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Traitor and a Tree (Full Transcript)

Traitor and a Tree (Full Transcript)

Alternative Routes, Part Two

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Full Transcript

In the city of Durham, they were having trouble, so they called a ten-day community meeting filled with presentations and discussions to try to get people to begin working together. They appointed two co-chairs: CP Ellis, a prominent leader in the Ku Klux Klan, and Ann Atwater, a prominent civil rights advocate. They were put together to lead this meeting—ten days of forced proximity where they had to be close to each other. They hated each other and what each of them stood for. They were hostile and barely talked at first.

But over the days, they had to talk and discuss these difficult issues. What they found is that over time, as they sat at the same table, ate meals together, and talked about these difficult issues, the prejudices they both had began to erode. They began to fade away little by little. One of the major things was Atwater's concern for children, even CP Ellis's children—she went out of her way to help them. Over those days, they began to see each other as people. They tried to see beyond the stereotypes and caricatures we all have of certain groups.

At the end of ten days, CP Ellis, the Klan leader, stood in front of the large gathering and, in front of the whole crowd, tore up his membership card to the Ku Klux Klan and renounced his membership. Ellis and Atwater began a thirty-year friendship, during which time they worked together to help overcome the racial divides of that part of the country.

You see, proximity changes our perspective on things. Proximity changes the way we see things. When we see the faces and the people behind the issues and the things we debate and see on the news, it changes the way we see people. It changes the way we think about things.

Taking the Alternative Route

Last week we talked about taking the alternative route. The Magi had to decide: "Are we going to go back to Herod, or are we going to go in the way of Jesus?" We talked about the alternative route—that it's a difficult way, a longer path sometimes, fraught with trouble—but taking that alternative route with Jesus is really the only right response to meeting Jesus and bowing down to worship him.

Today we're going to look at a story of a man who came face to face with Jesus, and it changed his life. It changed his route. He took the alternative route. But before we get to that story, I want to go back to Luke 5 quickly because something happens there where Jesus says something really important that sets the stage for all of Luke.

Luke had called Levi, a tax collector, to be his disciple, and right after that, he goes to Levi's house and has a meal—probably a party—with all of Levi's friends, who were all tax collectors and sinners. People questioned: "What are you doing? You can't do that! You're a rabbi. This is unclean, it's not right." Jesus answers them with a statement that is really important for us today and informs what Luke talks about throughout his gospel. Jesus says in verses 31 and 32 of chapter 5: "Healthy people don't need a doctor—sick people do. I didn't come to call the righteous but sinners to change their hearts and lives." Or to put it in our language: to take an alternative route, to go a different way, to change who they were and go in a different direction.

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

So we get to chapter 19, and Jesus is nearing the end of his journey to Jerusalem, where Palm Sunday and Easter will take place. He's on his way to Jerusalem, he's in Jericho, and we meet Zacchaeus the tax collector. But he's not just a run-of-the-mill tax collector—he is a chief tax collector. He's a Big Kahuna. He's not just an assistant to the regional manager or an assistant regional manager—he is a legitimate regional manager, overseeing all the low-level tax collectors and taking a cut of what each of those gets. So he's a very rich, very wealthy man.

Scripture also tells us he's very short, a very small man. If you remember the Sunday School song: "Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he. He climbed up in the sycamore tree, for the Lord he wanted to see. And as the Savior passed that way, he looked up in the tree and said, 'Zacchaeus, you come down, for I'm going to your house today.'"

He's a short man, he's small, but I think Luke is saying more than just that he's a short person physically. I think he's also saying something about Zacchaeus's character. We use that word "small"—we tell people, "Don't be so small," or "He's such a small person," and we're saying something about their character, something about their moral qualities. I think Luke might be saying that although Zacchaeus is kind of a big man on campus in the tax-collecting world, he has a smallness of character that everyone can see and everyone knows—it's obvious to all.

So he's a small little man, but he runs ahead of the crowd and climbs up in a sycamore tree. When I was growing up, we had a big oak tree in our backyard, and I'd climb way up there—it was a great climbing tree. Some trees are great climbing trees. My kids make fun of me now because I'll say, "That's a great climbing tree," and then they'll show me a scrawny little tree and say, "Hey Dad, is that a good climbing tree?" No.

