ZACCHAEUS
By Dr. David Jeremiah
Luke 19:1-10
In this lesson we meet a seeking sinner who found a seeking Savior.
Sometimes serious sinners become serious saints. Perhaps they get mired in sin because of the intensity of their search for meaning. Or perhaps it's their personality to do everything to the "best" of their ability. Whatever their reason, they begin their new life in Jesus in high gear.
I am constantly amazed at Jesus' willingness to spend time with individuals. He was never too busy to stop and give attention to an individual who had a need. Whether at a wedding, a funeral, a meal in someone's home, or just talking with acquaintances, Jesus seemed to be most comfortable in life's simplest settings. And that is where we find Him in Luke 19:1-10, turning His attention to a man named Zacchaeus.
Zacchaeus was a man who thought he was seeking Jesus, only to discover that Jesus was seeking him as well. Like the young man we met in the last lesson, Zacchaeus was a rich man also. But unlike the young man who let his wealth come between God and himself, Zacchaeus considered his relationship with Jesus of far greater value than his earthly riches. And he gained eternal life as a result.
When Jesus encountered Zacchaeus, He was in Jericho, nearing the end of His public ministry. In fact, the conversation He had with Zacchaeus was the last recorded conversation of His that we have until His brief exchange with the thief on the cross. It is a simple story, seemingly simple and without great meaning through the first nine verses. But when we get to the last verse, verse 10, we find that verse beginning with a "result" word� "For." There we find the purpose of the story. It is a simple story that conveys a profound message, which we will discover at the end of this lesson.
THE SINNER (19:1-2)
The reason we begin with identifying Zacchaeus as a sinner is not because he was unique in that regard�we are all sinners. Rather, it is to identify him as the Jews saw him. Though a Jew, he was a chief tax collector for the Roman government and had grown very wealthy off of extracting as much money as he could from Jewish citizens in his area. The Romans would designate an individual to represent them in a given area and charge that person with the responsibility for collecting taxes. His profit came from keeping everything he could collect beyond what he owed the Romans. All manner of tactics were used to extort money from citizens, and tax collectors became hated imiividuals. Zacchaeus himself gave evidence of having cheated people in his role as a tax collector (verse 8). Not only in God's eyes, but in the eyes of his fellow Jews, Zacchaeus was a sinner.
A Sinner Morally
He was a sinner morally because of all the things he did that were wrong. He routinely lived his life on the basis of greed, lies, abuse of the poor, and complete self-interest. His actions were immoral, yet he had no desire to change.
A Sinner Intellectually
He was a sinner intellectually because the Scripture says he dial not know who Jesus was. He had not taken time to know the Scriptures and recognize that Jesus was the Messiah of Israel.
A Sinner Socially
He was an outcast from everybody in his community. He treated people as sources of money for his personal gain rather than as friends. But in spite of his history as a sinner in Jericho, when Jesus passed through his town, Zacchaeus became a seeker.
THE SEEKER (19:3-4)
The description of Zacchaeus in verses three and four do not seem to fit the man we have just described as a first-class sinner. He was so intent on getting a view of Jesus in the crowds that he ran ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree to get a better view. Yet Zacchaeus' actions are not inconsistent with other people who met Jesus, and with our own testimony as well: Deep in our heart, there is a longing in every person to know God the Creator and Father. This is the urge to which Zacchaeus responded the day Jesus passed through Jericho.
He Responded to Jesus' Interest
We have to give Zacchaeus credit for not being passive; he acted on the desire that welled up in his heart. I want to suggest that his interest in Jesus was more than just curiosity, that it was a serious spiritual interest. The reason I believe that is because Jesus Himself never responded to those who were merely curious. But Jesus always responded to those who were genuinely seeking spiritual truth.
Zacchaeus didn't know much about Jesus, the text says, but he was driven to know more. It's hard to say how this interest developed in his heart. Perhaps someone from whom he was extorting money told him, "You need to meet Jesus!" Or perhaps he had been hearing about the miracles Jesus had done. Regardless of how it grew in him, there is no question that Zacchaeus was intent on discovering who Jesus was. Therefore, when Jesus showed an interest in him, Zacchaeus responded enthusiastically and genuinely.
