A Life of New Beginnings

  • January 8, 2012
  • Speaker: Pastor Aaron Smith
  • Category: Topical

Last week we met Levi, a tax collector who was given a new beginning by the God of New Beginnings, Jesus Christ.  Today we meet another tax collector.  He also was given a new beginning.  But Zacchaeus was not just a tax collector, he was a chief tax collector.  And he was rich.  So if Levi was a good tax collector, Zacchaeus was a great tax collector.  So great, in fact, that he was a chief tax collector and a rich tax collector.  And we know what it means if he was a great tax collector - he had other talents as well: deceit, greed, and intimidation.

Jesus, the God of new beginnings, says to this chief tax collector, "I must stay at your house today."  Now, Luke uses very precise wording in his Gospel and must is a very important word for Luke.  Luke uses "must" to convey something of divine necessity.  "It is of divine necessity that I stay at your house today."  When Jesus is young and is in the temple speaking with the elders and His parents are desperately searching for him, Jesus says, "Did you not know that I must be in My Father's house?"  When people were keeping Jesus from leaving them to another place, Jesus says, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose."  When Jesus is with His disciples, He relates this divine necessity: "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised."  All these things were of divine necessity, as was Jesus staying at the house of Zacchaeus.

So, Zacchaeus comes down from the tree and receives Jesus into his home joyfully.  Of course, not everyone is joyful.  The crowd grumbled.  Of all people, the God of new beginnings gives this life a new beginning.  Zacchaeus had deceived them.  He had intimidated them.  And so they grumbled, "Jesus has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner."  And there in his house, Zacchaeus received the grace of God in a way he never had before.  That is how the God of New Beginnings works.  He gives grace in new situations and new circumstances.  He gives us grace for all sins, old and new.  And it is that new grace that offers us new beginnings.  For as Jesus has come to us, how many could say, "Jesus has gone in to be the guest of a sinner."  

Note that in our text (Luke 19:1-10) there is no recording of any pushing or prodding from Jesus in the home of Zacchaeus, just His grace-ful presence.  Given grace and a new beginning, Zacchaeus responds, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor.  And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold."  "If" - more like "when."  This is a new beginning for Zacchaeus.  And it would be a life of new beginnings.  After a lifetime of deceit, greed, and intimidation, how would Zacchaeus find giving his good to the poor?  Or restoring to those whom he defrauded?  After a lifetime of get, get, get, he would not easily give, give, give.  This could be the first time in his life (or at least the first time in a long, long time) that he would give rather than get.  And if this was the first time, when would the second occur?  And the third?  And the fourth?  This new beginning for Zacchaeus would be difficult for sure.  I don't imagine his progress was anything to gloat about.  Last week, we talked about the danger in equated new beginnings with progress.  

Surely, at the urging of God's Spirit and in response to God's grace, we respond.  We act.  It could be a father asking for forgiveness from his children for the first time.  It could be a child doing something (making the bed, picking up) without being asked.  A sister admitting resentment and seeking restoration.  A husband comitting to reading the Bible with his wife.  An employee serving the Lord in his or her work and not the finances.  It is a new beginning...but the new beginning might last a day or 4 days or 5 days.  The new beginning might be manifested 5 times in a span of 3 months.

But it is the God of New Beginnings that prompted that response each time.  It is about progress?  No!  Is there a response?  Yes!  Zacchaeus was a great tax collector, great enough to be a chief tax collector.  He was probably not so great at giving to the poor or restoring those he defrauded.  But there were those moments where God's grace moved him to respond faithfully.  We may be great at some things and not-so-great at other things.  But we have a Great God, who provides us an entire life of new beginnings because He is the God of new beginnings.  And that is a "must."  It is of divine necessity that we are provided that life of new beginnings.  For we are all sinners and in need of His presence in our homes and our lives.  Amen.