The Holy Ghost is like…

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. (John 3:8)

I think here Jesus is trying to teach about how the witness and feelings of the Spirit come at unexpected times to people who are born again.  It is something you feel and enjoy, but you don’t control it.  It just comes on its own.

This made me wonder what other parables we could make to teach about how the Spirit works, so I decided to try to write my own, with the limited knowledge I have. 

The Spirit is easily driven away by thoughtless, hostile acts.  It is like a flock of birds on a lawn.  When someone walks by, if they merely turn their head and look, the birds may be frightened away.

When bad things and misfortunes come upon you, the Spirit’s comfort is like learning some secret good news that fills you up and keeps sadness at bay.

Suppose an invisible hand planted the seed of that fruit tree you really want in your yard.  You never knew you could have it (or even knew that you might want it) until you discover it is there and you are told what it is.  That’s what it is like to have the Spirit move you to develop a particular virtue.

The Spirit is like a small, shy child that pulls at the hem of your shirt until you give it your attention.

Suppose you owned the actual video footage of Christ’s life, mission, crucifixion, resurrection, etc. and all of the events of the Restoration, yet you had never actually watched it.  That’s what having the Spirit’s witness is like.

Okay, now it’s your turn to make up some parables about how the Spirit works in your life.

Better to be slaves to the Nephites

 

For behold, we are in bondage to the Lamanites, and are taxed with a tax which is grievous to be borne. And now, behold, our brethren will deliver us out of our bondage, or out of the hands of the Lamanites, and we will be their slaves; for it is better that we be slaves to the Nephites than to pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites. (Mosiah 7:15)

It looks like Limhi has an attitude of learned helplessness because of the three previous attempts to free themselves from Lamanite domination by battle.  Yet this changes as Gideon suggests the people escape by night rather than fight their way out.

We also see here that Limhi understands it is preferable to serve those politically and socially friendly and aligned with your values than it is to serve those who are hostile. 

We might also apply this to our lives and say it is better to be a slave of Christ and serve in the church than it is to be a slave to Satan, sin, and the world.  The religious are often called deluded sheep and slaves by those who only see all the work and time we put into our church duties and meetings. They don’t see or feel the great blessings that come, however, so to them it looks like all give and no reward. 

I for one do feel that it is better to be a slave of Christ and the church than to be a tributary to the world.  How about you?

Do Not Alms to Be Seen of Men

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. (Matt. 6:1-2)

I used to think this verse meant we should try to make all our good works as anonymous as possible, but lately I’ve been thinking that isn’t necessarily where the emphasis is. 

When Jesus uses the phrase “take heed that ye..” He is usually about to warn us to watch out for a particular mindset or thought pattern that can get us in spiritual trouble.  (You can do a search for scriptures that use this phrase and find out some interesting things.)  The thought pattern He warns us of here is the motivation for doing “alms” (or good works) “to be seen of men.”  Verse 2 expands on the effect of this motivation and points out that it leads to hypocrites sounding a trumpet in the synagogues and streets to do to try to get noticed and praised for their alms.

The trouble is that when people do good works just to be praised by others, you get a whole mess of loud PR efforts with everyone struggling for attention and praise.  It means that people begin to think that only large dramatic acts of charity are worth doing, and they begin to neglect that class of good works that are quiet, small, and simple, but which are often invisible.  Yet those small invisible acts are the kind of thing that make life more beautiful.  It also means that people begin to make decisions about doing good works not on the basis of it being good, but on the basis of how visible it will be.  (I suspect that modern technology and social media networks make this even more applicable for today…)

I get the sense that Jesus wanted us to understand that seeking praise from men is a form of idolatry—worshipping the approval of society.  That approval is paltry thing that doesn’t penetrate the soul, but washes away like water, and given effusively, it is addictive and corrosive.  The Lord tells us that when we do good works to be praised of men, we will get the reward we wanted—praise from men—but we’ll get nothing from God for it.  Instead, Jesus wants us to be seeking reward and praise from God, trusting that He sees everything we do, whether public or private, and that He will reward us in His time and way.  If we trust God sees everything, then we aren’t reluctant to do good works in small, invisible ways.  The Lord approval and praise is a much more lasting and soul-satisfying thing.  (I’ve had some occasions when I’ve felt it and tasted it for days.)

