"What A Little Curiosity Will Do"

Sermon Delivered By Reverend Richard E. Stetler – November 3, 2013

Centenary United Methodist Church

Psalm 119:137-144; Luke 19:1-10

 

    This morning our lesson is as familiar to us as Daniel in the lion’s den or Moses at the burning bush.  In this story, Jesus is responding to a tax collector.  The part of this story that has made it memorable for us is that he climbed a Sycamore tree in order to see Jesus as he passed by.   The fact that the variety of the tree was identified in the passage may suggest that this was an eye-witness account.

    Another aspect of the story that is interesting is this Zacchaeus was the chief of many tax collectors.  He sat at the top of his profession, probably enjoying enormous power and the comfortable lifestyle that resulted from his wealth.  The fact that he was a short man may have had something to do with his being at the top of his profession.  Sometimes when a person is teased about their physical features as a child, they respond with a heightened enthusiasm to show the world what they can do when they grow up.

    The aspect of Zacchaeus that we will focus on this morning was his curiosity.  He obviously heard that Jesus was coming and wanted to see this person about whom everyone was speaking.  Curiosity is a very powerful tool for launching our lives into a realm that is unknown to us.  In fact, curiosity is the driving force underneath all research whether studying subatomic particles or the far reaches of outer space.

    It was curiosity that caused me to attend Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. More than anything, I wanted to find answers that satisfied my curiosity about the countless mysteries of life.  I also wanted to learn more about the nature and spirit of God.  I went to seminary not to be ordained but to have my questions answered by the men and women on the faculty who had studied what I longed to understand.  

    What I found were a few faculty members that knew of the unknown territory that fascinated me.  They ignited my curiosity to continue my quest throughout my life down to the present day.  I have remained a maverick that is unafraid to paint outside the lines of traditional theology.  I confess that I do not have the answers because there are none.  Each insight leads to another set of questions and the process of discovery is never ending.

    What frustrates me more than anything is what it takes to tear people away from their preoccupation with the material world so that they become more curious about their spiritual nature. I want people to think about what they are doing with their lives instead of just responding to what pleases them the most.  What does it take to excite people’s curiosity?  Why are people not interested in understanding their potential and learning how God wired them for success?

    Someone may first have to experience a miracle before they begin their quest.  Others need to leave their body temporarily during a surgical procedure before they recognize that there is much more going on in their earth-experience than they first imagined.  Still others have to experience the visual presence of a departed loved one.  When people have been blessed by such experiences, their sense of wonder is kindled and they are never the same as they launch into unknown waters.

    Imagine the shock when the Master stopped at the base of that Sycamore tree and said, “Hurry down, Zacchaeus, because I want to stay in your home today.”  Jesus knew his name.  Jesus knew exactly where he wanted to have lunch that day.  This was one of those threshold moments for Zacchaeus that suddenly motivated this little man to take the journey on becoming a giant.

    We do not know what the two men discussed.  However, by seeing the results of their afternoon together, we can make an educated guess.  Zacchaeus was totally transformed after having spent a couple of hours with Jesus.   What could Jesus have possibly said in that short period of time that would produce such a dramatic change in a chief tax collector’s life?

    Listen again to what Zacchaeus said after their discussion.  “After hearing what you have told me, I will give half of my accumulated wealth to the poor and if I have cheated anyone, I will pay back four times as much as I made them pay in taxes.” 

    A chief tax collector in the days of Jesus would have surrounded himself with opulence.  His servants would have provided Jesus with a meal that had no boundaries.  Jesus knew exactly what he was doing when he invited himself to lunch.  He probably looked around and said,

Zacchaeus, have these one-of-a-kind treasures with which you surround yourself brought you happiness?  How many people are glad to see you when you talk to them?  What has your experience been like to collect taxes for the Roman Empire when you realize how poor our people are?

 

Zacchaeus, may I interest you in an experiment?  You are an intelligent man.  Instead of acquiring more wealth, I want you to do something with your wealth.  I want you to discover how you feel when you give.  I want you to experience total honesty in your business practices and to help those who can no longer help themselves.  I want you to see what happens to your spirit when you become helpful, compassionate and generous.  I promise you, if you experiment by making such a change, your life will take on new meaning. God will work through you.

    Most of us have heard similar words from our Sunday school teachers and pastors through most of our lives, but have we truly resonated with the meaning of their words?  Would such words ignite our curiosity of what would happen when we give?  All Saints Day gives us the occasion to lift up the memory of all those in our past who changed their world because they lived and remained awake concerning the power of their spirits.

    I want you to think about this Zacchaeus story.  Up until the time he had lunch with Jesus, he was into becoming wealthy and accumulating more assets.  He enjoyed having the power of Rome watch his back.  He enjoyed being feared by his own people.  He delighted in the favors others would gladly do for him perhaps hoping they might get a break on their taxes. The amount of money that people owed to Rome was at the discretion of the tax collectors.

    Are we curious enough to see what happens to our spirits when we personalize what Jesus asked Zacchaeus to do with his life?  The Spirit of God always flows away from its source.  God’s spirit does not spend time judging, evaluating or establishing rules by which everyone must live.  We learn the rules of life automatically through joy or pain because of the consequences we create with our behavior and attitudes.  

    Interestingly enough, our bodies were created from a similar blueprint. For example, when we worry, fret and are constantly stressed when we make negative judgments about everything and everyone, we create an abundance of Cortisol and Adrenalin in our bodies.  In small doses, both of these hormones serve the body well. In large, daily amounts, these hormones create belly fat and LDL cholesterol that clog our arteries.  

    One physician described the excess of these hormones in our system as throwing acid against every organ in our body.  Our blood needs to flow freely through our arteries so that every cell in our bodies receives oxygen and nourishment.  In other words, our bodies become a printout of the spirit by which we live.

    Until having lunch with Jesus, not much loving energy was able to flow through Zacchaeus.  Once the chief tax collector was taught how our spirits were designed to function, he changed from a gatherer to one who shared.  This shift in his energy flow caused Jesus to exclaim, “Salvation has come to this house today.”  This is the gift that curiosity gave to Zacchaeus. 

    Charles Dickens had come to the same conclusion when he created the character of Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.  His story was another version of the Zacchaeus story.  Salvation happens when people change their energy flow from being self-absorbed to a flow that totally liberates them from what was holding them a prisoner.

    Most of us are familiar with the song, The Rose.  In that song there are several verses that describe what happens to us when our spiritual arteries become clogged.  “It’s the heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance.  It’s the dream afraid of waking that never takes a chance. It’s the one who won’t be taken who never seems to give and the soul afraid of dying that never learns to live.”  The secret to Zacchaeus’ salvation was that he learned to give. 

    Have you ever been curious about what makes a person a saint?  The new Pope took the name Francis.  Why did he do that?  Saint Francis of Assisi had learned to give and he described how a person can do that in the prayer that he wrote.  Please open your hymnals to page 481 and let us read that prayer together.

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.


O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

    Try to imagine Zacchaeus’ world when he was turned loose in it as a giver.  Think of Centenary’s future when you consider what you intend to give to our church in 2014.  As our church makes a difference in our community, you will be among one of the saints that insures that our church will be around for the generations of people who are not yet born.  Others did that for us for 175 years.  Because of their financial giving and their desire to remain a witness in Bermuda for what discipleship looks like, we are able to be here today.  Now . . .  it is our turn to step up and give a little more so that nothing is capable of extinguishing Centenary’s light.