Jesus cleansed the temple because it had become a place of business rather than prayer. He was zealous for God's house and rebuked the money changers and animal sellers who had turned it into a marketplace. This showed his reverence for the temple as a sacred place of worship. It also served as a reminder that all people and places dedicated to God must be kept pure and focused on prayer, not worldly concerns.

1. JESUS WAS CHOOSING ZACCHEUS FOR SALVATION
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Luke 19:5 5
WhenJesus reached the spot, he lookedup
and saidto him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately.
I must stay at your house today."
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
Zacchaeus;The Triumph Of Earnestness
Luke 19:1-9
W. ClarksonThe incident here recordedprovides a very goodopportunity for
the imagination. We can picture the scene before us quite vividly; it is a
subject for the sacredartist. But let us look at the triumph of earnestnessas
illustrated in the story of Zacchaeus.
I. It triumphed overTHE PERILWHICH ATTENDS WEALTH. This man
was rich (ver. 2). Riches are unfavourable to religious earnestness;we have
Christ's own word for it (Luke 18:24;see homily). They presenta very strong
inducement to their owner to forsake the fountain of living waters, and to
quench his thirst in the lower streams. Fartoo often they lead to luxury, to
indulgence, to spiritual indifference. But Zacchaeus did not suffer this
calamity to befall him, this fatal injury to be wrought upon him. His spiritual
solicitudes won the victory over his temporal circumstances.
II. It triumphed over THE DEMORALIZING CALLING IN WHICH HE
WAS ENGAGED. Our daily vocationmust necessarilyhave a very great
influence over us for goodor evil; and if it be one that tends to lowerand
degrade a man, he is placed in the greatestpossible peril. Much wisdom of
mind, much resoluteness ofsoul, and much devoutness of spirit must be
required to withstand the adverse powers. But though Zacchaeus was engaged
in a pursuit that invited avarice and oppression, still he did not lose his
religious earnestness.

2. III. It triumphed over AN EVIL REPUTATION. Few things are more
degrading than a bad name. Men quickly become what they are supposedto
be and what they are called. Let all his neighbours considerand call a man a
rogue, and it will be strange indeed if he maintains his integrity. Yet, although
Zacchaeus was denominatedand dismissedas "a publican," spokenof by a
term which was full of the strongestreproach, he did not descendto that level.
IV. It triumphed over THE OBSTACLES WHICH STOOD BETWEENHIM
AND CHRIST. He could not venture to solicitan interview with this holy
Prophet; that he knew was completelybarred by his vocation. He found it
difficult to secure even a view of him as he passedalong;his smallness of
stature was againsthim. But such was his determination that he disregarded
all considerations ofdignity and decorum, and ran any risk of popular
derision and affront, and climbed up, as if he had been a boy, into a tree to
command a view of Jesus ofNazareth. So he prevailed.
V. IT WON WHOLLY UNEXPECTED GOOD.
1. The honour of entertaining this great Prophet at his own house; thus
securing a standing to which he had long been a stranger.
2. The advantage of a protracted interview, an extended privilege, in which he
could not only secure a few sentences fromthe greatTeacher, but could
unburden his heart to him and learn his holy will.
VI. IT LED TO NEWNESS OF LIFE. (Vers. 8, 9.) Zacchaeus from that day
forth was a new man. His characterwas thenceforthdetermined: whatever
selfishness orwrongness there had been, it should be renounced, and, where
possible, reparationshould be made. Characterand life were to be cleansed
and renewed;and Christ took him up into his favour and friendship. He was
to be perfectly restoredto the position he had lost. By his pursuit and practice
he had become an alien, disinherited, no longer admitted to the services ofthe
sanctuary. But now he was to be, in the fullest and deepestsense ofthe word,
"a son of Abraham," a far truer son of his than many who prided themselves
on their descentfrom the "father of the faithful." Thus earnestness ofspirit
completely prevailed.
1. Only earnestnesswillprevail. Indifference will go down to the death from
which it is alreadynot far removed. Halfheartedness will go only a very little
way towards the goal;it will have to take some trouble and to suffer some
pains, but it will not win the prize. Even impulsiveness, ]PGBR> whichbears
a considerable resemblance to earnestness, but is not the same thing, will fail
before the way is trodden and the end secured. Only earnestnesswins.

3. 2. It always must. Whatever comes in the way; whateverinward or outward
obstacles presentthemselves;whateverpersonalor socialhindrances
intervene; howevervictory be delayed; notwithstanding that the case may
againand againseemhopeless; - still in the end earnestnesswill succeed. Jesus
Christ will manifest himself; he will be found in the home; his presence and
his grace willfill the soul with joy; he will declare sonship and heirship to his
devoted and determined follower. - C.
Biblical Illustrator
My house is the house of prayer.
Luke 19:45, 46
The purified temple
A. Watson, D. D.Regarding the Church as an institution, with its possessions,
its laws, its days of worship, its rulers, its teachers, its outward services, we
may find for ourselves a lessonin this incident. And that lessonis, that the
spiritual characterof the Church is everything, and that its first objectis to
deepen in men's hearts the sense of the Divine and the spiritual. When that
greatend is lost sight of, the Church has parted with her strongestclaims
upon the world, and it has forfeited also its privilege as a witness for God on
the earth. The spiritual influence is the first and chief purpose of the Church
of Christ. The lessonof this narrative comes home to us in these days, when so
much time and thought are given to the outer framework of Church forms
and usages;and that lessonmay be needed to correctour spirit of bustling
and restless energyin what is at the best only the machinery of spiritual life,
and not spiritual life itself. There is no class ofmen who are more in dangerof
losing the true meaning of religion than those who are employed in its service.
If I were to seek for casesin which spiritual truth had been travestiedand
turned to not only secularbut profane purposes, I do not know that I could
find them more readily than in men to whom all sacredwords and acts have
grown so familiar that they have ceasedto express spiritual facts at all. Those

4. who are always engagedin religious works are apt to lose the sense oftheir
sacredness. No man more needs to be on his guard againstan unspiritual life
than the man who is perpetually employed in spiritual offices. He brings
within the courts of God's house what ought to be left without; he forgets his
high spiritual functions in the bustle and care which attend them; and it is
really no absolute guarantee of a religious and spiritual life that a man's
professionis the teaching of religion. Christ's words and acts read us all a
lesson, then; they tell us that in the most sacredoccupations oflife there may
be found cares and anxieties which are less religious, and which are apt to
swallow up too much of a man's time and thoughts. There is another temple of
a different kind, of which a word may be said. The whole Christian body is, in
the words of the New Testament, a temple of God. There is a sacrednessin
that temple, the spiritual community of Christians, if we would only think of
it, much greaterthan in the Temple of Jerusalem, orin any building devoted
to holy uses. And just as the whole Christian community is a temple sacredto
God, so eachindividual heart is in itself a temple where God MostHigh is
honoured and worshipped.
(A. Watson, D. D.)
Lessons from Christ's cleansing of the temple
James Foote, M. A.1. Abuses are apt to creep into the Church. Let us be on
our guard againsttheir first introduction.
2. The Church is much indebted, under God, to those who have had the
courage to stand forward as realreformers. Hezekiah;Josiah;the English
reformers. They are indeed the benefactors ofthe Church who successfully
exert themselves to correctdoctrinal and practicalerrors, and to promote the
scriptural administration of ordinances, discipline, and government. Thus, the
progress ofcorruption is arrested, the beauty of Christianity is restored, and
the glory of God, and the religious, and even civil, interests of men are
promoted.
3. It is the duty of us all, according to our severalplaces andstations, to do
what we canto reform whateverabuses may exist in the Church in our own
times.
4. Let this purification of the temple leadus to seek the purification of our
own hearts.
5. In all we attempt for the benefit of others, or of ourselves, let us imitate the
zeal which our Masterdisplayed on this occasion. To be useful to man, or
acceptable to God, we must be deeply in earnest — we must have the Spirit of

5. Christ in this respect. Neither fear, nor shame, nor sinful inclination should
restrain us in such cases.
(James Foote, M. A.)
Christ's indignation arousedby irreverence
Canon Liddon.In contemplating this action we are at first sight startled by its
peremptoriness. "Is this," we sayto ourselves — "is this He who is calledthe
Lamb of God? He of whom prophecy said that He should neither strive nor
cry; He who said of Himself, "Come to Me; I am meek and lowly of heart"? Is
there not some incongruity betweenthat meek and gentle characterand those
vehement acts and words. No, my brethren, there is no incongruity. As the
angerwhich is divorced from meekness is but unsanctified passion, so the
false meekness whichcannever kindle at the sight of wrong into indignation,
is closelyallied, depend upon it, to moral collapse. One of the worstthings that
the inspired Psalmistcanfind it in his heart to sayof a man is, "Neitherdoth
he abhor anything that is evil." BishopButler has shownthat anger, being a
part of our natural constitution is intended by our Makerto be excited, to be
exercisedupon certain legitimate objects;and the reasonwhy anger is as a
matter of fact generallysinful is, because it is generally wielded, not by our
sense ofabsolute right and truth, but by our self-love, and, therefore, on
wrong and needless occasions. OurLord's swift indignation was just as much
a part of His perfectsanctity as was His silent meekness in the hour of His
passion. We may dare to say it, that He could not, being Himself, have been
silent m that temple court, for that which met His eye was an offence first
againstthe eighth commandment of the Decalogue. The money brokers were
habitually fraudulent. But then this does not explain His treatment of the
sellers of the doves, which shows that He saw in the whole transactionan
offence againstthe first and secondcommandments. All irreverence is really,
when we getto the bottom of it, unbelief. The first greattruth that we know is
the solitarysupremacy of the Eternal God; the second, whichis its
consequence,the exacting characterofHis love. God is said, in the second
commandment, to be a "jealous God."
(Canon Liddon.)
Christ dealt immediately with wrong
J. Parker, D. D.WhatHe might have done! He might have said, "Well, this
temple will one day, and that day not far distant, be thrown down. I shall not
interfere with this abuse now, because in the natural order of things it will be
overturned along with this structure." Jesus Christ did not know what it was
to trifle so. I don't know that Jesus Christ knew the meaning of the word

6. expediency, as we sometimes prostitute it. He saw wrong. If that wrong would
in five minutes work itself out, that was no considerationto Him. Meanwhile,
to Him five minutes was eternity!
(J. Parker, D. D.)
The cleansing ofthe temple
H. Goodwin, M. A.I shall endeavour to call your attention to one or two of the
most marked features. And in the first place, I would bid you notice our
blessedLord's zeal, that zealof which the Psalmistsaid, speaking
prophetically, "the zeal of Thine house hath even eatenme" (Psalm 69:9).
2. But again, the conduct of our Lord shows us the reverence that is due to
God's house. The Jewishtemple was emphatically a "house ofprayer," it was
a place where Godhad promised His specialpresence to those who came to
worship. And there are some things which, like oxen and sheep, are things not
cleanenough to be brought into the temple of God; all evil feelings, and pride,
and unkindness, and envy, and self-conceit, and other wickedemotions may
not be brought into God's temple; they must be driven out with scourges, they
must not be tolerated. Then also there are some things which, like the doves,
though pure in themselves, have no business in the temple of God; the cares of
this world, things necessarilyengaging our attention at other times, may not
enter these doors: God's church is intended to be as it were a little enclosed
spot where worldly things may not enter. But again, the tables of
moneychangers must not be here; this is no place for thoughts of gain, it is a
profanation of God's temple to bring them here. And, lastly, Christian
brethren, we cannot but be reminded, by our Lord's cleansing ofthe temple in
the days of His flesh, of that awful cleansing of His temple which will one day
take place, when all that is vile and offensive shall be castout of His temple,
and everything that maketh a lie castinto the lake of brimstone.
(H. Goodwin, M. A.)
The Louse of prayer
G. M. Merry.I. Our first inquiry is — WHAT IS OUR LORD'S VIEW AS TO
THE PURPOSE AND END WHICH HE DESIGNS HIS EARTHLY
TEMPLES TO SERVE? And this is the answer — "My house is the house of
prayer." He calls us here to pray. The work to which He sets us in the
sanctuary is mainly devotional.
1. As first, that common or united prayer is needful for man. Prayer itself is
almost an instinct of nature. Man must worship. And he must worship in
company; he must pray with others.

7. 2. Another observationwhich the Divine idea in regard to the earthly
sanctuary suggests is, that common or united prayer is acceptable to God.
3. Common or united prayer is efficacious to obtain Divine gifts. Otherwise,
God would not assignto it so foremosta position in the worship of the
sanctuary.
II. MAN'S DEPARTURE FROM THIS DIVINE IDEA ABOUT THE
HOUSE OF GOD ON EARTH. "Ye have made it a den of thieves." There is
man's perversion of God's design. You know, of course, whatthe particular
sin was which these words of our Lord were intended to reprove. It was the
appropriation on the part of these Jews ofa portion of the temple enclosure to
purposes of worldly barter. This was the way in which the Jewishpeople lost
sight of the Divine idea in regardto their temple. And though it is not possible
for men now to commit precisely the same offence, I fearit would not be
difficult to trace a corresponding sin, even in the present altered condition of
the church. It is possible now to desecrate sacredplaces andoffices to
purposes of worldly gain. It is possible to make a traffic of spiritual functions
and emoluments. But, my friends, these are not the only things in which a
departure from God's idea about His sanctuarymay be marked now. There
are others, of another complexion and character, it is true, but not the less to
be reprehended. It is to these that I would more especiallycallyour attention.
1. Let me say, then, that some pervert God's idea by making the house of
prayer a house of preaching. With them the sermon is almost everything.
They are impatient of all else to getto that. Prayers, and lessons, andpsalms,
and creeds, are all just to be endured as a sortof preliminary to that.
2. I remark again, that some depart from God's intention with respectto the
sanctuary by making the house of prayer "a house of mere Sunday resort."
They must pass the day somewhere;they must getthrough it somehow, and
so, as it is customary, and seemly, and respectable, theywill go to church.
They are as well there, they think, as anywhere else;but, alas!this is all.
3. I remark, in the next place, that some pervert this design by making the
house of prayer "a house of formal service." Theirservice is no more than lip
service.
(G. M. Merry.)
"My house is the house of prayer
A. McEwen.Norare there wanting examples, in all succeeding ages, ofthe
conscientious andreligious regularity with which the faithful ever attended
the public means of grace. Thus, for example, "Zacharias andElizabeth

8. walkedin all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." The
just and devout Simeon "waitedfor the consolationofIsrael, and came by the
Spirit into the temple of the Lord." These, so striking examples of such
excellentmen, and the uniform and continuous practice of the faithful in all
ages, show that the public worship of God is an institution of Divine authority.
That there is a God is the first suggestionof unassistedreason, andthat God
ought to be worshipped is the foundation and first principle of all religion.
Accordingly, we have reasonto believe, that public worship beganwith the
beginning of the world, and that it has been continued and maintained in all
countries and in all times, and under every form of religion that man has
devised or God instituted. The ancient Jews forexample, dedicateda seventh
part of their time to the service and worship of God. We may also remark,
that, from the earliestages, notonly particular times, but also particular
places, were setapart and consecratedto these sacredservices.In the darkest
times of heathen idolatry, when there were "gods many, and lords many,"
magnificent temples were built, statelyaltars erected, costlysacrificesoffered,
solemn rites celebrated, and the elegantarts of painting and sculpture, poesy
and music, were calledinto the service ofdumb idols. In after times, when the
children of Israel were in the wilderness, and had no fixed nor settledabode,
the tabernacle was erectedby God's specialcommand, and richly endowed
with sacredutensils and ornaments for His solemn worship.
I. PUBLIC WORSHIP IS CALCULATED TO DISPLAY THE GLORY OF
GOD. As the court of an earthly monarch derives its dignity from the
splendour and number of its attendants, so the church, "the court of the
Lord," shows forth the majesty of the MostHigh by its multitudes of humble
worshippers.
II. PUBLIC WORSHIP IS ALSO CALCULATED TO PROMOTEAND
PERPETUATE THE PRACTICE OF PURE AND UNDEFILED RELIGION.
Prayer kindles and keeps up the spirit of piety in the soul. And if the "house of
prayer "be thus holy, how greatshould be the purity of those who frequent it?
Here, again, let the royal Psalmistbe our director, "Praise is comelyfor the
upright."
(A. McEwen.)
The house of prayer
Canon Liddon."My house is the house of prayer." This is as true of that
portion of the holy body which we call the Church visible or militant as it is of
the rest. The objectof the visible Church is not solelyphilanthropic, although
the Church's duty is to do goodunto all men, speciallyto them that are of the

9. household of faith. It is not solely the moral perfectionof its members,
although the purification to Himself of a peculiar people zealous of good
works was certainlya main objectof its founder; still less is it the prosecution
of inquiry or speculation, howeverinteresting about God, because we already
know all that we ever really shall know in this state about Him. We have on
our lips and in our hearts the faith that was once delivered to the saints. This
temple, visible and invisible, is thus organized by its Divine founder
throughout earth and heaven to be a whole of ceaselesscommunion with God;
and as its heavenly members never, never for one moment cease in their
blessedwork, so by prayers, broken though they be and interrupted — by
prayers and intercessions, by thanksgiving and praise, private and public,
mental and vocal, the holy Church throughout the world doth acknowledge
Him who is the common centre of light and love to all its members, whether
on this side the veil or beyond it. Into this temple also there sometimes
intrudes that which moves the anger of the Son of Man, for this spiritual
societyhas its place among men. It is in the world, although not of it, and it
thus sometimes admits within its courts that which cannotbear the glance of
the All-Holy. And especiallyis this apt to be the case whenthe Church of
Christ has been for many ages bound up with the life and history of a great
nation, and is, what we call in modern language, established — that is to say,
recognizedby the State, and securedin its property and position by legal
enactments. I am far from denying that this state of things is or may be a very
greatblessing, that it secures to religion a prominence and a consideration
among the people at large, which would else be wanting to it, that it visibly
asserts before men the true place of God as the ruler and guide of national
destiny; but it is also undeniable that such a state of things may bring with it
danger from which less favoured churches escape. To be forewarned, let us
trust, is to be forearmed; but wheneverit happens to a greatChurch, or to its
guiding minds, to think more of the secularside of its position than they think
of the spiritual — more, it may be, of a seatin the Senate and of high social
rank than of the work of God among the people; if, in order to save income
and position in times of real or supposed peril, there is any willingness to
barter away the safeguards ofthe faith, or to silence the pleadings of
generosityand justice in deference to some uninstructed clamour, then be
sure that, unless history is at fault as well as Scripture, we may listen for the
footfalls of the Son of Man on the outer threshold of the temple, and we shall
not long listen in vain. Churches are disestablishedand disendowedto the eye
of sense, through the actionof political parties; to the eye of faith by His
interference who ordereth all things both in heaven and in earth, and who

