As April arrives, basketball fans across the country have their eyes fixed upward – watching shots arc toward the basket, players jumping for rebounds, and championship celebrations with confetti falling from arena ceilings. Is One Shining Moment your favorite part of the tournament?
This Final Four weekend, millions witness stories of persistence, unexpected heroes, and moments when everything changes in a split second. Think about how certain players catch our attention – maybe the underdog team that refused to be silenced despite overwhelming odds, or the overlooked recruit who climbed their way to the spotlight through sheer determination.
These moments of breaking through limitations reflect the heart of today’s scripture. As Jesus approaches Jericho on his final journey toward Jerusalem, he encounters two men that everyone else either silences or scorns. A blind beggar shouting from the roadside and a wealthy tax collector watching from a tree hardly seem central to Jesus’ important mission. Yet Jesus stops for both, demonstrating that God’s kingdom arrives precisely in these easily overlooked moments of human connection.
This passage stands at a pivotal point in Luke’s gospel. Jesus has clearly set his face toward Jerusalem and what awaits him there, yet he still makes time for individual encounters, showing us that no person is insignificant in God’s eyes. What might we discover if we learned to see as Jesus sees?
We’re journeying through Lent together, following Jesus on his path to Jerusalem. We’ve seen Jesus teach about neighbors without boundaries in the Good Samaritan story, where helping transcends social divisions. We’ve walked with him through valleys of opposition and witnessed his patience with us, like a gardener nurturing a struggling tree. A few weeks ago, we celebrated God’s relentless search for the lost through stories of a shepherd finding one sheep, a woman finding one coin, and a father welcoming his wayward son home.
Today, we meet two more people at life’s crossroads: Bartimaeus, a blind beggar desperately calling out from the roadside, and Zacchaeus, a wealthy tax collector watching from a tree. Though completely different in status, both need what only Jesus can offer. In each encounter, Jesus stops, sees the person others miss, and changes their lives forever. Their stories show us that no one is beyond the reach of God’s transforming love.
When Luke wrote his gospel around 80-85 AD, the Roman Empire dominated the Mediterranean world. Most Jews in Palestine lived under Roman rule, paying heavy taxes while trying to maintain their religious identity. Society was highly structured – religious leaders and wealthy tax collectors (who worked for Rome) held influence, while beggars survived on the margins, often blamed for their own misfortune.
In this world of stark social divisions, Luke captures two remarkable encounters as Jesus approaches Jericho on his final journey to Jerusalem. This section falls at a critical point in Luke’s narrative – Jesus has been teaching and healing throughout Galilee and is now purposefully heading toward Jerusalem where he’ll face his death.
Luke skillfully contrasts these encounters to reveal Jesus’ consistent compassion regardless of social status. First, blind Bartimaeus cries out persistently despite the crowd’s attempts to silence him. His request – “Lord, I want to see.” – becomes symbolic of spiritual sight. Jesus affirms that the man’s faith has saved him, connecting physical healing with spiritual transformation.
Then Luke introduces Zacchaeus, a wealthy tax collector who collaborates with Roman authorities. Despite his position, Zacchaeus climbs a tree which would have been an undignified action for a man of status. This reveals his desperate desire to see Jesus. When Jesus invites himself to Zacchaeus’ home it would have shocked the crowd. Zacchaeus responds with extraordinary generosity, promising to give half his possessions to the poor and repay anyone he’s cheated fourfold.
These stories connect to Isaiah’s prophecies about the blind seeing and Jesus’ earlier parables about seeking the lost. Both encounters demonstrate Jesus’ mission summarized in his words: “The Human One came to seek and save the lost.”
The central message resonates clearly: Jesus crosses every social boundary to transform lives. Whether it’s a desperate outcast shouting from the roadside or a wealthy insider watching from a tree, Jesus sees, stops, and offers salvation that changes everything. No one stands beyond the reach of God’s transforming love.
These ancient encounters still speak powerfully into our lives today. Like Bartimaeus and Zacchaeus, we all have moments when we desperately need to connect with Jesus, though our circumstances may look quite different.