Part of the test of mortality is to see if we will do good things even when it seems like it isn't rewarded.  I suppose there will come a day when all the invisible good we've done will be made known and receive its full reward.

This brings me to an interesting question, and maybe you have some thoughts about it.  Where do you think is the balance between “not doing alms to be seen of men” and “letting your light so shine that men may see your good works and glory your Father in heaven”?  

New Perspective on the Parable of the Talents

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We often think of the parable of the pounds and the parable of the talents to be talking about our abilities or skills, but I couldn’t help but wonder if there was something more to it that I had been missing.  Somehow it just seemed too easy an explanation, and it didn’t seem to fit a number of parts of the parables.

We don’t often get to examine these parables together, so it might helps us to read them together to see differences and similarities.

Parable of the Talents (Matt 25:14-30)	Parable of the Pounds (Luke 19:11-27)
14 ¶For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country,	11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.  12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.  16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.  17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.  18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.	13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.	15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.  21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.	16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.  17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.  23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.	18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.  19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:  25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.	20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:  21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:	22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.	23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?
28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.	24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.  25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)
29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.	26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.	27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

Some ways that the talents/pounds don’t seem to fit the usual interpretation of abilities is in the following points:

--In the parable of the pounds, the servants are given the pounds equally and the citizens of the place (who don’t want the lord to rule over them) are given nothing.  Can we really say that only citizens of the kingdom of God are given skills and no one else?  You might say, “Well then, it could be spiritual gifts.”  Okay.  I will grant that.  We’ll see where it takes us.

--In both parables, the lord gives his servants these sums of money to do business with and increase.  The servants do not have any notion that the money belongs to them.  I could be wrong, but I don’t really get the feeling that they get to keep this money at the end either; it goes back to the lord’s possession.  Yet don’t we expect to keep the skills and abilities and spiritual gifts we’ve gained in eternity?  Yes, we do.  So I don’t know that skills is the best fit for an interpretation.

--The slothful servant gives the excuse that he thought the lord was a hard man.  It doesn’t make sense that thinking the Lord is strict and austere would prevent someone from developing their talents or even spiritual gifts.

--The slothful servant gives the excuse that he thought the lord reaped where he hadn’t sowed, so was afraid to venture use of the sum given.  This doesn’t make sense in the context of talents and gifts because just about everyone knows that you don’t increase your skills (or even your spiritual gifts) without practicing them. 

Something I like about the parable of the pounds is it shows there was a definite reward for faithfulness proportional to the gain made.  The faithful servants were given cities to rule over, whereas in the parable of the talents they were told they would be rulers over many things (indefinite) and invited to “enter thou into the joy of thy lord,” which sounds lovely only if you know what that joy is…. and I don’t think we really do.  At worst, the invitation to enter the joy of the lord sounds empty and dismissive.  And if the parables only talk about abilities and skills, then it is hard to conceive that there might be joy to anticipate beyond the joy of mastery we feel in the process of development here in mortality. 

We might ask ourselves some questions about these parables to see if we might learn more clearly what they represent.

Where is the greatest emphasis put in these stories?  Less is said on how the servants gained greater profit, but on the judgment process.  So somehow there is something about the judgment process that Jesus really wants us to understand.

But to understand the judgment, we still have to ask about the talents and pounds.  What is it that Jesus really wants us to increase?  It can’t really be money because elsewhere Jesus comes down really hard on the rich.  It is something that belongs to Jesus although He gives it to others to take care of.  It is something that can be traded with and gained.  It is something that can be hid, something that can be handed over to others in an organization for their labor to increase.  It is something that Jesus is very pleased when it increases, whether it increases a lot or a little.  It also has to be something the trading of which scares some people and makes them think that its gain comes magically, almost without effort, yet which other people put their whole efforts into increasing.  Quite a riddle, yes?