10. rules at this moment on the same principles as those which of old led Him to
cleanse His Father's temple in Jerusalem.
(Canon Liddon.)
God's house a house of prayer
Canon Liddon."My house shall be calledthe house of prayer." Here is a law
for the furniture and equipment; here is a definition of the object and purpose
of a material Christian church. There are greatdifferences, no doubt, between
the JewishTemple and a building dedicatedto Christian worship; but over
the portals of eachthere might be traced with equal propriety the words, "My
house shall be calledthe house of prayer." No well-instructed, no really
spiritual Christian thinks of his parish church mainly or chiefly as a place for
hearing sermons. Sermons are of greatservice, especiallywhen people are
making their first acquaintance with practicalChristianity, and they occupy
so greata place in the Acts of the Apostles, because they were of necessitythe
instrument with which the first teachers ofChristianity made their way
among unconverted Jews and heathens. Nay, more, since amid the
importunities of this world of sense and time the soulof man is constantly
tending to close its eyes to the unseen, to the dangers which so on every side
besetit, to the pre-eminent claims of its Redeemerand its God, sermons which
repeatwith unwearying earnestnessthe same solemn certainties about God
and man, about the person, and work, and gifts of Christ, about life and
death, about the fleeting presentand the endless future, are a vital feature in
the activity of every Christian Church, a means of calling the unbelieving and
the carelessto the foot of the cross, a means of strengthening and edifying the
faithful. Still, if a comparisonis to be instituted betweenprayers and sermons,
there ought not to be a moment's doubt as to the decision;for it is not said,
"My house shall be calleda house of preaching," but "My house shall be
calledthe house of prayer." Surely it is a much more responsible act, and, let
me add, it is a much greaterprivilege, to speak to God, whether in prayer or
praise, than to listen to what a fellow-sinnercan tell you about Him; and when
a greatcongregationis really joining in worship, when there is a deep
spiritual, as it were an electric, current of sympathy traversing a vast
multitude of souls as they make one combined advance to the foot of the
eternal throne, then, if we could look at these things for a moment with angels'
eyes, we should see something infinitely greater, according to all the rules of a
true spiritual measurement, than the effectof the most eloquent and the most
persuasive of sermons. "My house shall be called the house of prayer" is a
maxim for all time, and if this be so, then all that meets the eye, all that falls
upon the earwithin the sacredwalls, should be in harmony with this high

11. intention, should be valued and used only with a view to promoting it.
Architecture, painting, mural decoration, and the like, are only in place when
they lift the soul upwards towards the invisible, when they conduct it swiftly
and surely to the gate of the world of spirits, and then themselves retire from
thought and from view. Music the most pathetic, the most suggestive,is only
welcome in the temples of Christ, when it gives wings to spiritualized thought
and feeling, when it promotes the ascentof the soul to God. If these beautiful
arts detain men on their ownaccount, to wonder at their own intrinsic
charms, down among the things of sense;if we are thinking more of music
than of Him whose glory it heralds, more of the beauty of form and colour
than of Him whose Temple it adorns, then be sure we are robbing God of His
glory, we are turning His Temple into a den of thieves. No error is without its
element of truth, and jealousyon this point was the strength of Puritanism,
which made it a powernotwithstanding its violence, notwithstanding its
falsehood. And as for purely secularconversations within these walls, how
unworthy are they in view of our Redeemer's words!Time was, under the
first two Stuarts, when the nave of the old St. Paul's was a rendezvous for
business, for pleasure, for public gossiping, so that Evelyn the diarist,
lamenting the deplorable state to which the greatchurch was reduced, says
that it was already named a den of thieves. Is it too much to saythat the
Redeemerwas not long in punishing the desecrationofHis Temple? First
there came the axes and hammers of the rebellion, and then there came the
swift tongues of fire in 1660, and the finest cathedral that England ever saw
went its way. Would that in better times we were less constantlyunmindful of
the truth that its successoris neither a museum of sculpture nor yet a concert-
room, and that He whose house it is will not be robbed of His rights with
permanent impunity.
(Canon Liddon.)
The regenerate soulis a house of prayer
Canon Liddon."My house shall be calledthe house of prayer." This is true of
every regenerate soul. When it is in a state of grace the soul of man is a temple
of the Divine presence. "If any man love Me, and will keepMy words, My
Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with
him." Christ's throne within the soul enlightens the understanding, and
kindles the affections, and braces the will, and while He thus from His
presence-chamberin this His spiritual palace, issuesHis orders hour by hour
to its thinking and acting powers, He receives in return the homage of faith
and love, a sacrifice which they delight to presentto Him. So it is with God's
true servants, but alas!my brethren, if you and I compare notes, what shall

12. we say? Even when we desire to pray we find ourselves in the outer court of
the soulsurrounded all at once with the tables of the money-changers, and
with the seats ofthe men who sell the doves. Our business, with all its details,
follows us in the churches, follows us into our private chambers, follows us
everywhere into the presence of our God. Our preparations for religious
service, the accidents ofour service, occupythe attention which is due to the
service itself. Sometimes, alas!we do not even try to make the very first steps
towards real prayer, and steps which ordinary natural reverence would
suggest;we lounge, we look about us, just as though nothing in the world were
of less importance than to address the Infinite and Eternal God. But
sometimes, alas!we do close the eyes, we do bend the knee, we try to put force
upon the soul's powers and faculties, and to lead them forth one by one, and
then collectivelyto the footstoolofthe King of kings;when, lo! they linger
over this memory or that, they are burdened with this or that load of care,
utterly foreignto the work in hand. They bend, it is true, in an awkwardsort
of way in the sacredpresence beneath, not their sense ofits majesty, not their
sense ofthe love and the beauty of God, but the vast and incongruous weight
of worldliness which prevents their realizing it. And when a soul is thus at its
best moments fatally troubled and burdened about many things, God in His
mercy bides His time; He cleansesthe courts of a Temple which He has
predestined to be His for ever, He cleansesit in His own time and way; He
sends some sharp sorrow which sweeps from the soul all thoughts save one,
the nothingness, the vanity of all that is here below;and so He forces that soul
to turn by one mighty, all-comprehending actto Himself, who alone can
satisfy it; or He lays a man upon a bed of sickness,leaving the mind with all
its powers intact, but stripping from the body all the faculties of speechand
motion, and then through the long, weary hours the man is turned in upon
himself; and if there is any hope for him at all, if at that criticalmoment he is
at all alive.to the tender pleadings of the All-merciful, he will with his own
hands cleanse the temple; he sees the paltriness of the trifles that have kept
him back from his chiefest, from his only good; he expels first one and then
another unworthy intruder upon the sacredground. The scourge is sharp, the
resistance it may be persevering;the hours are long, and they are weary, but
the work is done at last.
(Canon Liddon.)
Irreverence rebukedWhen WalterHook (afterwards Deanof Chichester)was
Vicar of Coventry, he was once presiding at a vestry meeting which was so
largely attended as to necessitateanadjournment to the church. Several
persons kept their hats on. The vicar requestedthem to take them off, but

13. they refused. "Very well, gentlemen," He replied, "but remember that in this
house the insult is not done to me, but to your God." The hats were
immediately takenoff.
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(5)To day I must abide at thy
house.—The words gaina fresh significance, if we remember that Jericho was
at this time one of the chosencities of the priests. (See Note on Luke 10:30.)
Our Lord passedover their houses, and those of the Pharisees, in order to
pass the night in the house of the publican. There, we may believe, He saw an
opening for a spiritual work which He did not find elsewhere.
MacLaren's ExpositionsLuke
MELTED BY KINDNESS
Luke 19:5.
It is characteristic ofLuke that only he tells the story of Zacchaeus. He always
dwells with specialinterest on incidents bringing out the characterofChrist
as the Friend of outcasts. His is eminently the Gospelof forgiveness. For
example, we owe to Him the three supreme parables of the lost sheep, the lost
coin, and the prodigal son, as wellas those of the Pharisee and the publican
praying in the Temple; and of the goodSamaritan. It is he that tells us that all
the publicans and sinners came near to Jesus to hear Him; and he loses no
opportunity of enforcing the lessonwith which this incident closes, ‘The Son
of Man is come to seek andto save that which was lost.’It is because of the
light that it throws upon that greatthought that he tells this fascinating story
of Zacchaeus. I need not repeat it. We all remember it, and the quaintness and
grotesquenessofpart of it fix it in people’s memories. We know how the rich
tax gatherer, pocketing his dignity, and unable to see over the heads of the
crowd, scrambled up into the branches of the sycamore tree that overhung the
road; and there was found by the eye of love, and surprised by the words of
kindness, which melted him down, and made a new man of him on the spot.
The story seems to me to be full of teaching, to which I desire to turn your
attention at this time.
I. First, note the outcast, drawn by imperfect motives to Jesus Christ.

14. It has been supposedthat this man was a Gentile, but his Jewishname
establishes his origin. And, if so, the factthat he was a publican and a Jew
says a gooddeal about his character. There are some trades which condemn,
to a certain extent, the men who engage in them. You would not expectto find
a man of sensitive honour acting as a professionalspy; or one of earnest
religious characterkeeping a public-house. You would not expect to find a
very goodJew condescending to be the tool of the Roman Government.
Zacchaeus was atthe head of the revenue office in Jericho, a position of
considerable importance, inasmuch as there was a large volume of trade
through that city from its situation near the fords of the Jordan, and from the
fertility of the plain in which it stood. He had made some money, and
probably made it by very questionable means. He was the object, not
undeservedly, of the execrationand suspicion of his countrymen. Italians did
not love Italians who took service under Austria. Irishmen did not love
Irishmen who in the bad old days used to collectchurch cess. And so Jews had
no very kind feeling towards Jews who became Caesar’s servants. Thata man
should be in such a position indicated that he caredmore for money than for
patriotism, religion, or popular approval. His motto was the motto of that
Roman Emperor who said, ‘Money has no smell,’ out of whatever cesspoolit
may have been fished up. But the consciousness ofbeing encompassedby
universal hatred would induce the objectof it to put on an extra turn of the
screw, and avenge upon individuals the generalhostility. So we may take it for
granted that Zacchaeus,the head of the Jericho custom-house, andrich to
boot, was by no means a desirable character.
What made him want to see Jesus Christ? He said to himself, curiosity; but
probably he was doing himself injustice, and there was something else
working below than merely the wish to see whatsort of man was this Rabbi
Joshua from Galilee that everybody was talking about. Had he heard that
Jesus had a soft place in His heart for his class? Orwas he, perhaps,
beginning to gettired of being the butt of universal hatred, and finding that
money scarcelycompensatedforthat? Or was there some reaching out
towards some undefined good, and a dissatisfactionwith a very defined
present, though unnamed, evil? Probably so. Like some of us, he put the
trivial motive uppermost because he was half ashamedof the half-conscious
better one.
I wonder if there are any here now who said to themselves that they would
come out of curiosity to hear the preacher, or from some such ordinary
motive, and who all the while have, lying deep below that, another reason

15. altogether, a dim feeling that it is not all right betweenthem and God, and
that here may be the place to have it put right? At all events, from whatsoever
imperfect motives little Zacchaeus was perchedup in the sycamore there, he
went to see Christ, and he got more than he went for. Unconsciouslywe may
be drawn, and imperfect motives may leadus to a perfect Saviour.
He sets us an example in another way. Do not be too punctilious about dignity
in pursuing aims that you know to be good. It would be a sight to bring jeers
and grins on the faces ofthe crowdto see the rich man of the custom-house
sitting up amongstthe leaves. Buthe did not mind about that if he gota good
look at the Rabbi when He passed. People care nothing for ridicule if their
hearts are setupon a thing. I wish there were more of us who did not mind
being laughed at if only what we did helped us to see Jesus Christ. Do not be
afraid of ridicule. It is not a test of truth; in nine casesoutof ten it is the
grimace of fools.
II. Then, further, notice the self-invited Guest.
When the little processionstoppedunder the sycamore tree, Zacchaeuswould
begin to feel uncomfortable. He may have had experience in past times of the
way in which the greatdoctors of orthodoxy were in the habit of treating a
publican, and may have begun to be afraid that this new one was going to be
like all the rest, and elicit some kind of mob demonstration againsthim. The
crowdwould be waiting with intense curiosity to see what would pass between
the Rabbi and the revenue collector. Theywould all be very much astonished.
‘Zacchaeus!make haste and come down. To-day I must abide at thy house.’
Perhaps it was the first time since he had been a child at his mother’s knee
that he had heard his name pronounced in tones of kindness. There was not a
raggedbeggarin Jericho who would not have thought himself degradedby
putting his foot across the threshold that Jesus now says He will cross.
It is the only time in which we read that Jesus volunteeredto go into any
house. He never offers to go where He is not wanted, any more than He ever
stays awaywhere He is. And so the very factof His saying ‘I will abide at thy
house,’is to me an indication that, deep down below Zacchaeus’superficial
and vulgar curiosity, there was something far more noble which our Lord
fosters into life and consciousness by this offer.
Many large truths are suggestedby it on which we may touch. We have in
Christ’s words an illustration of His individualising knowledge.‘Zacchaeus,

16. come down.’ There is no sign that anybody had told Christ the name, or that
He knew anything about Zacchaeus before by human knowledge.But the
same eye that saw Nathanaelunder the fig-tree saw Zacchaeusin the
sycamore;and, seeing in secret, knew without being told the names of both.
Christ does not name men in vain. He generally, when He uses an individual’s
name in addressing him, means either to assertHis knowledge ofhis
character, orHis authority over him, or in some way or other to bespeak
personaladhesionand to promise personal affection. So He named some of
His disciples, weaving a bond that united eachsingle soul to Himself by the
act. This individualising knowledge and drawing love and authority are all
expressed, as I think, in that one word ‘Zacchaeus.’ And these are as true
about us as about him. The promises of the New Testament, the words of
Jesus Christ, the great, broad, universal ‘whosoevers’ofHis assurance and of
His commandments are as directly meant for eachof us as if they were in an
envelope with our names upon them and put into our hands. We, too, are
spokento by Him by our names, and for us, too, there may be a personal bond
of answering love that knits us individually to the Master, as there certainly is
a bond of personal regard, compassion, affection, andpurpose of salvation in
His heart in regard of eachsingle soul of all the masses ofhumanity. I should
have done something if I should have been able to gatherinto a point, that
blessedlypierced some heart to let the life in, the broad truths of the Gospel.
‘Whosoeverwill, let him come.’Sayto yourself, ‘That is me.’ ‘Whosoever
cometh I will in no wise castout.’ Say to yourself, ‘That is me.’ And in like
manner with all the generaldeclarations, andespeciallywith that chiefestof
them all, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only begottenSon, that
whosoeverbelievethin Him should not perish.’ Readit as you may-and you
will never read it right until you do-’God so loved me’-John, Mary, or
whateverbe your name-’Jesus so lovedme that if I believe upon Him I shall
not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Then, note, further, how here we get the revelation, in a concrete form, of
Christ’s perfect willingness and desire to make common cause, and dwell with
the most degradedand outcast. I have said that this is the only instance in
which He volunteered to be a guest. PhariseesaskedHim, and He did not
refuse. The publican’s dwelling, which was tabooed, He openedthe door of by
His own hand. And that is what He always does.
This little incident may be takento be, not merely a symbol of His whole
dealings, but an illustration, in small, of the same principle which has its
largestembodiment and illustration in the fact of His Incarnation and

17. Manhood. Why did Jesus Christ take fleshand dwell among us? BecauseHe
desired to seek and to save that which is lost. Why did He go into the
publican’s house, and brave the sneers of the crowd, and associateHimself
with the polluted? For the same reason. Microscopic crystals andgigantic
ones are due to the same forces working in the same fashion. This incident is
more than a symbol; it is a little instance of the operation of the law which
finds its supreme and transcendent instance in the factthat the Eternal Sonof
God bowedthe heavens and came down ‘and dwelt among us, and we beheld
His glory.’
His example is our pattern. A Christian church which does not imitate its
Masterin its frank and continual willingness to associateitselfwith the
degradedand the outcasthas lost one of the truest signs of its being vitalised
with the life of Christ. There is much in this day in the condition of Christian
communities to make men dissatisfiedand fearful. But there is one thing
which, though in all its developments one cannot sympathise with it, is in its
essencewhollygood, and that is the new and quickened consciousness thata
church which does not address itself to the outcasts has no business to live;
and that Christian people who are too proud of their righteousness to go
amongstthe unclean and the degradedare a greatdeal more of Pharisees than
Christians, and have need to learn which be the first principles of the religion
which they profess. Self-righteousnessgathers up its skirts in holy horror;
perfect righteousness goescheerily and without fear amongstthe outcasts, for
where should the physician go but to the sick, and where should Christ be
found but in the house of the publican?
Further, the saying of our Lord suggestsHis recognitionof the greatlaw that
ruled His life. Chronologyhere is of much importance. We do not generally
remember that the scene with Zacchaeus was within about a week of the
Crucifixion. Our Lord was on that lastjourney to Jerusalemto die, during the
whole of which there was over His demeanour a tension of holy impatience,
altogetherunlike His usual manner, which astonishedand amazed the
disciples as they followedHim. He set His face like a flint to go to Jerusalem;
and strode before them on the way as if He were eagerto reachthe
culmination of His sufferings and of His work. Thus borne on the wings of the
strong desire to be perfected on the Cross, He is arrestedon His path. Nothing
else was able to stopHim, but ‘To-day I must abide in thy house.’There was a
soul to be saved; and the world’s sacrifice had to wait till the single soul was
secured. Christ hurrying, if I may use the word, at all events steadfastlyand
without wavering, pressing towards the Cross, letHis course be stopped by

