Probably our biggest fear of exposure is that we will be rejected. If you are not a Christian yet, but have considered becoming one, it may be the biggest fear in your mind. "What are people going to think when they find out what I really am?"

Introduction

Biologist Beppino Giovanella’s desire to find a safe but effective dosage of an experimental cancer drug caused him to test it in a very nontraditional way. He swallowed the gelatin capsule containing 100 milligrams of the drug himself. Like a modern-day Dr. Jekyll, Giovanella, director of laboratories for the Stehlin Foundation in Houston, chose himself as a guinea pig. Partly as a result of his self-experiment, the drug is now in clinical trials. Science is rich with stories of self-experiments, but today an investigator like Giovanella, who has tested several drugs on himself without seeking the formal approval of his institution, is rare. As a result of this latest experiment, he temporarily lost his hair. But he did find that cancer drug doses effective in animals are too much for humans. "As a biologist, you become acutely aware that drugs at times act very differently from one species to another," Giovanella says. "That is why I always test new drugs on myself first. It wouldn’t be very nice to risk another person before I risk myself."

How many of us would be willing to take such risk to further the cause of our experiments for the good of medical science? To most of us it probably seems foolish.

I was challenged recently when I read of a couple in Georgia who host prisoners on work projects in their community. They live near a minimum-security prison and by a special arrangement with the warden, invite the inmates into their home for meals and Bible study. When asked about the obvious risk of inviting such people into their home, husband and father, Wally Mertz, a nuclear engineer, put it this way: "The gospel means risk. If we are not willing to put ourselves in a position of personal risk, then we're not laying down our lives and taking up our crosses daily. Unless we're willing to do that, we're not serious about the gospel." (1)

What do we think about a statement like that? I don't know about you, but it pulls me up short and makes me think.

How often do you and I take any risks for the sake of the gospel? Perhaps some of us hold the view that we should never take any risk in the spiritual realm that might end up costing us something.

Actually, when you look at it with this subject in mind, the Bible is full of the stories of risk-takers. The Old Testament is packed with examples of men and women who took calculated risks based on the promises of God. Esther risked a king's wrath; Daniel, risked a night at the Red Lion; His three friends risked a barbecue with themselves as the main course. David risked his neck when he rocked a giant to sleep. His "mighty men" risked their lives for a cup of cold water from the well at Bethlehem. In the New Testament Ananias took a tremendous risk with a former killer named Saul.

Do we in the 21^st century take any risks for Christ or do we rather pull back to the safe ground where we can feel secure?

A few years ago, Steve Camp had a popular song called RUN TO THE BATTLE. In it he sang these challenging words:

"Some people want to live within the sound of chapel bells, but I want to run a mission a yard from the gate of hell."

It makes a great song, but how many have the heart for it? How many of us ever take risks for the cause of Christ?

I want to call your attention to a risk taker mentioned in the gospels, though you might not have thought of him that way. The guy went out on a limb for Jesus – literally. An employee of the Roman IRS, he climbed a tree and put his whole career on the line. He was a short man, probably less than five feet tall, yet the risks he took made him stand head and shoulders above the level of the mediocre crowd around him. And his risk was rewarded.

(Read Luke 19:1-10)

That's the story. Now let's look at the risk. Notice first that: 

1. He Risked Ridicule.

According to Luke, this took place in Jericho, a town that was a desert oasis 800 feet below sea level with a tropical climate. In the time of Christ it was unbearably hot in summer, but was a tourist's Mecca during the colder months. Many of the wealthy spent their winters there. It was known widely for its mild climate, it's abundance of Date Palm trees, Balsam trees, and Sycamore trees. Because of this annual "snowbird" migration of the wealthy, there were great opportunities for tax collectors like Zaccheus. If you said to Zaccheus, "Show me the money," his answer would be, "No problem!" He must have relished the day he received his appointment by Rome to the city of Jericho.

Not only did Zaccheus collect taxes, Luke tells us that he was a chief tax collector. Assigned to the collecting of revenue for the whole region, and he had subcontractors working under him. Luke says he was rich.

Of course, tax collecting had its down side. Tax collectors were some of the most hated men in ancient society, especially among the Jews. The Jews hated the Romans about as much as the French hated the Nazis in WWII during the occupation. But there is more. The name Zaccheus is Jewish. Apparently this man was a Jewish brother working for the hated Roman government! The Jews let their distaste for paying taxes to Rome be known whenever it was possible.

Can you picture Zaccheus running around in the crowd trying to get a glimpse of Jesus as He passed by? It was his short stature that caused him to climb one of the Sycamore trees that day – but it was his courage and desperation that forced him out on the limb and into the ridicule of the crowd.