But sycamore trees in that climate didn't grow very high. They grew kind of low and wide. So it's not so much climbing up a big tree; he's kind of stepping up into a tree to get to a height where he can see Jesus. He's above the crowd, but he's not way up there—he's in Jesus's line of sight. When Jesus walks by, sure enough, he sees Zacchaeus and points him out. He says in verse 5 of chapter 19, "Zacchaeus, come down. I'm going to your house."

Jesus totally invited himself over for dinner. In our culture, that would be impolite, maybe a little imposing, maybe improper. But for Jesus, that's no big deal—he invited himself over for dinner. But here's the thing we need to realize: it's not just a meal. In those Middle Eastern cultures of that time, and even today, sharing a meal together is not just sharing a meal—it's friendship. When you invite someone over, or when you're invited over, it's an offer of friendship. It's an offer of: "Hey, I want to get to know you better. I think I want to spend some time with you. You're worthy of me investing a little time in, so let's share a meal together."

So Jesus does that, and everyone notices, and they say, "What's he doing? He's going to go be the guest of a sinner and a tax collector! He can't do that!" "Jesus, you should have learned by now. We've told you so many times—you can't do that." Because everyone saw him call out to Zacchaeus, and everyone saw him invite himself over for dinner, and everyone knows what that means: Jesus wants to know this person, to be his friend.

Jesus is not phased by the stares. He's not worried about the whispers of scandal. He's going to Zacchaeus's house because Zacchaeus is a child of the heavenly Father, a man created in God's image, and because of that, he has an inherent value. As we look around at the people around us, sometimes we need to be reminded of that: that this person in front of me, no matter who they might be, no matter what their reputation might be, no matter what they've done and who they are—they are a person loved by their heavenly Father, created in God's image, and because of that, they have inherent value as one of God's children.

Zacchaeus's Response

Zacchaeus's response is great. He says, "Look, Lord, I'll give half of my possessions to the poor. If I've cheated anyone, I'll pay them back four times." He's serious about this. This meeting with Jesus is transformative—it changes his life, it puts him on that alternative route, a different way than he was going. The hands that once grasped and hoarded are now open in generosity. The heart that once took and stole what wasn't his to take and steal is now making efforts to restore and repay what was taken. It's a beautiful picture of how meeting Jesus puts us on a different path, puts us on an alternative route, and shifts our priorities and perspectives.

The truth is, we can't see people's hearts. I look at you, and I don't know what's in your heart. We can get some evidence by observing people, but only God knows what's in the heart. Because of that, we sometimes need to give the benefit of the doubt. We sometimes need to give people the opportunity, or we need to look at things in the best light possible. Sometimes it means that if we're going to make a mistake, if we're going to lean too far in one direction, we're better off leaning too far in the direction of love rather than something else. That's hard to do sometimes, isn't it? Really hard to do.

The Mission of God

As we continue through this series of alternate routes, we're going to continue on this theme of walking that route and being with Christ as part of our mission as the church. We're going to see that the church does not have a mission, but the mission of God has a church. Let me say that again: the church does not have a mission. It's not like we say, "Oh, our mission is this," and another church says, "Our mission is that." The church is the mission of God. God's mission has a church—God's mission has us to carry that mission out in the world. We are the plan; we are plan A and plan B and the backup plan to plan B. It's the church. We are God's mission in this world.

There are a lot of ways to think about that, but one I like is the four Ps: proximity, presence, powerlessness, and proclamation. As we think about God's plan for us, we realize that God's mission is not just for the super-Christians. It's not an elective course for the best and the brightest. God's mission that we carry out is for all of us, and we all have a part to play.

The Importance of Proximity

But I want to highlight today that first one: proximity. In the story of Zacchaeus, we see proximity being played out. Proximity just means being close to people, in the same general area. We're in the same room; we're all in proximity to each other today.

It's interesting that in this online age, where we can do everything on Zoom, we still send missionaries to other countries. We go through the hassle of packing and selling stuff, getting passports, the terrible thing of having to go to immigration offices and sit for hours and not accomplish anything—all that stuff. And we do it because proximity is important. We need to be close to people to really have an impact on them.

