Habakkuk's cry (Hab.1:2-4) right at the beginning of the prophet's book appears to be that of ours in the modern age. All that we appear to hear about in our news is disaster in one form or another. If it is not natural in terms of storm fronts and droughts then it is violence in the form of war, crime and domestic. In our prayers we cry out to God in much the same way as do the people of Israel in Habakkuk's story. A wondering where God's presence is in the midst of disaster and calamity and yet for a people of faith we are not as reflective as perhaps we need to be (Hab. 2:1), wanting to continually do something but without waiting for God's presence. Does this mean that we just sit and wait until God decides when we should do something? By no means but it does mean that we do not rush in where angels fear to tread, which is what we often do as we become galvanised to do something, just anything. For the most part it is in waiting and discerning that we see the path ahead of us and in doing so we are able to festina lente or go fast slowly. We make preparations just as those in flood prone areas make preparations, or should do, in such a manner that we are prepared to act when our discerned path becomes visible in a manner that will attain our goal of bringing Christ to the community through our deeds and lived lives.
In proceeding to rush forward we are likely to miss the opportunity that has been presented. The process of discernment and wrestling with how we proceed needs often to be undertaken through prayer. Prayer that does not necessarily ask for a revelation but rather a way forward that makes us worthy of God's call upon our ministry and where that should be (2 Thess. 1:11). Sometimes we have no real idea how to proceed and require direct intervention in our lives. Zacchaeus may well have been feeling a bit frustrated, to say the least, when he found the innovative way to see Christ as he passed. (Lk. 19.1-4) and work out what all the frenzy was about. It was not about privilege but rather about finding away even if he had to debase himself. (Climbing a tree is not the best way of portraying yourself, especially for a man in the ME at the time). Yet, the outcome was an outpouring of the grace of God upon him as Christ is welcomed to his table that evening. Was Zacchaeus looking for such an outcome? I doubt it. The reality was that he ended up depriving himself of his profits (Lk. 19.8), which if we look at it from today's perspective, is illogical because we all want to be members of the rich or at least richer then we are. So was his haste detrimental, for him in some respects yes. Could he have festina lente and not deprived himself, yes probably.
However, if we actually consider Zacchaeus' actions and words and it would probably be the reverse of the obvious as so much of scriptural writing actually is. We actually have to enter into the mindset of the man rather than take at face value the account as it is written. If we do this Zacchaeus' actions are probably a result of his pondering and what to do with his status in life. Tax collectors are not the favourite people of the time and considering he is rich he probably was not well liked. The spontaneity of his actions in giving his wealth away may not be quite as out of the blue as the writing implies. We only see the spontaneity through the written account and know nothing of the brewing thought process, which was inevitably there in the background. The circumstances arose that his gesture of faith, in terms of the Hebrew scriptures, was presented to him in the form of a choice. He did not have to and I suspect a person not of faith would chosen not to make the decision to give back. Christ recognises the choice that has been made (Lk. 19. 9-10), which is directly in contra to the rich man of the previous chapter (The image of a child). Zacchaeus has the imagination to go beyond his riches.
We have the time and resources to think and pray about our own situation to determine what Christ is calling us to rather than ploughing straight in to ministries and possible solutions that end up on the bench. We all want what is best for the life of Christ in the communities that we serve but sometimes we rush into solutions rather than discern what is right and where Christ / God is asking us to be. For us to be like Zacchaeus we need to have his faith filled mindset rather than that of the rich man's shallow understanding of faith and the journey we are inevitably on with God by our side.
No comments:
Post a Comment