I begin to think that this parable is talking about missionary work. 

Think about it--what would Jesus consider more valuable than the worth of a soul?  Don’t our souls and salvation really belong to Him?  And what more important work can we do while He is away than to trade doctrine and win more souls to Christ?  And won’t we be excited to tell Him when He returns that we were able to gather more souls for Him? 

We see then why the Lord invites His faithful servants to “enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” 

15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me! (D&C 18:15-16)

The Lord is joyous when He sees those to whom He delegated responsibility gain converts for the kingdom.  Those servants who help convert then get to see the people they taught go out and teach others, so they experience the same joy the Lord does.  It is the joy of seeing the work take on a life of its own and bring greater success to the cause of Christ.

Now, what about the servant who hid his talent?  How do his excuses fit into the interpretation of doing missionary work?

“thou art an hard man”/”thou art an austere man” – This servant thought the doctrine of Christ would make everyone think Christ was too strict in His requirements.  And the servant thought this because deep down he himself thought his master was too strict.

“thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow”/”gathering where thou hast not strawed” – The servant really had no idea how the lord’s business was done.  It looked like magic to him.  In terms of missionary work, to those of us ignorant of how to do it successfully, it similarly looks like magic.  Where do all those converts come from?  When conversions happen easily they really look like magic!  When they happen with great difficulty, they seem totally impossible!  (I confess that this has often been my view of it, so clearly I have to repent..)

“I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: low, there thou hast that is thine.” – When the servant doesn’t know how the real business is run, it is really scary to try anything.  It is easier to just do nothing.  Likewise, in missionary work, if you don’t know how it is best done, it is scary to talk to people about the church.  It is easier to just say nothing and focus on just staying faithful.

The lord castigates the servant for not even doing something as simple as putting the money in the bank so that interest could be earned on it.  What might be the equivalent in terms of missionary work?  Probably temple work.  If you can’t bear to do missionary work, at the very least spend lots of time in the temple so that you can have a part in the salvation of the dead, who are being taught the gospel in the spirit world!  It may also be the equivalent of partnering with someone else to do missionary work, so the burden isn’t totally on you. 

That the lord takes away the talent/pound of the slothful servant should remind us how important to our own salvation it is to stand as witnesses of Christ.  We are told elsewhere that if we are ashamed to confess Him before men, He will be ashamed of us, and those who try to save their lives will lose it.  The business of sharing the gospel is necessary for keeping our own salvation.

In the parable of the talents, the slothful servant is called “unprofitable,” which implies that the other servants were actually profitable to their lord.  This is unexpected since in other places we are told that we are all unprofitable servants.  I think it is safe to say that in terms of missionary work, we can be profitable servants if we bring at least one other soul to Christ besides our own while laboring all our days. 

So how does the idea of profiting by trade fit with doing missionary work?  The servants actually don’t trade their salvation to get converts; instead they display the benefits and offer it to others, like a vendor at an open market. 

In the parable of the talents, the servants are given differing amounts, and the faithful servants double their capital, while in the parable of the pounds, all the servants are given the same amount and they increase it by differing percentages.  What are we to make of the differences between the parables in the initial amounts that the servants are given?  It may be that the parable of the talents with the differing initial amounts further expresses callings of teaching and leadership in the church, with responsibility given for the salvation of other souls.  It is also possible that having two parables with this difference better shows us that the amounts we start with don’t matter as much as what we do with them.  Just think, if we only had the parable of the talents, we might be inclined to think that the slothful servant thought that he couldn’t do anything because he was given so little to begin with.  But with the parable of the pounds in which all the servants start with the same amount, we see that in some respect, the amount we start with is sufficient to do great things. 

