sought, we are saved. 

May we then, like Zacchaeus, say thank you to God in ways only we can do.   

May we then, “while there is time… run to do now what will profit us for all eternity.” 

This morning, I wanted to close with a song for Zacchaeus. Something besides a children’s song, but there really aren’t that many grown up songs about Zacchaeus. At least ones that speak to my heart. Then I ran upon a song I hadn’t heard before, but Pastor Maggie says we have sung it before at KUC. Maybe you know it too. It’s called “Who You Say I Am” by Reuben Morgan and Benjamin Fielding. 

One verse goes:

Who the Son sets free

Oh is free indeed

I'm a child of God, yes, I am

In my Father's house

There's a place for me

I'm a child of God, yes, I am

Listen now and claim your promise from God.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQxenEhUfx0