The Wisdom of Solomon 11:21-12:1

²¹ For it is always in your power to show great strength, and who can withstand the might of your arm?

²² Because the whole world before you is like a speck that tips the scales, and like a drop of morning dew that falls on the ground.

²³ But you are merciful to all, for you can do all things, and you overlook people’s sins, so that they may repent.

²⁴ For you love all things that exist, and detest none of the things that you have made, for you would not have made anything if you had hated it.  ²⁵ How would anything have endured if you had not willed it?  Or how would anything not called forth by you have been preserved?  ²⁶ You spare all things, for they are yours, O Lord, you who love the living.

^12:1 For your immortal spirit is in all things.

Luke 19:1-10

¹ He entered Jericho and was passing through it.  ² A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich.  ³ He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature.  ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way.  ⁵ When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.”  ⁶ So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him.  ⁷ All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.”  ⁸ Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.”  ⁹ Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham.  ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

 

“To the Glory of God”

A lot of us harbor a false belief.  We think that we must live right and do the right things or else God will not love us.  We think that there are good people and bad people, and we like pointing out who is who, especially because it keeps us from looking within.

How wrong that idea is.

The story about Zacchaeus and our proverb from the Wisdom of Solomon say two things: 1) that for God the world is a small place, given the fact that Jesus knew about Zacchaeus and 2) God loves absolutely everything and everyone within it.

Our reading from the Wisdom of Solomon reminds us of these two facts, where it says:

“But you spare all things, because they are yours, O LORD and lover of souls, for your imperishable spirit is in all things!  Therefore you rebuke offenders little by little, warn them and remind them of the sins they are committing, that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in you, O LORD!”

What God has created is good.  Everything and everyone belongs to God, and all that we do is for the Glory of God.

Zacchaeus was concerned about the people he had defrauded.  He had always been generous with the poor.  That he could do from a distance.  But now he cared about everyone, and his dealings with everyone.  He was growing in wisdom.  His heart had been changed.  Some would call it a religious experience, others would say that Zacchaeus had become enlightened through the influence of the Spirit and the teachings of Jesus.  This we can say for sure, Zacchaeus’ growth in spirit was having a great impact on his life.  He had grown from a ministry of charity to a ministry of justice in his daily living.

Everyone thought Zacchaeus was a terrible person because he collaborated with the Romans, as a tax collector.  But Jesus unveiled the truth about the man.  It is yet another example where Jesus points out that the judgments we place on each other are often downright wrong, or misplaced at best. 

Our text from the Wisdom of Solomon reminds us that there is redeeming value in everyone, because God is at work within everyone.

We would serve God better by pointing out these redeeming values in people rather than being quick to point out people’s faults.  It’s a quality that is addictive.  The more we point out the good qualities in others, the more good qualities we will see in others...  And the more good qualities we see, the better we will feel about ourselves, and the more good qualities we will recognize in others.

Yes, we too could use some transformation of heart, and the greater impact this transformation can have on the issues of peace and justice for the Glory of God.

It is our duty, as people of God, to alleviate the negativity and judgmental attitudes that lead to injustice.  We are called to humanize the disenfranchised, the ostracized, and the marginalized.  There is lots of room for us to build a greater level of trust that will lead to a spirit of peace.  This is the primary role of Discipleship.  And this was the ministry that Jesus called his disciples to provide, all for the Glory of God.