Changed for Good
Reflections of the Wife of Zacchaeus
Luke 19:1-10
November 11, 2007
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
Change! Talk about change -unexpected change! Well, that's what came to
my house oh so many years ago!
But I'm getting ahead of myself. My name is Zapphora and I was born and
raised in Jericho -a rich, vibrant city 23 miles down the hill from Jerusalem.
Jericho was not only a rich trade and agricultural center but also a place where
pilgrims to Jerusalem stopped to rest and ready themselves for the final climb
into the Holy City. But, even so, not all of Jericho's residents shared in her
wealth. In fact, you had to be born into wealth or a trade to have any kind of
decent life in Jericho and my parents had neither. So we lived in the ghetto,
barely scraping by on what my mother could earn working at one of the Inns
while my father tended the palace gardens. We children did what we could to
help out, doing odd jobs for the wealthy or begging from the pilgrims. It was a
hard life!
Our neighbor Zacchaeus didn't have it much better. Sometimes when he and
I found ourselves working in the same place we would talk about our dreams of a
better life. Although I didn't really have much hope that things would ever
change. Even so, Zacchaeus and I both attended synagogue when we could and
prayed that God still heard the cries of the poor and would bless us and our
families.
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\11-11-07 lk 19-monologue.doc Last printed 1/23/2008 10:20:00 AM - 2 -
Then one day Zacchaeus told me that he had decided that he was going to
make a bid for the tax collector job that had opened up. It was about the only
way poor folks could get ahead. How excited we both were when he found out
that he got it! Maybe God does answer prayers, I thought!
Before long Zacchaeus had lifted himself out of the ghetto and was building a
fine new home. That's when he came to my father and asked for my hand in
marriage. My father spat in his face. "No daughter of mine will ever marry a tax
collector," he shouted and then walked away leaving us standing there, stunned
and speechless.
But I wouldn't take "no" for an answer! Not only had I grown to love
Zacchaeus, but I too wanted out of the ghetto. I wanted safety and security. I
wanted the life of ease and well-being that his position would provide. Although it
broke my heart to do it, I left home and married Zacchaeus without my father's
blessing!
Zacchaeus was so good at what he did that very soon he was elevated to the
position of chief tax collector, which meant he not only made a commission on
the taxes he colleted himself, but he also got a portion of the taxes collected by
all the other agents in his area. Now we were really set! We were the ones who
could afford servants! We were the ones with money! Of course I was saddened
when both our families disowned us as traitors. I was disheartened that
Zacchaeus' position meant we were no longer welcome to attend synagogue. I
was dismayed that all our old friends also turned their back on us. But we were
safe and secure; it was enough, at first.
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\11-11-07 lk 19-monologue.doc Last printed 1/23/2008 10:20:00 AM - 3 -
But, in time we both began to realize what a high price we had paid for our
safety and security. We both began to feel the empty ache in our hearts and we
longed to pray with others and be part of the community again. Yet, neither of us
was willing to give up our security and our wealth. At least that's what I thought.
Little did I know when he left the house that day just what change was in store
for us!
Later Zacchaeus told me that he was on his way to his office when he saw
people running toward the center of town. Being curious and needing to stay in
touch with the major events of our town, he followed. Little good it did. You see,
Zacchaeus was so short and there were so many people that he couldn't see a
thing. Because no one would have answered him if he asked what was
happening, he decided to climb a tree to see what he could see. It seemed that
just about as soon as he edged himself out onto the limb, the crowd stopped
moving because the man all the fuss seemed to be about, had stopped and was
looking directly up at him. Man, did he feel foolish. Here he was a wealthy tax
collector up in a tree looking at some no count band of pilgrims. It got even
worse when some of our former neighbors recognized him and started laughing
and calling him names.
Then the man raised his hand and the crowd fell silent as he began to speak:
"Zacchaeus, come on down. I'm going to stay at your house!"
Zacchaeus was so shocked he almost fell out of the tree. "My house?" he
stammered. "No one ever comes to my house. If you know my name you must
know what an outcast I am! My house? You really want to come to my house?"
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\11-11-07 lk 19-monologue.doc Last printed 1/23/2008 10:20:00 AM - 4 -
Well, if you think Zacchaeus was surprised, imagine my shock and surprise
when Zacchaeus came through our gates with this huge crowd following behind
him!
"Zapphora" he cried as he rushed into the room where I was sitting.
"Zapphora, we have guest for dinner. Come meet my new friend Jeshua. He's a
Rabbi, a healer, a prophet, but he's so different from anyone I've ever met
before. Zapphora, come meet him and welcome our guests."
