JUST JESUS 13: a Series in Luke

JUST JESUS 13: A series in Luke

Luke 19: 1-10, Joshua 2:1-7, 15-21 (ESV)

December 8, 2013

In 1968, Simon and Garfunkel recorded a song that many of you probably know, called The Boxer. Rolling Stone magazine came out with a list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, and The Boxer was number105. People loved it but many weren’t sure why. The verses meander a bit and mix metaphors and the chorus is more or less nonsensical. He simply says, “Lie la lie..lie la lie lie lie lie.” The words of the song were filled with potent phrases about a man who has been beaten down by life but the overall point of the song was so obscure that people started to ask Simon what it meant. Some 16 years later, Simon pulled back the curtain a bit and revealed that he wrote The Boxer at one of the lowest times in his life. His music until this point was beloved and wildly popular. But then people began to turn on him. Critics eviscerated him. People began to call him a fraud.During those dark days he read the Bible in his hotel room and felt supremely low and alone.

In an interview about The Boxer, Paul Simon talks about the meaning of the song. He said, “I am the boxer in the ballad and the world had beaten me up.” He felt like one of the most loathed men on the planet. On one hand, it is hard to feel sympathy for a man who is distraught even though he had it all. By this point, Simon traveled the world, had relationships, money and fame. And yet the man with everything felt so completely low and so completely alone. In fact, he was so distraught that he never came up with a proper chorus. He admitted that “lie la lie” was merely a placeholder. He was so broken down; he had no words for the refrain. SO he put this placeholder, “lie la lie.” And for some reason people loved it, the groaning and the ache of being the lowest person in the room. The guttural nature of the chorus was something everyone could identify. “Lie la lie” didn’t have to mean anything because it meant everything. It encapsulated the groan we have all uttered at some point our lives, amoment of being completely low and completely loathed. “Lie la lie.”

I have a feeling that Zacheus might have sung these words before Paul Simon ever did. Zacheus knew what it was liked to be loathed. He knew what it was like to be the lowest guy in the room even though he had it all. Zacheus was the chief tax collector. We have discussed tax collectors before but just as a refresher, let’s review the Roman tax system. The Romans would have an auction for an area of a region. The region tax-wise would be worth X amount of dollars. Men would then bid for the right to be the tax collector of the region. Whatever amount they bid, they were on the hook for. If it was $100k and they only collected $50k they were on the hook for the rest of the amount to the Romans. You did not want to be indebted to the Romans, so there was great risk. But there was also great reward because whatever taxes you took in above $100k was yours to keep.

You can see how this made for a broken system. These tax collectors would squeeze the turnip for every ounce possible and the Jews loathed them for it. Not only because they were greedy in their taxation but also because they were taxing Jews on behalf of the Romans-their pagan, violent and oppressive occupiers. If you were a tax collector, you would probably become quite rich. But you would be despised. You could have the most in your bank account but the least amount of friends. You could be a person who had everything and nothing all at the same time. And Zacheus was the chief tax collector. He was the “Tony Soprano” of the region. Because of this, he probably skimmed from the other tax collectors so they probably didn’t even like him.

You have heard the story of Zacheus before. He was “a wee little man and a wee little man was he.” According to our story today, Zacheus was of a short stature and for the author to mention it;he must have been really short. You can imagine this guy spends the entirety of his life compensating for his smallness. He was probably picked on as a child and pushed around. He knew what it was to be loathed, to be low long before he became a tax collector. You really have to consider what kind of person would go into business taxing their own people on behalf of the pagan Romans. It would obviously be a person who had nothing to lose, someone who had already lost it all.

Luke 19: 1-10

In all four Gospels, this is the only story told about Jesus in Jericho. Matthew and Luke both tell the story of Jesus healing a blind man on the way into Jericho but this is the only story in the New Testament that happens in Jericho. This makes me think that Jesus went there on purpose.I’m assuming for some of you the name of that city sounds familiar. In the book of Joshua, the Israelites conquer the city of Jericho after God tells them to march around the walls every day for six days and on the seventh day, they marched around it seven times completely silent and then they yelled out and the walls around the fortified city came down. At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: “Cursed before the LORD is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho:“At the cost of his firstborn sonhe will lay its foundations;at the cost of his youngesthe will set up its gates.”

