Christianity

Getting Off The Hamster Wheel — A Meditation On Zaccheus

A collaborative ecumenical effort by Members of the RJ committee of Moncton, by Rev. Lloyd Bruce, United Church of Canada, Rev. Dr. Tom Snowdon, Mennonite Central Committee, Judith Snowdon, Mennonite Central Committee, Rev. Terrance R. Trites, Presbyterian Church in Canada.

A THEOLOGICAL TEMPER TANTRUM.

Barbara Brown Taylor in her book, Speaking of Sin tells of a class mate, "a Lebanese Presbyterian, who threw a theological temper tantrum during his first semester in seminary." "All you Americans care about is justification!" he howled. "You love sinning and being forgiven, sinning and being forgiven, but no one seems to want off that hamster wheel. Have you ever heard of sanctification? Is anyone interested in learning to sin a little less?" Traditionally, the way off the hamster wheel has had at least four steps to it: confession, pardon, penance, and restoration to community. Restorative justice is a way off the hamster wheel.

In the journey down the pathway of restoration we will make friends with people we didn't know we had. We will create community from brokenness - and we will be Christian Community. And in the words of Elizabeth O'Connor, 'Here the broken are received and the sick healed. Here the Gospel is being preached and here, faulted as we are, with our own griefs upon us, we are bold to say the God calls us as his (sic) people and know that his (sic) name is God-with-them.'

A STORY ABOUT ZAKKAY — MIGHT THAT BE ZACCHAEUS? A VICTIM OF BULLYING?! AND TURNED BULLY, HIMSELF?

Siegfried Janzen, retired Mennonite pastor engages in an insightful midrash[1] that is helpful for our exploration of restorative justice pathways. Janzen uses the story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) [Midrash is a term that refers to a Jewish literary type, in which the author takes a Scripture and creates a type of homily (exposition) around that scripture. Sometimes Midrash is used with the legal portions of the Torah and sometimes it is used with the non-legal portions (stories/Aggadah) about the main protaganists in the Biblical record, like; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and other famous characters in the Hebrew Scriptures like king David etc. The basic meaning of Midrash comes from a Hebrew root which means 'to search out, to investigate'. Thus, this is a Jewish method of exegesis which sought to discover deeper meanings in the text beyond the literal one. Since the rabbis greatly venerated every letter of the Hebrew Scriptures as of Divine origin, every detail was seen to be significant.]

Janzen imagines Zaccheus growing "secure in his mother's unbounded love and firm discipline. And he began to imitate his father's role model with untainted innocence; and he joined the class taught by-the village Rabbi; and he played with the neighbour's children; and he picked wildflowers in the hills; and was punished when caught in mischief; and he learned to respect his elders. And then, suddenly, his body refused further growth. A year passed. Then two. And Zakky had not grown taller. Not even a centimeter. And the parents, in sorrow and anguish, finally accepted the terrible truth that their beloved son, Zakkay, was of abnormal stature. Why, God? Why?

Although 2000 years separate me from that family, I feel their sorrow deeply as I listen to their lament: Why is God punishing us so? What terrible sin have we performed? Where have we gone wrong? Can it be that Zakkay is to blame?

And what about the sensitive, young Zakkay? Well, he heard, and felt the barbs in joke and ridicule; it perplexed and depressed him. At first he tried to ignore the unfeeling stigmatization his stunted growth incited and fomented. But how could he prevail? He was but a boy, alone and insecure. So he withdrew into himself and nursed his hurts and pain in secret. The parents, concerned and also hurting, tried their best to bolster his morale; and encouraged him to prevail over his impediment and over the obstacles stacked against him. But he had also overheard talk (at night when he feigned sleep) about sin and sinning, and about God's grave methods of punishment. It was altogether too much.

Zakkay's young mind adapted to the damaging situation surrounding him and accepted what he could not change. Then the feelings of guilt and the loss of self-worth, which at first had beset him, gradually receded as he came to realize that his behaviour had never been any worse than that of his peers. Whether God had a hand in the abnormality of his stature, he did not know, nor comprehend, but felt obliged to accept. With increasing certitude, however, he felt the community's practice of shunning him was unfair and totally unjust - he was courteous and respectful, his demeanour was pleasant; and he gave the impression of being a responsible fellow - a person people could trust. But it was a masterful facade. Inwardly, he loathed the people who snubbed and shunned him - he nursed grudges; he craved for a position of power, which, he believed, he would eventually have. So he bided his time, unbelievably maladjusted.

At age 20, Zakkay celebrated his Bar Mitzvah. Only a few people attended-to observe "Shorty" performing such an important ritual, and to see him making merry. However, his parents and siblings supported him, and the feasting was limited to the family. And then, with his Bar Mitzvah behind him, he ceased attending the synagogue services altogether. It grieved his parents.

His longed for opportunity arrived when the Roman military government advertised the position of tax collector. His clandestine meeting with the Roman official was successful; he became a tax collector forthwith. His rise to power and wealth had begun.

During his teenage years, Zacchaeus had hungered for the living standard he had finally achieved, albeit by selling himself to the Romans and by extorting money from his own people. It had not brought him happiness, nor a feeling of fulfilment. He felt the sting of rejection more acutely than ever. There were times when he felt himself divested of every shred of decency; and uncompromising loneliness etched in his mind the futility of his erstwhile fantasies. His problems were great and numerous, and he longed for help and happiness.

There was a young man, Jesus of Nazareth, a Rabbi, whose reputation as a healer was well founded and known throughout the land. Claimed to be the Son of God, the long awaited Messiah; He called himself the Son of Man. He was a great teacher as well as a healer-a miracle worker, people said, and believed in Him. Since His ministry reached out to the ordinary populace, He traversed the country-from south to north, from east to west, including an occasional venture east of the Jordon. Consequently, Jericho was well known to Him. Though familiar with Jesus' reputation, Zacchaeus had never met that great healer.

Word was out now that Jesus and His disciples were approaching the Jordon crossing, having traveled the trans-Jordon road from the Galilee, and would be passing through Jericho en route to Jerusalem. The news was exciting, and people came to the roadway, awaiting His arrival. Zacchaeus, too, left his office, determined to see this young Rabbi, whose behavior was said to be totally atypical. For sure, a nonconformer. But he had a problem. A serious problem: he was short as well as a despised publican. No one, but no one would afford him space at the roadside. Of that he was certain. Since he had not time to think about preparations, he executed the one expedient option open to him-he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree. The tree resembled the English oak, having a short trunk, but many large leafy branches. And since they were such good shade trees, they were planted beside the roadways for the benefit of weary travellers.

Securely perched in his vantage point, Zacchaeus was in for a surprise he could hardly have hoped for. It happened suddenly and without warning. As Jesus came abreast of the tree, He stopped, looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." Of course the little man in the tree was caught by the surprise of his life; it's a wonder he didn't fall. But he climbed down and escorted Jesus to his home where, as custom demanded, he prepared a feast for his honoured guest.

Since it happened so quickly and without forewarning, the crowd, too, was caught by surprise. But that quickly changed to alarm and indignation.

What fertile ground for bad-mouthing. It passed through the crowd in a trice; and the discontent grew into a steady, disgruntled rumble. The crowd also grew-and waited. In defence of that kind of an attitude, it should be pointed out that there were victims in the crowd who had suffered severely at the hands of the greedy extortionist, Zacchaeus. As commissioner of taxes, he had to make sure that the Roman military government received its fair share of the revenue gathered in his district.

And the Romans liked that, and didn't blink an eye when he gouged the people. Since he had power, and was protected by law, he got away with it. His victims, though aware of his criminal behaviour, were unable to rectify the situation. They were angry with the system, with the Romans, and especially with the Jews who had become traitorous.

We can only guess what took place in the home of Zacchaeus with Jesus, as self-invited guest, in it. Whether Jesus asked an incisive question, or made a trenchant comment, revealing the exact nature of his host's inner turmoil, is a matter of conjecture and only of secondary importance. Of foremost importance is the fact that the question, or comment, convinced Zacchaeus that Jesus was a man of compassion and trustworthiness. And as he began to unburden himself, he realized that for the first time in his life he faced a person who not only was compassionate and understanding, but was also adept at calling a miscreant to account, without injuring his self esteem. Zacchaeus, commissioner of taxes, felt warmly drawn to Jesus.

Pent up feelings and bottled emotions poured from his soul in a torrent of words, laying bare in turn: tear, mixed with bitterness of a punishing God; stifling aches of rejection; suffocating entrapment of loneliness; thirst for power, revenge, and wealth; and, of late, the anguish of an awakening and accusing conscience. And Jesus? He listened. Finally and totally spent, Zacchaeus wrenched from his soul groans of remorse and guilt.

Then there was silence. And Jesus waited. And then Zacchaeus, without being prompted, uttered the word, restitution. Yes, of course! Of course he must bring restitution to his many victims. Again, Jesus listened. And shared in the sorrow of wasted years; and encouraged Zacchaeus to "make things right". And Zacchaeus, bolstered by the empowerment Jesus supplied, felt ready to meet his victims waiting outside.

All discontented rumblings ceased as soon as Zacchaeus and Jesus stepped through the door, and an anxious hush settled upon the impatiently waiting crowd. Zacchaeus did not hesitate; he stepped forward, walking nine feet tall. Addressing the crowd and Jesus, he said, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four time the amount."

Almost immediately, cacophonous voices rose from the crowd: "Man, did you hear that?" "Oh yes, I heard. But I don't believe it." " Tell you what, I'll believe him when I have the money in hand he swindled me out of." "Exactly how I feel." "I say, we've got to hold him to it." "Come on, you guys, give the man a chance." "Quiet! Keep your voices down. Jesus has raised His hand. He's going to say something."

When all was quiet, Jesus spoke, saying: "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

For some His words had a startling effect; it was not what they wanted to hear. His verdict did not match their brand of justice; it left them extremely disappointed. ("Lock him up and throwaway the key.") On the other hand, His statement had a strong impact on others-after hearing Him speak and thinking on His words. Obviously, they reasoned, Jesus believed in Zacchaeus. Saying, he was a son of Abraham, like they were, made that very clear. Further, His statement connoted that Zacchaeus was not a despised publican or sinner; he was an equal. Slowly, perhaps, they began to understand that Jesus expected them to accept Zacchaeus. Now that he had accepted accountability for his past crimes, and had already begun dealing with them - it was time to allow him a full place in the community.

