‘And my question is this, Zacchaeus…’ Jesus continued, as soon as the tax collector had fidgeted into his seat, ‘do you have a question for me?’ he asked peering into his eyes, his head turned, his beard flayed playfully over his right fist. Zacchaeus searched within his heart. He once heard a Rabbi say that the one who really knows asks questions. Zacchaeus realized he knew nothing. But he knew himself. He knew his struggles and doubts. He knew his fears. He knew his desires. He knew his conscience. The others in the room. His servants. What will they think of him? All his life he had fought to stand tall – taller than any man around him. He fought his own inadequacies by denying them. Now, he knew he had to let go of his trees and branches – all those things that made others look up to him. He had to come down – just like the Master had said earlier in the day. Come down Zacchaeus. This day, we will dine in your home. What did it matter what others felt? He had come down then. He will do it again – for good. He found his voice. ‘Master, how…what…how ought, how ought I to live? What is this, this way, this life you speak of? What must your servant do to live?’ A reassuring smile ran across the Rabbi’s gaunt face. His beard looked fuller, more inviting. Still, Zacchaeus’ heart raced faster than Roman chariots of Pontius. What will he tell me? Will he tell me about my past or my future? Will he ask me to give all I have to the poor, to return what I have stolen? What will he say? The night came slowly. A full moon – brighter than usual. Zacchaeus, in his night clothes, wandered from the window and dropped himself nimbly on the very seat he had occupied during the daytime. The guest was gone. Josephus and his subordinates had cleared the remains of the feast well. Except for a splurge of wine in one corner of the room. The ants were helping out with that. He looked through the window again. A full moon. Does God mock me? All is brighter than usual, and yet I cannot clearly see. My heart is yet as dark as it always has been. He buried his head in his hands, trying to make sense of what the Rabbi had said to him. His memory told the story impeccably. After he had asked the question through stuttering lips, after he had thrown caution to the wind and voiced his heart’s deepest longing, the Rabbi entered into a discourse that he’d never forget:
‘It’s simple Zacchaeus’, the Rabbi had said, glassy-eyed. ‘There is only one way to live’.
Zacchaeus grew very quiet. Everything became silent – the voices of his fears, his consternation – his guilt. Everyone felt the sacredness of the moment. Even the wind stopped blowing as fiercely as it was a few seconds ago. It had been like creation stood still. The rumors must have been true, Zacchaeus had thought. This man can calm storms. Might he calm the storm that is my life this day?
‘Do you know about the Trinity?’
‘The three…?’
‘The Trinity, Zacchaeus! The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit? You know? Three persons, one being and all that stuff? Do you believe it?’
‘I…forgive me Master, I do not understand this ‘trinity’ you speak of. Is…’
‘What about the baptism in the Holy Spirit? Speaking in tongues – do you believe that, Zacchaeus?’
‘Tongues? Does the Spirit speak in other tongues your servant must…’
‘How about Original Sin? You surely must know about that! We are all born sinners – sorry, I
mean, the rest of you. I don’t sin since I’m born from a Virgin. Oh yes. That reminds me. There’s this talk about evolution making rounds, about how we came from monkeys and how monkeys came from worms. That’s not in the Word of God, now is it? Peter, you seen it anywhere in there?’
‘Me, never. God created the world in six days, Master! That’s what’s right here!’ Peter replied.
‘Good Ol’ Pete! Back to you, Zach! There’s a whole lot in store for you. God loves you, and
wants you to live a great life. Prosperous, healthy, free from sickness, pain, suffering, need and all that stuff. You can have all this and more! That’s grace – you know about grace, don’t ya? Phew!
Whole lot for you to believe. First, don’t believe in evolution. Then you’ve got to ask me, yup,
me, to come into your heart to become your Lord and Personal Savior, then…wait up – John!’
‘Master!’
‘You got one of those tracts there?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Alright, Zach. You fill in the tract your name and address and then you join our fellowship – Alleluia! Glory to God – and then you become a child of God! After that, you’d want to speak in tongues to fortify your inner man. Don’t worry if it sounds like mumbo-jumbo at first, son.
Speak it! Claim it by faith! Then you start tithing. Yup, tithing isn’t just for old testament folks.
It’s for us today. Alleluia! Somebody lift up a praise in this room!’
Everyone did. Zacchaeus just stared. ‘Then you got to read the word every day, son. Create time for your spiritual life to grow. Write your vision down, and chase it every day. You gonna face a lot of guilt, boy. That’s the devil! That’s Beelzebub!’
