More Of Jesus And The Crowd

All the people saw this and began to mutter, He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner’. Luke 19: 7.

Having looked at Jesus and the crowd as the Seeing, Muttering crowd, we continue and gain more about the crowd and Jesus from the quoted Bible verse.

Unwelcoming witnesses

He has gone to be the guest of a sinner. Note, these people knew that chief tax collector and knew him well. They had never welcomed Zacchaeus at their homes, neither would they have ever been caught going to be a guest at his home. Can you see the utter shock and the disdain they now feel for Jesus? Can you hear them and see them turning up their noses at that action of Jesus? Jesus, the One about whom they had heard so much, the One they came out to see and greet as a celebrity, turns His eyes off them and turns to that wretched man, whom all the Jews hate! Believe you me, the following crowd of people did not welcome nor appreciate such an action from Jesus, and He turned from being welcomed, to being most un-welcomed.

I’m reminded of the Ruth story. The nearest kinsman was most welcoming when Boaz asked him if he would redeem the property of his dearly departed first cousin. He welcomed the idea, but when he realized that a foreigner had to be welcomed into his family also, he became most un-welcoming. He just could not welcome such a person into his life. Was not that the same as the crowd of witnesses? They did not welcome this unholy move of the Holy One. But the Holy One came precisely to make the un-holy one, holy. Jesus still offers sinners His righteousness, in new life, renewed life, which He still gives.

Gossiping Witnesses

He has gone. Note that this talking, this gossiping, is taking place after Jesus has walked away with Zacchaeus. Can you hear their loud, open remarks? Can you hear them as they see Jesus leaving them and going the road to Zacchaeus’ house? Listen to them again. He has gone. He is no longer with us and we came all this way to see Him. He has just gone off with that ‘sinner’, just like that! He has turned His back on us, non-sinners, so many of us, who are good and nice people, to go with a ‘sinner’, a chief tax collector at that. Can you not hear the voices of the SMUG?

There are still SMUG witnesses, who see Jesus, but cannot abide by His unconventional ways. These witnesses turn against Jesus and become very un-welcoming of His actions. They turn into ignorant gossipers, not knowing the way and work of Jesus. They become very smug, as they compare themselves with others. They are not the ‘sinners’ of their society. They are not the publicans, the tax-collectors, the thieves, the lazy, or the non-producers. No! This crowd are not ‘sinners’. They are SMUG with Jesus.

It is no different today, for Jesus is no different today. Many still crowd around in churches, meetings, youth groups, Sabbath school and Sunday school, rallies and many more Christian gatherings, to see Jesus. They witness Him all right, in His messengers and servants, whom they have gone to meet and see. They go carrying their SMUG–ness as their righteousness and are quickly turned off. Why? Just because this man/woman of God, turned from them, to the one ’sinner’, who is not even in their crowd. This sick, unhealthy gossiping occurs because the outside one, the excluded one is publicly included.