And the Walls Came A’ Tumbling Down

Place names almost always come with associations attached, for good or ill. Sometimes the setting is itself another main character in the story. Imagine Lawrence without Arabia, or Harry Potter without Hogwarts. Sodom is not the name of a place you want to be from, and when Micah says the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem, images of sheep and bread and David come unbidden. So it is with the passage we’re exploring this week as we continue in our study of Making Room: Recovering Christian Hospitality.I like to quiz people on where the story of Zacchaeus takes place. It’s a visually memorable narrative about a wee little tax collector who climbs a sycamore tree to see Jesus and ends up being seen by Him. I’ve already spoiled the surprise with my title, but the thing I’m most struck by in the story of Zacchaeus (this week anyway) is its setting. The City of Jericho ought to conjure for the diligent reader images of spies and prostitutes; of trumpets and of crumbling walls; of miraculous faith and unlikely salvation. Perhaps if you’re really geographically astute, you might remember that the road between Jerusalem and Jericho serves as the setting from earlier in Luke’s gospel where a certain man fell among thieves, was beaten and - if not for a compassionate (one might even call him good) Samaritan – left for dead.These two songs I learned as a child: “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho” and “Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man” - despite their links to my name and my stature, I had never made this deeper connection between them! But there is much more to the correlation than geography. Jesus must have sensed the pregnancy of this penultimate narrative as he walked into Jericho on his way to conquer death in Jerusalem. He’s not just the greater Joshua in a general sense: His name IS Yeshua! And I hate to break it to you, Mr. Gorbachev: that wall is coming down.Hope to see you this weekend for worship, and also a reminder: if you’re interested in becoming a member, our first Inquirers’ Class of the season meets this Sunday at 9:15 am in Jim’s study. I’d love to see you there!- Josh