18. this need. The highest ‘must’ was obedience to the Father’s will, and parallel
with that need there was the other, of rescuing the Father’s prodigal sons. So
this elder Brother ownedthe obligation, and paused on the road to Calvary, to
lodge in the house of Zacchaeus.Let us learn the sweetlesson, and take the
large consolations thatlie in such a thought.
Again, the utterance of this self-invited Guestsuggests His over-abundant
fulfilment of timid, half-conscious desires. I saidat the beginning of my
remarks that only curiosity was on the surface;but that the very factthat our
Lord addressedHimself to the man seemedto imply that He descriedin him
something more than mere vulgar curiosity. And the glad leap with which
Zacchaeus came downfrom his tree might have revealedto Zacchaeus
himself, as no doubt it did to some of the bystanders, what it was that he had
been dimly wishing. So with us all there are needs, longings, half-emerging
wishes, that have scarcelycome into the field of consciousness,but yet have
powerenough to modify our actions. Jesus Christunderstands all about us,
and reads us better than we do ourselves;and is ready to meet, and by
meeting to bring into full relief, these vague feelings after an undefined good.
Brethren, He is to us, if we will let Him be, all that we want; and He is to us all
that we need, although we only half know that we need it, and never sayto
ourselves that we wish it.
There is a lastthought deducible from these words of our Lord’s; and that is,
His leaving a man to decide whether he will have Him or no. ‘Make haste and
come down, for to-day I must abide at thy house. Yes! but if Zacchaeus had
stuck in his tree, Christ’s ‘must’ would not have been fulfilled. He would have
gone on to Jerusalemif the publican had not scrambleddown in haste. He
forces Himself on no man; He withholds Himself from no man. He respects
that awful prerogative of being the architects of our own evil and our own
good, by our own free and unconstrained choice.
Did you ever think that it was now or never with this publican; that Jesus
Christ was never to go through the streets ofJericho any more; that it was
Zacchaeus’lastchance;and that, if he had not made haste, he would have lost
Christ for ever? And so it is yet. There may be some in this place at this
moment to whom Jesus Christis now making His last appeal. I know not; no
man knows. A Rabbi said, when they askedhim when a man should repent,
‘Repent on the last day of your lives.’And they said, ‘But we do not know
when that will be.’ And he said, ‘Then repent now.’ So I say, because some of
you may never hear Christ’s Gospelagain, and because none of us know

19. whether we shall or not; make sure work of it now, and do not let Jesus Christ
go out of the city and up the road betweenthe hills yonder; for if once the
folds of the ravine shut Him from sight He will never be back in Jericho, or
seenby Zacchaeus any more for ever.
III. And so, lastly, notice the outcastmelted by kindness.
We do not know at what stage in our Lord’s intercourse with the publican he
‘stoodand said, Half of my goods I give to the poor,’ and so on. But
whensoeverit was, it was the sign of the entire revolution that had been
wrought upon him by the touch of that loving hand, and by the new fountain
of sympathy and love that he had found in Jesus Christ.
Some people have supposed, indeed, that his words do not mark a vow for the
future, but express his practice in the past. But it seems to me to be altogether
incongruous that Zacchaeus shouldadvertise his past goodin order to make
himself out to be not quite so bad as people thought him, and, therefore, not so
unworthy of being Christ’s host. Christ’s love kindles sense of our sin, not
complacentrecounting of our goodness. So Zacchaeus said, ‘Lord! Thou hast
loved me, and I wonder. I yield, and fling awaymy black past; and, so far as I
can, make restitution for it.’
The one transforming agencyis the love of Christ receivedinto the heart. I do
not suppose that Zacchaeus knew as much about Jesus Christ even after the
conversationas we do; nor did he see His love in that supreme death on the
Cross as we do. But the love of the Lord made a deep dint in his heart, and
revolutionised his whole nature. The thing that will alter the whole current
and setof a man’s affections, that will upset his estimate of the relative value
of material and spiritual, and that will turn him inside out and upside down,
and make a new man of him, is the revelation of the supreme love that in
Jesus Christ has come into the world, with an individualising regard to each
of us, and has died on the Cross forthe salvationof us all. Nothing else will do
it. People had frowned on Zacchaeus,and it made him bitter. They had
execratedand persecutedhim; and his only response was setting his teeth
more firmly and turning the screw a little tighter when he had the chance.
You can drive a man into devilry by contempt. If you want to melt him into
goodness,try love. The Ethiopian cannot change his skin, but Jesus Christ can
change his heart, and that will change his skin by degrees. The one
transforming power is faith in the love of Jesus Christ.

20. Further, the one test of a true receptionof Him is the abandonment of past
evil and restitution for it as far as possible. People saythat our Gospelis
unreal and sentimental, and a number of other ugly adjectives. Well!If it ever
is so, it is the fault of the speakers, andnot of the Gospel. Forits demands
from every man that accepts it are intensely practical, and nothing short of a
complete turning of his back upon his old self, shown in the conclusive
forsaking of former evil, howeverprofitable or pleasant, and reparation for
harm done to men, satisfies them.
It is useless to talk about loving Jesus Christand trusting Him, and having the
sweetassuranceofforgiveness, anda glorious hope of heaven, unless these
have made you break off your bad habits of whatsoeversortthey may be, and
castthem behind your backs. Strong emotion, sweetdeepfeeling, assured
confidence in the sense offorgiveness and the hope of heaven, are all very
well. Let us see your faith by your works;and of these works the chief is-
Behold the evil that I did, I do it no more: ‘Behold! Lord! the half of my goods
I give to the poor.’There was a young ruler, a chapter before this, who could
not make up his mind to part with wealth in order to follow Christ. This man
has so completely made up his mind to follow Christ that he does not need to
be bidden to give up his worldly goods. The half given to the poor, and
fourfold restorationto those whom he had wronged, would not leave much.
How astonishedZacchaeus wouldhave been if anybody had said to him that
morning, ‘Zacchaeus!before this night falls you will be next door to a pauper,
and you will be a happier man than you are now!’ So, dear friends, like him,
all of us may, if we will, and if we need, make a sudden right-about-face that
shall alter the complexion of our whole future. People tell us that sudden
conversions are suspicious. So they may be in certaincases. Butthe moment
when a man makes up his mind to change the direction in which his face is set
will always be a moment, howeverlong may be the hesitation, and the
meditation, and the preparation that led up to it.
Jesus Christ is standing before eachof us as truly as He did before that
publican, and is saying to us as truly as He said to him, ‘Let Me in.’ ‘Behold! I
stand at the door and knock. If any man open . . . I will enter.’ If He comes in
He will teachyou what needs to be turned out if He is to stop; and will make
the sacrifice blessedand not painful; and you will be a happier and a richer
man with Christ and nothing than with all beside and no Christ.
BensonCommentaryHYPERLINK "/context/luke/19-5.htm"Luke 19:5-8.
And when Jesus came to the place he lookedup, into the tree, and saw him —

21. Zaccheus came to look upon Christ, and resolvedto take particular notice of
him, but little thought of being noticedby Christ. That was an honour too
great, and too far above his merit, for him to have any thought of. Observe,
reader, how Christ prevented him with the blessings of his goodness, and
outdid his expectations;and see how he encouragesvery weak beginnings, and
helps them forward. He that desires to know Christ shall be known of him: he
that only desires to see him, shall be admitted to converse with him. And said,
Zaccheus, make haste and come down, for to-day, &c. — Jesus had never seen
him before, yet he calledhim by his name, and by what he said intimated that
he knew his house was farther on the road. What a strange mixture of
passions must Zaccheus have now felt, hearing one speak as knowing both his
name and his heart. Zaccheus might ask, as Nathanieldid, (John 1:48,)
Whence knowestthou me? But before he climbed the sycamore-tree, Christ
saw him and knew him. And he made haste, &c., and receivedhim joyfully —
Overjoyed to have such an honour put upon him and his family. And his
receiving him into his house was an indication of his receiving him into his
heart. And when they saw it — When the multitude saw him enter the house
of Zaccheus;they all murmured — Were very much offended at the
particular regardthat Jesus showedhim; saying, he was gone to be a guest,
παρα αμαρτωλω ανδρι, with a sinful man — And were not they themselves
sinful men? and was it not Christ’s errand into the world to seek and save
sinful men? But they seemto have thought that Zaccheus was a sinner above
all men that dwelt in Jericho;such a sinner as was not fit to be conversed
with. He, however, soongave proof, that though he had been a sinner, he was
now a penitent, and a true convert. Zaccheus stood, and said to the Lord —
He makes his declarationstanding, not only that he might be seenand heard
by those who murmured at Christ for coming to his house; but that he might
show by his posture his deliberate purpose and ready mind; and express
himself with solemnity, as making a vow to God. Behold, Lord, half of my
goods I give to the poor — He does not say, I will give it by my will when I die;
but I give it now. Though hitherto I have been uncharitable to the poor, now I
will relieve them, and give so much the more for having neglectedthe duty so
long. He does not expectto be justified by his works, as the Pharisee did, who
boastedof what he had done, but by his goodworks he purposed, through the
grace ofGod, to evidence the sincerity of his faith and repentance, and he here
signifies that this was his purpose. He addresses himselfto Christ, in making
this declaration, and not to the people, who were not to be his judges: and he
stands, as it were, atChrist’s bar. The goodthat we do, we must do as unto
him: we must appealto him, and approve ourselves to him in our integrity, in
all our goodpurposes and resolutions. If I have takenany thing by false

22. accusation— Or by any kind of injurious charges, oroppressive claims, as the
word εσυκοφαντησα, according to Heinsius, may very properly signify. He
seems to have meant, by any unjust exactionof the taxes. I restore him four-
fold — “This was the utmost that the Jewishlaw required, even in cases of
fraudulent concealmentand conviction; (unless where an ox had been killed
or sold, and so its labour lostto the owner, and the discoveryrendered more
difficult: Exodus 22:1;) for the phrase of restoring seven-fold, (Proverbs 6:31,)
seems only proverbial, to express making abundant satisfaction. Butif a man,
not legallyconvicted or accused, voluntarily discovereda fraud he had
committed, besides his trespass-offering, he was to add to the principal only a
fifth part, Leviticus 6:5. Zaccheus therefore shows the sincerity of his
repentance by such an offer. Some commentators have remarked, that
oppressive publicans were by the Roman law required to restore four- fold;
but this was only after judgment obtained, where they had been guilty of
extorting by force;whereas, before conviction, it was enoughto make
restitution of what had been taken;and even after it, in common cases,allthat
the law required was restoring twice as much.” — Doddridge.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary19:1-10 Thosewho sincerelydesire a
sight of Christ, like Zaccheus, will break through opposition, and take pains to
see him. Christ invited himself to Zaccheus'house. WhereverChrist comes he
opens the heart, and inclines it to receive him. He that has a mind to know
Christ, shall be knownof him. Those whom Christ calls, must humble
themselves, and come down. We may well receive him joyfully, who brings all
goodwith him. Zaccheus gave proofs publicly that he was become a true
convert. He does not look to be justified by his works, as the Pharisee;but by
his goodworks he will, through the grace of God, show the sincerity of his
faith and repentance. Zaccheus is declaredto be a happy man, now he is
turned from sin to God. Now that he is saved from his sins, from the guilt of
them, from the power of them, all the benefits of salvationare his. Christ is
come to his house, and where Christ comes he brings salvationwith him. He
came into this lostworld to seek and to save it. His design was to save, when
there was no salvation in any other. He seeksthose that sought him not, and
askednot for him.
Barnes'Notes on the BibleAbide at thy house - Remain there, or put up with
him. This was an honor which Zacchaeus did not expect. The utmost, it seems,
which he aimed at was to see Jesus;but, insteadof that, Jesus proposedto
remain with him, and to give him the benefit of his personalinstruction. It is
but one among a thousand instances where the Saviour goes, in bestowing
mercies, far beyond the desert, the desire, or the expectationof men; and it is

23. not improper to learn from this example that solicitude to behold the Saviour
will not pass unnoticed by him, but will meet with his warm approbation, and
be connectedwith his blessing. Jesus was willing to encourage efforts to come
to him, and his benevolence prompted him to gratify the desires of the man
who was solicitous to see him. He does not disdain the mansions of the rich
any more than he does the dwelling-places ofthe poor, provided there be a
humble heart; and he did not suppose there was "less"needof his presence in
order to save in the house of the rich man than among the poor. He set an
example to all his ministers, and was not afraid or ashamedto proclaim his
gospelamid wealth. He was not awedby external splendor or grandeur.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary5, 6. lookedup,—in the full
knowledge ofwho was in the tree, and preparatory to addressing him.
Zaccheus—whomhe had never seenin the flesh, nor probably heard of. "He
calleth His own sheepby name and leadeth them out" (Joh 10:3).
make haste, and come down—to which he literally responded—"he made
haste and came down."
for to-day, &c.—OurLord invites Himself, and in "royal" style, which waits
not for invitations, but as the honor is done to the subject, not the sovereign,
announces the purpose of royalty to partake of the subject's hospitalities.
Manifestly our Lord speaksas knowing how the privilege would be
appreciated.
to-day … abide—(Compare Joh1:39), probably overnight.
Matthew Poole's Commentary I see no ground for their opinion who think
that before this time Zacchaeus’s heartwas touched with any love or affection
to Christ. The evangelistseemethto representZacchaeus before this as a mere
strangerto Christ, he soughtto see who he was. But Christ’s looks are healing
looks, there went virtue along with them to convert Zacchaeus, thougha
publican, and to recoverPeter, who had denied his Master;but they must be
such looks as carriedwith them a design to do goodto souls. Christ looked
upon thousands to whom his looks conveyedno spiritual saving grace. He that
could heal by the hem of his garment touched, could change a heart by his
look. How gooda thing it is to be near the place where Christ is, whatever
principle brings men thither! Provided men come not as the Pharisees usedto
come, to execute their malice. Zacchaeus was brought to the bodily view of
Christ out of mere curiosity, but being there he receivetha saving look from
him. How many have had their hearts changedby gospelsermons, who never
went to hear the preachers with any such desire or design!Christ’s design
may be executedin the conversionof sinners, though not ours. He is found of

24. them that seek him not, and of those that inquire not after him. Preparatory
dispositions in us are not necessaryto the first grace. Godcanat the same
time prepare and change the heart. Zacchaeus is the first man we read of to
whose house Christ (not asked)invited himself, and in it did more for
Zacchaeus than he expected. Oh the freeness and riches of Divine grace!
Which seekethnot a worthy object, but makes the objectworthy, and
therefore loveth it. What a word was this,
Come down; for today I must abide at thy house!
Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd when Jesus came to the place,....
Where the tree stood, in which Zacchaeus was. Christknows where his people
are, and where to find them, where they commonly dwell, or where at any
time they are, he being God omniscient: besides, the bounds of their
habitations are fixed by the determination and appointment of God, and were
foreknownby Christ, who, before the world began, was "rejoicing in the
habitable part of his earth", where he knew his saints would dwell, who are
"the sons of men", with whom his delights were;and he knows where they
are, when the time is come to call them: he knew Zacchaeus was in the
sycamore tree, as he saw Nathanaelunder the fig tree, before Philip called
him, John 1:48 and Christ comes to the very place where his people are, either
in person, as here; and so he came to Galilee, and to the sea there, and walked
by it, and on the very spot, where he knew he should meet with Peter, and
Andrew, and James, and John, whom he calledto follow him, Matthew 4:13.
He came to his own city Capernaum, and to the place of receiptof custom
near unto it, where Matthew was, and calledhim, Matthew 9:1 and he came to
Samaria, and to Jacob's well, where he knew the womanof Samaria would be
at such a time, in order to callher: or, though he comes not in person to
others, where they are, yet by his word, and by his Spirit; and he comes to
them before they come to him; and is found of them, and finds them, who
sought him not; and is made manifest to them, who askednot for him; and in
this he acts the part of the goodshepherd, that leaves the ninety nine in the
wilderness, and goes afterthat which is lost till he finds it; and agreeablyto
his characteras a Saviour, and to the end of his coming into the world, which
was to call sinners to repentance, and to seek, andsave that which is lost,
Luke 19:10.
He lookedup and saw him; he knew him, he being one of those the Father had
given to him, and he had loved and undertook for, and was come into the
world to seek,and to save, and now, at this time, was come hither to call by his
grace. He had seenhim before in the glass ofhis Father's purposes and

25. decrees, he being chosenin him to grace and glory, and being a vesselof
mercy, afore prepared for glory: he had seenhim when he was brought into
the bond of the covenant;and passedunder the rod of him, that telleth all the
covenantones, as they were put into it, and given to him the Mediatorof it: he
had seenhim among them that were lost in Adam, whom he came to recover
out of the ruins of their fall in him; and now he saw him in his state of nature
and unregeneracy;he saw him in his blood, and said unto him, live: this look
was a look of love, grace, and mercy; he lookedupon him, and loved him, and
was gracious to him, and had compassionon him; and it was a distinguishing
look, he lookedon him, and not on others. There was a great crowdboth
before and behind him, and all about him; but he lookednot on these, but he
lookedup to Zacchaeus.
And he said unto him, Zacchaeus;he knew him, and could callhim by his
name, as he did Saul, when he called him, and revealedhimself to him. His
name was written in the Lamb's book of life, and so must be known to Christ,
who was presentat the making of that book, and was concernedin setting
down the names in it, and has it in his keeping:he was one of the sheep the
Father had given him, he came to lay down his life for, and of whom he had
such perfect knowledge,as to callthem by name, as he does all the chosenand
redeemedones; see Isaiah43:1. It must be very surprising to Zacchaeus to
hear Christ call him by his name, who was an utter strangerto him, and
whom he had never seenbefore;and it is a very considerable instance of the
omniscience ofChrist, as well as of the greatcondescensionandaffectionate
regard he has to his own, and the familiar way in which he uses them.
Make haste, and come down; from the tree. The dangerous estate and
condition of a sinner requires haste; it is like that of Lot in Sodom, when it
was just going to be destroyed; and like that of the manslayer, when pursued
by the avengerof blood; both whom it became to escape fortheir lives, and
flee for refuge as fast as they could: and so it became Zacchaeus to come down
with all speed to Christ, who was come hither to call and save him; and the
enjoyment of Christ, and his grace, calls for haste;see John 11:28. Such who
come to Christ must quit all their exalted thoughts of themselves, of their
riches, fulness, and self-sufficiency, and come to him as poor and needy, for
such only he fills with his good things; and of their health and soundness, and
come to him the greatphysician, as sick and diseased;and of their purity and
goodness,holiness and righteousness,and come to him as sinners: but it must
be mighty grace to castdown imaginations, and high things, that exalt
themselves againstChrist, and the knowledge ofhim, and to humble a proud
sinner, and bring him to the feetof Jesus.

