Hollywood is not usually known as a culture of grace. It’s more like a dog-eat-dog kind of atmosphere. Personal value is attached to box-office sales and the unpredictable swings in fashion. SO … it was extremely shocking, then, when ONE WAY LOVE and its fruit made a surprise appearance on the big stage in 2011… The occasion was Robert Downey Jr. receiving the American Cinematheque Award—a prize given to those deemed an extraordinary artist in the entertainment industry, “making a significant contribution to the art of the Moving Picture”. A big deal, in other words. In receiving this award, Downey was allowed to choose who would present him with the award … and he made a bold decision. He selected his one-time costar Mel Gibson to do the honors.
Now, I need to pause and give you some background here. To say that Gibson’s reputation had taken some hits at this point would be an understatement…
- An arrest for drunk driving in 2006, during which the actor-director spewed racist and anti-Semitic remarks…
- Followed by public infidelity and a high-profile divorce in 2009…
- And then all of this culminated in 2010 when tapes of a drunk Gibson be-rating his then girlfriend in the foulest manner were released online…
Reprehensible doesn’t even begin to describe it! Downey’s award ceremony took place a little over a year after this final Gibson incident, the one that rightly fixed Gibson’s place as ‘pariah numero uno’ in Tinseltown…
Of course, Downey was no stranger to being detested. In the 1990s, he became something of a punch line himself as someone notoriously unable to kick an addiction to drugs and alcohol. Arrest after arrest, relapse after relapse, people both in Hollywood and elsewhere began to think of Downey as more of a junkie than an actor. Professionally, he became a liability—to the point where, if he was part of a cast, no insurance company would underwrite the film! Now, Downey eventually got sober, and his career slowly got back on track. And in 2008, he was cast as Iron Man, and the rest—as they say—is history. Today, folks, he’s one of the most beloved and highest grossing actors in the biz (check out ‘The Judge’ if you haven’t yet). So, this award ceremony in 2011 came along at the height of Downey’s career … and the lowest point of Gibson’s…
But, this was Downey’s moment of glory… Instead of using his acceptance speech to make an ‘aw-shucks’ speech to the crowd, thanking his colleagues, his parents, his family and maybe a little bit of God stuck in there for good measure, Downey did something unprecedented. And I’m going to let him speak for himself:
Actually, I asked Mel to present this award to me for a reason, because when I couldn’t get sober, he told me not to give up hope, and he urged me to find my faith—didn’t have to be his or anyone else’s as long as it was rooted in forgiveness. And I couldn’t get hired, so he cast me in the lead of a movie that was actually developed for him. And he kept a roof over my head, and he kept food on the table. And most importantly, he said that if I accepted responsibility for my wrongdoings, and if I embraced that part of my soul that was ugly—“hugging the cactus” he calls it—he said that if I “hugged the cactus” long enough, I’d become a man of some humility and that my life would take on new meaning. And I did, and it worked. All he asked in return was that someday I help the next guy in some small way. It’s reasonable to assume that at the time he didn’t imagine the next guy would be him. Or that someday was tonight.
So anyway, on this special occasion … I humbly ask that you join me—unless you are completely without sin (in which case you picked the wrong … industry)—in forgiving my friend his trespasses, offering him the same clean slate you have me, and allowing him to continue his great and ongoing contribution to our collective art without shame. He’s hugged the cactus long enough. [And then they hug.]
This amazing speech not only testifies to the amazing power of one-way love; it is itself a beautiful example of the fruit … of one-way love. At his lowest point, Downey was shown mercy by Mel Gibson. He didn’t deserve it—his track record was terrible—but Gibson, for whatever reason, took a risk at great cost to himself. He personally paid the massive insurance premium for Downey on 2003’s The Singing Detective so his friend could get back on his feet. And, folks, you don’t forget something like that… And neither should we ever forget the One-Way Love that’s come our way either, for that matter!