Also, without both the parable of the talents and the parable of the pounds, we wouldn’t get to see the full picture of the Lord’s fairness in judgment.  In the parable of the talents we see that even if people who start out at different levels but still make a profit at the same percentage, they are treated equal to each other because the effort was the same.  In the parable of the pounds, we see that of people who start out at the same level, if one gains more than another, his reward is greater.

The Inexorability of the Law

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And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. (Luke 16:17)

When I was reading this recently it made me ask myself what law this is that Jesus refers to which doesn’t fail?  I think He means the moral law of justice, many of whose precepts were captured in the Law of Moses.  There are certain consequences named in it, some of which are prescribed social responses to certain evils, some of which are natural consequences.  I suspect that Jesus was trying to teach how absolutely inexorable justice was, with its natural and spiritual consequences, so much so that the natural world would dissolve before the law did.

Occasionally society gets corrupt enough that social consequences of evil are done away, but that doesn’t mean that natural consequences can be done away, and the more humanity tries to fight the natural consequences, the closer they get to destroying themselves.

The commandments of God are not just the way to become like God, they are an optimized way of living such that in the long run of eternity consequences will work for you, rather than against you.  They are the “house advantage” for eternal life.

From time to time it may seem as though societal consequences in favor of evil are trumping the natural consequences against evil, but evil’s half life is short.  Maybe not as short as we could wish, but a few generations (and maybe less) will bear out the truth of the matter.

Guest post: Proper channels of stewardship in 1 Nephi 16

This guest post is from my friend Chas Hathaway, author of Scripture Study Made Awesome, which I reviewed back in June.  I was curious about what he'd been learning from his scripture study recently, so I asked him to share, along with the scripture study method by which he gained the insight. (Remember, his book has over 100 awesome study methods!) 

Something occurred to me recently while studying 1st Nephi 16. The Lord intentionally works through an organization of leaders. Even after Lehi had murmured about his situation, Nephi, who had remained faithfully non-complaining, came to his father with his father to ask where he should go to seek food to hunt. He could have gone to the Lord himself, but he wanted to go through the proper channels.

We have the opportunity and responsibility to receive revelation regarding our stewardship, but for things outside or above our stewardship, everyone works up the proper channels.

I teach Sunbeams. If I have a concern, question, or suggestion regarding my calling, I go to the sister who is the primary president. If she has a question, she goes to the bishop. He goes to the stake president.

The channels keep going up. Even the prophet is often instructed of angels, and all are subject to the direction of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

This insight wasn't never-heard-of news, but it came at a good time for me. It also came while trying one of my newest scripture methods that I highly recommend.

Here's the method:

If you don't have the LDS Library app the church created, get it. If you don't have a mobile device, you can do the same thing on the church's website by signing in, and going to a chapter of scripture on the site, and making sure the little box at the bottom is checked that says, "Study mode." I believe it's checked by default. From there, you just need to double-click or highlight any word with the mouse.

It's only recently that I discovered the real power of the online scriptures and mobile app on my android. As far as I know it works the same on the iPhone. If you hold down your finger on a word in the scriptures, it highlights the word(s). Then you can add a note, link, or choose a highlight color.

Now that you know how to use the app, let's talk about the method: Likening EVERY Verse

Start at the very beginning of a book or chapter (depending on how long you want to keep using this method), and read the very first verse. Think hard about it. Consider how you can liken this verse to your own life. If you're having trouble thinking of something specific, pray and ask Heavenly Father. With the Spirit guiding your study, you'll find a good way to liken the scripture. Then click or touch the number preceding the verse. Decide on a color that represents your likening verses. Leave a note stating exactly how you can liken this verse to yourself. Once you've finished, write the date (so it's sort of a quasi-journal entry), and save the note. Then do the same for the next verse. Continue through the end of the chapter or book.

Not only will this help you get more out of every verse, but it will train your mind to look for useful life application of any verse you read.