26. For this day I must abide at thy house; for a little while; not so much for the
sake ofrefreshment for himself, and his disciples, as for the goodof
Zacchaeus;to make known the greatsalvationto him, and to bestow his grace
upon him, and converse with him in a spiritual way.
Geneva Study BibleAnd when Jesus came to the place, he lookedup, and saw
him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus,make haste, and come down; for to day I
must abide at thy house.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT CommentaryHYPERLINK "/context/luke/19-5.htm"Luke 19:5-7.
Whether Jesus had any personalknowledge ofZacchaeus, is a matter which
could be decidedonly by circumstances unknownto us; and hence to bring in
the higher knowledge ofJesus (Olshausen), as seeing him nevertheless directly
in his inner nature, is in the case before us a course without sufficient
justification, although Strauss, I. p. 575 f., builds thereon the view that the
history is a variation of the theme of the intercourse with the publicans.
According to Paulus, some one named the man to him.
σήμερον] emphatically, comp. Luke 19:9. This day is the day so important to
thee, when I must abide in thy house (stay the night, John 1:39). δεῖ is spoken
from the consciousness ofthe divine appointment (Luke 19:10), “as if He
could not dispense with Zacchaeus, whom, nevertheless, everybodyelse
avoided as a greatsinner” (Luther, Predigt.).
Luke 19:7. The murmurers (διεγογγ., see on Luke 15:2) are Jews, who
accompaniedJesus to the house of Zacchaeus, situated(Luke 19:1) before the
city on the waytowards Jerusalem, and here at the entrance, probably in the
forecourtwhere the publican came to meet Jesus, saw how joyously he
receives Him. Comp. on Luke 19:11.
παρὰ ἁμ. ἀνδρί] belongs to καταλῦσαι.
Expositor's Greek TestamentHYPERLINK"/luke/19-5.htm"Luke 19:5.
Ζακχαῖε:Jesus knows his name, how not indicated.—σπεύσας, etc., uttered in
cordial tone as if He were speaking to a familiar friend whom He is glad to see
and with whom He means to stay that day. What a delightful surprise that
salutation, and how irresistible its friendly frankness, Luke 19:6 shows.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges5. Zaccheus, make haste]Zacchaeus
was so prominent a personin Jericho that we cansee no difficulty in his being
known to Jesus by name.

27. Bengel's GnomenHYPERLINK"/luke/19-5.htm"Luke 19:5. Ζακχαῖε,
Zaccheus)Zaccheus couldnot but both have wonderedand rejoicedat his
being thus addressedby name.—σήμερον, to-day) See Luke 19:9.—οἴκῳ,at
thy house)See againLuke 19:9.—δεῖ με, I must) for the sake ofthy salvation.
See Luke 19:10.
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 5. - Zacchaeus, make haste, andcome down; for to-
day I must abide at thy house. Jericho was one of the cities of the priests, and
yet our Lord, setting public opinion at defiance, passedovertheir houses, and
announced his intention of lodging for the night with one whose life's
occupationwas so hateful to the Jewishreligious world. The Master
recognizedin the intense eagernessofZacchaeus to geta sight of him, and
possibly a word from him, that it was in the chief publican's house where lay
his Father's business for him in Jericho.
Vincent's Word StudiesI must abide
"Adopting the royal style which was familiar to him, and which commends
the loyalty of a vassalin the most delicate manner by freely exacting his
services" ("EcceHomo").
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BRUCE HURT MD
Luke 19:4 So he ran on aheadand climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to
see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.
• climbed: Lu 5:19
• a sycamore: 1Ki 10:27 1Ch27:28 Isa 9:10 Am 7:14
• Luke 19 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
• Luke 19:1-10 Why Jesus Came - StevenCole
• Luke 19:1-10 A Sinner Meets a Seeking Savior, Part1 - John
MacArthur
• Luke 19:1-10 A Sinner Meets a Seeking Savior, Part2 - John
MacArthur
• Luke 19:1-10 Jesus:The Seeking Savior, Part2 - John MacArthur

28. /files/images/zaccheus.jpg /files/images/zaccheus.jpg
GOING HIGHER TO SEE
THE MOST HIGH GOD
So he ran on aheadand climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him -
In the NearEastit was very unusual to see a grown man running, much less a
wealthy government official. And yet we can picture this small man running
down the streetlike a little boy following a parade! Indeed, Zaccheus was
acting like a little child! He was a perfectexample of Jesus'words that
"whoeverdoes not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at
all.”(Lk 18:17-note)Much like the blind beggarBartimaeus who would not
stop calling out to Jesus "Have mercy on me," (Lk 18:38-39-note)Zaccheus'
zeal to see Jesus wouldnot be cooledby the crowdor curtailed by his short
stature. He was a man on a mission! As he climbed into the tree one canjust
see the crowd catcalling and mocking this short shyster sitting in the
sycamore!Zaccheus earnestlywantedsomething that religion could never
give him. In fact, far too often "religion" is the very hindrance that prevents
many proud men from seeking Jesus as He is passing by!
Spurgeon- Possiblyhe had not much respect, but he had greatcuriosity; he
would like to see the man about whom everybody was talking: “He sought to
see Jesus who he was.” Do you not see the little short man running in front of
the throng, and climbing up a tree that stoodin the way? Rich men do not
generallyclimb trees, but here was a man whose curiosityovercame his
dignity, so he “climbed up into a sycomore tree” Zacchaeus wentup into the
sycamore tree that he might see Jesus,but he was himself seenthere by Jesus;
and that, dear friends, is the first act in the process of salvation. Jesus looksat
us, and then we look at him.
Alexander Maclarenquipped "I wish there were more of us who did not mind
being laughed at if only what we did helped us to see Jesus!”
Brian Bell - Sycamore tree – Fig-mulberry tree. (leaves like mulberry, fruit
that of a fig) And this tree was about to bear fruit!!!

29. Guzik comments that Zaccheus "climbed the tree like a little boy, and without
knowing fulfilled Jesus’word that unless we become like children we will not
see the kingdom of God(Matthew 18:3 - "Truly I say to you, unless you are
convertedand become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven
[i.e., you will not be savedor obtain eternal life]." See Lk 18:15-17-note).
(Enduring Word Bible Commentary – Luke 19)
John Calvin wrote:“Curiosity and simplicity are a sort of preparation for
faith.” In other words Calvin is voicing what most commentators have said
about Zaccheus, that he was seekingJesus.Certainlyhe was curious ("trying
to see who Jesus was" Lk 19:3). We know from Scripture that no man seeks
for God(Ro 3:11-note), so if it was not out of curiosity, then it had to be
because the Spirit had urged him to do so. Jesus taught that "No one can
come to Me, unless the Fatherwho sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up
on the last day." (John 6:44). In John 6:65 Jesus said"no one can come to Me
unless it has been granted him from the Father." So here we can see the
Trinity involved in orchestrating Zaccheus'encounter with Jesus, the Father
drawing him through the inner working of the Spirit to seek the SonWho
ultimately was really the One seeking Zaccheus!Amazing grace indeed! God's
pursuit of Zaccheus reminds me of the poem by Francis Thompson (1859–
1907). Although Thompson was a followerof Christ, he struggledwith
poverty, poor health, and an addiction to opium (which in those days was sold
as an “over-the-counter” medication). In the depths of his despair, Thompson
describedhis flight from God
The Hound of Heaven
I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Thompson's long poem (the preceding stanza is only a small excerpt) ends
with the words that tell us the One from Whom the writer had been fleeing all
his days was GodWho says "Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest, Iam He Whom
thou seekest!" And so once again we see the "Hound of Heaven" saying as it
were to despisedZaccheus "I am He Whom thou seekest!" JohnStott wrote
the following words which any of us who now follow Christ could have
penned...
[My faith is] due to Jesus Christ himself, Who pursued me relentlessly
even when I was running awayfrom Him in order to go my own way.
And if it were not for the gracious pursuit of the Hound of Heaven I

30. would today be on the scrap-heapof wastedand discardedlives. (To
which I say "Amen")
As an aside lest you be offended by the metaphor of Godportrayed as a
"hound" as Stott explained "there are goodhounds as well as bad
hounds, and that speciallyadmirable are collies, which range the
ScottishHighlands in searchof lostsheep." In Psalm23:6 David wrote
"Surely goodness andmercy will follow me all the days of my life."
PastorRayStedman commenting on that passagewrote "Some quaint
commentatorhas said that those two words goodness andmercy (hesed)
are God's "sheep dogs". This is the Shepherd's Psalm. David wrote it
when he was but a lad, keeping sheep. In referring to the goodness and
mercy of God, he is referring to the sheepdogs that nip at the heels of
the flock and keepthem in line, driving them into place. "Surely
Goodness andMercy shall follow me all the days of my life," nipping at
my heels, humiliating me, turning me back from that which looks good
but is really evil, keeping me from getting what I think I need, and what
I think I want. But in the end we must name these what God names
them -- goodness andmercy!" Thank God that He did not give up, but
keepon pursuing us into the sheepfold of the Kingdom of God! (Read
Lk 15:3-7-note). And so we say with John "We love, because He first
loved us." (1 John 4:19-note).
Steven Cole adds "JohnCalvin notes “the astonishing kindness” of our Lord
who took the initiative to seek outthis notorious sinner from whom others
recoiledbefore there was any request on Zaccheus’part (Calvin’s
Commentaries). Charles Spurgeonsaid, “Christdoes not leave it to ourselves
to seek Him, or else it would be left indeed, for so vile is human nature that
although heaven be offered, and though hell thunder in our ears, yet there
never was, and there never will be, any man who, unconstrained by sovereign
grace, will run in the way of salvation, and so escape from hell and flee to
heaven." Thus if you are seeking Godtoday, you canknow that it is only
because ofthe Savior’s kindness in taking the initiative to seek youfirst."
Ray Pritchard - I submit something for your consideration. If you had takena
poll that day and asked, “Name the most hated man in Jericho,” Zaccheus
would have been named on 99% of the ballots. Virtually everybody would
have said, “This is the worstman in town.” And then you’d ask the second
question, “Who is the leastlikely person to want to see Jesus?”Zaccheus
would once again have been at the top of the list. People had written off this
crookedtax collectorlong ago. But when Jesus comes downhe sees a man up
a tree so desperate to see him. It’s the man everybody hates. Sometimes in our

31. effort to share the gospelwe get so discouraged. We think our friends and
loved ones are never going to listen. We try to share Christ at work. We try to
share Christ with our friends and our neighbors. We try to build bridges. We
try to getto know people who don ’t know the Lord. We get discouragedwhen
they don’t respond quickly. Sometimes they go months and years without
responding at all. We look at them and we conclude that they are hardened to
God. Zaccheus reminds us not to jump to hasty conclusions. If you had looked
on the outside you would have written him off because his societyhad written
him off. But in his heart, the Holy Spirit was working, waiting for the day
when Jesus would arrive. (Ibid)
J R Miller comments that "Nothing should ever be allowedto hinder us, in a
greatpurpose, especiallyin getting to see Jesus. Oftenone has to brave the
ridicule of others--but we should never let ridicule hinder us from doing our
duty and getting a blessing from Christ. We should not allow ourselves to be
laughed out of heaven. Zacchaeus overcame his littleness, by getting up into a
tree. Men must often overcome disadvantagesby expedients. Personal
disadvantages oftenbecome one's best blessings. The very effort to overcome
them, makes one a stronger, nobler man." (Zaccheus)
The sycamore tree is most likely the sycamore fig tree, Ficus sycomorus (not
the North American sycamore or European-Asian sycamore maple) which
grows in the NearEase (map), which grew up to 50 feet tall with broad low
branches (which Zaccheus would be able to graspand climb despite his short
stature - in this picture note the large size of the tree (Another picture in
Jericho - branches seemhigh for a little man!) - see cattle and people
walking!). A study in 2015 indicatedthat the sycamore tree was brought to
Israelby Philistines during the Iron Age (which lastedfrom about 1200 BC to
550 BC). Now think about this for a moment. Was this tree on the side of that
particular streetin Jericho by accidentor chance? Nota chance!Who created
this tree? Why did Godallow this tree to grow here at this time? What if the
tree had not been beside the road? What if it had been a palm tree insteadof a
sycamore knownfor its low hanging branches? (It is notable that Jericho was
known for its palm trees not its sycamore trees for Dt 34:3 calls it "the city of
palm trees"!) And so this blessedsycamore tree was no mere accidentof
"mother nature" beloved! It was the purposeful planting by Father God!
While you may think it a bit far fetched, it is clearthat God had already
provided a "front row" seatfor this little man who was seeking a big God!
Beloved, when a heart seeks the truth about God, the God of truth will make
certain that the seeking personencounters His truth as shown by this simple
strategicallyplacedsycamore tree!God was carrying out His sovereignplan

32. of redemption of little Zaccheus, eventhrough He was doing so in part
behind-the-scenes!And if you doubt that God was behind the scenes,
orchestrating the acts in this drama in Jericho. You might enjoy an incredible
book by DonRichardsonentitled "Eternity in their Hearts" which addresses
the question "Has the God Who prepared the Gospelfor all people groups
also prepared all people groups for the Gospel?" (cf Eccl3:11, Acts 17:27). It
is a truly fascinating book (read some reviews).
Beloved, do you believe that God is working "behind the scenes"in
your life? Well, He is, whether you believe it or not! God has not
"checkedout," regardless ofwhat you are experiencing. His is there. He
is working. His is active. He is loving and caring. And He promises to
complete the goodwork He has begun in you (Phil 1:6-note) and
ultimately is causing ALL things to work together for goodin your life
(Ro 8:28-note, cf Joseph's testimony to this truth in Ge 50:20). Let the
truth of the doctrine of divine providence permeate your heart and
mind, for as Jesus promised, you will know the truth and the truth will
setyou free! (Jn 8:31, 32) This is the blessedbenefit of God's
providence. As you read through the Bible, considerplacing a "P" in
your Bible margin when the Spirit illuminates some aspectof God's
providence, a truth which saturates the pages ofScripture from Genesis
to Revelation. You could begin by placing a "P" by Luke 19:4 where
Zaccheus just happened to find a sycamore tree to climb so he could
encounter the Lord of Creation! Beloved, you can mark it down as an
absolute truth that God is always behind the scenes andcontrols the
scenes He is behind! See study of the Providence of God
Sycamore (4809)(sukomorea fromsukon = fig + moron = mulberry) means a
fig-mulberry tree, a sycamore fig. Used only here in the Bible. Different than
the "sycamine tree" in Lk 17:6. It may be that Luke is displaying his interests
as a physician for these trees were the sources fortwo different medicines (A.
T. Robertson).
Brian Bell - Columnist Herb Caenwrote in the San FranciscoChronicle:
"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster
than the fastestlion or it will be killed. Every morning alion wakes up. It
knows it must outrun the slowestgazelle orit will starve to death. It doesn't
matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle;when the sun comes up, you'd
better be running." Spurgeonwrote likewise:"If you are not seeking the
Lord, the Devil is seeking you. If you are not seeking the Lord, judgment is at
your heels." In the pursuit of the Christian life, it's not enough simply to wake

33. up & visit church. You are called to run to Jesus!Zaccheus was a man who
ran to see whoJesus was!
Brian Bill - Zack did not allow anything, not the crowdor his condition, to
stand betweenhim and his desire to see the Lord Jesus. Whatabout you? Do
you care enoughabout the condition of your soul to pay whateverprice is
necessaryto be right with God? Are you willing to turn from that little pet
sin? Are you ready to walk awayfrom the crowdin order to see Jesus?Are
you ready to run to Him?
Luke 19:5 When Jesus came to the place, He lookedup and said to him,
"Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house."
• He lookedup and said to him: Ps 139:1-3 Eze 16:6 Joh 1:48 4:7-10
• Zaccheus, hurry and come down: Ec 9:10 2Co 6:1
• for today I must stay at your house: Lu 19:10 Ge 18:3-5 19:1-3 Ps
101:2,3 Joh14:23 Eph 3:17 Heb 13:2 Rev 3:20
• Luke 19 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
• Luke 19:1-10 Why Jesus Came - StevenCole
• Luke 19:1-10 A Sinner Meets a Seeking Savior, Part1 - John
MacArthur
• Luke 19:1-10 A Sinner Meets a Seeking Savior, Part2 - John
MacArthur
• Luke 19:1-10 Jesus:The Seeking Savior, Part2 - John MacArthur
ZACCHEUS THE SEEKER IS
SOUGHT BY THE SEEKING SAVIOR!
When Jesus came to the place, He lookedup - Notice that while Zaccheus was
looking for Jesus, but in actual factJesus was looking for Zaccheus!Jesus
makes eye contactwith Zaccheus which is amazing considering that he was
only one of a large multitude who were following Jesus. Jesus knows His sheep
and He spotted one in a sycamore tree!In John 10:14 Jesus said"I am the
goodshepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me."
Bell - Though Jesus was surrounded by a greatcrowd of people, Jesus took
time for individuals,…He evensaw a man up a tree! Wait! Who found who?
(maybe this story will help) There was a man who had a hunting dog for that
he loved dearly. One time while out hunting they were separated. No matter
how loud the master whistled the dog would not come. The man had an
appointment in town & needed to leave. Would he ever see his bestfriend
again? He did a trick an old trainer told him. He took off his coat& the