A difficult task? Perhaps, but most rewarding. A community heals best when all-victims, offenders, and support groups heal together. Here the curtain falls on St. Luke's story.

HOW DO WE BECOME COMMUNITY?

As evidenced by the midrash on the story of Zaccheaus, we as a faith community struggle to bring to life the vision of community which we find expressed in our theologies and traditions.

For the Christian community, being community, being in healthy relationship is our primary goal - healthy relationship with God, self and neighbour. Community is to communion as wholeness in relationships is to the healing of brokenness. Like the crowd in the story above, we as Christians stand outside the door of "community", unsure what it is to be a reconciling, restoring, whole community. Sometimes we are gracefilled, some times we are graceless. The struggle of what it is to be the community we vision, is rooted in the tension between what we value as community and the brokenness of who we are as humans. In our brokenness we encounter barriers such as prejudice, pride, pettiness and power imbalance, and our own sense of shame about our brokenness.

VALUING COMMUNITY

We, the Christian faith community value "community" in three significant ways:

1. We are called to be together. Jesus, whom we name and seek to follow called together a 'community of disciples', which reaches down through time to include us through the work of the Holy Spirit.
2. Our vision is for justice to roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream. Amos 5:24. The reality is found in people gathered around a table - sharing a meal, experience hospitality and be family. Jesus calls his disciples to gather around a table for a meal, a time of hospitality and family.
3. Our mission is the work, the words we do together to invite people to take their place within community (be together), which involves taking steps to remove the barriers to full participation, and so making the table accessible to people.

The Christian community must always be about wrestling with God's Word as we address the barriers to full participation in community. One could argue that the whole of the sacred scriptures speak to this vision of community and how we share life together. The author of John's gospel told the story of the women "caught" in adultery for a purpose - to remind us that even in our sin we are welcomed. The author of Luke's gospel told the story of Zaccheaus for a purpose - about the community of Jewish Christians for the Community of Jewish Christians. "Today salvation has come to this house for he too is a son of Abraham." To be a son or daughter of Abraham is to be a part of the community. Jesus reminds the community of this - and he reminds Zaccheaus.

PATHWAYS:

Implicit in this vision of community, as evidenced by the actions of Jesus in his encounter with Zaccheaus and the woman caught in adultery, are pathways that must be followed:

1. The pathway of communication: listening and speaking and being wholly present to the other.
2. The pathway of accountability: in honesty, speaking, sharing, naming and calling to account those responsible for acts which fracture the community.
3. The pathway of reintegration or welcome: compassionately allowing for second (third and fourth) chances and providing support and encouragement along the way.
4. The pathway of forgiveness. Having listened, held each other accountable, welcomed each other within community we now walk the path of forgiveness open to the next person we meet along the way.

Or as Brown Taylor says, confession, pardon, penance, and restoration to community. None of these are easy pathways to walk for they involve vulnerability, confrontation and confession, and the need to be attentive to existing power imbalances.

WHAT MIGHT THESE RESTORATIVE PATHWAYS OFFER TO STRENGTHEN LIFE IN COMMUNITY?

If we walk these pathways:

1. Communication which involves conversation/confrontation (listening) - we will experience a deeper understanding of circumstances, motivation and impact
2. Accountability through confession - through a process of self-examination (self examination upon coming to the table) - our brokenness opens up so that we come to the experience of accountability (see Grace)
3. Mutuality: shared power, time, resources.
4. Grace - the promise that as I engage in self disclosure, and am held accountable by those in my community, I will not be destroyed, I will be safe, I will begin healing, I will give and receive forgiveness.
5. Forgiveness - as we understand our common humanity, that we all experience brokenness, we can turn to each other with hearts and minds open to experiencing restoration by giving and accepting forgiveness.

AN EXAMPLE

A small business owner-operator and a man who attempted to commit fraud against the owner-operator sat together to discuss the matter. The owner-operator identified that at the time of the fraud, his wife was hospitalized, and dying. As he talked, sharing the impact of the brokenness on him, the man who sat across the table was emotionally affected to the point of tears. During the conversation and confrontation, a fire alarm sounded, and the two exited the building (9 flights of stairs) together, talking further. To one who watched them exit the building, they appeared to be neighbours, maybe even good neighbours if not friends. Satisfied that justice flowed? You bet. To see these two men talk was to see pardon, penance and restoration to community.

RESTORATIVE JUSTICE AS A NEW PARADIGM FOR DOING JUSTICE THAT CONTRIBUTES TO WELL-BEING

It's human, it's healing. Jesus says "I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly." What is this abundant life but the experience of a reality that there can be a coming together in the brokenness as we find ourselves walking with others on these pathways. Or, as has been said, "finding friends we never knew had."

We can get off the hamster wheel to experience community in the midst of the brokenness.