He Refused to Be Crowded Out
Being "of short stature," the crowd made it impossible for Zacchaeus to see. So he displayed the same creativity and drive that made him a successful tax collector and figured out a way to solve the problem. He was determined to find out who Jesus was. Undoubtedly, this is part of what caught Jesus' attention about this chief tax collector. He went into the research mode and laid a plan to accomplish his goal.
He Researched the Way of Jesus
He found out what route Jesus was taking through the city of Jericho, and then planned to be where Jesus was going to he.
He Ran Ahead to the Best Place
He went to the place where he knew Jesus was going to pass by. His actions continued to indicate the interest and desire that he had. He was seeking answers and so he did everything he could to get in a position where he could see this One about whom he had heard.
He Raised His Stature by Climbing a Tree
I love this part of Zacchaeus' story! The sycamore tree of Jesus' day was like a date tree, with low branches that could be climbed easily. So Zacchaeus climbed the sycamore tree, getting himself in just the right spot, almost as if he were a modern-day photographer, so he could get a good view of the Lord Jesus.
Though he was the chief tax collector, and probably the richest man in Jericho, he had an interest in seeing Jesus, and he followed through on that desire. Zacchaeus is transitioning as the story unfolds�from sinner, to seeker, to one who meets the Savior.
THE SAVIOR (19:5-6)
There are really two seekers in this story. Zacchaeus was seeking Jesus and Jesus was seeking Zacchaeus. When a seeking sinner meets a seeking Savior, glorious results are sure to be forthcoming.
The Seeking Savior
When Jesus came to the spot where Zacchaeus was perched in the tree, He called to him and told him to come down so that He could visit in his house. Note that it was Jesus who initiated the contact, ignored the prejudice, and invited Himself to Zacchaeus' house.
1. He initiated contact
Can you imagine being Zacchaeus that day? What a complete surprise it must have been to have Jesus stop in the midst of the crowds, turn and look up in the tree, and call him by name. It's a wonder he didn't fall out of the tree in shock! How did Jesus' know his name? Perhaps He had heard about the richest man in town being the chief tax collector. But how did Jesus know that was the man in the tree? We don't know. But we do know, as we have seen in previous lessons, that Jesus knows the hearts of men. Which means that Jesus surely knew his heart as well. There is no question that He initiated contact with Zacchaeus out of a heart of love for him. He knew this wealthy tax collector was an unhappy man, needing and wanting a better way of life.
2. He ignored the prejudice
Here was the Savior in the center of Jericho interacting with the most hated man in town. But the Lord didn't care about the prejudice of the day because He cared so much about the people of His day. The church needs to learn and practice that principle today�to look beyond what people think and reach out to the hurting and wounded in our society who will not be healed unless they see Jesus' love demonstrated through His church. Each one is a person for whom Christ died.
3. He invited himself to Zacchaeus' house
It's interesting to note and remember that the reason Jesus didn't invite Zacchaeus to His house is because He didn't have a house (Matthew 8:20). Therefore, Jesus invited Himself to Zacchaeus' house. We consider that bad manners today, but in Jesus' case it was the only way He was going to get to spend time with Zacchaeus.
Was Zacchaeus offended at Jesus' self-invitation? Not in the least�it was exactly what he wanted. He "made haste and came down" and took Jesus "joyfully" to his house. Perhaps Zacchaeus sensed that this was his moment, his opportunity, to find what he was looking for. Jesus might never pass that way again. The seeking sinner knew the Savior was seeking him, and he responded accordingly.
The Seeking Sinner
I find it interesting that we have a model, or a metaphor, in Zacchaeus' meeting with Jesus. They met at a tree. And ever since, seeking sinners have met the seeking Savior at a tree called the tree of Calvary�the cross of Jesus Christ. There is no other place where sinners and Savior can meet and discover the provision that God has made for eternal life. Jesus is still passing through the cities of our world today. When He passes through the city where you are, you must be ready to meet Him at the tree. Not a sycamore tree, but the tree of Calvary.
Well, when the seeking sinner took the seeking Savior home, you can imagine the buzz that created in Jericho. In no time, the word had probably spread throughout the city that Jesus was visiting in the home of the most hated man in Jericho. It's no surprise that there were plenty of skeptics around.