34. removed his tee-shirt & placedhis shirt on the ground under some small
branches of a bush. The man returned the next day to find his dog cuddled up
on the tee-shirt, with his nose under the sleeve. Who found who? – The dog
sniffed out the scentof the master& waited, but it was the Masterwho
returned to seek & save the dog. (Brian Bell)
Edersheim describes the scene - "Those eyes,out of which heaven seemedto
look upon earth, were upturned, and that face of infinite grace, never to be
forgotten, beamed upon him the welcome of recognition, and He uttered the
invitation in which the invited was the realInviter, the guestthe true Host".
What the Bible teaches - Adam hid among the trees, but Zacchaeus was not
hiding but seeking.
Looked(308)(anablepo from ana = up, again+ blepo = to look, to perceive
and so discern) means to look up or direct one's vision upward (Of Jesus
"looking up towardheaven, He blessedthe food," = Mt 14:19; Mk 6:41,Lk
9:16; Of Jesus "andlooking up to heaven with a deep sigh" = Mk 7:34, Of
man who regainedhis sight "he lookedup and said, “I see men..." = Mk 8:24;
"at that very time I lookedup at him" = Acts 22:13)To regainone's sight or
recoverfrom blindness and thus see again("the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT" =
Mt 11:5; "“Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!” = Mk 10:51; "so that he
might regain his sight" = Acts 9:12, 17,18). Ofone born blind anablepo means
to gain sight, become able to see, receive sight(" I went awayand washed, and
I receivedsight.” = Jn 9:11, 15, 18).
Gilbrant - Three basic uses of anablepō are found among classicalwriters:“to
look up,” “to see again, regainsight,” and metaphorically “to revive.”
“Looking up” is particularly a mark of confidence (Liddell-Scott). (The
Complete Biblical Library Greek-EnglishDictionary)
Anablepo - 25x in 23v - looked(4), looking(5), receive...sight(2), receive
sight(2), received...sight(2), receivedsight(2), regainhis sight(1),
regain...sight(3), regained...sight(4).
Matt. 11:5; Matt. 14:19;Matt. 20:34;Mk. 6:41; Mk. 7:34; Mk. 8:24;
Mk. 10:51; Mk. 10:52; Mk. 16:4; Lk. 7:22; Lk. 9:16; Lk. 18:41;Lk.
18:42;Lk. 18:43;Lk. 19:5; Lk. 21:1; Jn. 9:11; Jn. 9:15; Jn. 9:18; Acts
9:12; Acts 9:17; Acts 9:18; Acts 22:13
Anablepo - 35x in 34v in the Septuagint - Most are translations of a form of
nāsâ’, “to lift, be exalted.” Normally this concerns merely “raising one’s eyes”
to look at something (e.g., Ge 13:14;18:2; Ex 14:10; Dt 3:27). “Looking into
heaven,” however, canindicate “considering God” (Isa 8:21), for God is the
Creatorof the heavens and stars (Ge 15:5; Isa 40:26)

35. Gen. 13:14;Gen. 15:5; Gen. 18:2; Gen. 22:4; Gen. 22:13;Gen. 24:63;
Gen. 24:64;Gen. 31:12;Gen. 32:1; Gen. 33:1; Gen. 33:5; Gen. 37:25;
Gen. 43:29;Exod. 14:10;Deut. 3:27; Deut. 4:19; Jos. 5:13;Jdg. 19:17;1
Sam. 14:27;Job 22:26;Job 35:5; Isa. 8:21; Isa. 40:26;Isa. 42:18; Ezek.
8:5; Dan. 8:3; Joel1:20; Zech. 5:5
Pritchard - Whenever Jesus calls a person by name, something is about to
happen. Our Lord never uses anybody’s name in vain.... If you like to write
words in the margin of your Bible, write beside verse 5 the word “Grace.”
Beside verse 6, write the word “Faith.” “So he came down and welcomedhim
gladly.” This is the doctrine of the free grace ofGod. This is the story of what
salvationis all about....Zaccheus is up in a tree. He’s interestedin Jesus. He’s
watching and here comes Jesus. He stops and he calls him by name and says,
“Zaccheus, come ondown.” That’s the grace of God. That’s where salvation
begins. Listen, Zaccheus had nothing with which to recommend himself to
God. Zaccheus had done nothing to deserve an invitation from the Master.
Zaccheus was the worstman in the city. And that’s the man that Jesus singles
out. That’s the unmerited grace of God. “Zaccheus, Zaccheus, youwickedold
tax collector. Come ondown. We’re going to eatsupper together.” That’s the
grace ofGod and the Bible says that “Zaccheus came ondown and he
receivedhim gladly.” That’s the human response to the grace of God. That’s
what salvationis. Zaccheus had nothing to recommend himself to Jesus. He
had done nothing goodin his past, nothing at all.Do you want to know how to
be born again? When Jesus calls you, answerhim gladly. How do you know
when he calls? Believe me, you’ll know it when you hear his voice speaking to
your heart. When you want to leave your life of sin, when you are ready, come
on down and receive him gladly. You say, “I’m not goodenough.” Neither was
Zaccheus. “I’ve been a bad man.” Zaccheus was bad too. “I’m an outcast.” So
was Zaccheus. He’s the man that Jesus pickedout. Salvation made simple.
“Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.” This is a wonderful
picture of the grace ofGod saving the worstof sinners. (Ibid)
He lookedup and said to him, "Zaccheus -How did Jesus know who Zaccheus
was? While Scripture tells us that Jesus laid aside His divine prerogatives
(Php 2:6-7-note), it is clearthat He was still able to discernthe hearts of men
(cf Mt 9:4, 12:25, Mt 16:7-8, Lk 5:22-note, Lk 6:8-note, Lk 9:46-note, etc), and
obviously He knew not only Zacchesus'heartbut his name. And He knows
your name also beloved! If Zaccheus could have sung at this moment, here is a
song he might have sung - "He Knows My Name." In factin the book of the
Revelationof Jesus Christ, Jesus promises that overcomers (aka, believers -cf

36. 1 Jn 5:4-5-note) will receive a new name that only God and we know (Rev
2:17-note).
Spurgeon- Oh, how astonishedmust the little Jew have been when he heard
Christ’s words! Neverwas a man so takenwith surprise before, but with the
word there came a divine softness into the heart of the chief of the publicans,
and he yielded to that singularly condescending invitation, that strangely
unexpected command.
The IVP Bible BackgroundCommentary – Jewishpeople normally
consideredthe ability to call the name of someone one had never met—as
Jesus does here with Zacchaeus—tobe the sort of thing that only a prophet
could do.
Children's song has this line "Zaccheus, youCome Down!"
Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house - Notice
who speaks first. The rich young ruler spoke first as did the blind beggarbut
that was not the case in this divine encounter. To be sure Zaccheus was
seeking Jesus, but Jesus takes the initiative and speaks first. He is
demonstrating the essence of Lk 19:10 showing that He came to seek and to
save the lost! And this is a fascinating request from Jesus who is requesting a
time of personalfellowship with Zaccheus!The Lord of the Universe did not
say He would LIKE to stay, but that He MUST stay (and it is in the present
tense)! It was the MUST of divine necessity!Can you imagine the joy in
Zaccheus'heart (cf "gladly" in Lk 19:6). Zaccheus had come to see Jesus and
his earnestdesire to see Jesus yieldedfar more than he could have askedor
thought, which can be every believer's experience (cf Eph 3:20-note). On the
other hand imagine the shock and horror of the crowd at hearing Jesus
address this vermin!
RecallanotherMUST in John 4:4 that spoke ofdivine necessity. This one
could easily be overlookedbecausethe translations do not use the word
"MUST" (with exceptionof the KJV). John records "And he must needs go
through Samaria.( Jn 4:4KJV) Why was this a MUST for Jesus? ClearlyHe
had a divine appointment with the Samaritan woman at the well, an
appointment which resulted not only in her salvation(as it did with
Zaccheus), but also brought about the salvationof many of the Samaritans in
the nearby village (John 4:29, 40-41)who came to "know that this One is
indeed the Savior of the world.” (John 4:42)
Steven Cole comments "On severalother occasions,Jesus acceptedthe
hospitality of others, but this is the only recordedinstance where He invited
Himself to someone’s house. He was going after Zaccheus personally. Jesus

37. does not callthe mass of humanity to Himself, hoping againsthope that
somehow, somewhere, someone willrespond and come to Him. Rather, He
calls individuals by name and His call is effectual—itpowerfully accomplishes
His purpose. He saw Matthew sitting in his tax office and said, “Follow Me.”
He left everything behind and began following Jesus (Lu 5:27). He saw Peter
and Andrew fishing and said, “Follow Me.” Immediately they left their nets
and followedHim. Shortly after, He saw James and John mending their nets
and He called them. They also immediately left the boat and their father and
followedHim (Mt 4:18-22). Have you had that experience, where the Spirit of
God was dealing with your soul? Perhaps you were listening to a sermon and
you felt that it was aimed directly at you. Jesus was calling you very
personally and individually. Perhaps even now you can hear the Savior calling
you by name and saying, “Follow Me.” JesusChrist seeksthe lost individually
by name and calls them into a personalrelationship with Himself."
Jesus'requestreminds me of His words in Revelation3:20-note "Behold, I
stand at the door and knock;if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I
will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me." Zaccheus heard
His voice and openedthe door of not just his home but his heart! Can you
imagine that evening with Jesus!Surely (in my opinion) we will be able to
hear about this once in a lifetime experience from Zaccheus himself in eternity
future!
Must (1163)(dei from deo = to bind) refers to what is not optional but needful
(binding) out of intrinsic necessity. Deirefers to inward constraint regarding
that which is under necessityofhappening. This was a "divine appointment"
that MUST take place. So why did Jesus say"I MUST stay?" Must speaks of
something that should not be overlookedormissed. Jesus was on a mission to
seek and save the lost (Lk 19:10)and Zaccheus was lostbut would soonbe
found! StevenCole paraphrases Jesus as saying "I am going to be the guestof
a greatsinner because thatis the express reasonI came to this earth as the
Son of Man: to seek and to save those who are lost in sin.”
J R Miller - Jesus calledhim. He knew his name. Whereveryou are, Jesus
knows you are there, and knows your name. He knows also what is in your
heart--He sees the desire there. He called Zacchaeus by name. Bible
invitations rain down on the earth for everybody; yet when one touches your
ear and heart--you hear your own name spokenwith it and know that you are
personally called. Jesus askedZacchaeusto come down from the tree. He
wanted to meet him. He is always calling people to come down, to get nearer
to Him. It is a lowly place where Jesus stands to receive sinners, a place of

38. self-abasement, ofpenitence. Zacchaeus was bidden to come down in haste.
There is always haste in Christ's calls.
Butler summarizes the characterof the call - This call was sucha blessing to
Zaccheus. First, a gracious call. "WhenJesus came to the place, he lookedup,
and saw him [Zaccheus]." (Luke 19:5). This was all of grace. There was no
merit whatever in Zaccheus for Christ to save him. He was a sinner worthy of
condemnation. But all calls to salvationare gracious, fornone deserve it.
Second, an urgent call. "Make haste andcome down" (Luke 19:5). The
Gospelis always urgent. Salvationis needed now. Delay canled to eternal
disaster. Third, a humbling call. "Come down" (Luke 19:5). True, this
command referred to Zaccheus'perch in a tree. But it was symbolic of the
humbleness that the call would entail. Salvationis humbling. It requires the
person to acknowledge thathe is a sinner and that Jesus is Lord. Fourth, a
personalcall. "Zaccheus... Imust abide at thy house" (Luke 19:5). Salvation is
personal. We are not savedby proxy. Baptism for the dead is a fraud. To be
savedyou must have a personalencounter with Jesus Christ. (Analytical Bible
Expositor- Analytical Bible Expositor – Luke)
• Luke 19:5 EffectualCalling - C.H. Spurgeon
Called By Name
Read:Luke 19:1-10
[Jesus]lookedup and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and
come down, for today I must stay at your house.” —Luke 19:5
At the beginning of the academic year, a schoolprincipal in our city pledged
to learn the names of all 600 students in her school. Anyone who doubted her
ability or resolve could look at her track record. During the previous year she
had learned the names of 700 students, and prior to that, 400 children in a
different school. Think of what it must have meant to these students to be
recognizedand greetedby name.
The story of Zacchaeus and Jesus (Luke 19:1-10)contains a surprising
element of personalrecognition. As Jesus passedthrough the city of Jericho, a
wealthy tax collectornamed Zacchaeus climbed a tree in order to see Him.
“When Jesus came to the place, He lookedup and saw him, and said to him,
‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house’”
(v.5). Instead of ignoring Zacchaeus orsaying “Hey, you in the tree,” Jesus
calledhim by name. From that moment on, his life beganto change.

39. When it seems that no one knows you or cares who you are, remember Jesus.
He knows us by name and longs for us to know Him in a personal way. Our
Father in heaven sees us through His eyes of love and cares aboutevery detail
of our lives.
Father, thank You that my value in Your eyes is not
determined by what I do but simply by the fact that
You createdme. Help me to recognize that same
value in others as I representYou to the world.
Jesus knows youby name and longs for you to know Him.
By David C. McCasland(Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand
Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
He Knows Your Name
Read:Luke 19:1-10
O Lord, You have searchedme and known me. —Psalm139:1
What did they callZacchaeus in his hometown of Jericho? Mostfolks
recognizedhim as the chief tax collector. The Romans may have identified
him with a number. He was merely one cog in the huge machine that brought
revenues pouring into Rome. Zealots in Israelspoke of him as a traitor
because he had sold out to the enemy. Others in the community may have
calledhim names behind his back.
Yet Jesus, whenHe passedthrough the village, calledZacchaeus by his name.
Looking up into the leafy tree where the little man was perched, Jesus said,
“Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house”
(Lk. 19:5). Although the two men had never met, Jesus calledhim by name.
Hearing our own name spokenmeans that we are known. When Zacchaeus
heard Jesus speak his name, it had a dramatic impact on him. It led to such a
remarkable transformation that he promised to give half of his goods to the
poor and to make restitution to those he had cheated(v.8).
God knows you intimately. He is keenly interestedin your life. How you
respond to Him will determine what you live for on this earth. It will also
determine where you will spend eternity. It’s your call.
'Tis not that I did choose Thee,
For, Lord, that could not be;
This heart would still refuse Thee—
But Thou hast chosenme. —Conder

40. The Creatorknows you well; do you know Him at all?
By Haddon W. Robinson(Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries,
Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
Rabbit-Hole Christians
Read:Luke 19:1-10
Jesus . . . said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I
must stay at your house." —Luke 19:5
Rabbits are timid creatures that pop out of their holes every morning, try to
avoid everything (except other rabbits), eattheir food, and jump back into
their holes in the evening. “Whew!We made it through anotherday,” they’d
say if they could talk.
Rabbit-hole Christians are a lot like that. They eat lunch with other
Christians at work and relate almost exclusivelywith fellow-believers in their
church. They avoid socializing with unbelievers and wouldn’t think of
accepting an invitation to one of their parties. No wonder unbelievers equate
being a Christian with a kind of aloofself-righteousness.
No one could say that about Jesus. He actually invited Himself to the home of
Zacchaeus, a notorious tax collector. His congenialityamong disreputable
people earnedHim the title of “a friend of tax collectors andsinners”
(Matthew 11:19). He reachedout to such people because He knew He couldn’t
help them without becoming their friend. Jesus neversaid anything He
shouldn’t have said, nor did He laugh at off-colorstories. He won people’s
respectby caring for them.
Jesus has equipped us with the Holy Spirit and assuredus that He’ll be with
us so we can follow His example. Let’s guard againstbeing rabbit-hole
Christians.
Help us, O Lord, to live our lives
So people clearly see
Reflections ofYour caring heart,
Your love and purity. —Sper
Jesus leaves us in the world to be a witness to the world.
By Herbert Vander Lugt (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries,
Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

41. Come Sit a Spell
Read:Luke 19:1–9
Zacchaeus, come downimmediately. I must stay at your house today. Luke
19:5
When I was a kid, our family made a monthly excursionfrom Ohio to West
Virginia to visit my maternal grandparents. Every time we arrived at the door
of their farmhouse, Grandma Lester would greetus with the words, “Come
on in and sit a spell.” It was her way of telling us to make ourselves
comfortable, stay a while, and share in some “catching-up” conversation.
Life can getpretty busy. In our action-orientedworld, it’s hard to get to know
people. It’s tough to find time to ask someone to “sit a spell” with us. We can
get more done if we text eachother and getright to the point.
Get to know someone to make a difference in their life.
But look at what Jesus did when He wantedto make a difference in the life of
a tax collector. He went to Zacchaeus’s house to “sit a spell.” His words, “I
must stay at your house” indicate that this was no quick stopover(Luke 19:5).
Jesus spenttime with him, and Zacchaeus’slife was turned around because of
this time with Jesus.
On the front porch of my grandmother’s house were severalchairs—a warm
invitation to all visitors to relax and talk. If we’re going to get to know
someone and to make a difference in their life—as Jesus did for Zacchaeus—
we need to invite them to “come sit a spell.”
DearLord, as I look around at those who share this life with me, help me to
make time to spend with them—for encouragement, challenge,and perhaps
just plain conversation.
The best gift you can give to others may be your time.
By Dave Branon|
INSIGHT Forgenerations, the government of ancient Rome commissioned
generals to conquer and colonize people of various cultures and locations. In
governing these conqueredpeople, Rome enlisted the service of the publicani,
who are called publicans or tax collectors in Scripture. These publicans were
often consideredboth traitors to their own people and collaborators with the
occupying forces, andthey would often tax more revenue than required in
order to line their own pockets. Today’s reading bears significantmeaning
because it shows how even a hated publican like Zacchaeus received
forgiveness and redemption through Christ. As a result of his repentance,

42. Zacchaeus reimbursed those he had cheatedfour times the amount he had
taken. (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. —
Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
Luke 19:6 And he hurried and came down and receivedHim gladly.
• And he hurried and came down: Lu 2:16 Ge 18:6,7 Ps 119:59,60Ga
1:15,16
• receivedHim gladly: Lu 5:29 Isa 64:5 Ac 2:41 16:15,34
• Luke 19 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
• Luke 19:1-10 Why Jesus Came - StevenCole
• Luke 19:1-10 A Sinner Meets a Seeking Savior, Part1 - John
MacArthur
• Luke 19:1-10 A Sinner Meets a Seeking Savior, Part2 - John
MacArthur
• Luke 19:1-10 Jesus:The Seeking Savior, Part2 - John MacArthur
ZACCHEUS RESPONDSIMMEDIATELY
RECEIVING JESUS AND JOY
And he hurried and came down - Zaccheus' alacrity is a vivid picture of his
genuine desire to meet Jesus. No hesitation. No debating. No procrastinating.
Zaccheus is a man in motion on a mission for in Lk 19:4 we saw him running
and here we see him hurrying! In consenting to Jesus'requestto come down
he shows a submissive spirit. Notice also that when Jesus called, it was as if the
"RedSea" opened, for this time Zaccheus had no difficulty getting through
the crowd(except for their murmuring)!
J R Miller - He did not hesitate an instant. If he had done so--he would have
lost his opportunity, for Jesus was onlypassing through, and soonwould have
been out of sight. A moment's lingering and indecision, and He would have
been gone, and Zacchaeus would have been left unblessed. That is the way
thousands of people respond, who hear Christ's call. They defer obeying, and
then the opportunity is soonpassed.
Hurried (made haste, quickly)(4692)(speudo)means to do something quickly
or in a hurry, hasten, make haste. The picture is of quick movement in the
interests of a person or cause, usually reflecting eagerness, anda strong desire
in carrying out of a matter. This definition perfectly describes Zaccheus'heart
attitude.
Steven Cole comments "It’s not easyto hurry down out of a tree, but Jesus
told him to hurry! And, Zaccheus “hurried and came down” (Lu 19:6). I don’t

