An invitation to invitation
He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” (Luke 19:5)
I was recently reminded of the story of Zacchaeus. Not that I needed a lot of reminding, since it is a story I know well. Jesus is passing through Jericho an a tax collector named Zacchaeus is desperate to see Jesus. So desperate, in fact, that he climbs a tree just to get a glimpse of Jesus as he passes by (Zacchaeus was a very short man, so couldn’t see over the crowd). Jesus stops, engages with Zacchaeus and his life is turned around.
Perhaps you know the story well too. It’s a favourite of Sunday school teachers and Bible preachers, and for good reason. It’s story of someone who encounters Jesus and is irrevocably changed. Yet familiarity with a story like this can sometimes blind us to the shocks and surprises that it contains. As I was reminded of the story recently, I saw a surprise I hadn’t noticed before.
The turning point in the story is Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus. Although Zacchaeus could not see Jesus over the crowds (and so climbs the tree), Jesus sees Zacchaeus. He sees, stops and speaks. The surprise is in what he says to Zacchaeus in verse 5:
He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” (Luke 19:5)
Jesus engages with Zacchaeus and issues an invitation – come down from the tree! But Jesus’ invitation is slightly different to some others in the gospels. This is not an invitation to “come and see” or “follow me” (though both are included in Jesus’ words). Instead it is an invitation to invitation.
“I must stay at your house today,” says Jesus to Zacchaeus. Jesus asks Zacchaeus to invite him to his home. I think there is an implicit assumption that Zacchaeus could have refused. “Oh no, Jesus, I couldn’t possibly. I haven’t tidied up for days. I need to hoover and clear up the left over pizza boxes. There’s no clean sheets for the spare bed. Not today Jesus.”
Thankfully Zacchaeus does not refuse, but accepts Jesus’ invitation to invite him to stay. “He came down at once,” records Luke, “and welcomed him gladly.” He accepted the invitation and invited Jesus.
Zacchaeus’ story reminds us what an encounter with Jesus really means. It’s not just an invitation to receive something but to receive someone. It’s not about simply salvation, or forgiveness or a ‘ticket to heaven’ (wonderful though all those things are). It’s not about a gift but about presence.
Like Zacchaeus, when we encounter Jesus, he issues an invitation to invitation. He says to us, “I must come and stay with you today. Will you welcome me in gladly? Will you invite me to be present with you?” Jesus offers us the invitation to make room for him in our lives by his powerful Holy Spirit. Have we done that? If not, will we? Jesus stands before us like Zacchaeus. He sees us and speaks to us saying, “I must stay with you today. Will you invite me in?”