Chances are, while in church, or studying the verses weeks, months, or years later, you'll see another application for the same verse. At that point, you can edit the note, and at the bottom, write the new way you can liken the verse. Don't forget to write the date again--these are becoming valuable journal entries that will show your spiritual growth, and perhaps one day your kids or grandkids will see how you used the scriptures to help you deal with real everyday challenges.

As well as authoring his fantastic book full of interesting scripture study methods, Chas has also written Marriage is Ordained of God, But Who Came Up With Dating?, and Giraffe Tracks about his experience as a missionary in post-Apartheid South Africa.  He is also writes piano arrangements to some our favorite hymns. (My fav is his version of "All Creatures of Our God and King.") His secret to a rockin' life is to marry awesome, have boat-load of kids, and eat lots of parmesian cheese covered popcorn. Oh, and live the gospel of Jesus Christ, completely and passionately.

Thinking about the Mote and the Beam

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4  And again, ye shall say unto them, Why is it that thou beholdest the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

5  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and canst not behold a beam in thine own eye? (JST Matthew 7:4-5)

I think it is interesting that Jesus asked “WHY is it that thou beholdest the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”   It kind of shows how silly it is to notice someone else’s faults instead of one’s own.  I think Jesus implies that the proper response should be to allow our notice of others’ faults act as an indicator to us that the very same ones exist in us.  (As the saying goes, “It takes one to know one.”)  I don’t think this is meant just to quell fault-finding with others, but also as a call to repentance of the “beam” issues. 

We usually don’t have an idea of how our bad behavior makes others feel, so to see someone else acting the same way and to suffer from it can be a helpful call to repentance.  

I had an experience last week when I thought my husband was selfish.  I called him on it and in the ensuing discussion was brought to the realization that I had been much worse. 

Mother of Harlots, Revelation 17:5

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And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. (Revelation 17:5)

It struck me recently what “mother of harlots” meant.  Mothers teach by example and explanation.  Who teaches people to be prostitutes?  Pornography.  Pornography teaches men to treat women like sex objects and to hurt them, and it teaches women to act like sex objects and that they should expect to be abused.

Here are facts from the organization Morality in Media about what pornography does.   See how it fits the epithet “mother of abominations.”

·      Perpetrators and pimps often use adult pornography to instruct prostituted children, as well as act out what they view in adult pornography with the children.

·      Pornography is used as a “tool” to train young children and women so that they will “know” what to do in performing sex acts. 

·      Pornography, which portrays women deriving pleasure from physical abuse, tends to enable men to foster attitudes more forgiving of violence against women and to become more comfortable with the “idea” of rape.

·      There is an abundant amount of evidence that shows viewers of pornography often seek to find ways to perform in real life the same certain sex acts that they saw on the films, magazines, and online. 

·      Consumers almost always graduate from common to more deviant forms of pornography as their usage increases over time. This is largely because familiar material becomes unexciting as a result of habituation. These consumers move to more violent and degrading materials as they become invested more in pornography.

I don’t think that pornography is the only part of Babylon, but clearly it is a major part. 

Meekness in analyzing sacred texts

Recently I noticed Moroni’s worries to the Lord about the efficacy of his writing, and I found the Lord’s response interesting.  Moroni writes:

25 Thou hast also made our words powerful and great, even that we cannot write them; wherefore, when we write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the placing of our words; and I fear lest the Gentiles shall mock at our words.

26 And when I had said this, the Lord spake unto me, saying: Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness; (Ether 12:25-26)

Moroni was pondering the problem that just about every writer of the sacred has discovered at some point—that words are simply inadequate to capture the power and glories of spiritual experience.   He also had more problems with writing on plates – very little opportunity for editing what was already engraved, except with an added “or rather” or “I would speak in other words.”  (If he was a perfectionist at all, this writing the sacred on gold plates would have been very hard.)  Moroni was very concerned the final product would cut a poor figure in the world, and only be made fun of by Gentile readers.

