Misnomer

Grace is a word. Like any word it has a history, an etymology. Time can and does change words. Yet, because Jesus himself was referred to as “the Word” it’s important that we do the work of reaching back and acquainting ourselves with the original intent. In so doing we are often shocked into truth. The old meanings set fire to our imaginations and our lives become forfeit to another kingdom – in this case, the good kingdom.

What is interesting about the word grace is that it is eternally attached to an image. To understand the word we need look no further than Jesus. His words and his actions demonstrate the meaning. The word comes alive as “the Word” comes alive. And if you’re wondering what’s become of our larger subject, i.e. forgiving and blessing our enemies, then rest easy. You see, we are in the process of stripping down and rebuilding our “thinkolators.” Part of that is concerned with what  we’re to think, but equally important to the task is learning how  to think. And with grace our imaginations are given quite a lift. Grace is incarnate. It has walked amongst us. As John once said, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth….Out of his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. ~John 1: 14,16We don’t have to work all that hard to imagine grace. We see grace.
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And now, back to our story. Yesterday we met a city. Today we meet a man:Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.  ~Luke 19:1,2              Let’s allow now our imaginations to go to work. Luke gives us three pieces of information. First of all, we’re given a name  – Zacchaeus – which means: “pure.”  So, let’s just call him “Pure.” “Pure” was a wealthy man. In that culture – no less hollow and cognizant of fashion trends than our day – he was most likely adorned in the vibrant purple that said, “I’ve made it. I’m a better.”  But in this case, Pure had achieved his wealth not through birth or through business acumen, but as a loathed toady of the state – he was the chief tax collector.

If you wish to depict a universal and timeless villain you can’t do any worse than a chief tax collector. Unless you happen to be a beneficiary of the largesse of the state, tax collectors rank among the lowest of the low as the subject of human affections. This was even more pronounced for the Jews. Here was one of their own, Pure, collecting egregious amounts of tax receipts for Rome. Moreover, he was following their mafia-like practices. A chief tax collector was allowed to shake a person down for whatever amount he could get away with so long as Rome received its cut. And Pure did just that. He was ruling the roost in a town once known for having shown mercy to Rahab, the town prostitute. And Zacchaeus, in his capacity as chief tax collector, found himself less respected than the Madame of the town’s brothel.  If ever someone needed grace to show up to town it was a man who had made of mockery of his own name.  He was a living, breathing misnomer.