Jesus in the midst of Gossip, Rumors, and Slander
Luke 19:1-10
Today we get a close look at the story of Zaccheus, but before we read the passage together, I want to remind you of the encounter Jesus just had previously with blind Bartimaeus. (Luke 18:35-43) After Bartimaeus regained his sight, verse 43 says “and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.” The people saw something (Jesus healing the blind man) and it had a very positive effect on them- they glorified God! Now skip down to verse 7 of chapter 19, where we have a similar phrase with yet a different result. The verse says “When they saw it, they all began to grumble…” The people saw something (Jesus going to the home of Zaccheus) and it had a very negative effect on them- they grumbled- slandering Jesus and Zaccheus: “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
I’m sure each of us have experienced both kinds of “when they saw it” moments. Or maybe it’s more common to have “when they heard it” moments. Sometimes people respond positively to what they perceive or hear happening, and if they are believers- they rejoice, praise, and glorify God. But perhaps often the case is that people are quick to respond negatively to what they perceive or hear happening- even believers. Whether good news or bad news, often the knee-jerk reaction is negative. If it’s good news about someone else, often others react negatively through jealousy, or bitterness. When we hear of good news for someone else, it’s easy to think “it’s unfair, why do they get that good thing?”- as we saw last week through the parable of the workers who worked 1 hour who received a full day’s wage. And if we see or hear of something bad happening, or perceive someone doing something bad- it’s easy to quickly judge that person, get angry with them, or slander their character.
If you’ve been on the receiving end of that judgement, anger, or slander (whether innocently or non-innocently)- you know how hurtful it can be. Often people are quick to grumble, without even knowing the full story- without seeing the big picture. This is what happened to Zaccheus and Jesus. Let’s read together the narrative, Luke 19:1-7.
Let’s stop at verse 7 for a moment. Why were the people grumbling over Jesus being the guest of a “sinner”? Was it that they thought wicked Zaccheus didn’t deserve to entertain the Lord’s presence? Or did they feel Jesus was less good because He had chosen to hang out with a well-known “bad guy”? Jesus had just recently stated how hard it was for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. After the rich young man turned away from Him, Jesus stated “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, 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.” (Matt. 19:23-24) Based on that statement alone, surely Jesus wouldn’t be pursuing Zaccheus for spiritual reasons? After all, he was a rich man- an “impossible candidate” for the Kingdom of God, according to Jesus’ recent statement about the rich. Maybe they thought Jesus was a phony, and was seeking financial prosperity through extorting Zaccheus? I can imagine all kinds of grumblings and rumors being birthed through Jesus calling out “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” Those words alone were slightly peculiar in nature as well. Nowhere else do we have record of Jesus inviting himself over to one’s house with such force. “I must stay at your house.” This is also the only record we have of Jesus visiting Jericho. He had told the parable of the “Good Samaritan” traveling down to Jericho from Jerusalem- but nowhere else do we have mentioned Jesus visiting this city. Yes, slightly abnormal circumstances do seem to serve as great breeding grounds for all types of gossip and rumors.
Zaccheus was a Jewish man- his name in Hebrew means “clean and pure,” but he had chosen a profession that betrayed his Jewish name. There are some professions that carry with them a bit of condemnation to the men they employ. Sincerity, integrity, and honesty are probably not descriptions of someone working as an international spy. Kind, loving, and forgiving are probably not words often used to describe a litigation attorney. In like manner, there weren’t many good words for a Jew who had condescended to be an instrument of the oppressive Roman Government. For the Jewish people of this time, the man who collected taxes on behalf of the Romans was probably the most despised and distrusted employee that existed in any industry then. They would be considered a traitor, and the animosity surely grew as these “traitors” would often demand even more than what was required from Rome- in order to benefit themselves financially.
This story contains great elements for piecing together some juicy rumors, especially for those who were looking for ways to tarnish Jesus’ reputation. But while the grumbling was taking place, while the spin doctors were doing their work and the rumors were forming- look at what is really taking place, verses 8-10.
