Gaining Stature by Losing Status (Luke 18:18-19:10)

Children are contrasted to a blind beggar while an unnamed rich ruler is contrasted to a rich tax collector.  The problem: This man named Zacchaeus, meaning “righteous”, does not measure up to righteousness.  Luke affirms this by telling us that the man is short in stature.  This is not just height, but even morality or significance.

As Jesus approaches Jericho on the way to Jerusalem, he has two significant encounters.  Two men encounter Christ.  First, there is a blind beggar who cannot see, but perceives that Jesus is not from Nazareth, but he is the Son of David.  He is blind, but correctly perceives that Jesus is the promised redeemer king who was covenanted to David in 2 Samuel 7.

The other figure is a wealthy tax collector.  This man parallels the poor man in the sense that the crowd is a barrier; they tell the tax collector to be silent, but the blind man and the rich tax collector correctly perceive Christ. They perceive that Christ is the messiah, the giver of true life, and the great equalizer.  It is not about what one owns, but it is about being identified as a Son of Abraham.  That is, one who is in Christ by faith in the power of the Spirit.

The stage of this encounter cannot be ignored.  The city is identified as Jericho.  This is the first city that the Lord put before Israel on their campaign to seize the land in full holy war.  They marched around the walls, they entered the city, and carried out the picture of final judgment.  They destroyed everything except the one unclean prostitute who followed God over man.

When Christ enters this city, we see a different campaign.  Jesus is the new Joshua.  In fact, Jesus is the Greek or New Testament name for the Hebrew name Joshua.  It means Yahweh saves.  Israel, the pedagogue, teaches us about final judgment, but also that man will not subdue this creation.  The mission is a failed mission that ends in multiple exiles and God’s people being pragmatic sellouts rather than victorious warriors.  This is the fate of fallen man.

There is only one way for the Lord to secure his glorified kingdom.  It is in the Son of Man/Son of David who must go to the cross.  It is in his people emptying themselves as the true sons of Abraham.  The true children of the promise who sojourn by faith, in the power of the Spirit, seeing their identity in the true heavenly vision of peace.  The earthly Jerusalem is destroyed, and now we sojourn through this age as suffering pilgrims.  Our lives are grounded in Christ, we seek to live a peaceful and quiet life honoring him, and we wait for his return.  This is why Christ comes as the suffering son of man and returns as the glorified Son of David.

Our call is to journey through this age in the power of the Holy Spirit, who grants us heaven’s power, orients us in the true vision of peace (Jerusalem), and grounds us in our savior.  Let us empty ourselves of significance in his age and find our significance in our savior.  It is truly a joy that he can com