Luke 19:1

The Bible says in Luke 19:1-3, “And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, who was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the crowd, because he was little of stature.” Jesus was getting closer to Jerusalem where He would die for the sins of the world. But before He went to Jerusalem, He still had a few things to do. There is a time to die, but before we die there is a time to accomplish something. Of the things that Jesus accomplished in His time on the earth, some of the most notable were simply the incidents in which He encountered certain individuals, and the individuals went away from the encounter a changed person, never to be the same again.

Zacchaeus was one of those people who was changed by Christ. We are told several things about Zacchaeus that help us to understand what he was all about. The first thing that we are told is that he was “chief among the publicans.” A publican was a tax collector for the Romans, and therefore a publican was looked down upon by other Jews and perhaps rightly so. A publican could become rich at the expense of his fellow countrymen, and especially if the publican was aggressive in the collection of taxes. If you have ever had the IRS go after you, then you know how much misery a tax collector can bring into your life. Evidently Zacchaeus was aggressive because he became the chief of the tax collectors and he became “rich.”

Why did Zacchaeus become so successful as a tax collector? Why did he become the chief of the publicans? Why did he become rich? Perhaps the answer is found in the fact that we are told that he was small of stature. It’s not the greatness of your physical stature that is most important, but sometimes it’s the greatness of your enthusiasm and energy that will make the difference. It says in the Proverbs, “Do you see a man diligent in his business? He shall not stand before average men. He shall stand before kings.”

In Luke chapter 18 Jesus said, “For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.” Jesus also said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” In spite of the fact that it can be very difficult for a rich man to turn away from his riches and trust in Christ, that’s exactly what happened in Luke chapter 19. The thing that led to the salvation of Zacchaeus is the fact that it is said of him in Luke 19:3, “And he sought to see Jesus.” Perhaps Zacchaeus sought to see Jesus because there was a longing in his heart and an emptiness that he realized his riches could never fulfill.

Zaccheaus was not a person who could be stopped just because of an obstacle being in his way. In his case, where there was a will there was a way. He knew what he wanted and he found a way to achieve it. The Bible says in Luke 19:4-6, “And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.”

Zacchaeus had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. There are several things about his meeting with Christ that are symbolic of what happens when a person becomes born again. It’s important to note that Jesus passed by Zacchaeus. In effect Jesus initiated the contact. No one can be saved unless God touches the heart. The work of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement. Once He has convicted someone’s heart, then that person is prepared to meet Jesus. Once Jesus passes your way, make sure that you do what Zacchaeus did. Make sure that you desire to meet Him.

Salvation comes from Jesus. You get saved when Jesus gives you a personal invitation and you respond to that invitation. Jesus gave an invitation to Zacchaeus. Jesus said, “Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.” Notice that in the invitation Jesus said, “Make haste.” An invitation to come to Christ for salvation is always for this one moment in time. There is never a promise for tomorrow. Procrastination in the matter of salvation may result in the loss of your soul. “Today is the day of salvation. Now is the accepted time.” The Lord might be giving you an invitation today, but you must remember that you have no promise of tomorrow.

The Bible says in Luke 19:7-10, “And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” In this incident there were people who criticized Jesus because of this new relationship with Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus’s sins and failures were known to all. This is a common thing that happens to someone who turns from his sins and turns to the Lord. The critical and condemning spirit of self-righteous human beings will always be there to try and put a stumbling block in your way.

Of course, such condemning people do not understand the heart of God, nor do they understand salvation. They were right to call Zacchaeus a sinner, but they failed to recognize that they also were sinners. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Fortunately for Zacchaeus he recognized his own sins and repented of them. We know that Zacchaeus repented because he said to Jesus, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.” Repentance involves more than asking for forgiveness. Repentance involves doing things differently than before and correcting where possible any wrongs that you committed. Zacchaeus was the chief of the tax collectors and evidently some of his wealth had come from the fact that he had falsely accused some people. He made restitution by paying people back four times what he had taken from anyone. Have you repented in a genuine manner? Jesus said, “Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish.”

There are a couple of interesting things to note about Zacchaeus repenting and finding mercy from Christ. Perhaps it is more than a coincidence that in Luke chapter eighteen Jesus spoke of a publican who prayed, ”God be merciful to me a sinner.” And then shortly thereafter, Jesus had this meeting with Zacchaeus. When we get to heaven we can ask the Lord if it was a coincidence or not. Also, it is interesting in Luke chapter eighteen that when Jesus met the rich ruler, Jesus told the ruler to sell all that he had and to give to the poor. Zacchaeus was also rich, but he did not give away all of his riches when he became a believer in Jesus. Zacchaeus only gave away half of his riches, which means that he was probably still rich afterwards. It’s not a sin to be rich. If you are rich, God may want you to give away all of your possessions; and then again He may not. One thing is for sure: He wants you to be generous instead of selfish. “God loves a cheerful giver.”

The last thing that Jesus said in this meeting with Zacchaeus was, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Jesus wanted to make it very clear what His purpose was in coming to this world. If you really want to understand something about the nature of God, then you must understand why Jesus came into the world. Jesus came into the world “to seek and to save that which was lost.” God loves the world and the souls that are in it. “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Jesus looked at people and He saw lost souls. Jesus said that there were two things that He would do for lost souls so that they would not stay lost. He said that He would “seek” them and “save” them. Jesus provided for us to be saved by dying for us on the cross, and He also seeks out every person to bring each of us to a saving relationship with Himself. Jesus purposely passed by Zacchaeus in order to give Zacchaeus a chance to be saved. Jesus does the same for every person. At some time in the life of every person, that person is visited by Christ to draw them to salvation. No one is brought to salvation by the arguments of man or the will of man. No one can be saved without the convincing and convicting power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus will visit every person sometime in their life to draw that person to a saving relationship to Himself. The only question is: how will each person respond to the invitation to believe in Him?

We know that when Jesus looked out at the masses of humanity He saw the great number of lost souls and He said about them, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Everyone in the world is either lost or saved. That’s the division of humanity that God recognizes. From a human standpoint there are many things in the world that causes human beings to be seen as composed of separate groups. Some people see racial divisions, or divisions because of nationality. Others see divisions based upon financial or educational levels. But God looks at the human race and He sees that some are saved and some are lost, and God’s purpose is to get those that are lost into the group of those that are saved. Perhaps the most important question about you is: are you saved? If you are not saved, then you are lost, but you do not have to stay lost because Jesus came into the world “to seek and to save that which is lost.”

The Bible says in Luke 19:11-27, “And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.”

These people made a mistake in their thoughts about Jesus Christ. “They thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.” They made the same general mistake that even Christians have commonly made: they thought that certain prophetic events about the Christ were going to happen sooner than turned out to be the case. Something is going to happen before Christ sets up the Kingdom of God on the earth. What’s going to happen is a delay between the time that Christ goes away and the time that He eventually returns. This parable that Christ taught explains what is happening in the age in which we live. In the parable Jesus is the nobleman. The far country to which He has gone away is heaven. We who believe in Him are the servants. Jesus has given us a charge: “Occupy til I come,” and He has given us talents to use for the advancement of the Kingdom. Some day Jesus will reveal the Kingdom, but right now it is a spiritual and an invisible Kingdom. In our age the Kingdom is advanced by the spread of the truth. In this parable Jesus makes it clear that His servants will one day give an account for the abilities, gifts, and opportunities that He has given to each one of us. Are you using the talents that God has given you for the spreading of the truth?

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