THE SKEPTICS (19:7)
The pious Jews in Jericho were aghast at Jesus' behavior. Here was a rabbi eating supper in the home of the biggest sinner in town! Is it possible that some in our churches today would have been equally horrified at Jesus socializing with the biggest sinner in their city? On more than one occasion in Scripture we are told how offended the Jewish leaders were whenever they saw Jesus associating with tax-collectors. He had even recruited a taxcollector, Matthew, to be one of His disciples.
Jesus' example is one that the church today desperately needs to follow. We often wonder why we don't see more people coming to Christ in our churches, and one of the prime reasons is that most Christians do not have any non-Christian friends. That was definitely not true of Jesus. He continually was building relationships with those whom He came to save. How else were they to hear the good news of the kingdom? It's a natural thing for Christians to gravitate to those who share their faith, and that means we have to make an effort to continue building bridges to those who do not know Jesus. We are often uncomfortable and nervous in social settings with non-believers, especially in our home or theirs. It just goes to show how far removed we are from the kind of natural interchange that Jesus had with all kinds of people. I can just picture Jesus and Zacchaeus going off down the road together, oblivious to what the skeptics were thinking or saying. We need that same sort of "oblivion" in our lives today.
THE SAVED MAN (19:8-9)
Unlike the rich voung ruler who went away sad, Zacchaeus is going to be filled with joy because of what has happened in his life. He meets the Savior and is soundly converted as evidence by the immediate changes in his life.
Zacchaeus' Confession (19:8)
Zacchaeus confesses his willingness to do two things in repentance for how he lived prior to meeting Jesus: He will give half his possessions to the poor and will pay back four times the amount of anything he has cheated anyone out of. He is convicted immediately of his past sins as a result of being in the presence of Jesus. The Old Testament requirement in paying back something that was stolen was fourfold. If a thief stole something he had to pay back four times the value of the stolen goods. So apparently Zacchaeus reached the conclusion that he had been stealing from the people of Jericho in collecting taxes from them.
Have you considered the implications of this? Zacchaeus would have to go to some, maybe most, of the people in Jericho and give back (out of the half of his wealth he had left after giving half to the poor) four times what he had taken illegally. This was a serious commitment, that gives evidence of the depth of Zacchaeus' repentance. This was no easy-believism which is so rampant in our day. Zacchaeus was taking his newfound faith seriously. A person genuinely converted will repent of their sins.
Zacchaeus' Conversion (19:9)
There are two things to learn about conversion from Zacchaeus:
1. His conversion is present tense
Jesus said, "Today . . ." salvation had come to Zacchaeus' house. The moment you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and confess your sin and ask for forgiveness, at that very moment you become a child of God.
2. His conversion was personal
As Paul explains in Romans and Galatians, the true children of Abraham are not those with a Jewish pedigree, but those who have inherited Abraham's faith in God and God's salvation. Zacchaeus was a Jew, but he was also a true child of Abraham�one who had accepted the Jewish Messiah, Jesus.
THE PRINCIPLE BEHIND THE STORY (19:10)
The key to the story is found in the last verse: "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Why did Jesus spend time with the most hated man in Jericho? Because he was lost and needed to be found. When Jesus finds a person who knows he is lost, He turns aside and spends time with that person. If you know you need to be found by Jesus, accept His invitation to spend time and eternity together. Or if you know someone who needs to be found by Jesus, be a good friend and introduce them to the seeking Savior. Today, salvation can come to their house.
Did you know...?
There is a touch of irony in the story of Zacchaeus. His name is the Greek form of a Hebrew name, Zaccai, the name of a man mentioned twice in the Old Testament (Ezra 2:9 and Nehemiah 7:14). We know nothing about the man named Zaccai in the Old Testament, but the Hebrew root of this name means "bright, clean, or pure." If Zacchaeus' parents were alive when he began his tax-collecting profession, they must have lamented the day they named him "bright, clean, or pure." Perhaps they, like many parents, clung to the hope of Proverbs 22:6! How they must have celebrated (on earth or in heaven) when Zacchaeus finally fulfilled the meaning of his name and became a "bright, clean, and pure'' tax-collector instead of a dishonest one. Zacchaeus' name ultimately came to honor him rather than to mock him.
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