Downey’s response was one of gratitude and generosity. It goes far beyond any sense of owing, especially considering the moment & venue. Even to associate with Mel Gibson at this time, much less campaign for him, meant putting Downey’s own reputation on the line—sacrificial at the very least. There was no possible gain for Downey in doing this, folks. His response—his defense of the indefensible—was the uncoerced act of a heart that had itself been touched by one-way love. And his incredible generosity on this occasion was nothing short of the fruit of grace. Grace accomplished what no amount of court-ordered, legal remedies ever could; it created a heart that desired to show mercy to the ‘least of these’ as scripture says. GRACE ALONE is what produces the conditions that prompt change. And it is a pure gift, folks…
As we continue our study of GRACE, let’s take a look at what this pure gift looks like through a New Testament story that all of you know—a story of a ‘wee little man’. And here we’ll get a picture of how GRACE really works in our lives. First comes…
THE INVITATION OF ONE-WAY LOVE. If you grew up in Sunday school like I did, you’re probably very familiar with the Wee Little Man named Zacchaeus. The name might conjure up picture Bibles or coloring books or slightly irritating sing-along songs. But nothing, folks, can stand in the way of one of the most jaw-dropping examples of one-way love in the entire Bible! And, even more than that, this all-too-familiar story is a study in the fruit of God’s grace, so let me set it up…
To put this ancient story into today’s language, let me describe Zacchaeus in this way: Zacchaeus was essentially the Bernie Madoff of Jericho. As you may recall, in March of 2009, Bernie Madoff pled guilty to 11 federal felonies and admitted to having turned his wealth-management business into a gigantic Ponzi scheme that robbed investors of billions of dollars (nearly $65 billion to be exact). And he was then sentenced to 150 years in prison—the maximum allowed. Thousands of people were swindled out of their life savings and retirement funds. And to say that Madoff remains one of the most hated men in America might be an understatement…
So it was with Zacchaeus. As chief tax collector, the Jewish population would have despised him … because he collected taxes for their occupier—Rome. His very profession would have been one that was both traitorous and sinful. Yet, as a Jew, he would have also been shunned by his imperial employers. And the other tax collectors probably hated him, as the chief tax collector, because he would have found ways to rob them too. Add to this mix an inevitable ‘Napoleon complex’, and you have a picture of a loathsome loan shark who used his authority solely for personal gain. People hated him! Like Madoff, his reputation would’ve been well-founded, which makes Jesus’ actions here even more surprising. Listen (Luke 19:1-6, NLT)…
Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” 6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy.
Did you notice that Jesus singled out Zacchaeus, despite the fact that Zacchaeus hadn’t said or done anything (other than climbing a tree) to warrant/attract his attention? Zacchaeus simply did what he’d do for any passing sideshow; he climbed a tree so he could get a glimpse of what was going on. And I want you to notice here … there was no hint of repentance, or prayers, or tears of sorrow, or words for that matter. And Jesus didn’t say ‘I want to stay at your house; would you invite me over?’ He said, ‘I must stay at your house’—less a request than an imperative…
Imagine a well-known spiritual leader like Billy Graham … visits the city where Madoff is incarcerated and, to the astonishment of everyone around, marches right past everyone in town—past city hall, the courthouse, all the churches, the newspaper office and all the mildly curious folks, directly to the prison. He then informs the warden that he must have lunch with Bernie! It’s his #1 priority! He’s not there to chastise Madoff or pick his brain. He’s simply there to have lunch and spend time with the guy who no one else wants to get near…
How do you think honest people would respond? If it were us, we’d be just a bit put out—insulted—wouldn’t we? Let’s talk about this. Next comes…
THE RESPONSE TO ONE-WAY LOVE. With Zacchaeus’ response … we can safely assume that he’d be taken aback just a bit—that Jesus would even want to spend time with him. You can almost hear his response, can’t you? … ‘You want to come to my house? You want to associate with me? Are you sure you’ve got the right guy?’ But what really happened, even if he was thinking some of these things, was this: Zacchaeus responded with (v. 6),
“Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy.”
Folks, the exuberance of his response suggests that no one had to tell Zacchaeus he was lost; he seemed well aware of his station … and then what happens next is a bit shocking (v.8)!
“Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!’”