Zacheus is the most loathed man in the center of a cursed town. He was the lowest in the lowest of cities. He was in a slimy profession and he was working for the enemy. At night, Zacheus probably took stock of his life and whispered, “Lie la lie.” After the abuse of the day, after enduring criticism and dirty looks, after inwardly loathing himself for his chosen profession and the subsequent shame that came with it. “Lie la lie.” And Jesus went there. And Jesus went to him. Why?

We are getting close to the end of our series titled Just Jesus. We are looking at the call of Jesus for salvation and compassion. We are looking at the core nature of Jesus who focused on atonement i.e. living a perfect life and dying a sacrificial death and then rising on the third day so that we could be made right with God. But we are also looking at the incarnation, the 33 years of life Jesus lived and the way he treated people and his compassion for them.Today, I want to remind you yet again about the people that God values. I want to remind you of how he values you. We do this because; just as important as the call to do justice and to show acts of compassion is to know why we do what we do. And this passage reminds us why.

Before we return to Zacheus, I want to take you back to another story about Jericho in the Old Testament. Remember, this is Jesus’ only interaction with Jericho and I think it is on purpose. I want you to see a parallel passage in the Old Testament. You remember the name of Jesus is spectacular to us but it is simply a Greek rendering of the fairly common rendering of the Hebrew name, Yeshua, Joshua, which means “God saves.”

Joshua 2: 1-7

Many Biblical commentators in the past have tried to sterilize this passage by translating Rahab’s occupation as an innkeeper. They try to soften the rough edges of this story because of multiple implications. In the first place, why would these two spies come in the house of a prostitute? What were they doing there anyway? More importantly, this is God’s story about leading the people into the Promised Land. Jericho was the unconquerable fortress on the border of the Promised Land of Canaan. It was an impossible city to conquer because the walls were too high and the barrier too strong. So, this is the first city they must conquer in order to inhabit the Promised Land. Why would it start in such an inauspicious way? Couldn’t they stay the night in the home of a brave city resident that was a holy God-fearer? Or a devout solider whom God spoke to in a vision? Instead, they stay with a prostitute.

I am sure you know this, but in most cultures, prostitutes are not revered. This was especially true in the ancient Near East honor and shame culture. Women were already second-class citizens, little more than property in the eyes of some. But a woman who had degraded herself as a prostitute was especially low. Plenty of men would find comfort in her arms at night only to mock her openly in the light of day. Just like Zacheus, you have to wonder what kind of person would take such a profession. Probably someone who had nothing left to lose. I know you know this but women don’t enter into prostitution because it is glamorous, elegant or a high calling. They are usually abused into it. They are usually treated so poorly and their self-image is so utterly shattered that they think their body is the only thing they have to offer.

And now this story happens.

This woman was already low on the social totem pole and she hid spies for the enemies. They knew the spies were at her house and they sent to her to give them up. But she didn’t. She claims that they had already left, but you know everyone is looking at this woman with an extra dose of disdain. She can’t be trusted; she will do anything for a buck. She is sympathizing with the enemy. She has a slimy profession and she is working for the enemies. Rahab knew what it was to be loathed. Rahab knew what it was to be low. At night, she probably whispered to herself, “Lie la lie.”

And yet God came to her. Do you see the symmetry in these two passages? Yeshua comes to Jericho, a cursed city, and then he finds the lowest possible people there to include: people in slimy professions who worked for the enemy, people who were loathed, who were low and those who were small. In a town known for its massive walls, these two probably were hidden behind massive facades: walls they had built up to insulate themselves and isolate themselves, walls to protect themselves from years of abuse and mistreatment, impenetrable walls to keep people out in advance of people trying to steer clear of them.

In middle school, I began to hang out with a kid named Josh. He was kind of on the fringe. I wasn’t doing it to be noble. I liked the kid but few other people did. He was quick to fight and quick to go on the offensive. I still remember going to his house for the first time on the other side of town. The house was a mess. He lived with his grandmother who worked. His parents had long since left the picture. This kid was tough and he acted tough. But then I saw his home. For every time he had called someone a name or threatened to beat someone up, I saw why. He was alone. Josh’s threats were offensive and they were preemptive. He was building giant walls so that no one could see a hurting little boy who was so utterly alone. “Lie la lie. Lie la lie lie lie lie.”

