Luke chapters 18 and 19 contain two stories that when considered together are quite confusing.  They are known as “The Rich Ruler” and “Zacchaeus the Tax Collector”.   I’ve never considered the stories in relationship to each other, but looking at these stories, I am convinced that people would have been pretty pissed at Jesus for acting the way he did.  What do I mean? Well, He treats good people harshly and bad people kindly. Understatement. Here is the story:

The Rich Ruler – Luke 18:18-23

A certain ruler asked [Jesus], “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’”

“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Let’s get the story straight. This rich ruler knew and kept all the Law’s commandments, even since he was a kid. That means he had never cheated anyone out of money and his riches were properly “his”, made either by simply the Lord’s blessing and a life of work in a clean conscience. Yet Jesus looks at him and gives him little hope at the eternal life.

There were people they that overheard what Jesus said and asked the natural question, “Who then can be saved?”

How many rulers and rich people get that way or stay that way by doing the right thing? This man had done everything the Law required, kept his nose clean, and Jesus still dealt harshly with him.  Who else stood a chance?

Jesus has his own way.  He is the King.  He answers the question in both word and deed.  The word is “What is impossible with men is possible with God“.  He describes how it is possible with God privately to his disciples in the next few verses. It is by his death and resurrection according to the scriptures that it is possible with God.

In fact, this power is demonstrated in an event that takes place between the two stories of the Rich Ruler and the Zacchaeus.  Jesus heals a blind guy:

As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”

He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.

⁴²Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” ⁴³Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.

Hold commentary on this bit for a while. Press on to Zacchaeus (yes this is the “wee little man”).

Zacchaeus the tax Collector

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. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’ “

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

I’m laughing just thinking about the contrast between the story of the Rich Ruler and Zacchaeus.  Jesus pretty much denies the Rich Ruler, who had done the right thing and kept the Law, even came to Jesus asking how to get eternal life. Yet with Zacchaeus, who had made his fortune swindling and coercing, Jesus almost gives him no option but to come into salvation.  I can just imagine the frustration of the people around these two powerful men.  In their eyes, the one who had never done anything to hurt them and was a good ruler was treated like dirt, and the one who had literally stolen money from them shared a meal and salvation with Jesus! Scandal!

Not fair! By their own merits, the man who deserved grace is seemingly denied, yet the one who deserved to be condemned had his whole house saved!

Observations:

1) Jesus decides on whom to show mercy.

2) Both men were sinners.  One believed it, the other did not.  The Rich Ruler thought there was something he could do to get eternal life.  He thought himself capable.  Jesus’ direction to him to sell everything and give it away would have reduced this man to nothing in his own eyes – and the ruler was unwilling to do it.  Zacchaeus knew that he was incapable of saving himself, and had even embraced embraced his sin (he knew exactly how much he had stolen!), yetwhen the Lord came to his house that the Lord could save him and it was a game changer.  His generosity did not earn his salvation – it was a fitting response to the grace the Lord showed him.

3) The Rich Ruler sought personal gain (eternal life, even with Jesus, can be desired selfishly).  The Blind Man sought to be able to see, but knew Jesus already to be the Messiah, and therefore capable. That is why he yelled out for the Son of David. Zacchaeus went out looking for Jesus, but it never says why.  Either way, He was looking, and Jesus came to him.

4) The conclusion of Jesus’ parable in 18:9-14 explains these stories better than I have:

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Did you make it all the way down here?

May the Lord’s will be done,

CWillZ

In their own words(www.streets.org):

Our Mission

To make Jesus known on the streets among men involved in sexual exploitation.

Our Purpose

To provide hope in Christ for men involved in sexual exploitation by developing ministries of evangelization, transformation, and education.

• Evangelization: Following Christ’s example by modeling His character and compassion on the streets.
• Transformation: Providing assistance and support during transition away from street life.
• Education: Building an awareness of the needs of men involved in prostitution and equipping the Body of Christ to respond.

I visited this ministry with as a part of a group of senior Christian Ed. majors from Taylor University about a year ago.  We participated in an “Immersion Night” where we spent time in gay bars, clubs, and on the streets getting to know people.  I can truly say that that night has changed the way I approach homosexuality and how I talk about gay people or use the term gay.

Emmaus loves people.  They speak the truth, but also provide very real resources to help people in need.  My time spent there that night retaught me that if we preach against a sin, we must be able to offer hope for the victims of that condition and maybe set aside the questions about how volitional or not it may have been for their lives to come to that place.  The decision that matters is the step towards God and recovery found in Christ’s love.

Also, Emmaus has made it easy and safe to give online using donate.net.

May the Lord’s will be done,

CWillz

Down to it. What I have been learning in a very real, very meaningful way over the last few months is that each and every moment of our lives is an opportunity for us to trust in the goodness of God. By “goodness of God” I mean that He loves us and I have no clue how. More on that the “goodness of God” means later (see C.S. Lewis’ “The Problem of Pain” Ch. 3 for more). What it means to trust in the goodness of God for me right now is this:

The next phase of my life will be spent teaching, pastoring, preaching, or learning how to do those things better in the following location: right where I am, the Czech Republic, China, Spain, any one of a smattering of communities new to me across the United States, seminary, or itinerant preaching. Also, don’t forget to account for variable change.

So today I was a little fried about trying to imagine what the next step may be. After requesting that my fellow staff members at church pray for wisdom and discernment, and then venting for about 20 minutes to a close friend, I finally came to the point where I took it to God in prayer. (this is backwards and frankly stupid, but real).

I have been learning to pray with child-like faith. Today that child was a little girl. With my face on the floor, a pouty lip and erratic kicking of the legs I asked God the question. “Where do you want me?”