43. know if he jumped or whether he scratchedhimself on the branches as he
climbed down. But he didn’t waste any time.Neither should you! The Bible
says, “Now is the day of salvation” (2Co 6:2). It says, “Todayif you hear His
voice, do not harden your hearts” (Heb 4:7). You may not have tomorrow. If
you put off responding to Christ’s call, you may be in hell tomorrow. Even if
you getscratchedup, hurry down from that tree!
ReceivedHim gladly - To where? His home? Certainly true! But what about
his heart? Certainly likely considering subsequent events (see the discussionof
the rootverb dechomai below).It recalls to mind John 1:12-13 ("received"
here is lambano) - "But as many as receivedHim, to them He gave the right to
become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13who were
born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of
God." I like the literal reading that Zaccheus "receivedHim rejoicing" where
rejoicing is in the present tense indicating Zaccheus was continually rejoicing!
As Cole says "when the reality of God’s grace floods your soul, greatjoy will
be your response." ContrastZaccheus'joywith the rich young ruler's sadness
(Lk 18:23-note). Zaccheus'reactionis more like that of the blind beggar
Bartimaeus who when he "regainedhis sight...beganfollowing Him, glorifying
(praising) God (Lk 18:43).
Spurgeon- A greatchange had been suddenly wrought in him; the opening of
the blind man’s eyes was not at all more remarkable than the renewing of the
heart of Zacchaeus:“He made haste, and came down, and receivedhim
joyfully.”
Received(5264)(hupodechomai from hupo = under + dechomai = receive,
welcome)means to welcome, receive,entertainas a guest. The idea is to
receive one hospitably as Rahab the harlot "receivedthe messengers"which
was "fruit" in keeping with her repentance and which attestedto the
genuineness ofher justification by faith through grace (Jas 2:25-note).
Hupodechomai describes Martha who "welcomed" Jesus into her home
(much like Zaccheus did) (Lk 10:38-note)and Jasonwho "welcomed" Paul
and his companions (Acts 17:7-note). The rootverb dechomai is used 4 times
in Mt 10:40 where Jesus declares that“He who receives you (speaking to His
disciples)receives (dechomai)Me, and he who receives (dechomai)Me
receives (dechomai)Him who sentMe." In Luke 18:17-note Jesus said“Truly
I say to you, whoeverdoes not receive (dechomai)the kingdom of God like a
child will not enter it at all.” In short, Zaccheus welcomedJesus notonly into
his home but also into his heart and as a result he receivedeternal life, the
very thing the rich young ruler had zealouslysought from Jesus but failed to
receive because ofhis fatal "heart condition" (idolatry) (Lk 18:17, 24-note)!

44. D L Moody on receivedHim gladly - DID you ever hear of any one receiving
Christ in any other way? He receivedHim joyfully. Christ brings joy with
Him. Sin, gloom, and darkness flee away;light, peace, andjoy burst into the
soul.
Gladly (joyfully)(5463)(chairo)is a verb which means to be "cheer" full, to be
glad, with the verbal participle used as an adverb with other verbs to mean
gladly, with joy, joyfully, as in this passage. Chairo is used to describe the
magi "When they saw the star (that led them to Jesus - Mt 2:9), they rejoiced
(chairo) exceedinglywith greatjoy." (Mt 2:10)
Joy (rejoice)is a "keyword" in the Gospelof Luke and is frequently
mentioned as a response to what Godwas doing. Here are all the uses related
to joy in Luke:
Lk. 1:14; Lk. 1:28; Lk 1:44, Lk 1:47; Lk 2:10, Lk. 6:23; Lk 8:13 Lk
10:17, Lk 10:20; Lk. 13:17; Lk. 15:5; Lk. 15:5, 7, 32; Lk. 19:6; Lk.
19:37;Lk. 22:5; Lk. 23:8; Lk 24:41, 52
Alfred Edersheim- As bidden by Christ, Zacchaeus ‘made haste and came
down.’ Under the gracious influence of the Holy Ghost (cf Gal 5:22-note =
"the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy...")he ‘receivedHim rejoicing.’Nothing
was as yet clearto him, and yet all was joyous within his soul. In that dim
twilight of the new day, and at this new creation(cf " if anyone is in Christ, he
is a new creature;the old things passedaway;behold, new things have come"
= 2 Cor 5:17-note), the Angels sang and the Sons of God shouted together(cf
"there is joy in the presence ofthe angels of God over one sinner who
repents.” = Lk 15:10-note), and all was melody and harmony in his heart.
(The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah)
Luke's uses of chairo (Gospeland Acts)...
Lk. 1:14; Lk. 1:28; Lk. 6:23; Lk. 10:20; Lk. 13:17;Lk. 15:5; Lk. 15:32;
Lk. 19:6; Lk. 19:37; Lk. 22:5; Lk. 23:8; Acts 5:41; Acts 8:39; Acts
11:23;Acts 13:48; Acts 15:23;Acts 15:31; Acts 23:26;
Luke uses this verb and the noun chara 9x to describe the attitude that
accompanies saving faith. Those who have been born againshould radiate a
specialjoy and why not, because the Spirit now bears witness with their spirit
that they are truly Children of the King and have have inherited eternallike
in His Kingdom. That is goodnews worth shouting about. And notice how
quickly Zaccheus obeyedhis Master's voice - this rich tax collectorhumbled
himself and became an obedient child who "hurried and (came) down and
receivedHim gladly.'' Our actions speak louder than our words!Zaccheus did

45. not just say he believed in Messiah. He obeyedMessiahin spite of the catcalls
from the crowdof self-righteous religious hypocrites!
David Guzik - Zacchaeus is a model to everyone of how to receive Jesus:
• Receive Jesusby seeking afterHim with real effort.
• Receive Jesusby humbling yourself.
• Receive Jesusno matter how sinful or hated you are.
• Receive Jesusas He invites you by name.
• Receive Jesuswithout delay.
• Receive Jesusby coming down to Him.
• Receive JesusHimself.
• Receive Jesusinto your life, your home.
• Receive Jesusjoyfully.
• Receive Jesusdespite what other say.
• Receive Jesuswith repentance and restitution
(Enduring Word Bible Commentary – Luke 19)
EffectualCalling (Irresistible Grace)
“When Jesus came to the place, He lookedup and saw him and said
unto him, Zaccheus, make haste and come down; for today must I abide
at your house.”
Luke 19:5
Notwithstanding our firm belief that you are, for the most part, well
instructed in the doctrines of the everlasting Gospel, we are continually
reminded in our conversationwith young converts how absolutely necessaryit
is to repeat our former lessons and repeatedlyassertand prove over and over
againthose doctrines which lie at the basis of our holy religion. Our friends,
therefore, who have many years ago been taught the greatdoctrine of
effectualcalling, will believe that while I preachvery simply this morning, the
sermon is intended for those who are young in the fearof the Lord, that they
may better understand this greatstarting point of God in the heart, the
effectualcalling of men by the Holy Spirit.
I shall use the case ofZaccheus as a greatillustration of the doctrine of
effectualcalling. You remember the story. Zaccheus had a curiosity to see the
wonderful man, Jesus Christ, who was turning the world upside down and

46. causing an immense excitement in the minds of men. We sometimes find fault
with curiosity and say it is sinful to come to the house of God from that
motive. I am not quite sure that we should hazard such an assertion. The
motive is not sinful, though certainly it is not virtuous–yet it has often been
proved that curiosity is one of the best allies of grace. Zaccheus, movedby this
motive, desired to see Christ–but there were two obstacles in the way–first,
there was such a crowdof people that he could not get near the Savior.
Second, he was so exceedinglyshort in stature that there was no hope of his
reaching over people’s heads to catcha glimpse of Him.
What did he do? He did as the boys were doing–forthe boys of old times were
no doubt just like the boys of the presentage–theywere perched up in the
boughs of the tree to look at Jesus as He passedalong. Elderly man though he
is, Zaccheus jumps up and there he sits among the children. The boys are too
much afraid of that stern old Publican, whom their fathers dreaded, to push
him down or cause him any inconvenience. Look at him there. With what
anxiety he is peeping down to see which is Christ–forthe Savior had no
pompous distinction. No one is walking before Him with a silver mace. He did
not hold a goldencrozier in His hand–He had no pontifical dress. In fact, He
was just dressedlike those around Him. He had a coatlike that of a common
peasant, made of one piece from top to bottom. Zaccheus could scarcely
distinguish Him. However, before he has caughta sight of Christ, Christ has
fixed His eye upon him and standing under the tree, He looks up and says,
“Zaccheus, make haste and come down; for today I must abide at your
house.” Downcomes Zaccheus.Christ goes to his house. Zaccheus becomes
Christ’s followerand enters into the kingdom of Heaven.
Now, first, effectualcalling is a very gracious Truth of God. You may guess
this from the fact that Zaccheus was a characterwhom we should suppose the
last to be saved. He belongedto a bad city–Jericho–acity which had been
cursed and no one would suspectthat anyone would come out of Jericho to be
saved. It was near Jericho that the man fell among thieves–we trust Zaccheus
had no hand in it–but there are some who, while they are Publicans, can be
thieves, also. We might as well expectconverts from St. Giles’s, or the lowest
parts of London, from the worstand vilest dens of infamy, as from Jericho in
those days.
Ah, my Brethren, it matters not where you come from–you may come from
one of the dirtiest streets, one of the worstback slums in London–if effectual
grace calls you, it is an effectualcall, which knows no distinction of place.
Zaccheus also was ofan exceedinglybad trade and probably cheatedthe
people in order to enrich himself. Indeed, when But, my Brethren, grace

47. knows no distinction. It is no respecterof persons. Godcalls whom He wills
and He called this worst of Publicans, in the worstof cities, from the worstof
trades. Besides, Zaccheuswas one who was the leastlikely to be saved because
he was rich. It is true, rich and poor are welcome–no one has the leastexcuse
for despairbecause ofhis condition–yet it is a fact that “not many greatmen”
after the flesh, “not many mighty” are called, but “Godhas chosenthe poor of
this world–rich in faith.”
But even here grace knows no distinction. The rich Zaccheus is called from
the tree. Downhe comes and he is saved. I have thought it one of the greatest
instances of God’s condescensionthat He can look down on man. But I will
tell you there was a greatercondescensionthan that when Christ lookedup to
see Zaccheus. ForGodto look down on His creatures–thatis mercy–but for
Christ so to humble Himself that He has to look up to one of His own
creatures–thatbecomesmercy, indeed!
Ah, many of you have climbed up the tree of your own goodworks and
perched yourselves in the branches of your holy actions and are trusting in the
free will of the poor creature, or resting in some worldly maxim. Nevertheless,
Christ looks up even to proud sinners and calls them down. “Come down,”
says He, “today I must abide at your house.” Had Zaccheus been a humble-
minded man, sitting by the wayside, or at the feetof Christ, we should then
have admired Christ’s mercy. But here he is lifted up and Christ looks up to
him and bids him come down.
Next it was a personalcall. There were boys in the tree as wellas Zaccheus
but there was no mistake about the personwho was called. It was, “Zaccheus,
make haste and come down.” There are other calls mentioned in Scripture. It
is said especially, “Manyare called, but few are chosen.” Now that is not the
effectualcall which is intended by the Apostle when he said, “Whom He
called, them He also justified.” That is a generalcallwhich many men, yes, all
men reject, unless there comes after it the personal, particular call, which
makes us Christians. You will bear me witness that it was a personalcall that
brought you to the Savior. It was some sermon which led you to feel that you
were, no doubt, the personintended.
The text, perhaps, was “You, God, see me.” And perhaps the minister laid
particular stress onthe word “me,” so that you thought God’s eyes were fixed
upon you. And before the sermonwas concluded you thought you saw God
open the books to condemn you and your heart whispered, “Canany hide
himself in secretplaces that I shall not see him? says the Lord.” You might
have been perched in the window, or stoodpackedin the aisle–butyou had a

48. solemn convictionthat the sermon was preachedto you and not to other
people. God does not callHis people in shoals but in units.
“Jesus saidunto her, Mary; and she turned and said unto him, Rabboni,
which is to say, Master.” JesusseesPeterand John fishing by the lake and He
says to them, “Follow Me.” He sees Matthew sitting at the table at the receipt
of custom and He says unto him, “Arise and follow Me,” and Matthew did so.
When the Holy Spirit comes home to a man, God’s arrow goes into his heart–
it does not graze his helmet, or make some little mark upon his armor–it
penetrates betweenthe joints of the harness, entering the marrow of the soul.
Have you felt, dear Friends, that personalcall? Do you remember when a
voice said, “Arise, He calls you.” Can you look back to when you said, “My
Lord, my God”–whenyou knew the Spirit was striving with you and you said,
“Lord, I come to You, for I know that You call me”? I might callthe whole of
you throughout eternity but if God call one, there will be more effectthrough
His personalcallof one than my generalcallof multitudes.
Thirdly, it is a hastening call. “Zaccheus,make haste.” The sinner, when he is
calledby the ordinary ministry, replies, “Tomorrow.”He hears a telling
sermon and he says, “I will turn to God by-and-by.” The tears roll down his
cheek but they are wiped away. Some goodness appears but like the cloud of
the morning it is dissipated by the sun of temptation. He says, “I solemnly vow
from this time to be a reformed man. After I have once more indulged in my
darling sin I will renounce my lusts and decide for God.” Ah, that is only a
minister’s calland is goodfor nothing. Hell, they say, is paved with good
intentions. These goodintentions are begottenby generalcalls.
The road to perdition is laid all over with branches of the trees whereonmen
are sitting, for they often pull down branches from the trees but they do not
come down themselves. The straw laid down before a sick man’s door causes
the wheels to roll more noiselessly. So there are some who strew their path
with promises of repentance and so go more easilyand noiselesslydown to
perdition. But God’s call is not a callfor tomorrow. “Todayif you will hear
His voice, harden not your hearts:as in the provocation, when your fathers
tempted Me.” God’s grace always comes withdispatch–and if you are drawn
by God, you will run after God and not be talking about delays. Tomorrow–it
is not written in the almanac of time.
Tomorrow–itis in Satan’s calendarand nowhere else. Tomorrow–itis a rock
whitened by the bones of mariners who have been wreckedupon it.
Tomorrow is the wrecker’s light gleaming on the shore, luring poor ships to
destruction. Tomorrow–itis the idiot’s cup which he lies at the foot of the
rainbow, but which none has everfound. Tomorrow–itis the floating island of

49. Loch Lomond, which none has ever seen. Tomorrow–itis a dream.
Tomorrow–itis a delusion. Tomorrow, yes, tomorrow you may lift up your
eyes in Hell, being in torment. Yonder clock says “today.” Yourpulse
whispers “today.” I hear my heart speak as it beats and it says, “today.”
Everything cries “today.” And the Holy Spirit is in union with these things
and says, “Todayif you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” Sinners,
are you inclined now to seek the Savior? Are you breathing a prayer now?
Are you saying, “Now ornever! I must be savednow”? If you are, then I hope
it is an effectualcall, for Christ, when He gives an effectualcall, says,
“Zaccheus, make haste.”
Next, it is a humbling call. “Zaccheus,make haste and come down.” Many a
time has a minister calledmen to repentance with a call which has made them
proud, exalted them in their own esteemand led them to say, “I can turn to
God when I like. I can do so without the influence of the Holy Spirit.” They
have been calledto go up and not to come down. God always humbles a
sinner. Can I not remember when God told me to come down? One of the first
steps I had to take was to go right down from my goodworks. And oh, what a
fall was that! Then I stoodupon my own self-sufficiencyand Christ said,
“Come down! I have pulled you down from your goodworks and now I will
pull you down from your self-sufficiency.”
Well, I had another fall and I felt sure I had gainedthe bottom, but Christ
said “Come down!” And He made me come down till I fell on some point at
which I felt I was not savable. “Down, Sir! come down, yet.” And down I came
until I had to let go of every branch of the tree of my hopes in despair. Then I
said, “I cando nothing. I am ruined.” The waters were wrapped round my
head and I was shut out from the light of day and thought myself a stranger
from the commonwealthof Israel.
“Come down loweryet, Sir! You have too much pride to be saved.” ThenI
was brought down to see my corruption, my wickedness,my filthiness. “Come
down,” says God, when He means to save. Now, proud Sinners, it is of no use
for you to be proud, to stick yourselves up in the trees–Christwill have you
down. Oh, you that dwell with the eagle on the craggyrock, you shall come
down from your elevation–youshall fall by grace, oryou shall fall with a
vengeance one day. He “has castdown the mighty from their seatand has
exalted the humble and meek.”
Next, it is an affectionate call. “TodayI must abide at your house.” You can
easilyconceive how the faces ofthe multitude change!They thought Christ to
be the holiestand best of men and were ready to make Him a king. But He
says, “TodayI must abide at your house.” There was one poor Jew who had