Now’s it unclear if the declaration from Zaccheus in verse 8 occurred as he was getting down from the tree, or on the way to his house, or during the meal inside the closed doors of his house. But even this declaration itself, no matter when it took place, could have led to more gossip, slander, and rumors. “Wow- what a show. What a liar. Even if he’s serious, who are the poor people that are going to get that “half of possessions”? Oh, he’s probably rigged who he going to give money to. Maybe it’s really a scam to cover up something he did- that’s it- it’s hush money and he’s trying to spin it as him being gracious.”
But look at the truth of the situation Jesus declares in verse 9: “Today salvation has come to this house.” Wow. It would have been so easy to assume some other scenario based on perceptions, talk in the street, and the unusual circumstances. But what was really happening was a conversation displaying a true heart and mind change, that would alter the trajectory of this man Zaccheus’ life forever. The Kingdom of God was expanding. Zaccheus was already a Jew, a descendant of Abraham, but because of Jesus’ scandalous rumor enticing actions, this Jewish man was receiving forgiveness and becoming a true son of Abraham- a spiritual member of God’s family.
Jesus states matter-of-factly- “Today salvation has come to this house.” Zaccheus doesn’t ask anything of Jesus, Jesus actually asks something of him- demanding that He stay at his house. And on Zaccheus’ own accord, he publicly deals with the elephant in the room- his less than respectable career. He openly repents as a man who had made financial gain his number one goal in life. He makes a statement demonstrating that money no longer has a hold on his life. And additionally, he states that in any case where he has done wrong to someone else, not only will he make it right, but he’ll make it right four times over.
Exodus 22:1 states “If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.” But Zaccheus hadn’t stolen oxen or sheep. Numbers 5:6-7 states “When a man or woman commits any of the sins of mankind, acting unfaithfully against the Lord, and that person is guilty, then he shall confess his sins which he has committed, and he shall make restitution in full for his wrong and add to it one-fifth of it, and give it to him whom he has wronged.” Zaccheus probably could have claimed this Old Testament Law, and announced “If I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give it back plus one-fifth.” But he’s probably not aiming to fulfil minimum law requirements, he’s rather been radically convicted and changed; and has realized the death hold money, guilt, and shame has had in His life. And now he wants to get as far away from that as possible. He fully surrenders to Jesus, and receives salvation.
Just recently, a rich young man had come to Jesus seeking salvation, seeking the minimum requirements for access to His eternal Kingdom. And that rich young man turned away upon realizing he couldn’t let go of the one thing keeping him from following Jesus and entering into that Kingdom. (Matt. 19:16-26) It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 19:23)
But here we have the rich man Zaccheus, not asking for the minimum requirements to make things right, not asking for the minimum requirements to receive forgiveness, not asking for the minimum requirements for entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. No, he’s one who has found a buried treasure, and is willing to sell it all in order to purchase the ground containing the treasure. (Matt. 13:44) Complete surrender. Can the same be said of you and I? Have we fallen in love with Jesus so much that we go above and beyond any duty or requirement to display that we are true, authentic citizens of God’s Kingdom? In contrasting Zaccheus and the rich young man’s stories, it would appear better to have the mindset of what can I give to Jesus rather than what do I have to give to Jesus. There’s a difference. And perhaps determining which mindset you identify with, that would then be a pretty good indicator of to what degree Jesus really has laid ahold of your heart.
I want you to look at another comparison. Notice that in the previous “when people saw it” moment, after Jesus healed Bartimaeus- we don’t know for certain that salvation came to his household that day. Perhaps we could build a case that by his faith he was healed physically and spiritually- but the reality is, we don’t know for certain. Not everyone who was healed ended up following Jesus. We have cases where Jesus healed someone physically and it’s left open ended as to if they became believers and followers of Jesus or not. Other cases it is spelled out that they received spiritual healing and chose to receive His forgiveness as well, and then chose to follow Jesus from that day forward. Perhaps Bartimaeus, based on his answer to Jesus back in verse 41, perhaps all he really did want from Jesus was to regain his sight, and nothing more. (Luke 18:41) If this was the case, then this passage is really displaying a tragedy. If all Bartimaeus wanted and received that day was new sight, then the point is emphasized even further that we need to be cautious in our own “when we see it” moments. We might be rejoicing and celebrating, not knowing the whole story- assuming something is good- when maybe it isn’t fully, truly good. In contrast, like what happened among the people around Jesus and Zaccheus, we could be grumbling and slandering people when the reality is that we don’t know the whole story and something really good is actually happening.
