Spent Your Life?—Isaiah 1: 10-18; Luke 19: 1-10
For some time, it became very popular to read a poem called “The Dash” at funerals. It was written by Linda Ellis, and it says this: “I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning…to the end. / He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears, but he said what mattered the most of all was the dash between those years. / For that dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth, and now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth. / For it matters not how much we own, the cars, the house, the cash. What matters is how we live and love, and how we spend our dash. / So think about this long and hard: are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left that still can be rearranged. / To be less quick to anger and show appreciation more, and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before. / If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile, remembering that his special dash might only last a while. / So when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash, would you be proud of the things they say about how you lived your dash?
In our Gospel lesson for today, we encounter Zacchaeus. He was a man of short stature, or vertically challenged, as some of my friends call it. Zacchaeus was not what you might call a good man. He was a tax collector, and most of the tax collectors in Jesus’s day were notorious for being cheats, liars, and abusing or exploiting the people for their own profit. From the way Luke reads, I am certain Zacchaeus was the same. The people called him a “notorious sinner.” People who are ethical and upright usually don’t earn such a name from the general public. We also can glean from his conversion story that he was both aware of his wrongdoing and oblivious to how bad it might actually be. He offers half his wealth to the poor and offers to make restitution several times over to anyone he may have cheated.
It seems the people of Judah were faring no better than Zacchaeus in the lesson from Isaiah. We have heard the same indictment of the people 2 weeks in a row. Isaiah and Jeremiah both told Judah of their sins, exploitation, and oppression. Between the two prophets, Judah heard the same prophecy from God for over 100 years. Isaiah was around 750 BC and Jeremiah 650 BC. The people were cruel and inhospitable to others, to the vulnerable, to the oppressed, widow, and orphan. They were unjust. They lived with all the dressings and symbolism of their religion, but none of the actual good fruit is should have produced.
Last week we heard of their downfall. This week we see God pleading with them to be restored and redeemed. God asks them to come and settle things. God tells them exactly what to fix in order to be in God’s will and following God’s way. Then God waited for 100 years. And nothing happened to change their wrongdoing. Isaiah prophesied in 750 BC, Jeremiah in 650 BC, and Babylon attacked Israel in 597 BC. Their lives could have been different. Their closeness to God could have been restored. But they were too attached to doing things their way instead of following what God wanted them to do. And to make themselves feel better they called their selfish way, God’s way, living fraudulently before God and lying to themselves about it all.
Zacchaeus, however, had a real and true change of heart. He simply wanted to see Jesus. So, because he was vertically challenged he climbs a tree too look down and see Jesus pass by. It’s safe to say that Jesus knew what was going on in Zacchaeus’s heart. Jesus could see that he was a man standing right on the line of making a change, and one encounter with Jesus could change everything. Whatever we do, we cannot underestimate the power of meeting Jesus.
The people were unhappy that Jesus went to such a man’s house. Surely Jesus wouldn’t go and share a meal in the house of a well-known sinner? But it was that meeting and that presence of Jesus which changed the heart and soul of Zacchaeus. He committed to giving half his wealth to the poor. He committed to repaying any anyone whom he had cheated. And when a man is willing to part with his money, you know a change has happened. We cannot underestimate the power of people encountering Jesus.
Now, Jesus himself may not wander by and come to lunch. And even if he did, I have no idea what I would cook. Within us, however, is that presence of Jesus…Immanuel, God with us. Wherever we go and in whatever home we dine, we should bear the image of Jesus. After all, we are Jesus’s representatives here on earth. If we claim to follow him, people should be able to see Jesus through us.
Back home, I have often heard a saying. When you favor someone in your family very strongly, especially if they have gone on to that eternal reward, folks will say, “Lordy, it’s just like talking to your Momma,” or uncle, dad, or other family member. What a testimony it would be to our faith if, after meeting us, someone said, “Wow, it’s like I met Jesus in them.” In a world of turmoil and spite, how nice would it be for us to reflect Jesus to each and every person. We may still have to flip some tables from time to time, but how amazing would it be to simply let ourselves reflect Jesus to the world?
That is why we celebrate the saints of our church on this day. They taught us about God, about faith, and showed us how to practice our faith in this world. I’m a firm believer that a much younger saint or even a very flawed human who still seeks Jesus can teach us something about living our faith in this world. God can teach us something in the life of every saint, if we are willing to look.
Jeff willingly shared about his love of encouraging high school and college wrestlers. Despite some struggles in mental health, he worked to be very encouraging. And he was a dedicated father and grandfather to his family. Mary Wynne showed what it means to have trust in God and grace in the face of suffering. She also showed me how to make a mean low country boil. And Dot Jackson showed what it means to be a loving partner to her husband, mother, and faithful soul. Few could set a better example of what it means to be a dedicated church member and a faithful follower of God.
Both Zacchaeus and the people of Judah were given a chance to live their lives according to God’s will. Zacchaeus made a change, and his encounter with Jesus led him to follow Jesus, him and his household. Salvation came to them that day. Judah chose not to follow God’s call to return to their faithfulness. They were soon destroyed by the Babylonians. When the story of our lives is told, what is most important is the dash, just as the poem says. When our time on earth is done, what lessons will the coming generations of the faithful take from us? And most importantly, will we be able to say with confidence that we lived each dayfor Christ on our journey here?
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