Understand what is happening here. Zaccheus, a man dressed in the finery of wealth, humbling himself to climb a tree. That would be like a wealthy businessman today, decked out in an expensive three piece suit, ordering his limo driver to pull up to the curb, getting out, and shinnying up a tree. Status conscious people don't do such things in public. Most, if they had the means, would send a servant and make an appointment. Why Zaccheus didn't try to do it that way, I don't know. What I do know is that in order to get near Jesus, he was willing to take a risk of ridicule.

In a lot of ways, in order to get near Jesus today we run the risk of ridicule.

Have you noticed that in the movies, Christians, and particularly preachers, are made to look like dumb hypocrites? Hollywood hates Christians. It's always the old "Reverend" or the "Padre" who is made to be the prudish, liquor swilling dingbat in the plot. He carries a Bible in one pocket and a fifth of Scotch in the other. I tire of it rather quickly, especially since none of the men of God that I know are like that.

It shouldn't surprise us. They cast Jesus in the same false characterization. They accused Him of being a drunkard and a winebibber. If you're going to do God's work effectively one of the risks is ridicule. The media often portrays as intolerant, racist bigots. Are we really that way? No, but more and more we are held in derision and I suspect it will get a lot worse before it gets better. As the risks of identity as a Christian increase, I wonder how many of us are going to keep up our witness and how many will find it easier just to fade into the crowd?

That's the way to avoid the hassle. It works every time if you have the stomach for tepid faith. Just do nothing and say nothing. Don't speak up when falsehood is ruling the conversation. Take the low road. Duck and blend. You'll find you have no risk at all.

That would have been the easy thing for Zaccheus to do that day so long ago. He even had a handy excuse: "Well, God made me short like this, and if I can't see over their heads, it's not my fault!" But he didn't do it that way. He went up and out on that risky limb to get closer to Jesus.

For so long it has been true among us that it was the risk takers who were considered the "super saints" and the mediocre among us who were just regular church members. I fear that soon, if things continue to go the way they have been, it is going to be the risk takers who are the only ones left. They'll be the church members. The mediocre will have gone back to the world.

If you had to risk life and limb to be present in this assembly today, would you be here? Looking again at the text, notice that:

2. He Risked Exposure.

As the crowd came by Zaccheus' Sycamore perch, suddenly Jesus stopped, looked up, and invited Himself to the tax-collector's house. Look at the results in verse 5: "And he hurried and came down, and received Him gladly."

You learn a lot about a person when you visit him in his home. There you'll see things that aren't normally visible when you meet him or her in public. In fact, some folks would rather not be visited in their homes for that very reason.

I can imagine some things that Zaccheus might not want Jesus to know about him that would be immediately visible upon entering his home. The most obvious would be his ill-gotten wealth. That would lead naturally to questions about how he obtained it. If you're a hated tax collector, that's not the most popular subject to take up with a Jewish rabbi. Had I been a chief tax collector living in that day, the very last person I'd want in my home would have been a rabbi.

But there was something missing in Zaccheus' life. Yes, he was wealthy. He had all he could want - probably two of everything. But there that gnawing emptiness that his possessions couldn't fill. He probably carried around a lot of guilt about what he had done to his Jewish brothers. Would he let Jesus come into the very center of his life where he really lived? Luke records the answer: "Gladly."

If you want to get close to Jesus today you must be willing to risk some exposure. In order to have a relationship with Him, you must be willing to open it all up to Him, holding and hiding nothing. In order to get close to Jesus, Zaccheus was exposed for what he was - a sinner. Look at verse 7:

"And when they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, 'He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.'"

Probably our biggest fear of exposure is that we will be rejected. If you are not a Christian yet, but have considered becoming one, it may be the biggest fear in your mind. "What are people going to think when they find out what I really am?"

If you're thinking like that, let me share some important truth with you: God is far more interested in what He can make you than what you have been.

When you come to Christ and confess that you are a sinner, He reaches out and takes that ugly title away and makes you one of His children - no matter what you have done - no matter how many times you've done it. Yes, there's a risk. But it is one you must take if you don't want to stay with the lost crowd. As one who has taken that risk, I can tell you emphatically, it is worth it!

Zaccheus risked ridicule and exposure. Thirdly:

3. He Risked Possessions.

Apparently there was some conversation that went on between Jesus and Zaccheus that Luke didn't record. But he did record the results of what transpired in Zaccheus' house that day in verse 8:

"And Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, 'Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.' "

Over the years I have noticed something about people who have a lot of money. They can be generous or they can be some of the stingiest tightwads around - perhaps even more so than people who have less. One reason for that is probably that many who are wealthy have gotten that way by living their lives for money. Thus, their security is in their money. The problem isn't the amount. The problem is the attitude. If your sense of security comes only from your money, then you are going to be slow at giving up any of that security. It is going to involve some risk as I'm sure it did with Zaccheus here.

