2013-11-03 Daniel Daring 2013 articles 2012 articles
31st
Sunday: Today
salvation has come to this house
Wisdom
11:22-12:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2; Luke 19:1-10
Awake at 6.00 am, he reminds himself what the day
is today and thinks of the things he needs to do.
He goes through the day half conscious, half asleep. Not much thinking is
required. At the end of the day, he falls asleep with the awareness that nothing
special has taken place and that the following day is going to be the same. We
all know what today means. It tends to be rather a routine span of time.
We do not expect much from it. All our expectations are anchored to the future,
by projecting all our hopes, dreams, and wishes into that tomorrow which
seldom comes. And few of us - if any – expect God to enter our lives today
and save us from being lost.
Salvation
We are all familiar with the question: “Brother/sister! Are you saved?” The answer varies depending on the denomination one belongs to. There are those who joyfully jump with yes. There are those who are puzzled by the question and respond, “I don't know.” And there are those who prudently respond, “yes and . . . no,” seeing salvation as a continuous process of growing in grace. However, there is a much more interesting question: “Brother/sister! What have you been saved from?” In this case, the answer does not depend on our church, but on our life story. Aside from sin, we can be saved from sickness, loneliness, alienation, guilt, confusion, slavery, oppression, and so on. The experience of salvation depends on the situation we live in. In the case of Zacchaeus, it was salvation from being seen by society as an outcast. By entering his house, Jesus affirmed that “this man, too, is a son of Abraham” (Luke 19:9). So, brother/ sister! What have you been saved from?
But the inquiry into salvation does not end with
this question. There is a follow-up question: “Brother/sister! What have you
been saved for?” The 'negative aspect' of salvation – being saved from –
has to be complemented by the 'positive one' – being saved for. “For we are
God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared
in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). Salvation is about transformation:
from sin to holiness, from sickness to wellness, from loneliness to friendship,
from guilt to peace, from slavery to freedom, and so on. In the case of
Zacchaeus, it was a transformation from greed to sharing. “Behold, Lord! a
half of my possessions I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from
anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold” (Luke 19:8). That is the way
God molds us into a new creation (Galatians 6:15). So, brother/sister! What have
you been saved for?
Leaving
the crowd
There is, however, one obstacle to this experience of salvation, namely a crowd. The woman who suffered from hemorrhage had to push her way through the crowd in order to get to Jesus (Mark 5:27). The blind beggar, Bartimaeus, was being silenced by a crowd. (Mark 10:47-48). A crowd was also preventing Zacchaeus from seeing Jesus (Luke 19:3). The problem is that a crowd tends to submerge our individuality. “Everybody is buying it,” we are told. Who is everybody is never specified; and we are discouraged from asking whether the 'it' is really what we need and/or want.
In order to meet Jesus and experience the joy of
salvation, we have to get out of the crowd. An old revivalist hymn composed by
D. L. Moody and I.D. Sankey powerfully expresses this challenge:
Dare to be Daniel,
Dare to stand alone;
Dare to have a purpose firm,
And dare to make it known.
Even if it would require to do something unusual, it is worth the effort. Zacchaeus never regretted climbing that sycamore tree. Although the people probably laughed at him, Jesus rewarded his effort. Jesus also left the crowd and went against the current, by inviting Himself to the house of a tax-collector: “Today I must stay at your house,” (Luke 19:5). And then the miracle happened: an outcast became the son of Abraham.
“Today salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:9). It seems that two thousand year ago it was easy to experience salvation. One could decide to see Jesus, climb a tree and then the Lord was calling him by name. How about today? Well. The Good News of the Gospel retains its power. It is today that Jesus must enter our house; it is also today that salvation comes to our lives. But it comes to those who declare that they are lost and make an effort to meet Jesus.
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(Now I know where the name "Daniel Daring" comes from! jw)