The Art of Protest, Part 3: Community Organizing

Luke 19:1-10

He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “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.” Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.” 

---

This is part of a 4 part sermon series on The Art of Protest.  In Part 1, we discussed how we find the courage to protest, and we met the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8).  The widow (one without)  found the courage to approach an unjust judge in order to get her needs met.  How did she do it?  She had faith that what God said about her was true- that she was valuable, precious and holy- and from that place of faith, she found the courage to fight for herself.  
Part 2: Knowing the Players, (Luke 18:9-14) brought us face to face with the Pharisee and the Tax Collector- and how a focus on individualism can blind us to the systemic sins of our society.  If we are to protest, we need to understand the whole issue, not just one person's part in it.
Today, in Part 3, we meet Zacchaeus, a tax collector whom Jesus enlists to be a part of his social justice movement through good old fashioned community organizing.  

As we discussed last week, tax collectors were known as some of the most corrupt people in society.  "Sinners," they were called; and by any modern Christian definition of that word, the term would fit.   They skimmed off the top, the squeezed more money out of people that was required, they were hated and feared by the tax paying community. 

Jesus is nearing the end of his travels - he is almost to Jerusalem- but has been gathering and empowering people to join a movement that will change the world- what Jesus calls, the Kingdom or New Reign of God.  The movement's purpose is clear- repent- turn from the way you have been living- free the oppressed, care for the poor, heal the sick.  The Jesus movement would break down walls, bring a new interpretation of Jewish law called, 'the gospel'- good news- and would employ tactics of non-violent non-compliance, persistence, and protest against the systems of injustice; systems that kept people oppressed, systems that kept one group rich, and another destitute, corrupt systems based on discrimination and privilege, that insured protection only for the elite.     Jesus came to save the people from those systems- to save the people perpetuating those systems, to save us from ourselves.  This is what salvation in the bible actually means. In fact the name, "Jesus" means 'salvation,' or 'God saves.' 

As the Jesus movement grew and became more powerful, governmental and religious officials were put on alert. They were to look for a way to trap and kill Jesus (Salvation).

Enter Zacchaeus.  His name means 'Righteousness'- or, 'the act of making things right.'  But up until now, Zacchaeus has not been living out his name- and how could he?  Righteousness has no power without Salvation.  And whether it was pure curiosity or something bigger going on inside of him, once he hears Jesus is in town, he begins acting anything like a high profile government official.  In a somewhat undignified manner, he runs ahead of the crowd to where Jesus will be sure to pass by.   And he climbs a tree as to not let his own limitations (he was short) deny him this opportunity to glimpse salvation.

That's really what we all want, isn't it?  To just glimpse salvation; to realize in some sense, that something better than what we are living now, is possible.  So we find someone who is making a difference- we look for the good- and it helps us imagine (glimpse) what a healed world might look like if only...
if only we weren't so short, or busy, or stressed out, or working, or face-booking or texting or taking some down time or any of the other myriad of reasons we come up with to justify not getting involved in living out 'righteousness.'  And they are valid excuses.  We are all spread so thin...  we want security... and it's difficult to survive, much less fight the systems.  Even though we know there are things we do to perpetuate those systems, even condone them in some sense, and we want to be better, do better, live free... well, it's so much work.

It's so much work just being a responsible liberal- sorry, progressive... period .  Just a trip to the grocery store takes energy.
I stand at the meat counter and pick out the sustainable, environmentally friendly cuts of chicken and beef- as well as those which bear an acceptable animal welfare rating.  I then ask and wait for my meats to be wrapped in brown paper, so as not to bring home any Styrofoam or environmentally toxic plastic .  I repeat this process at the fish counter.   Then I move to fruits and vegetables and read the signs to insure that my (hopefully organic or non pesticide sprayed) produce has been sourced locally, or if not, that it hasn't come here on a half empty truck using up large amounts of fossil fuels.  I also need to make sure that farms who supply those bananas I am buying from Mexico are treating their employees fairly, and not using any child or slave labor.  And I need to do that with all of the dry goods, non-dairy items, eggs and drinks I buy as well.  As usual, I left my refillable glass bottles for the bulk food items in my car- so i abandon my cart to retrieve them- whats an extra 150 steps?  Next, I lather through the skin, and hair products so as to not buy anything that contains chemicals that will poison our water systems. But it's late now, and I have an appointment, so in the middle of scouring through the cleaning products, I just cave and grab a gallon of bleach instead of the green stuff, and after buying another 4 reusable grocery bags because i forgot to pack mine yet again, I check out.  I get in my car feeling a bit guilty about the bleach, but knowing it's the only thing that really takes out those kitchen counter stains.