I won't get into the comparisons between modern Americans and the rest of the world as to whom is rich and who isn't. As I have already said, the issue isn't the amount. The issue is where we place our confidence. It's where we get our security. If it comes from our possessions, then fear of losing the same can hamper the cause of Christ.

Over 40 years ago there was a man who lived with his wife and two children on a farm on the end of a gravel road just outside of the town of Sweet Home, Oregon. He worked in a plywood mill and attended church with his family at Holly Christian Church. An evangelist came to town in 1949 and challenged this young family man to go out on a limb for Jesus. "Men shouldn't just seek security when the world is lost and going to Hell," said the preacher. As a result of that series of meetings this young family man decided to dedicate his life to full time Christian service. Having only a 9th grade education to that point, the man answered God's call to use his talent to preach. He put the farm up for sale and announced his intentions to head for South Dakota to go to Bible college and prepare for ministry. Before he left one of his brothers approached him and told him that he thought he was crazy to do what he was planning. That old Chevy he drove could hardly be trusted to go out of town, much less halfway across the country. (Ultimately the old car would make a number of such trips. God is a pretty good mechanic when you put His will ahead of your own.) The young man had an older sister who was a schoolteacher. She promised to put up $50 a month to support the family while they were away from Oregon. Later this was raised to $100. Studies were heavy and life was hard in college. Half of the $100 went for rent and tithe, leaving $50 a month on which the family of four, soon to be 5 was to live. A pressure cooker served to soften up the tough and worn out old roosters that occasionally found their way to the family dinner table. Otherwise times were lean.

Being several years older when he finished school, this man who had gone out on a limb for Jesus took his first preaching assignment in Westington, South Dakota. They paid him $10 a week. As the years went by, his ministry would take him to Brandon, Iowa, Myrtle Creek and Dallas, Oregon, Spokane, Washington, and finally full circle back to his beloved home, Sweet Home. Today his hair is white, he sits in a wheelchair much of the time, and his dear wife has gone to be with the Lord. He gave the prime of his life to the service of His master and today there are names written in the Book of Life from several parts of the country as a result of his work. I have personally met up with some of his converts. I know his son who is also a preacher. Some of you do, too. Many of the converts are still faithful and they still speak of the beautiful feet of this man who went out on a limb to bring them the gospel. For the benefit of those of you who are new around here, I'm referring to our own Claude Wells, a man who gave his life to Christ and went out on a limb for Jesus.

So you see, you don't have to go to a Christian bookstore to read stories of dedicated saints of God. We have some right here in this congregation.

Is anybody still doing that sort of thing today? Is there no longer a need for such risk taking? My friends, the need today is greater than ever. I have had young men ask me, "How much can I make as a preacher?" When I tell them how it might be, especially in the early years, they often change the subject. Financial security is too dear for most of them to risk. But already there are more churches than there are preachers to go around. And the picture is getting worse, not better. Will enough men answer the call to turn the situation around? Frankly, I don't know.

Zaccheus put his money and his life on the line when he came to know Jesus. He went out on a limb. Some are doing it today, but far too few. Most opt for a life of personal peace and comfort - good job, good pay, nice house, nice car, and content to let someone else do it.

Conclusion

Are my words cutting too deep here? Do I have any right to call all of us to a life of risk? I don't know. What do you think?

The US Army says, "Be all you can be," and calls men and women to get out of the ordinary and excel.

The Marine Corps says that they're "looking for a few good men." What they want are those who will step beyond the mundane and the average and get out on a limb. If the Marines have the right to call people out of mediocrity, doesn't Christ?

The Air Force says, "Aim High, Air Force." If they can challenge people to strive to dedicated excellence for something that is going to burn, shouldn't we?

I racked my brain trying to remember the Navy's slogan. Finally, I asked a friend who said that maybe it's "Sink or Swim!"

I'm afraid the sad truth is that for many Christians, it is sink or swim, run-of-the-mill, average, undistinguished, commonplace, barely passable, so-so, and mediocre. Not many are willing to get out on a limb for Jesus.

I'll close with this thought: In the parable of the talents, one man was given 5 talents and, after investing, made 5 more. Another man was given 2 and made 2 more. Then one man was given one talent and he buried it in the ground because he was afraid to take the risk of investing it. He was unwilling to go out on a limb. And he lost it all when his master returned....

Right now, considering the talents God has given you, may I ask if you're risking anything for Him?

1. Decision Magazine, September 1990, p. 23.

 

Dave Redick is Minister of the Hwy 20 Church of Christ in Sweet Home, Oregon and Editor of The Preacher's Study. He may be reached at pstudysupport@comcast.net.

Copyright © 1996-2008 by The Preacher's Study. Permission is granted to subscribers to use this document in total or in sermon preparation in the context of the local congregation only. Publishing it in a book, on the Internet, or anyplace beyond the local congregation is prohibited.

All Scripture quotations and references are from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise stated.

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