I was beside myself! Hospitality demanded that I not only welcome our
guests, but also prepare a meal for them and make them feel comfortable. But
we never had guests, so I wasn't sure what to do. So, after welcoming them, I
was about to leave and call our servants to help me in what seemed like a
daunting task, but Jeshua said, "Zapphora, let us all help. I know you weren't
expecting us and my disciples and I would enjoy helping you prepare some food."
He was different!
As we worked he talked about God's love. He said that God does hear the
cries of the poor, but depends on those who have the resources helping those
who do not. He said that the religious officials had gotten so consumed with the
letter of the law that they had forgotten the spirit of the law -love- love of God,
love of your neighbors, all of them, and love of self. He said that each and every
person was a child of God, filled with the spark of Divine Love and how when we
allowed God's Love to guide our living that spark would become a flame that
would shine more and more brightly. Then he looked directly at Zacchaeus and
me and said, "I know the two of you have had a hard life. I know you think your
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\11-11-07 lk 19-monologue.doc Last printed 1/23/2008 10:20:00 AM - 5 -
safety and security are to be found in the money you have. But they are not. You
are living in fear and fear hardens your hearts and robs you of the joy and true
abundance God desires for every person."
Something in his eyes and the tender way in which he spoke stirred some
long dead place in my heart. A longing to share my love life with others began to
bubble up in me. But before I could say a word, Zacchaeus turned to Jeshua and
said, "Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have
defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much."
Talk about change -unexpected change! Oh, Zacchaeus still collected taxes,
but now he made sure that he and all his agents were fair in their dealings. It
became our passion to make sure that everyone in our town had enough to eat, a
place to stay and the basic necessities of life. We were especially drawn to the
widows and the orphans -the ones the Torah said had a special place in God's
heart; the ones the religious elite seemed to forget about all together. I spent my
days making clothes for the orphans, Zacchaeus saw to it that every widow had a
safe place to live. Now we often had guests in our home for we opened our doors
to the poor pilgrims who could not afford the price of a room in the Inn. Our lives
had meaning and purpose and our hearts bubbled with joy!
Talk about change -unexpected change! But that's the kind of change that
always seems to come when you truly open your heart and your life to God. I
don't know if we were changed for the better, but I do know we were changed for
good!
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\11-11-07 lk 19-monologue.doc Last printed 1/23/2008 10:20:00 AM - 6 -
Reflections of the Wife of Zacchaeus
Luke 19:1-10
November 11, 2007
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
Change! Talk about change -unexpected change! Well, that's what came to
my house oh so many years ago!
But I'm getting ahead of myself. My name is Zapphora and I was born and
raised in Jericho -a rich, vibrant city 23 miles down the hill from Jerusalem.
Jericho was not only a rich trade and agricultural center but also a place where
pilgrims to Jerusalem stopped to rest and ready themselves for the final climb
into the Holy City. But, even so, not all of Jericho's residents shared in her
wealth. In fact, you had to be born into wealth or a trade to have any kind of
decent life in Jericho and my parents had neither. So we lived in the ghetto,
barely scraping by on what my mother could earn working at one of the Inns
while my father tended the palace gardens. We children did what we could to
help out, doing odd jobs for the wealthy or begging from the pilgrims. It was a
hard life!
Our neighbor Zacchaeus didn't have it much better. Sometimes when he and
I found ourselves working in the same place we would talk about our dreams of a
better life. Although I didn't really have much hope that things would ever
change. Even so, Zacchaeus and I both attended synagogue when we could and
prayed that God still heard the cries of the poor and would bless us and our
families.
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\11-11-07 lk 19-monologue.doc Last printed 1/23/2008 10:20:00 AM - 2 -
Then one day Zacchaeus told me that he had decided that he was going to
make a bid for the tax collector job that had opened up. It was about the only
way poor folks could get ahead. How excited we both were when he found out
that he got it! Maybe God does answer prayers, I thought!
Before long Zacchaeus had lifted himself out of the ghetto and was building a
fine new home. That's when he came to my father and asked for my hand in
marriage. My father spat in his face. "No daughter of mine will ever marry a tax
collector," he shouted and then walked away leaving us standing there, stunned
and speechless.
But I wouldn't take "no" for an answer! Not only had I grown to love
Zacchaeus, but I too wanted out of the ghetto. I wanted safety and security. I
wanted the life of ease and well-being that his position would provide. Although it
broke my heart to do it, I left home and married Zacchaeus without my father's
blessing!