50. been inside Zaccheus'house–he had “beenon the carpet,” as they say in
country villages when they are taken before the justice and he recollected
what sort of a house it was. He remembered how he was takenin there and his
conceptions ofit were something like what a fly would have of a spider’s den
after he had once escaped.
There was another who had been restrainedof nearly all his property–the
idea he had of walking in there was like walking into a den of lions. “What?”
said they, “Is this holy man going into such a den as that, where we poor
wretches have been robbed and ill-treated? It was bad enough for Christ to
speak to him up in the tree, but the idea of going into his house!” They all
murmured at His going to be “a guestwith a man who was a sinner.” Well, I
know what some of His disciples thought–they thought it very imprudent–it
might injure His characterand He might offend the people. They thought He
might have gone to see this man at night, like Nicodemus, and give him an
audience when nobody saw Him! To acknowledgesucha man publicly was
the most imprudent act He could commit.
Why did Christ do as He did? Because He would give Zaccheus an
affectionate call. “I will not come and stand at your threshold, or look in at
your window, but I will come into your house–the same house where the cries
of widows have come into your ears and you have disregarded them. I will
come into your parlor, where the weeping of the orphan has never moved
your compassion. I will come there, where you, like a ravenous lion have
devoured your prey. I will come there, where you have blackenedyour house
and made it infamous. I will come into the place where cries have risen to high
Heaven, wrung from the lips of those whom you have oppressed.
“I will come into your house and give you a blessing.” Oh, what affection
there was in that! PoorSinner, my Masteris a very affectionate Master. He
will come into your house. What kind of a house have you got? A house that
you have made miserable with your drunkenness–a house you have defiled
with your impurity–a house you have defiled with your cursing and swearing–
a house where you are carrying on an illegaltrade that you would be glad to
get rid of? Christ says, “I will come into your house.” And I know some
houses now that once were dens of sin where Christ comes every morning.
Husband and wife, who once only could quarrel and fight, bend their knees
togetherin prayer. Christ comes there at dinnertime, when the workman
comes home for his meals. Some of my hearers canscarce come foran hour to
their meals but they must have word of prayer and reading of the Scriptures.
Christ comes to them. Where the walls were plastered up with the lascivious
songs and idle pictures, there is a Christian almanac in one place. There is a

51. Bible on the chestof drawers–andthough it is only one room they live in–if an
angelshould come in and God should say, “Whathave you seenin that
house?” He would say, “I have seengoodfurniture, for there is a Bible there–
here and there a religious book–the filthy pictures are pulled down and
burned. There are no cards in the man’s cupboard now. Christ has come into
his house.” Oh, what a blessing that we have our household God as well as the
Romans!Our God is a household God. He comes to live with His people! He
loves the tents of Jacob.
Now, poor rag-muffin Sinner, you who live in the filthiest den in London, if
such an one be here, Jesus says to you, “Zaccheus,make haste and come
down; for today I must abide at your house.”
Again, it was not only an affectionate call, but it was an abiding call. Today I
must abide at your house.“ A common call is like this, "TodayI shall walk in
at your house at one door and out at the other.” The common call which is
given by the Gospelto all men is a call which operates upon them for a time
and then it is all over–but the saving callis an abiding call. When Christ
speaks, He does not say, “Make haste,Zaccheus andcome down, for I am just
coming to look in.” No. He says, “I must abide at your house. I am coming to
sit down to eatand drink with you. I am coming to have a meal with you.
Today I must abide at your house.”
“Ah,” says one, “you cannot tell how many times I have been impressed, Sir. I
have often had a series ofsolemn convictions and I thought I really was
saved–but it all died away–like a dream. When one awakes, allhas vanished
that he dreamed. So was it with me.” Ah, but poor Soul, do not despair. Do
you feelthe strivings of Almighty Grace within your heart bidding you repent
today? If you do, it will be an abiding call. If it is Jesus atwork in your soul,
He will come and tarry in your heart and consecrate youfor His own forever.
He says, “I will come and dwell with you and that forever. I will come and
say–
“Here I will make My settledrest,
No more will go and come;
No more a strangeror a guest,
But Masterof this home.”
“Oh,” you say, “that is what I want. I want an abiding call, something that
will last. I do not want a religion that will washout, but a fast-colorreligion.”
Well, that is the kind of call Christ gives. His ministers cannot give it–but
when Christ speaks,He speaks with powerand says, “Zaccheus, make haste
and come down; for today I must abide at your house.”

52. There is one thing, however, I cannotforget and that is that it was a necessary
call. Just read it over again. “Zaccheus, make haste and come down; for today
I must abide at your house.” It was not a thing that He might do, or might not
do–it was a necessarycall. The salvation of a sinner is as much a matter of
necessitywith God as the fulfillment of His Covenant that the rain shall no
more drown the world. The salvationof every blood-bought child of God is a
necessarything for three reasons:
It is necessarybecause it is God’s purpose. It is necessarybecause it is Christ’s
purchase and it is necessarybecause it is God’s promise. It is necessarythat
the child of God should be saved. Some divines think it is very wrong to lay a
stress on the word “must,” especiallyin that passage where it is said, “He
must go through Samaria.” “Why,” they say, “He must needs go through
Samaria because there was no other wayHe could go and therefore He was
forcedto go that way.” Yes, Gentlemen, we reply, no doubt. But then there
might have been another way. Providence made it so that He must go through
Samaria and that Samaria should lie in the route He had chosen.
“He must needs go through Samaria.” Providence directedman to build
Samaria directly in the road and grace constrainedthe Savior to move in that
direction. It was not, “Come down, Zaccheus, becauseI may abide at your
house,” but “I must.” The Savior felt a strong necessity. Justas much a
necessityas there is that man should die. As strong a necessityas there is that
the sun should give us light by day and the moon by night–just so much a
necessityis there that every blood-bought child of God shall be saved.
“TodayI must abide at your house.” And oh, when the Lord comes to this–
that He must–then He will. What a thing it is with the poor sinner, then, at
other times we ask, “ShallI let Him in at all? There is a strangerat the door.
He is knocking now–He has knockedbefore–shallI let Him in?” But this time
it is, “I must abide at your house.” There was no knocking atthe door, but
smashwent the door into atoms! And in He walked–Imust, I shall, I will–I
care not for your protecting your vileness, your unbelief. I must, I will–I must
abide at your house."
“Ah,” says one, “I do not believe God would ever make me to believe as you
believe, or become a Christian at all.” Ah, but if He shall but say, “TodayI
must abide at your house,” there will be no resistancein you. There are some
of you who would scorn the very idea of being a canting Methodist–“What,
Sir? Do you suppose I would ever turn into one of your religious people?” No,
my Friend, I don’t suppose it–I know it for a certainty. If God says “I must,”
there is no standing againstit. Let Him say “must,” and it must be.

53. I will just tell you an anecdote proving this. “A father was about sending his
son to college,but as he knew the influence to which he would be exposed, he
was not without a deep and anxious solicitude for the spiritual and eternal
welfare of his favorite child. Fearing lest the principles of Christian faith,
which he had endeavoredto instill into his mind would be rudely assailed, but
trusting in the efficacyof that Word which is quick and powerful, he
purchased, unknown to his son, an elegantcopy of the Bible and depositedit
at the bottom of his trunk.
The young man entered upon his college career. The restraints of a pious
educationwere soonbrokenoff and he proceededfrom speculationto doubts
and from doubts to a denial of the reality of religion. After having become in
his ownestimation, wiserthan his father, he discoveredone day, while
rummaging his trunk, with greatsurprise and indignation, the sacreddeposit.
He took it out and while deliberating on the manner in which he should treat
it, he determined that he would use it as waste paper, on which to wipe his
razor while shaving. Accordingly, every time he went to shave, he tore out a
leaf or two of the holy book and thus used it till nearly half the volume was
destroyed.
But while he was committing this outrage upon the sacredbook, a text now
and then met his eye and was carried like a barbed arrow to his heart. At
length, he heard a sermon, which discoveredto him his own characterand his
exposure to the wrath of God. It riveted upon his mind the impressionwhich
he had receivedfrom the lasttorn leaf of the blessed, yet insulted volume. Had
worlds been at his disposal, he would freely have given them all, could they
have availed, in enabling him to undo what he had done. At length he found
forgiveness atthe footof the Cross. The torn leaves of that sacredvolume
brought healing to his soul–forthey led him to repose on the mercy of God,
which is sufficient for the chief of sinners.
I tell you there is not a reprobate walking the streets and defiling the air with
his blasphemies. There is not a creature abandonedso as to be well-nigh as
bad as Satanhimself–if he is a child of life–who is not within the reach of
mercy. And if God says, “TodayI must abide at your house,” He then
assuredlywill.
Do you feel, my dear Hearer, just now, something, in your mind which seems
to say you have held out againstthe Gospela long while, but today you can
hold out no longer? Do you feel that a strong hand has gothold of you and do
you hear a voice saying, “Sinner, I must abide at your house. You have often
scornedMe, you have often laughed at Me, you have often spit in the face of
mercy, often blasphemed Me, but Sinner, I must abide at your house. You

54. banged the door yesterday in the missionary’s face. You burned the tract, you
laughed at the minister, you have cursed God’s house, you have violated the
Sabbath–but, Sinner, I must abide at your house and I will”?
“What? Lord,” you say, “abide at my house!Why it is coveredall over with
iniquity. Abide in my house!Why there is not a chair or a table but would cry
out againstme. Abide in my house!Why the joists and beams and flooring
would all rise up and tell You that I am not worthy to kiss the hem of Your
garment. What? Lord, abide at my house!” “Yes,” says He, “I must. There is
a strong necessity, My powerful love constrains Me and whether you will let
Me or not, I am determined to make you willing and you shall let Me in.”
Does not this surprise you, poor Trembler–you who thought that mercy’s day
was gone and that the bell of your destruction had tolled your death-knell?
Oh, does not this surprise you, that Christ not only asks you to come to Him,
but invites Himself to your table, and what is more, when you would put Him
away, kindly says, I must–I will come in"? Only think of Christ going after a
sinner, crying after a sinner, begging a sinner to let Him save him–and that is
just what Jesus does to His chosenones.
The sinner runs awayfrom Him, but free grace pursues him and says,
“Sinner, come to Christ.” And if our hearts are shut up, Christ puts His hand
in at the door and if we do not rise, but repulse Him coldly, He says, “Imust, I
will come in.” He weeps overus till His tears win us. He cries after us till His
cries prevail–and at last in His own well-determined hour He enters into our
heart and there He dwells. “I must abide at your house,” saidJesus.
And now, lastly, this call was an effectualone, for we see the fruits it brought
forth. Open was Zaccheus'door, spread was his table, generous was his heart,
washedwere his hands, unburdened was his conscience, joyful was his soul.
“Here, Lord,” says he, “the half of my goods I give to the poor. I dare say I
have robbed them of half my property–and now I restore it. And if I have
takenanything from anyone by false accusation, I will restore it to him
fourfold.” Away goes anotherportion of his property. Ah, Zaccheus, you will
go to bed tonight a greatdeal poorer than when you gotup this morning–but
infinitely richer, too!
Poor, very poor, in this world’s goods, comparedwith what you were when
you first did climb that sycamore tree. But richer–infinitely richer–in
heavenly treasure. Sinner, we shall know whether God calls you by this–if He
calls, it will be an effectualcall–nota call which you hear and then forget–but
one which produces goodworks. If God has called you this morning, down
will go that drunken cup, up will go your prayers. If God has called you this

55. morning, there will not be one shutter down today in your shop, but all and
you will have a notice stuck up, “This house is closedon the Sabbath-Day and
will not again on that day, be opened.”
Tomorrow there will be such-and-such worldly amusement–but if God has
calledyou, you will not go. And if you have robbed anybody (and who knows
but I may have a thief here), if God calls you, there will be a restorationof
what you have stolen–youwill give up all that you have–so thatyou will follow
God with all your heart. We do not believe a man to be convertedunless he
does renounce the error of his ways–unless, practically, he is brought to know
that Christ Himself is Masterof his conscienceandHis Law is his delight.
“Zaccheus, make haste and come down, I must abide at your house.” And he
made haste and came down and Jesus receivedhim joyfully. “And Zaccheus
stoodand said unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the
poor; and if I have takenanything from any man by false accusation, I restore
him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvationcome to this
house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Sonof Man is come
to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Now, one or two lessons. A lessonto the proud. Come down, proud heart,
come down! Mercyruns in valleys, but it goes not to the mountaintop. Come
down, come down, lofty spirit! The lofty city–He lays it low even to the ground
and then He builds it up. Again, a lessonto the poor despairing soul–Iam glad
to see you in God’s house this morning–it is a goodsign. I care not what you
came for. You heard there was a strange kind of man that preached here,
perhaps. Nevermind about that. You are all quite as strange as he is. It is
necessarythat there should be strange men to gather in other strange men.
Now, I have a mass of people here. And if I might use a figure, I should
compare you to a greatheap of ashes, mingledwith which are a few steel
filings. Now, my sermon, if it is attended with Divine Grace, will be a sort of
magnet–it will not attractany of the ashes–theywillkeep just where they are–
but it will draw out the steelfilings. I have gota Zaccheus there. There is a
Mary up there. A John down there, a Sarah, or a William, or a Thomas there–
God’s chosenones–theyare steelfilings in the congregationofashes and my
Gospel, the Gospelof the blessedGod, like a great magnet, draws them out of
the heap.
There they come, there they come. Why? Because there was a magnetic power
betweenthe Gospeland their hearts. Ah, poor Sinner, come to Jesus, believe
His love, trust His mercy. If you have a desire to come, if you are forcing your
way through the ashes to getto Christ, then it is because Christis calling you.

56. Oh, all of you who know yourselves to be sinners–everyman, woman and
child of you–yes, you little children (for God has given me some of you to be
my wages), do you feel yourselves sinners?
Then believe on Jesus and be saved. You have come here from curiosity, many
of you. Oh, that you might be met with and saved. I am distressedfor you lest
you should sink into Hell. Oh, listen to Christ while He speaks to you. Christ
says, “Come down.” This morning go home and humble yourselves in the
sight of God. Go and confess your iniquities that you have sinned againstHim.
Go home and tell Him that you are a wretch, undone without His sovereign
grace. Thenlook to Him, for rest assuredHe has first lookedto you. You say,
“Sir, oh, I am willing enough to be saved, but I am afraid He is not willing.”
Stop! Stop! No more of that! Do you know that is part blasphemy? Not quite
all. If you were not ignorant, I would tell you that it was full blasphemy. You
cannot look to Christ before He has lookedto you. If you are willing to be
saved, He gave you that will. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be baptized
and you shall be saved. I trust the Holy Spirit is calling you.
BRIAN BELL
Luke 19:1-10 3-18-07 “Up a Tree!”
1. Intro: 1.1. Columnist Herb Caenwrote in the San FranciscoChronicle:
"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster
than the fastestlion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakesup. It
knows it must outrun the slowestgazelle orit will starve to death. It doesn't
matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle;when the sun comes up, you'd
better be running." 1.1.1. Spurgeonwrote likewise:"If you are not seeking
the Lord, the Devil is seeking you. If you are not seeking the Lord, judgment
is at your heels." 1.1.2. In the pursuit of the Christian life, it's not enough
simply to wake up & visit church. You are called to run to Jesus!1.1.2.1.Let’s
meet a man who ran to see who Jesus was!
2. UP A TREE!(1-10)2.1. ZACCHAEUS THE SINNER!(1,2) 2.2. (1) Jericho
– 17 m. E/NE of Jerusalem. 2.2.1. In Jesus day it was famous for its balm (an

57. aromatic gum known for its medicinal qualities) 2.2.2. Itwas also the winter
capital, which made it a wealthy city.
2.3. (2) Chief tax collector – He was in the service of the government or
foreign bankers who had bought the privilege of collecting Taxes. (LKGNT)
2.3.1. Theyweren’t salariedbut lived by farming taxes w/many chances for
fleecing 2.3.2. He was the proverbial “middle-man”!
2.4. Zacchaeus wasmorally lost (he was sinful); he was intellectually lost (he
did not know who Jesus was);he was sociallylost(he was of the despisedclass
being a tax collector).
2.5. ZACCHAEUS THE SEEKER! (3,4) 2.6. (3) Sought – the imperfect tense
pictures his continual effort.
2.7. Soughtto see who Jesus was – He obviously didn’t know who He was.
2.8. Crowd– the blind man heard it, he saw it.
2.9. Short stature – Or, in the Greek, “verticallychallenged”!☺ 2.9.1. He
didn’t let anything get in his way: not the crowd;not his reputation; not his
wealth; not even his little man condition.
2.10. (4)Sycamore tree – Fig-mulberry tree. (leaves like mulberry, fruit that
of a fig) 2.10.1.And this tree was about to bear fruit!!!

