Has Salvation Come To Your House?

by Fr Gabriel Allan Boyd

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When we go to a doctor to get checked out for something, the doctor will sometimes begin to prod, and press various places, all the while asking, “Does this hurt? How about this?” If we cry out in pain, then it indicates to the doctor that there’s likely something wrong there, and the doctor will say, “We’d better do some more tests, because it’s not supposed to hurt there like that!” Likewise, when priests press around into the topic of stewardship and spend time on our Lord’s teachings on our use of our money, possessions, talents and time, and some people get angry, saying, “All these priests care about is money!” Hmmm… The Great Physician is here to tell you that when you have a reaction like that to God’s teaching on money, it indicates illness in you.

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Whenever someone takes the time to thoroughly read the scriptures, they discover (from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount & “storing up treasures in heaven”…to His statement about the love of money being the root of all evil…to His chasing the money changers out of the Temple…to Judas betrayal of Jesus for money) that Jesus taught about our use, misuse, and attitudes toward money and possessions more than any other topic.  God wants us to pattern the use of our money and possessions after His own heavenly economy…in a constant state of loving offering…out of His abundance. So, how do you use your money and possessions? Do you use them like you know they all belong to God…or do you use them like someone who doesn’t really trust God? Maybe, unwittingly, you’re actually worshiping your money and possessions, thinking that those are the source of your life? When you enter into a closer examination, are you living selfishly…or are you living in the spirit of God’s abundance—trusting that He’ll take care of you when you give sacrificially?  Jesus wants us to know that He considers the topic of our stewardship over the things He has entrusted us with as a very important part of our salvation because it reveals the degree to which we place our trust in God.

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In the meeting between Jesus and Zacchaeus in this Sunday’s Gospel Reading (Luke 19:1-10) we’re given a brilliant picture of what it means to truly have faith in Christ. Our story unfolds in four movements: In the first movement, the tax collector lets his curiosity get the better of him. So, he exerts great effort, and perhaps even suffers a little embarrassment “to see who Jesus is.”

And Jesus quickly rewards Zacchaeus’ tree-climbing courage, because in the second movement of this scene, Jesus calls him by name, “Zacchaeus, it’s time you come down from that tree.” And Jesus even invites Himself to be a guest at Zacchaeus house.

The third movement is the most astonishing. Zacchaeus, whose sole identity was formerly as exploitive tax collector, now takes on a new identity as a disciple of Jesus Christ…a new creature. He now promises half of all his possessions to the poor, and restitution—four times over—to those he’s cheated. What’s especially remarkable is that, with that kind of payout, it couldn’t have left over for Zacchaeus when he was finished. He was offering it all for God.

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And what happens in the fourth act is something we should pay special attention to…because, right after Zacchaeus makes his promise, Jesus says “Today salvation has come to this house.” Salvation came to Zacchaeus because he met and welcomed Jesus, and then he allowed God’s will (God’s economy) to rule over his heart. In tangibly demonstrating his awareness that everything he owned really belonged to God, Zacchaeus found the gift of salvation.

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Now it’s important to point out that we most certainly can’t buy salvation, but taking a closer look at what we’re doing with our money is a real indicator of our own spiritual health. It’s like hooking yourself up to a blood-pressure monitor. Taking a close look at our attitude toward money, shows us just who or what our God, or god, really is. Sometimes we struggle to make the one true God the one who we trust enough to offer of ourselves sacrificially.  At other times we discover that we’ve become our own god to whom we devote all our possessions.  Still other times, our money itself becomes a god, where we falsely believe it’s the source of our sustenance.

Stewardship of our finances, self-sacrificial support of our Church, and the use of our gifts and resources to accomplish other good works isn’t what makes someone a disciple of Jesus Christ. But real disciples of Jesus Christ, real Orthodox Christians, inevitably, become sacrificial donors…realizing that everything they have actually belongs to God. And so, it’s worth asking yourself: “Has Jesus invited Himself to stay with me? If so, have I really welcomed Him into everything? Does my stewardship of the money, possessions, personal talents and time that God put into my particular care reveal that salvation has come to my house?

Obviously, the Lord didn’t walk by, call you out of your tree, and unpack His suitcase in your guestroom. But He does want to stay in your heart—to dwell there as He promised. He wants to do the same thing for you that He did for Zacchaeus—to free him from slavery to false gods—and to awaken new possibilities of love and service in him. Today we ask our Lord to do for us what He did for Zacchaeus that day—to meet us, to stay with us, to make us aware of our illness, to free us from slavery to false gods, and to open new possibilities of love and service in us…because in doing that, we move toward Life.

To prepare for Holy Communion, there’s a prayer by Saint John Chrysostom that first brings to mind the faith of the Centurion (Matthew 8:8)…but it also direct our minds and hearts to the image of Zacchaeus and his beautiful act of repentance., “O Lord my God, I know that I am not worthy that you should come under the roof of the house of my soul, for all is desolate and fallen in ruins…” When we pray these moving words, we’re offered Zacchaeus’ example for us to model and follow.  

So, as your spiritual doctor, I need to prod, and press you about this important issue, while asking, “Does this hurt? How about this?” From early on, the practice that God put in place is that His people must tithe—give ten percent of their income toward the ministries and care of God’s temple. Does that hurt? How about this? Zacchaeus went so far as to offer half of everything he had as a sign of his repentance…of his trust in God. So, why would anyone be so uncomfortable in trusting God with just ten percent of their income?  Of course, it’s just not possible for most of us to make that kind of adjustment so instantly…so I wonder…will you start now to make 10% your future goal?  Will you make the commitment to begin with whatever percentage you offered last year and just add one or two percent this year…and again the next…and so on until you finally reach God’s recommended goal of ten percent?

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This kind of trust in God is transformative. Imagine what the Church would become like if we all trusted God in this way.  You see, the reason that Jesus talked so much about money and possessions is because He wants us to realize that the way we use all of our possessions demonstrates how much we love and trust God…and how much we love our neighbor. Has salvation really come to your house? Does it hurt when I press you there? If it does, then we’re in need of the Great Physician, because for Christians, it’s not supposed to hurt there like that.”

As very young children we were taught that it’s better to give than to receive…and for some reason, it’s not till some people are in their fifties or sixties before that becomes a realization. But, after meeting Jesus, Zacchaeus didn’t take fifty years. He didn’t take fifty minutes—he figured it out in within five minutes of meeting Jesus. Today I want to challenge those of you who haven’t yet made the connection between sacrificial giving and the kind of discipleship that Zacchaeus showed. If you haven’t yet offered a commitment to Christ by filling out a 2020 Stewardship Card, may I encourage you to be—if not as lavish—at least as earnest as that tax collector, Zacchaeus! Discover the freedom of putting generous trust in Christ. Let salvation come to your house!