God’s church, His people, have been drastically wounded by gossip, rumors, slander, and conflict. His Kingdom has suffered damage because the body of believers often turns in on itself, devouring one another- creating distrust, dysfunction, and disunity. We forget the wisdom of Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” It doesn’t say look out for the interest of others only when they are right, or only when they agree with you. No, look out for the interests of others- period. The backstory behind these verses is that Paul was writing to the church of Philippi, a small-town congregation in Greece. That body of believers was dealing with a conflict between 2 women, and that conflict was splitting the church. Throughout his letter, Paul was encouraging reconciliation, unity, humility, peace, and it was in this environment that he penned the words “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”
So how can we as believers stop further damage to His kingdom, how can we properly handle our “when we see it/heard it” moments, before they turn into opportunities for gossip, rumors, slander, and even conflict? I found an article online that listed 4 simple rules that might help us in this area, and I have adapted a portion of it in order to present to you. https://pcg.church/articles/514/stop-rumors-accusation-and-gossip
The article advices: First, before you repeat anything, ask yourself: Do I have all the facts? Often when we hear something about someone, we do not have all the facts. Before repeating any news or information about someone, be sure you have all the facts. Most information passed along a grapevine has either been embellished or has important points left out.
Second, before you repeat anything you hear, ask: Can I tell this thing in the presence of the person involved? Usually, it is embarrassing to repeat juicy half-truths or harsh judgments about an individual to his or her face. We should hide people’s faults, not expose them. Proverbs 17:9 says “He who conceals a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends.”
Next, after getting all the facts and being able to repeat the information to the person’s face, ask: Will it do any good, will it help, will it be beneficial? Most information passed along a grapevine does more harm than good. God expects us to use our tongues to edify and uplift individuals (1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Encourage one another and build up one another…”). Strive to always focus on people’s strengths rather than their weaknesses (Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”) Again, that verse was specifically written to the church in Philippi wrestling with conflict amongst believers.
And finally, stop gossip by not giving an ear to the gossiper. Listening to it makes us equally as guilty as the one talking. If someone calls us with a rumor, an accusation or a slander, the easiest way to stop it is to inform the person talking that you refuse to listen. This will stop gossip dead in its tracks.
It’s possible, you can tell someone “I don’t need to hear that right now,” or “that’s not for me to know.” We can be protective of each other and stand up for on another, offering a good truth concerning the person being gossiped about. We need to strive to think the best of others and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit as we perceive, see, hear, and speak. This is a huge issue, that weighs heavy on the heart of the Lord. Listen to what Proverbs 6:16-19 says: “There are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.” This Proverb uses a Hebraic poetic literary devise to draw attention to the seventh, last item by saying “There are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven…” This phrasing was a clever Jewish way of drawing particular emphasis to the seventh item- “one who spreads strife among brothers.” The Lord hates that! Far be it from us to participate in something the Lord hates and calls an abomination.
Look also at what David says in Psalm 15:1-3 “O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? 2 He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart. 3 He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend.” David, a man after God’s own heart, basically says “Lord, I know the kind of person that you want to fellowship with. I know the characteristics one has and doesn’t have who is able to be in Your presence. Lord, You hang out with those having integrity, righteousness, and truth, who don’t slander, who don’t do evil against neighbors, who don’t take up reproach (who don’t take up discrediting or spreading evil words) about a neighbor. The opposite truth is implied: God doesn’t want to hang out with someone without integrity, who is unrighteous, dishonest, who slanders, does evil against neighbors or spreads evil words about their neighbor- or brother, sister, friend, fellow human.
I’m asking that we as believers take very seriously this thing the Lord hates. May all of our “when we see it/hear it” moments be filtered through the Holy Spirit. May we seek to build up the body of Christ- in humility regarding one another as more important- looking out for the interests of others.