He responded to Jesus with nothing but great enthusiasm and joy—the fruit of God’s grace in this instance being spontaneous, almost absurd generosity! Jesus’ one-way love has a tendency to invert the way we normally think about these things. So, Zacchaeus’ joyful generosity was not the preface to God’s grace—it was the result…
The truth is Jesus didn’t require anything of Zacchaeus. He didn’t force or coerce or guilt Zacchaeus into giving back what he stole; he just loved him. And Zacchaeus responded … in a way that was far more extravagant than anything Jesus probably would have suggested. He just loved him … and Zacchaeus responded. But I think obedience would be too weak of a word to describe Zacchaeus’ actions, don’t you? It’s actually more than any LAW would have demanded—giving back 4X as much. Folks, here Zacchaeus does more than the right thing … and he does it spontaneously, cheerfully, and abundantly!
This, folks, was the response of a grateful heart. A grateful heart is a generous heart. And a generous heart is a liberated heart. It’s no coincidence that the very thing to which Zacchaeus was most enslaved—money—is that which he was most inspired to give away … after he’d encountered Jesus’ one-way love. So, that’s one response. The other is this: With the crowd’s response … we see something totally different (v. 7):
“But the people were displeased. ‘He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,’ they grumbled.”
Jesus was experiencing what we might call … guilt by association; the hatred and suspicion that’d been focused on Zacchaeus because of who he was …was now being focused on Jesus!
It’s easy for us to look at this episode from our present-day comfortable seat and look down on this crowd (including the Pharisees) for their self-righteous attitude, limited vision and uncharitable spirit. Like Robert Downey Jr.’s speech, this story should violate our deepest beliefs about fairness and justice and reciprocity. So, what would we have done … if we were there? Make no mistake: if we had been part of the mob that day, we would’ve reacted the same way they did … if we’re honest about it…
Folks, Jesus was consciously ignoring the accepted pecking order of the day. The only ones not threatened by such a move would’ve been those who didn’t really understand what Jesus was doing! The crowd, like us, would’ve assumed that God cares about the clean and competent. But, is that right? Fortunately, Jesus made it very clear on this day what his mission was. The story ends with him saying (vv. 9-10), “Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” I’m not sure how he could make it any plainer!
Jesus was not belittling things like greed, and its fallout, and that it’s not a big deal! After all, he shed tears over our sin; he gave his very life for our sin. But here Jesus is simply identifying with a sinner and loving those who least deserve it. Zacchaeus was just such a man … and so are we! On that statement, let me move to the last point:
OUR RESPONSE TO GOD’S GRACE TELLS OUR STORY! One surefire way to know you’re starting to grasp this message of grace is when you’re finally able to admit that you’re not the good guy/gal in the story—that you never were and apart from grace never will be! Folks, the freedom of the Gospel—once we open ourselves up to receiving it—is the freedom to stop pretending we’re anything but Zacchaeuses—sinners in need of a Savior! That’s what the Apostle Paul was speaking of when he wrote to the young pastor Timothy (1 Tim. 1:15, NIV):
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.”
It’s what Robert Downey Jr. was alluding to when he talked about ‘hugging the cactus’. And, this may be the bottom line today: Compassion for others—the desire to serve and sacrifice—flows out of an honest recognition of who we are and of God’s love for us in spite of that. Some want to know what’ll turn a church around–it’s the very recognition in people’s lives of who they are in God’s eyes … and God’s grace in spite of that! That reality will transform lives … and then transform the church…
This entire message today could probably be summed up this way: GRACE inspires what LAW demands! While the LAW directs, only GRACE ALONE can deliver! Gratitude, generosity, honesty, compassion, acts of mercy and self-sacrifice—these things all spring automatically from a forgiven heart—a heart that knows it’s been forgiven!
The grace Jesus showed Zacchaeus on that day was only a glimpse of what awaited him at the cross—the cross where Jesus’ mission to seek and save the lost was finally accomplished. At that moment, Jesus not only associated with tax collectors and prostitutes and lepers and movie stars and addicts and preachers and mischievous teenagers … but he bore their sins on his shoulders! He bore our sin … to the very last drop! It was the apex of one-way love. And it cannot be undone. Those who are lost are found. And where there was once guilt by association, now there is only glory by association! So … that cactus you’ve been cozy with? You can now hug it all you want—the needles have finally fallen off…