If you have ever asked this question you may at first, like me, be proud of yourself for making yourself available to God. This is a good thing, but for me it contains some pride. Just because I am talented, available, and stunningly good looking doesn’t mean that God has to want me to do anything for him. Where did I get this entitlement from?

God’s answer, which I barely heard through my erupting case of LGS, was humbling and loving at the same time.

“Right here, in My arms.”

Please pray that my heart would be open, warm, and vulnerable enough with God to be able to be right where he wants me. However and whenever that may be.

May the Lord’s will be done,

CWillz

While I have already written about the reasons for the cost of health care and the way to reduce them, I want to show you a place that takes principles from the earliest expressions of the Kingdom and puts them into actual practice today.

Christian Healthcare Ministries is an organization that acts in a similar way as insurance companies do, but its goal is to help the members (and not the executives). From their website:

Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) is an affordable, faith-based solution for Christians to rising health care costs and expensive health insurance policies. We are a nationwide group of Christian individuals and families united to voluntarily share each other’s medical bills. In the past 15 years alone, members of this non-profit ministry have shared more than $450 million in healthcare costs.

If you want to give without being a “member” you have to send a check (to be honest it is a pain to me–Paypal is always good). If you are interested in being a member, it is worth your time to check our what they offer and think about how this can help you and others.

Its funny how the other day I was explaining the difference between socialism and the “communalism” de[pre?]scribed in Acts 2 and we were struggling to imagine what it looks like when Christians today pool their resources to help each other.

Hope you check it out and get creative with your love.

May the Lord’s will be done,

CWillZ

Malleable means “able to be hammered or pressed permanently out of shape without breaking or cracking.”

In January I sat around a table with other Christian Ed seniors from Taylor.  Somehow the conversation turned to motivation and how “God got a hold of us”.  Our professor highlighted the extremes (paraphrase):  “For some people it like God just whispers in their ear, for others it is like God knocks them flat on their face.”  When he said the last part, I involuntarily agreed aloud and my contemporaries noticed laughingly.

God is a good father and knows what we need much better than we do.  At just the right time, He will move in our lives in innumerable ways.  I hear God in whispers, but God also gets a hold of me driving me to my knees and face. Sometimes — sometimes often–it is like God needs to pound us out to shape us like a metalworker beautifies his art or makes a tool for a specific job.  I often imagine my close friends watching what God is doing with/to/in/through me and cringing like parents who have to let their children go into surgery.

Malleable.  Able to be pounded on without breaking or cracking.  Sometimes I wonder just how hard and how long God needs to pound.  I think that the next blow will break me.

“Just trust me,” He says.  He works and works.  It hurts.  The work is all his.  It’s like getting a root canal.  When he is done, its often sore for a while, but its better. Again, its what you need/ed.  When the hammer falls, it is our option to surrender and ask that His will be done.  In surrender, we love and trust that His pounding is making us into what he wants and needs.  His pounding will not break or crack us if we surrender to Him.

May the Lord’s will be done,

CWillZ

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

This verse was the focus of a book that an informal group of friends and I read in high school called The God Chasers by Tommy Tenny.  We read the book together, prayed for each other, served our community, had fun (at times way too much).  This was just one of the ways that God got a hold of a group of us as young people in Columbus, IN.

Often this motley crew would hang out or meet without specific agenda, sometimes just to pray for each other, people close to us, our city, our country, our families, against spiritual attacks.  We longed to see God come and have His way.  We also spent time studying the Bible and digging into things that were important to us.

Some of our prayers were answered immediately, others seemed to be ignored.  From what I can remember, many of mine got answered in a much better way than what I asked for.

I remember several of our leaders in the various ministries that we were involved in would often tell us that they really thought that God was going to use our generation of young people in big ways.  In those few years, we saw many of our friends come to follow Jesus for the first time — all to the glory of God. 

Today I think about where that group is and what God is doing with us.  I rejoice that many of us our still about the business of the Kingdom, many of us in some form of ministry.  Here is where a few of us from this group are serving today:

John Bundick is Youth Director @ Hartford City UMC.  He has an iPhone and pushes students to love without ceasing.

Jon Boriss is a doing a creative arts internship @ 2|42 Community Church in where he claims to work with the best middle and high school students ever in Whitmore Lake, MI.

Tim Hollowell teaches at John Marshall Community High School (IPS), in Indianapolis.

Lindsey Bodine continues to love students at North View Assembly of God in Columbus, IN.

Katie Proctor is Youth Director @ Faith Luthern Church in Andover, MA.

Many of our friends continue to faithfully seek God and love others in their churches, communities, and online.

I am very happy to be a part of a generation of people who started as young people and are now spending our lives advancing the Kingdom by leading and loving others. 

On behalf of all of those mentioned here and the countless others, thank you to all of our youth workers, pastors, volunteers and parents.  Every time you hosted a club, youth group, donated, prayed for us, took phone calls, or encouraged us you were teaching us how to love and live. 

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

A note to all of us:  Keep going.  It is worth it.

May the Lord’s will be done,

CWillz

This month we decided to give to New Life International, an organization that is spreading the Gospel while and by providing the basic necessity of clean water. 

The rationale for giving here is easy: About a sixth of our neighbors in the world do not have access to clean water. 

You should know that Jesus says this in Matthew 25:

4″Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

 37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

 40“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

 41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

 44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

 45“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

 46“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

If you are looking for a trustworthy place to do things for the “least of these”, New Life International is a solid choice.

May the Lord’s will be done,

CWillZ

Anywho, I want to misquote a line I found truth in:

Old man to a young man: “Well, you see there is something, something you don’t mind calling God that is bigger than all this.  And- and, well you see when you forgive, you love. When you love the light shines on you.”

Good stuff. I have been told the book is better. It will go on the ever-so-growing list of things to read.  

May the Lord’s will be done,

CWillZ