And the Walls Came A-Tumblin’ Down – November 2, 2025
Joshua 6:1-5, 15-16, 20, Luke 19:1-10
November 2, 2025
So! How many of you did not think of the song when you saw the sermon title? “Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho, Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, and the walls came a-tumblin’ down.” I looked it up this week and “fit,” was the old form of the word “fought” in the old spirituals. So now you’ll know what you’re singing as that song runs around in your head this week!
Well, Jericho was a city famous for the walls a-tumblin’ down! We didn’t read the whole story this morning. It’s a bit long. And also, there’s a good deal of “smiting” going on in there, and I didn’t want that to distract our thinking today.
But I like this story as a prelude to our story from Luke, because they both center around the city of Jericho. In the days of Joshua, God brought the walls of that city a-tumblin’ down in a single moment! But then years later, in that same city of Jericho, walls came a-tumblin’ down again, in the heart of this man named Zacchaeus.
His walls were the walls of slavery to wealth, that imprisoned his heart; the walls of his indifference to other people that shut out their needs; and perhaps worse, the wall of isolation from his community, that no amount of wealth could ever fix. And when Jesus came along, those walls tumbled down, seemingly in a single moment.
So, I want us to think about old Zacchaeus today. And I could also ask how many of you thought of his song today! If you did, maybe you remember what I’ve said before about Zacchaeus. He may not have been a “wee little man” after all. Remember, when Luke tells us that he climbed the sycamore tree to see Jesus, because “He was short of stature,” the “he” in that sentence could easily have referred to Jesus. That would have been grammatically correct, as well. But of course, that runs counter to our usual picture of Jesus, being a tall, blonde, blue-eyed European looking man, rather than the dark-skinned, Middle Eastern looking man he probably was – and maybe not tall at all!
As I think about this story, I have to wonder what the crowd was thinking. Here’s this man climbing up in a tree – something we’d expect young boys to do. (Maybe girls, too. Did you ladies climb trees when you were young?) Would that have seemed a “less than dignified” thing to do? Or were there other people up in trees that day? Remember, Jesus was drawing ever larger crowds in those days, and it was hard to get near him. I’ve talked before about “Jesus the rock star” getting “mobbed” by the crowds.
Whatever the case – however you picture this – Jesus spots Zacchaeus up in this tree. And he addresses him directly. “Zacchaeus, come down. I’m staying at your house today.” And again, what did the crowd think about that? Luke tells us that they murmured, “He’s gone to be the guest of a sinner!”
Zacchaeus was a sinner! He was a tax collector. And he was rich. And if you remember, so was Matthew. I wonder what he thought about this! My understanding about tax collectors is that the Romans chose them from among the Israelites. Then they gave them the authority – and the power of Rome – to collect the taxes from their own people. And as long as they collected what Rome required, they could collect whatever they wanted above that. And the people couldn’t do anything about it.
So, tax collectors were seen as traitors! They were hated by the people! I always love the way they’re referenced in the Bible. In describing sinners, it was often “sinners and tax collectors!” It was as though they had their own category of sinfulness!
So the people that day saw Jesus – their “rock star” – reaching out to this hated man. And he announced that he was staying with him! And notice, this was not just “dining with him.” That was bad enough. And Jesus was often criticized for doing that – dining with sinners – and tax collectors! Do you remember when he went to dine with Matthew early on – along with all his tax collector friends? That too had to have angered the people – not just the religious leaders who spoke up about it!
So that’s this scene. And the more I think about it, the more I think this story is the perfect picture of Grace. Remember, Grace is defined as “the unmerited favor of God.” It’s something we cannot earn, and we don’t deserve! But God gives it to us, anyway! And, as I like to say, “Our good works are response to Grace, not a means of obtaining it.”
So it was with Zacchaeus. His generosity was not a way to earn Jesus’ favor. It was his response to it. Grace had already come into his house before he ever pledged to give anything away.
Jesus honored him in that. He said, “Today, salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.” But I believe that described the whole situation. It was not “cause and effect” on Zacchaeus’ part. It wasn’t “Zacchaeus gave, therefore he was saved.” It was “Zacchaeus was saved, therefore he gave.” He gave because his heart had already been changed – changed by Grace!
But, that part of the story – his generosity – was still vitally important. Because his generosity, and his atonement, furthered the kingdom of God that day. And not just financially, in giving back to the people – but spiritually. His repentance mended broken relationships! His generosity was the visible evidence that something had happened inside of him – something that only the Grace of God can accomplish.
That’s why I chose this as the first story in this time of Stewardship emphasis. Because our stewardship, our participation in God’s work, is the outward sign of that inward Grace. It’s how we honor the God who saved us, and who gave us a community of believers to share that Grace. That was his idea! He gave us spiritual communities as places where we build one another up in faith. Remember, it’s easier to be the people of God when we’re with the people of God! And that’s what God wants for us!
So, when we give, that’s part of our participation in the spiritual community. Like Zacchaeus, our generosity furthers the kingdom of God. And when we give, we’re not trying to “buy our way into heaven.” Some people in churches have thought that over the years. But that’s not it. When we give, we are responding to Grace. We give because we’ve been given so much. And we do so as a community of believers. And in that giving, in sharing this life together, God’s kingdom among us grows stronger. And, any walls between us come a-tumblin’ down.
The walls came a-tumblin’ down for Zacchaeus that day! His promises to repay and restore were not bargaining chips. They were the first signs of a new life. What he said he was going to do – in response to Jesus – was his way of atoning with God, and with the people! It was his way of re-joining the community, of reconnecting with those people who were shocked when Jesus reached out to him.
For Zacchaeus, the walls of slavery to wealth were gone. The walls of his indifference to the needs of others were gone, and the walls of his isolation from the community had crumbled to the ground! He gave back. And he gave from his heart!
Jesus did that. Grace did that. And Grace still does!
Prayer
Eternal God, your Grace is amazing, and your love for us is beyond our comprehension. So fill us with the joy of our salvation, that it overflows in Grace and generosity to others. Help us to build your kingdom among us as, we seek to know more of what it means to be your people. For we pray in our savior’s name, Amen.