Everyone hummed back in acknowledgement.
‘That old serpent! I…I saw him fall from the sky like lightning! That right! I am the Way, the Truth and the Life! No one…’
A number of people had jumped to their feet, screaming – shouting and shaking.
‘I said no one…cometh to the father except through me! Alleluia!’
The noise in the room had reached a feverish pitch. Everyone was now standing – except Zacchaeus and Jesus. The Rabbi signaled to everyone to take their seats and keep it down. He breathed in heavily and exhaled audibly – prompting pockets of cushioned ‘Alleluias’ across the room. Then he turned to Zacchaeus.
‘So, Zach, son, it all starts when you accept everything I’ve been saying. Don’t doubt! That’s a sin, boy.’ He had said sin rolling his forefinger in the air like he was stirring up the word, cooking it. ‘Now, raise your right hand, and let’s pray the Sinner’s Prayer. Say “Heavenly Father…”’
To read the last part of this post, please click here.
A Day with Zacchaeus (If Jesus were Christian) – PART 2
Posted by davidluiz in Messages, Poems
‘It’s simple Zacchaeus’, the Rabbi had said, glassy-eyed. ‘There is only one way to live’.
Zacchaeus grew very quiet. Everything became silent – the voices of his fears, his consternation – his guilt. Everyone felt the sacredness of the moment. Even the wind stopped blowing as fiercely as it was a few seconds ago. It had been like creation stood still. The rumors must have been true, Zacchaeus had thought. This man can calm storms. Might he calm the storm that is my life this day?
‘Do you know about the Trinity?’
‘The three…?’
‘The Trinity, Zacchaeus! The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit? You know? Three persons, one being and all that stuff? Do you believe it?’
‘I…forgive me Master, I do not understand this ‘trinity’ you speak of. Is…’
‘What about the baptism in the Holy Spirit? Speaking in tongues – do you believe that, Zacchaeus?’
‘Tongues? Does the Spirit speak in other tongues your servant must…’
‘How about Original Sin? You surely must know about that! We are all born sinners – sorry, I
mean, the rest of you. I don’t sin since I’m born from a Virgin. Oh yes. That reminds me. There’s this talk about evolution making rounds, about how we came from monkeys and how monkeys came from worms. That’s not in the Word of God, now is it? Peter, you seen it anywhere in there?’
‘Me, never. God created the world in six days, Master! That’s what’s right here!’ Peter replied.
‘Good Ol’ Pete! Back to you, Zach! There’s a whole lot in store for you. God loves you, and
wants you to live a great life. Prosperous, healthy, free from sickness, pain, suffering, need and all that stuff. You can have all this and more! That’s grace – you know about grace, don’t ya? Phew!
Whole lot for you to believe. First, don’t believe in evolution. Then you’ve got to ask me, yup,
me, to come into your heart to become your Lord and Personal Savior, then…wait up – John!’
‘Master!’
‘You got one of those tracts there?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Alright, Zach. You fill in the tract your name and address and then you join our fellowship – Alleluia! Glory to God – and then you become a child of God! After that, you’d want to speak in tongues to fortify your inner man. Don’t worry if it sounds like mumbo-jumbo at first, son.
Speak it! Claim it by faith! Then you start tithing. Yup, tithing isn’t just for old testament folks.
It’s for us today. Alleluia! Somebody lift up a praise in this room!’
Everyone did. Zacchaeus just stared. ‘Then you got to read the word every day, son. Create time for your spiritual life to grow. Write your vision down, and chase it every day. You gonna face a lot of guilt, boy. That’s the devil! That’s Beelzebub!’
Everyone hummed back in acknowledgement.
‘That old serpent! I…I saw him fall from the sky like lightning! That right! I am the Way, the Truth and the Life! No one…’
A number of people had jumped to their feet, screaming – shouting and shaking.
‘I said no one…cometh to the father except through me! Alleluia!’
The noise in the room had reached a feverish pitch. Everyone was now standing – except Zacchaeus and Jesus. The Rabbi signaled to everyone to take their seats and keep it down. He breathed in heavily and exhaled audibly – prompting pockets of cushioned ‘Alleluias’ across the room. Then he turned to Zacchaeus.
‘So, Zach, son, it all starts when you accept everything I’ve been saying. Don’t doubt! That’s a sin, boy.’ He had said sin rolling his forefinger in the air like he was stirring up the word, cooking it. ‘Now, raise your right hand, and let’s pray the Sinner’s Prayer. Say “Heavenly Father…”’
To read the last part of this post, please click here.