I want you to remember today that God brings walls down. He goes to the least to remind us of the reach of his grace. He goes to the whores and tax collectors to remind us that none are beyond his reach. He goes to the loathed and the low and the small because they are usually quicker to realize they need his grace. The proud and the self-sufficient rarely remember their need for God. The poor and bedraggled in the poorer quarters of life, know what is to be in need. And so Yeshua comes to them.

I want to finish up the story of Rahab before we return to Zacheus. Rahab hides the spies and sends them out to safety. But she also asks for safety. She knows that judgment is coming and that the Israelites will conquer them and so she asks for salvation.

Joshua 2: 15-21

In many ways this is common spy stuff. We will protect you, Rahab, if you keep your mouth shut and show a secret sign to us when we return. Anyone under your protection, in your house, who is under the sign, will be saved. But here is the uncommon and unsettling part of the story. The sign. The sign is a scarlet cord. I would be a bit disconcerted if I was Rahab. You want me to place my salvation in a flimsy scarlet cord? When the battle begins, you have promised to protect and save my family but the sign is an insignificant, flimsy, tiny scarlet cord? Wouldn’t it be better if I created a large banner to fly out the window? Keep in mind, today we highly value a room with a view and apparently Rahab’s window was on the outer wall since she could hold the scarlet cord out for them to see. A room with a view for us is a view to kill for Rahab. If you were unfortunate enough to live with a window on the outer wall of Jericho, it meant you were always in danger when the enemies came. You have to think she wanted something bigger than a small insignificant scarlet cord. Maybe, a huge woven stop sign. But instead, the sign she would put her faith in was a foolish one and a lowly one. It was a sign of salvation for her as it would be for Zacheus.

You see the story of Zacheus happens on the way to the cross. Jesus is heading through Jericho on his final trip to Jerusalem. In a few short verses, he will be riding on a donkey and people will be proclaiming,“Hosanna. God save us. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” This is a pinnacle of Jesus’ ministry in some ways. But we all know before this week is over, this beloved man would become the man most loathed. He would be hung on a Roman cross and his scarlet blood would be gushing out of his veins. And Jesus in his final moments would be utterly reviled, spat upon, beaten, humiliated and broken. Striving for his life. And in a moment of complete despair, he would cry out “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” “Lie la lie. Lie la lie lie lie lie.”

You have to imagine that Zacheus began to follow Jesus. Little did this wee little man know that Jesus only had a week to live. This man who had promised him life would be hanging from a Roman cross. Zacheus would see scarlet cords of blood trickling down this man’s side. And he probably thought the same thing as Rahab. This is salvation? Shouldn’t it be something bigger or stronger? The scarlet cord was enough.

Paul Simon admits that his placeholder chorus is a bit embarrassing for him now, because he knows it was placeholder. “I thought that “lie la lie” was a failure of songwriting. I didn't have any words! Then people said it was 'lie' but I didn't really mean that it was a lie. But, it's not a failure of songwriting, because people like that and they put enough meaning into it and the rest of the song has enough power and emotion, I guess, to make it go, so it's all right. But for me, every time I sing that part, I'm a little embarrassed." (Songtalk Magazine 1990)

Why was Paul Simon embarrassed? Because his little chorus is a reminder of how low he was. How little he had to offer. But it was a reminder that beauty can often emerge from great darkness. When we say, Jesus died on the cross for my sins; it could be embarrassing for some people. It’s so simple. Shouldn’t it be something bigger and more impressive? Shouldn’t it be something where we earn our way? Shouldn’t it be something less low? Something less loathed? No, because every time we put our faith in that sign, we are admitting how low we are, that we are no different than Rahab and Zacheus. We are admitting that we have nothing to offer and are in need ofa savior; that we are a broken fighter who has struggled in this world. We have gone into the poorer quarters struggling to survive-indulging in the sinful things this life has to offer. And we carry with us the bruises and cuts of a lifetime. After building up walls over our lifetime, we serve a God who breaks them down. In Jericho it was a wall. In Jerusalem it was a curtain that was torn top to bottom at the death of Jesus as a perfect picture of a God who saves.

(Joey and Bill to sing The Boxer)