We come to church to be in proximity with each other. Even though a lot of churches are online now, if all church was was listening to a sermon, taking a few notes, and checking off your to-do list, then we could all just stay home and watch online. But proximity is really important—being with each other, the opportunity to fellowship together, to sing together, to be together. It's an essential part because we need each other as human beings. We need each other. We don't just walk alone with Jesus; we walk with Jesus and with each other.

So I want to talk about proximity because, you see, Zacchaeus didn't just watch Jesus from afar and say, "Yeah, he's over there, I can hear what he's saying." He tried to get as close as he could and have a good view. He wanted to be in proximity with where Jesus was. And then he really got proximity when Jesus came to his house.

Jesus didn't just say, "Hey, Zacchaeus, good to see you, glad you came," or send him a text or an email or a 'gram or snap or whatever your favorite mode of communication is. He said, "I'm going to come and be with you. I'm going to spend some time with you." And he did. We don't know what they did or what they ate, but it changed Zacchaeus's life.

Seeking Proximity with God

So the first thing I want to look at today is that we need to seek proximity with God. Proximity with God is really important. Scripture tells us in Psalm 73: "But as for me, it is good to be near the Lord." Anybody agree with that? It's good to be near the Lord. "I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge." Hebrews 10:22: "Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings."

If we were to go through, there are a bunch more verses we could have put up there that say the same thing. I've put a few of them online, and I think the link's in your notes if you want to find more verses that talk about being close to God, being in proximity with God.

We find proximity with God through personal spiritual disciplines—prayer and reading the Bible, serving others. There are a lot of ways as individuals and families that we find proximity with God. We find proximity with God when we gather here in the church building on Sundays or other nights. We come, and we pray and worship. There's something about being in a space that's reserved for worship. It's not your living room; it's not your office where you spend all your time. It's a space that's different. And then we reserve a space in the special space, like the altar, that's even more holy and set apart, where we can come and find God.

We find proximity to God as we fellowship together, as we spend time with one another, as we pray and worship and do all the things we do on Sundays and other times during the week. So I would encourage you to seek proximity with God as often as possible. It's really important. We need it. We need to be near God, and God wants to be near to us. He loves his children. He does. He actually wants to be with you. He wants to spend time with you. Just like Jesus, God will invite himself over and then wait for you to open the door and let him in and have time with you. He'll spend some time with you.

Seeking Proximity with Each Other

The second thing is we need to seek proximity with each other. We are the church. We are a family. We are the body of Christ. We need to seek proximity with each other. 1 Peter 4:8-10 says: "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling"—even if someone invites themselves over. I don't know if that's a good idea in our culture or not, but if someone invites themselves over to your house, try to be gracious and humble and say, "Yeah, let's do this." You might ask your spouse first, though. Make sure the house is okay. "Each of you should use whatever gifts you have received from the Father."

We need proximity with each other. We need nearness with each other. So when you come to church, find someone to sit by, to sit near—someone you know, maybe someone you don't know. When you come, come a little early and spend a little time with people before things get started. When things are over, don't rush quickly to the next thing. We're rushing people here in America. We rush from one thing to the next to the next, and we prioritize our schedule. Let's become a people that learn to leave slowly, making time for people, time to connect, because you might not see that person for another week or longer.

Find opportunities to share meals together. Have a game night. Start a small group. Whatever it is, find some ways that you can regularly invest time in each other, because that's how we grow as a church. That's how we grow as the body of Christ. That's how we live out this mission together. We're not all just individual missionaries in the local church—we are actually a missionary church as well in our community.

I would encourage you to get to know our Congolese brothers and sisters. I know it's hard with differences of language and culture. It's tricky. Believe me, living overseas for many years, culture is hard, and learning new cultures is hard, and navigating differences is hard. But I would encourage you to take some steps because even the smallest efforts to say something or give a word of encouragement are so greatly appreciated. There are some wonderful people over there, and there are some wonderful people here too. It'd be nice if we could all get to know each other a little bit. Seek proximity with people in the church because we need each other.