Zacchaeus was so good at what he did that very soon he was elevated to the
position of chief tax collector, which meant he not only made a commission on
the taxes he colleted himself, but he also got a portion of the taxes collected by
all the other agents in his area. Now we were really set! We were the ones who
could afford servants! We were the ones with money! Of course I was saddened
when both our families disowned us as traitors. I was disheartened that
Zacchaeus' position meant we were no longer welcome to attend synagogue. I
was dismayed that all our old friends also turned their back on us. But we were
safe and secure; it was enough, at first.
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\11-11-07 lk 19-monologue.doc Last printed 1/23/2008 10:20:00 AM - 3 -
But, in time we both began to realize what a high price we had paid for our
safety and security. We both began to feel the empty ache in our hearts and we
longed to pray with others and be part of the community again. Yet, neither of us
was willing to give up our security and our wealth. At least that's what I thought.
Little did I know when he left the house that day just what change was in store
for us!
Later Zacchaeus told me that he was on his way to his office when he saw
people running toward the center of town. Being curious and needing to stay in
touch with the major events of our town, he followed. Little good it did. You see,
Zacchaeus was so short and there were so many people that he couldn't see a
thing. Because no one would have answered him if he asked what was
happening, he decided to climb a tree to see what he could see. It seemed that
just about as soon as he edged himself out onto the limb, the crowd stopped
moving because the man all the fuss seemed to be about, had stopped and was
looking directly up at him. Man, did he feel foolish. Here he was a wealthy tax
collector up in a tree looking at some no count band of pilgrims. It got even
worse when some of our former neighbors recognized him and started laughing
and calling him names.
Then the man raised his hand and the crowd fell silent as he began to speak:
"Zacchaeus, come on down. I'm going to stay at your house!"
Zacchaeus was so shocked he almost fell out of the tree. "My house?" he
stammered. "No one ever comes to my house. If you know my name you must
know what an outcast I am! My house? You really want to come to my house?"
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\11-11-07 lk 19-monologue.doc Last printed 1/23/2008 10:20:00 AM - 4 -
Well, if you think Zacchaeus was surprised, imagine my shock and surprise
when Zacchaeus came through our gates with this huge crowd following behind
him!
"Zapphora" he cried as he rushed into the room where I was sitting.
"Zapphora, we have guest for dinner. Come meet my new friend Jeshua. He's a
Rabbi, a healer, a prophet, but he's so different from anyone I've ever met
before. Zapphora, come meet him and welcome our guests."
I was beside myself! Hospitality demanded that I not only welcome our
guests, but also prepare a meal for them and make them feel comfortable. But
we never had guests, so I wasn't sure what to do. So, after welcoming them, I
was about to leave and call our servants to help me in what seemed like a
daunting task, but Jeshua said, "Zapphora, let us all help. I know you weren't
expecting us and my disciples and I would enjoy helping you prepare some food."
He was different!
As we worked he talked about God's love. He said that God does hear the
cries of the poor, but depends on those who have the resources helping those
who do not. He said that the religious officials had gotten so consumed with the
letter of the law that they had forgotten the spirit of the law -love- love of God,
love of your neighbors, all of them, and love of self. He said that each and every
person was a child of God, filled with the spark of Divine Love and how when we
allowed God's Love to guide our living that spark would become a flame that
would shine more and more brightly. Then he looked directly at Zacchaeus and
me and said, "I know the two of you have had a hard life. I know you think your
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\11-11-07 lk 19-monologue.doc Last printed 1/23/2008 10:20:00 AM - 5 -
safety and security are to be found in the money you have. But they are not. You
are living in fear and fear hardens your hearts and robs you of the joy and true
abundance God desires for every person."
Something in his eyes and the tender way in which he spoke stirred some
long dead place in my heart. A longing to share my love life with others began to
bubble up in me. But before I could say a word, Zacchaeus turned to Jeshua and
said, "Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have
defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much."
Talk about change -unexpected change! Oh, Zacchaeus still collected taxes,
but now he made sure that he and all his agents were fair in their dealings. It
became our passion to make sure that everyone in our town had enough to eat, a
place to stay and the basic necessities of life. We were especially drawn to the
widows and the orphans -the ones the Torah said had a special place in God's
heart; the ones the religious elite seemed to forget about all together. I spent my
days making clothes for the orphans, Zacchaeus saw to it that every widow had a
safe place to live. Now we often had guests in our home for we opened our doors
to the poor pilgrims who could not afford the price of a room in the Inn. Our lives
had meaning and purpose and our hearts bubbled with joy!
Talk about change -unexpected change! But that's the kind of change that
always seems to come when you truly open your heart and your life to God. I
don't know if we were changed for the better, but I do know we were changed for
good!
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\11-11-07 lk 19-monologue.doc Last printed 1/23/2008 10:20:00 AM - 6 -