Now this is just grocery shopping! And even though it may be once a week, there is an opportunity for something like that every day.  Because as our lives become more complex-  integrated in technology, finance, education, sports, entertainment, travel, you name it, there is a social justice Jesus movement way of approaching something and then there is the path Zacchaeus was on as he climbed that tree.  And I'll be honest, some times I take the opportunity, and sometimes I climb the tree.  

But here's the thing- in climbing that tree- in insuring he had a place to glimpse Salvation, Zacchaeus was really positioning himself to see things differently.  In that simple act- even unconsciously, he was opening his eyes to the possible- and to who he could be. And the Righteous shall live by faith... (Hab 2:4)

​And like any good community organizer, Jesus notices the ones who perhaps, you and i might pass by in our quest to gather activists.  We have seen him engage people others would consider unreachable, untouchable. unreasonable.  A Samaritan woman, lepers, widows,  unclean, sinners; but Salvation is open to everyone.

Community organizing step 1- Take notice of the ones who have positioned themselves to glimpse salvation- the ones who, despite what they do, or how they look, are open to the possible.

.. and  Jesus moves in close to that infamous tree and calls up, 'Zacchaeus, come down, I need to talk to you... and we'll do it over dinner... at your place.'

Community organizing step 2- Have the courage to talk to strangers, and invite them to have a heart-to-heart, or in community organizing terminology, a one-on-one.  And the one-on-one could take place anywhere, but smart organizers do it where the person feels most comfortable, most often at their home.  

And despite the grumblings from the crowd about him cavorting with sinners, Jesus meet with Zacchaeus- and that discussion was honest enough to bring about repentance. 

Community Organizing Step 3- Have an agenda at the one-on-one.  Don't beat around the bush or let small talk eat up all of your time.  Honor the person you are meeting with by being straightforward, but talking about the issue, and by giving them the opportunity to join you in the movement. 

And Jesus responds: Salvation has come to this house- this man is also a son of Abraham: translation- you are Righteousness-   one of us- we will work together now to bring others this kind of freedom.

Community organizing Step 4- Help the person get engaged in what you're trying to do immediately.  Have concrete ways for them to get involved right away, lest the moment be lost- (we all know how easy it is to go back to life and forget what we've heard on Sunday mornings.)

We don't know what happened to Zacchaeus after that.  We don't hear about him again- and we don't know how he worked for change in the Jesus movement.  Most of the people who participate in Righteousness making, shalom building activities go largely unnoticed.  Maybe that's why it so difficult to get people to help in the first place. We want to be known for our good deeds, for being the one who refuses to use bleach on the kitchen counter by still gets the stains out.  

But we do know that without the Zacchaeus' of the world, we can't change anything.  We also know that from then on, his life would have to be an active protest, even if he never picked up a sign.  Zacchaeus would now be anti-system.  He would have to do his job differently, be chastised by his bosses, his coworkers, possibly lose his job and financial security.  He would most likely get criticized by his family and friends - standing up for what's right often comes at a huge price.  

But it also comes with huge dividends.  There is freedom that comes from following Salvation.  There is joy in knowing you are part of something that brings freedom to others.  There is peace in living out who God intends for you to be- in liberating, in empowering people, in bringing light to a dark, weary world.  

And I know you might be thinking- it's all too much.  The problems are too big.  I'm one person and i am short in stature- listen Zacchaeus- Jesus is passiing through.  Run!  I know it's undignified and people might look at you like you're nuts but run ahead of the crowd.  Find a big tree and climb like your life depends on it, because it does- and when Jesus notices you sitting there, just watching, glimpsing salvation, and you hear your name being called- happily welcome Salvation into your home... we are running out of time my friends... don't wait andother moment to join the Jesus movement, and change the world... If not now, when?