When the Lord answers, “Fools mock, but they shall mourn,” we see an implicit acknowledgement that some Gentiles would mock what Moroni and his father had written.  But it also contains a reassurance that reader mockery reflects badly on the reader, not the writer.  Fools mock the sacred because they are too foolish to value the sacred as they ought.  If they mock the admonition to repent and come to Christ, then they will remain in their sins, and in the end their judgment will come upon them.  They will mourn for their sins that might have been swept away if they had been more wise to listen and obey.

The Lord also adds, “my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness,” which is an acknowledgement that at a certain level, the Lord saw that Moroni’s writing did have a certain weakness to it.  (Part of me suspects that Moroni was actually an excellent writer and that the Lord knew that writing style standards don’t translate well, so even Moroni’s skill would sound odd to us.)  Yet, meek people read the book, and the power of God they feel from it makes up for the weakness, just as the Lord promised. 

The Lord’s answer shows us that how sacred texts are received is more a measure of the reader than the writer.

The story of Zacchaeus

1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.

2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchæus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.

3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.

4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchæus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.

6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.

7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

8 And Zacchæus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:1-10)

A question I have asked myself about this story is, “Why did Zacchaeus get this personal attention from Christ?”  I have tried to imagine the situation and it seems to me that the measures he took to try to see Jesus made his faith obvious.

Think about it.  Zacchaeus was rich.  He probably dressed really well.  And when you dress in nice clothes, you tend to be careful about what you do in those clothes so that you can keep the clothes looking nice.  Do you climb trees in your best clothes?  Would you climb a tree in your prom dress or tuxedo?  Probably not.

Yet Zacchaeus was so eager to see Jesus that he was willing to climb a tree for it.  He didn’t care that it might wreck his clothes.  He didn’t care how silly it might look for a grown (and obviously wealthy) man to be sitting in a tree like a little kid.  He didn’t care what people thought of him.  (He was a tax collector, so he was probably used to being scorned by society.)  Up the tree he went.

So Jesus comes by and sees this well-dressed man sitting up in a tree.  He understands instantly that the man took no thought to clothes or dignity in his desire to have a good view.  He sees Zacchaeus has humility.  Humility in a wealthy man is priceless.  Humility is a wide open opportunity for sharing the gospel.  We can see now why Jesus wanted to spend time with Zacchaeus.

I suppose there are two different lessons from this part of the story.  Just as the Lord observed and responded to Zacchaeus’ humility, the Lord still observes and responds to our humility.  In this day of convenience, we show our faith and humility as we go out of our way to approach Him, when we do creative things to overcome the obstacles in our way or when we care more about coming to Christ than looking foolish.

Second, this lets us know how to appreciate others who go out of their way to lay hold on and stay faithful to the gospel.  The child of nonmember parents who comes to church or church activities by himself, the people who ask or knock or search in spite of risk of looking foolish or awkward, the people who cross the bounds of conventional behavior in order to satisfy their curiosity about the gospel, the teens who join the church and are disowned and thrown out of the house by their parents, the adults who give up dishonest employment to join the church—these people deserve special attention and nurturing as the Lord gave to Zacchaeus.  I have a boy in my cub scout bear den who fits one of the profiles I've described above, so this story teaches me to give him special care.

“And Zacchæus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.”

How do we interpret Zacchaeus’ declaration in v8?  If it is a statement about what he hasn’t done but is going to do in the future, then this is a wonderful story of repentance. 

But what if Zacchaeus’s statement means that he has been doing this all along? (Note that it is in present tense, just like the Pharisee of the parable who proudly prayed in the temple a list of righteous things he did, which are also in present tense.)  If Zacchaeus was already doing these good things, then this story is about a person who has been unfairly judged and stereotyped by his community who gets a chance to set the record straight and be received into full fellowship in the rest of society.  It might also be a story about how stereotyping can lead to unfair judgments that cause shunning, meaning it was the crowd who had to repent, not Zacchaeus.  It might cause us to ask ourselves who is being marginalized in our communities or schools or wards whose faith and humility might actually surprise us if we truly knew them and gave them a chance.

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