Consider a student struggling with identity and direction. When classmates dismiss their questions or silence their voice, Jesus’ response to Bartimaeus offers hope. Just as Jesus stopped for one persistent voice in a noisy crowd, he notices those who feel invisible in school hallways and social circles. Your authentic cry for help isn’t annoying to Jesus – it captures his full attention. This week, try journaling your honest questions and needs, trusting that Jesus sees your heart even when others miss it.
For those navigating career pressures and workplace ethics, Zacchaeus’ story provides a compelling example. Perhaps your industry normalizes cutting corners or prioritizing profit over people. Like Zacchaeus, encountering Jesus might mean taking uncomfortable steps that set you apart – maybe examining business practices through a lens of compassion, advocating for fairer policies, or making financial decisions that benefit those with less power. When Jesus enters our professional lives, our relationship with money and success often changes dramatically.
You may know what it’s like to care for aging parents or struggling adult children. Like the crowds around Bartimaeus, you might feel pulled between competing needs, wondering if your voice is heard. Jesus’ deliberate pause to attend to one person reminds us that even in life’s busiest seasons, making space for individual needs isn’t wasted time. This week, consider setting aside dedicated time for one relationship that needs attention, providing the full presence that Jesus modeled.
Whether you’re sizing up a tree to climb or shouting from the roadside, Jesus sees you exactly where you are. You might try identifying the specific barriers between you and Jesus. Is it doubt, busyness, shame, or something else entirely? Take one concrete step toward Jesus – perhaps joining our prayer ministry, having an honest conversation with a trusted friend about your faith questions, or finding five minutes daily for reflection. Remember, Jesus specializes in meeting people exactly where they are and transforming both outsiders and insiders with the same generous love.
The good news is that God’s salvation doesn’t operate according to human systems of status or merit. Throughout Luke’s gospel, we’ve watched Jesus consistently overturn expectations about who belongs in God’s kingdom. In these encounters outside Jericho, this pattern reaches its climax as Jesus transforms both a marginalized beggar and a wealthy insider, showing that divine redemption reaches across every social divide.
This isn’t just about two individuals finding personal transformation. These stories reveal God’s character and illuminate the very heart of the gospel. From Genesis through the prophets and now in Jesus, we see God consistently seeking relationship with people who are lost, overlooked, or separated by their own choices. The Creator of the universe stops for one persistent cry and diverts to dine with one curious seeker.
When Jesus declares, “Today, salvation has come to this household…” he’s not just speaking about Zacchaeus’ personal redemption but announcing that God’s kingdom has arrived. This is what Jesus meant when he read from Isaiah’s scroll at the beginning of his ministry: “ The Spirit of the Lord is upon me… to preach good news to the poor, recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed,” In these encounters, we see that mission fulfilled.
The transformative power lies in Jesus’ ability to see beyond present reality to divine possibility. Where others saw only a nuisance or a corrupt official, Jesus recognized beloved children of Abraham waiting to be restored to community and purpose. This same redemptive vision continues today as Christ’s Spirit works through the church to recognize God’s image in every person and create communities where all belong.
God’s ultimate vision isn’t just individual salvation but the restoration of all creation to wholeness and harmony. In each person Jesus encounters, we glimpse this larger purpose – the healing of everything that separates us from God, each other, and our true selves.
Whether we find ourselves calling out like Bartimaeus or climbing trees like Zacchaeus, Jesus sees beyond our labels to who we truly are. Like players who break through the brackets against all expectations, Jesus transforms lives that others have counted out. He invites us to climb higher – beyond our comfortable assumptions, past our limited perspectives, into a fuller view of God’s kingdom where transformation awaits. The question isn’t whether Jesus notices us – he always does. The question is whether we’re ready to respond when he calls our name.
Will you pray with me?
God, open our eyes to see as Jesus sees. Help us notice those others overlook and respond with generous hearts. Empower us to climb higher, beyond limitations and assumptions, into the transforming presence of your love. Amen.
In crafting today’s sermon, I employed AI assistants like Claude and Apple Intelligence, yet the ultimate responsibility for its content rests with me. These tools offered valuable perspectives, but the most influential sermon preparation hinges on biblical study, theological insight, personal reflection, and divine guidance. I see AI as a supportive aid to enrich the sermon process while ensuring my own voice in proclaiming the Word of God.
Rev. Andrew Conard 