Seeking Proximity with Those Outside the Church

And finally—this is the hard one sometimes—we need to have proximity with the people outside the church building, our neighbors in our neighborhood, the people that we see each day as we live our lives, as we go to work, as we go to school, as we do the stuff we do. Seek proximity with the people out there as well.

Colossians 4:5-6 says: "Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders." That was Paul's word for the people out there who don't share your faith convictions, who don't share your way of life, who don't agree with you on a variety of different things. Paul calls them "outsiders," and he says, "Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders. Make the most of every opportunity." And here's a tough one: "Let your conversation be always full of grace." That can be tricky sometimes, right? "Let your conversation be always full of grace and seasoned with salt so that you may know how to answer everyone."

And then in Romans 12, Paul says: "Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."

Like Jesus and Zacchaeus, and Jesus calling Levi, and Jesus going to Levi's house to have dinner with all those people that he wasn't supposed to have dinner with, we also need to find ways to seek proximity with the people in our neighborhood, the people in our lives, the people we see in the course of our days.

That might mean an awkward conversation with a neighbor that you've lived next to for years but have never really gotten to know. I'm guilty of that one. It might mean getting to know a coworker or a classmate that you've been sitting next to or working with for a long time but have never really taken the effort to really get to know. It might mean joining a community organization of some kind and being a part of what's going on in the community. It might mean finding a regular time at the local coffee shop and getting to know the people there, or some other thing that puts you in proximity with people and creates the opportunity for interactions and new relationships to form.

God's Purpose for Our Location

Because here's something I believe: I believe that this church was placed right here at 2701 South Five Mile Road for a purpose—to be a city on a hill, like Scripture tells us, to be in proximity with all the neighborhoods around us. We've got a lot of houses around us, and we have a lot of cars that drive by every day—brief moments of proximity, but proximity nonetheless. How are we as a church going to utilize this proximity that is already built in? We're here; God put us here. How are we going to utilize the proximity that we have?

People, you were placed by God at the location and address where you live, wherever that may be, for a purpose—to be a city on a hill, to have proximity with your neighbors and the people that you meet each day. God's grace has been poured out on all people, and you have been placed right where you are, whether you believe it or not, for that very purpose. You have been placed in proximity with people of all different kinds—where you work and live and gym, your favorite grocery store, all the places where you live and work and play—for a purpose: to be the light of Christ, to learn to see people as God's children created in God's image who have value, people that God loves and people that God wants to reach.

Here's the thing: you all have proximity with people in your life that I don't have. There are people you have daily interactions with that I will never have. There are actually people that you know and have proximity to that no one else in this room has proximity to. You have been placed in that place, and you're the person—not me or the person sitting next to you—you are the person that can give them a smile or a word of encouragement or be there when they're having a rough day. Over time, hopefully, you'll have the opportunity to share the reason for your hope, the reason for your hope in Jesus Christ. Sometimes it takes time, but God has placed you there. I believe that with all my heart.

Conclusion

Because proximity changes our perceptions. Proximity changes the way we see people. It helps us see the faces and the people behind all of the issues and all of the stereotypes and all of the caricatures that we often give to people. We see the person, and what usually happens is we actually begin to care, and we actually begin to feel Christlike love for those people that might be so different than us—kind of people that we would never have imagined we could have a relationship with, just like CP Ellis and Ann Atwater.

So walking on the alternative route with Jesus will, if we allow it, lead us towards people. We'll learn to have more proximity, more nearness with God, greater proximity, more nearness with each other, and greater proximity and opportunity to share the reason for our hope with the people in our neighborhoods.

The alternative route, like we said, is not easy, but it's the only right response to having met Jesus. When we walk with Jesus on that alternative route, it changes our relationship with God, it changes our relationship with people.

Lord, thank you for this time we've had together. Thank you for this time to worship and gather as your family. Thank you now, Lord, that we have an opportunity to go out from here and live out your mission. We are your mission people. We are your missionaries right here in the Treasure Valley, right here in our neighborhood, wherever we go. So help us, Lord, to see you and to see the people around us with new eyes, with the eyes of Jesus. Help us, Lord, to learn to build our lives on you and you alone. Amen.