19 November 2013 - crowd control

19 November 2013 - crowd control

Now a man there named Zacchaeus,
who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,
was seeking to see who Jesus was;
but he could not see him because of the crowd,
for he was short in stature.

It is all too possible for the crowds to keep us from seeing Jesus.  Many who surround him are simply interested in spectacle and entertainment.  Such as these won't help those who are on the margins and who are "short in stature" to get close enough to see Jesus.

Society is all to ready to help us to fit in.  They don't want us climbing any trees.  They don't want us standing out.  Even when conformity is sinful they are all too willing to make it easy for us.

Those in charge of that unlawful ritual meal took the man aside privately,
because of their long acquaintance with him,
and urged him to bring meat of his own providing,
such as he could legitimately eat,
and to pretend to be eating some of the meat of the sacrifice
prescribed by the king;

Stay behind the crowds, they seem to say.  They tell us not to climb a tree to see if there might be some other way than the one we know.  They are happy for us to continue in our sinful ways.  If we have "extorted anything from anyone" it is nothing to them.  They don't particularly care if we give half of our possessions to the poor.  They are more interested in the status quo.

They may actually seem kind and supportive until we try to stand out and draw near to Jesus.  Then we realize how desperate society is to preserve the status quo.  This is self-preservation for the world as it is. 

Those who shortly before had been kindly disposed,
now became hostile toward him because what he had said
seemed to them utter madness.

Eleazar shows the world that it's priorities are all wrong.  Death represents the ultimate failure in the conventional view.  But for Eleazar it is a great victory.

This is how he died,
leaving in his death a model of courage
and an unforgettable example of virtue
not only for the young but for the whole nation.
This is how he has the strength to die "manfully" rather than to lead anyone astray.  He not only refuses to do that which is wrong but prefers death even to actions which, while not wrong in themselves, might lead others astray.  He makes God the non-negotiable center of his life.  Because of his "devotion to him" he is able to suffer torture with joy in his soul.

This same society that is willing to help Eleazar until he insists on standing out is happy to watch the spectacle of Jesus for entertainment.  They like the supernatural and the unexplained.  Like Herod, they "had heard about him and had been hoping to see him perform some sign" (cf. Luk. 23:8).  But when the cry to crucify goes up they won't go against it, just like Pilate. 

It is all too frequently that we find ourselves in hiding in the crowd, complicit in sin. We need to be willing to stand up and even climb trees to seek Jesus, no matter how the crowds are disposed. 

Many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
“There is no salvation for him in God.”

We can do this because we know that he upholds us.

But you, O LORD, are my shield;
my glory, you lift up my head!
When I call out to the LORD,
he answers me from his holy mountain.
When I lie down in sleep,
I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
I fear not the myriads of people
arrayed against me on every side.