58. 2.11. Zacchaeus showedthe same determination to contactJesus, as
Bartimaeus.
2
2.12. ZACCHAEUS THE SOUGHT! (5-7) 2.13. (5)Though Jesus was
surrounded by a great crowdof people, Jesus took time for individuals,…He
even saw a man up a tree! 2.13.1.Jesus evencalledhim by name.
2.14. But, why call Zacchaeus?There were better men in the city. Why him?
2.14.1.Simply because the call of God comes to unworthy sinners. 2.14.2.
There is nothing in man that can deserve this call; nothing in the best of men
can invite it. 2.14.3. So, the very question shows we still think there is???
2.15. Togetherthey traveled to Zacchaeus’s home. 2.15.1. We don’t know
their conversation, but he emerges a changedman.
2.16. Wait!Who found who? (maybe this story will help) 2.16.1. There was a
man who had a hunting dog for that he loved dearly. One time while out
hunting they were separated. No matter how loud the masterwhistled the dog
would not come. The man had an appointment in town & neededto leave.
Would he ever see his best friend again? He did a trick an old trainer told
him. He took off his coat& the removed his tee-shirt & placed his shirt on the
ground under some small branches of a bush. The man returned the next day
to find his dog cuddled up on the tee-shirt, with his nose under the sleeve.
2.16.1.1.Who found who? – The dog sniffed out the scentof the master &
waited, but it was the Masterwho returned to seek & save the dog.
2.17. (6)He obviously didn’t come out of mere curiosity or with any
skepticism, but w/an openness to Jesus’message.1

59. 2.18. (7)The curtain falls for a little while. I almost don’t want to ruin such a
wonderful story with “these grumblers”. 2.18.1.Wait, He was accepting
hospitality from a rogue? No, He askedfor it! ☺
2.18.2.It was thought to be wickedto eat the fruit, of a person whose earnings
were tainted. What was Jesus doing? 2.18.2.1. Well, the very next verse shows
his intention to make restoration, which indicates his repentance, & makes it
possible for Jesus to eatw/him w/o contamination. (LKGNT)
2.19. Did those murmuring ever stop for a minute & ask, “hey I wonder why
He didn’t want to come to my house?” 2.19.1. Jesus found shelterwithin the
gates ofa sinner, to whom others had utterly given over & considered
hopeless!2.20. Well, let’s open back up the curtains.
1 Shepherd’s Notes;pg.69
3
2.21. ZACCHAEUS THE SAVED! (8-10)2.22. (8) His spontaneous actof
repentance revealedthe work of grace in his heart, & proved that he was now
a son of Abraham. 2.22.1.Christianity is not a sphere of life, but its very
atmosphere! 2.22.2.Christianity is not a sectionof life, but an influence that
pervades the whole field of it. 2.22.3.It changedthis man to the very core of
his being.
2.22.4.My Zacchaeus experience:(1978-1980)I ran a parking lot for a guy
named Gene Selznick (His sonDane is Kerry Walsh & Misty May’s coach;
BeachV.B.) 2.22.5. I collectedallthe tips of the evening & then we’d get paid
hourly. But when you ran the evening no one knew how much came in.
Myself, & the other couple guys who ran it would take from $80-$100off the
top. Then I got saved!I didn’t take ½ of what I stole & give it to the poor, nor
did I restore 4foldto Gene (I really never thought of that)…but I started
turning in all my tips from that point on. And the other guys were pretty

60. upset w/me because it became very noticeable that when I ran it, my nights
were always huge! 2.22.6.Christianity should change all of your life! 2.22.7.If
we hold to the Golden Rule in all our business, we will once againbe
communicating the Law of Love in life! 2.22.8.Hudson Taylor said, “If Christ
is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all!” 2.22.9. Paulsaid, “Whateveryou do
in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
2.23. He made 2 promises/resolves:2.23.1. [1]To give ½ of his possessions to
the poor. 2.23.2. [2]To pay back 4 x’s in caseswhere he had defrauded
someone. 2.23.3. I give! - I restore![He went in masteredby the passionto get.
He came out swept by a compassionthat gives!] 2.23.3.1. The core ofhis
personality changes to “I give, I restore”! 2.23.3.2. Notlike the Rich Young
Ruler, “I keep, I go”!
2.24. Whatdiligence, what determination: He ran ahead of the crowd;he
climbed a tree(not to dignified); he hurried down the tree; he receivedJesus
joyfully; he stood(8); he gave;he restored.
2.25. But what exactly happened inside? 2.25.1. We don’t have to
speculate…Jesus answers it in the next verse.
2.26. (9)Listen to Jesus’testimony of Zacchaeus’s being a savedman. 2.26.1.
[1] Today salvationhas come to this house. 2.26.2.[2]He also is a son of
Abraham (not just a seedof Abraham/i.e. a Jew)2.26.2.1. A spiritually true
descendantof the “fatherof the faithful”. 2.27. This is the 2nd to last
conversionrecorded. (thief on cross)

61. 4 2.28. (10)This verse is illustrated in the experience of Zacchaeus: 2.28.1.
Jesus came to him, sought him, & saved him.2 2.28.2. The whole gospelis in
this simple sentence(10);& there is not a word that has even two syllables!
2.29. Ezek.34:16 “Iwill seek whatwas lost and bring back what was driven
away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick…”
2.30. If the devil loads your mind w/accusationslike, “youare a greatsinner”,
just agree with him & say, “Jesus came to save sinners, & thus he came to
save me.” 2.31. If he says you are lost altogethersay, “Jesus came to seek &
save that which was lost.”
2.32. Salvationis free. But discipleship is costly. 2.32.1. Zaccheusnot only
illustrated the power of faith in Jesus to bring new life, but also introduced the
costof discipleship. 2.32.2. Whatdid the disciple decisioncostZaccheus?
Everything! 2.32.3. His life had been built on $. His goals, his purposes, his
very identity as a person were built on the importance to him of wealth and
material success. 2.32.4.The core of his personality, the values that had given
him direction in life, had suddenly shifted. 2.32.5. Shockingly, people became
more important than dollars. Honesty became more important than gain.
2.32.6.Zaccheus hadbecome a different, new man!
2.33. He is still the seeking Savior, but now he uses your eyes & lips! 2.33.1. If
we are to win souls we must seek them. 2.33.1.1. The hunter knows his game
will not come to the window of his house to be shot. (well, sometimes at Eric’s
in Tennessee)2.33.1.2.The fisherman knows that the fish will not come
swimming up to his house. 2.33.1.3.No, they must go out & seek!- And so
must you & I!

62. 2.33.2.I simply argue that the cross be raisedagainat the center of the
market place As well as on the steeple of the church, I am recovering the
claim that Jesus was notcrucified in a cathedralbetweentwo candles: But on
a cross betweentwo thieves; on a town garbage heap; At a crossroadof
politics so cosmopolitanthat they had to write His title in Hebrew and in
Latin and in Greek... And at the kind of place where cynics talk smut, &
thieves curse & soldiers gamble. Becausethat is where He died, and that is
what He died about. And that is where Christ's men ought to be, and what
church people ought to be about. George MacLeod
2 Warren Wiersbe;pg.682
5 2.34. Q:Are you feeling spiritually short of stature? (i.e. not measuring up
to Gods righteous standard)
2.35. Maybe this morning you recognize you are like Zacchaeus as you’ve
recognizedyou’re morally lost (sinful); or intellectually lost (you don’t know
Jesus);or feel even sociallylost. 2.35.1. See,“lost” usuallyexcites pity, alarm,
or grief. 2.35.2.Examples:A lost dog;a lost child; a losthiker; a lostship.
2.35.2.1.Q:But what are the greatestphysicallosses comparedw/the loss of
the soul? {Lost fellowship w/God;lost to life’s highest purpose; lost to life’s
purest joys?}
2.36. GeorgeWhitefield, one of America’s greatestevangelist, had a brother
that was backslidden. One day he found himself sitting at tea with the
Countess of Huntingdon. He said, “I know what you have said is very proper,
& I believe in the infinite mercy & goodness ofGod. But I do not believe in its
application to me, for I am a lost man.” the Countess put down her tea & said,
“I am glad to hear it, Mr. Whitefield!” “Madam,” he said, “I did not think
you would rejoice & glory in a thing so terrible as that.” “I am glad to hear

63. you sayyou are lostMr. Whitefield,” she said, “for it is written that Jesus
Christ came to seek & to save that which was lost.” His eyes sparkled, & he
said, “I thank God for that text, & for the extraordinary powerwith which it
has now come into my heart.” He died later that night. (Spurgeon #1863)
2.36.1.Until a man is lost he cannot be found! 2.36.2.Takeyour place as a
sinner this morning, & trust Christ to save you & give you an abundant life.
[Until a man is lost he cannot be found!]
THE SEEKING CHRIST
Dr. W. A. Criswell
Luke 19:10
3-12-89 10:50 a.m.
This is the pastorbringing the messageentitled The Seeking Note.It is a
messagepreparedin keeping with these days, when we are especiallyseeking
to share Jesus with the lost in our greatmetroplex. It is a textual sermon. It is
basedupon Luke 19:10:"Forthe Son of Man is come to seek and to save that
which was lost."
I speak first of the universality of His sympathies. In this fifteenth chapterof
the same Book ofLuke: "There drew near unto Him the publicans and the
sinners for to hear Him. And the Phariseesand the scribes murmured,
saying," houtos, in contempt – houtos, "This fellow," houtos, "receiveth
sinners, and eateth with them" [Luke 15:1-2].
In the narrative, in the life of our Lord, it is amazing how the story presents
our Savioras the centerof a congregationofharlots, publicans, sinners. He
just drew them. They gatheredaround Him. And when the scribes and the
Pharisees sawit, they could not understand; finally concluded He must be one
of them. Houtos, this fellow, He goes with them. He eats with them. He must
be one of them.
When I turn to the beginning of this same Third Gospel, in the fourth chapter,
there is presented our Savior’s first sermon; and the same thing appears. In
His first sermon, our Lord speaks:"There were many, many poor widows,"
He says, "in Israelin the days of Elijah. But he was sent only to a heathen"
[Luke 4:25-26]. Then He added, "And there were many lepers in the days of

64. Elisha. And he healed just one, a hated Assyrian named Naaman" [Luke
4:27]. And they took Him to the brow of the hill to castHim down to death
[Luke 4:28-29].
That’s the narrative in the Lord Jesus’life. His sympathies were universal.
And when you follow the response ofHis disciples, they could hardly believe
what their eyes saw and their ears heard of this Lord Jesus. You have it
translated in the Bible, in the fourth chapterof John, that the disciples were
amazed and astonishedthat He spoke with the woman. That’s not right. If you
translated it correctly, it would be, "They were amazedand overwhelmed that
He spoke with a woman" [John 4:27]; He, the Rabbi and the exalted Teacher,
deigned to speak with a woman.
Womanhooddoesn’t know how much they owe to the Lord Jesus. She was a
piece of chattel property when Jesus lived. Or take again:in my study, to the
right, there is a picture, a beautiful painting that I brought back from
Sweden. There’s a beautiful painting of the Lord Jesus blessing little children.
And in front of my study desk is a very large painting that I brought back
from England; our Lord there is blessing little children, and the mothers are
kneeling at His feet, and in the backgroundare all of those disciples trying to
drive those mothers away. They were amazed that He blessedlittle children.
And the Lord said: "Suffer them to come unto Me, forbid them not: for of
such is the kingdom of heaven" [Matthew 19:14].
Or take just again, His attitude towardthe Samaritan: the Samaritan was
publicly denounced and damned in the synagogue services, andyou were not
to have any relationship with them whatsoever. The Jew, whenhe came from
Galilee to Judea, didn’t come straightdown through Samaria, short distance;
he went down to Jezreel, overthe Jordan, into Perea, downthrough Perea,
cross back overthe Jordan, up through Jericho, up finally miles and miles
and miles out of the way, lesthe be contaminated with the dust from Samaria.
The Bible says that when Jesus wentfrom Judea to Galilee, "He must needs
go through Samaria" [John 4:4]; Samaria!And it’s a remarkable thing.
Wherever, in the life of our Lord, a Samaritan is mentioned, he is always in
the love and purview of God. Why, you know that. Haven’t all of your life
you’ve been taught the story, the parable of the goodSamaritan, the good
Samaritan, the goodSamaritan? [Luke 10:25-37].
And again, when the Lord healedten lepers, one of them, just one of them,
came back to thank Him, and he was a Samaritan [Luke 17:11-16]. And not
only that, but through all the years since, the same response has been made to
the greatsympathetic, universal compassionofour Savior.

65. Sometime when you really want to be sensitive to the Word of God, you read
along through the seventh chapter of the Gospelof John [John 7:1-53]. Then
you read those first elevenverses of the eighth chapter [John 8:1-11], then
continue on; you’ll be startled by the thrusting of that story in the eighth
chapter of John, right in the middle of a narrative, and it doesn’tbelong there.
Well, the reasonit doesn’t belong there is, the ancient manuscripts cut it out.
It was a pericope;eleven verses that they took out of the Bible; took it out. But
it was so manifestly a part of the inspired Word of God that they had to put it
back, and they just put it right there; doesn’t belong there at all.
Well, what’s the story? And what is the offense? You remember the story. The
scribes and the Pharisees andthe superiorities brought a woman takenin
adultery, and put her at His feet, and said, "The law says, she is to be stoned
to death. What do You say?" [John8:3-5]. And the Lord replied, "Let him
that is without sin castthe first stone" [John8:6-7]. They would stone her to
death. And the Lord boweddown, and they left one at a time. She is there by
herself, and the Lord said, "Where are your accusers, these that were going to
stone you to death?" [John 8:8-10]. "Theyhave all – they have all withdrawn.
They have all left. They have passed."
"None to accuse you?"
"None." And the Lord said, "Neitherdo I condemn you. Neither do I accuse
you. Go," forgiven, saved, washed, pure, clean, and live a beautiful life for
God," said the Lord [John 8:10-11].
The universality of His sympathies; His basic attitude was that. We do not
belong to Satanand Christ is trying to stealus away, but we belong to God
and Satanhas damned us! He has done it. By right, in creationand love and
redemption, we are God’s. We belong to Him. And He has stamped His image
upon us, a fallen race.
Over there in the British museum is a brick, you know, a bakedbrick, from
Babylonia. And on the brick, as their habit was, they stamped the image of the
king and the sealof the king. But while the brick was soft and unbaked, a dog
stepped on it. A dog stepped on it and defacedthe image of the king and of his
seal. And that’s what’s happened to the human race. The image of God is in
us [Genesis 1:26-27], and a dog has stepped on us and defacedus.
The attitude of our Saviorwas reflective of that love and compassionofGod.
In the downcastand the downtrodden and the outcast, He could see the image
of God. And in the harlot He could see the purity of a Mary Magdalene. And
in a despised, hated tax-gathering publican He could see the son of Abraham
[Luke 19:2-9].

66. That’s Jesus ourLord: "Forthe Son of Man has come to seek andto save that
which was lost" [Luke 19:10]. It’s a remarkable thing about our Lord. His
responses to us were always personal, never philosophicalor impersonal;
always personal, always. Strange thing how humanity can be; it is easyfor us,
for example, to feign, to affect love for a greatcountry and nation like
England, but never befriend or never love a single Englishman. It is easyfor
us to entertain fine philanthropical responses towardthe downtrodden and
the poor, and never seek to help a single one of them. It is easyfor us to feign a
philosophical spirit of helpfulness and philanthropy toward the needy, and
never minister to one of them. Our Lord was so opposite to that.
He never made greatspeeches aboutthe downtrodden of humanity, and He
never discussedthe philosophy of progress in the human race, and He never
presentedHimself as a champion for the tax-gatherers and the outcasts and
the publicans and the sinners. What He did was, He personally loved them
and ministered to them. He never lookedupon humanity by gobs and by
masses, but He lookedupon them by name [John 10:3, 27]. He knows your
name, and your name, and your name. You’re not just one in a vast,
impersonal throng to Him. You are somebodyto the Lord Jesus.
Let me show you that. When He came into Jericho, He went to a certaintree.
And up that tree was a little man, small of stature, and despisedand hated. He
was a publican. He was a Roman tax-gatherer. They had shut out his view of
the Lord, and he couldn’t see. And hated and despised, he climbed up in that
tree [Luke 19:1-4]. And the Lord came by and called him by name [Luke
19:5]. How did the Lord know his name was Zaccheus?
He knows your name. He calls me by my name. He knows me. He knows you,
personally. He calledhim by his name. Our Lord sensedthat in that despised
tax-gathererthere was a hunger for God. He was famishing for a touch from
the Lord. He wanted to see the Messiah. And the Lord called him and said,
"Today, today, this day, I am spending at your house" [Luke 19:5]. Of course,
they lookedupon Him with contempt. He is gone to be the guest of a man that
is a sinner [Luke 19:7]. That’s Jesus;that’s Jesus;somebody, Zaccheus [Luke
19:1-10].
Or take again, I think one of the most dramatic things in the Bible, if you’ll
look at it closely– if you read it fast, you won’t see it at all – but if you look at
it closely, the greatSermon on the Mount is in Matthew 5, 6, and 7 [Matthew
5:1-7:29]. When you come to chapter 8, it says:"That when Jesus had finished
that message, He was thronged on every side by a vast multitude. And behold,
a leper came up to Him" [Matthew 8:1-2].

67. Well, if you read rapidly, you don’t see it. But if you will look at that, after
that greatSermon on the Mount, thronged on every side, by multitudes of
people, and a leper came up to Him. Well, how did a leper getto come up to
Him when on every side he was surrounded by a multitude of people? Well,
the answer’s very plain, if you pause to think of it. Wherever the leper went,
by law, he had to coverhis mouth and to cry, "Unclean!Unclean! Unclean!"
[Leviticus 13:45]. And whereverhe went, people steppedaside; people stepped
aside;stepped aside. Always he walkedin that icy circle. And when he came
into the presence of that vastmultitude, crying, "Unclean!Unclean!" they all
stepped aside;they all fell away. He just walkedin that icy circle right up to
the Lord Jesus. Well, why didn’t the Lord step away? BecauseHe didn’t do it,
that’s the Lord: wherever there’s somebody in need, somebodyfallen,
somebody afflicted, there you will find the love and compassionateheartof
our Lord.
And the story says that when that leper came up to Jesus, Jesus put forth His
hands, and touched him [Matthew 8:3]. My brother, it was half of the cure!
He had forgotten what it was to feelthe touch of the warmth of a human
hand. Jesus touchedhim, put His hands upon him – healed him. That’s our
Lord, who has come to seek andto save that which was lost[Luke 19:10].
The whole Word of God is like that, all of it. When you think through those
pages of God’s holy revelation, that’s what you’ll read. From the beginning to
the end, the seeking compassionate,loving heart of God, for a lost humanity,
for us. Starts off that way: when Adam fell, the voice of the Lord was heard in
the coolof the evening crying, "Adam, where art thou?" [Genesis 3:8-9] – –
God: seeking the man that He made.
In the greatprophecy of Isaiah:"Comfort ye, comfort ye My people. Yea,
speak ye comfortably unto Jerusalem, and sayunto her – – cry unto her, Thy
warfare is finished; thy iniquity is pardoned" [Isaiah40:1, 2]. And it
continues. "As a shepherd leads his flock, so the Lord will lead His people. As
He extends His arms and gathers His lambs in His bosom, so the Lord will
gently lead those that are with young" [Isaiah40:11].
Or again, in Ezekiel33:11:"As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the
death of the wicked;but that the wickedturn from his evil way and live, turn
ye, turn
ye . . . for why will you die?" Or continuing in the life of our Lord:
Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest.

68. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me;for I am meek and lowly in heart:
and you shall find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.
[Matthew 11:28-30]
Or in the life of the apostle Paul, "Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to
God for my people is that they might be saved" [Romans 10:1]. "ForI wish
that I personallywere accursedfrom God for my people" [Romans 9:3].
The Book closes like that. Revelation22:17:"The Spirit and the Bride say,
Come . . . the Holy Spirit of Godand His church say, Come. And let him that
heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoeverwill, ho
thelōn, whosoeverwill, let him take the waterof life freely." That’s God!
That’s God! Notreading us out, but including us in. Come to seek andto save
that which is lost [Luke 19:10]. And sweetpeople, that’s the difference in
churches.
In the days of my youth, I went to New York City to attend one of the most
famous churches in the world. The pastorof the church was the president of
what they call the FederalCouncil of Churches. Sweetpeople, when I
attended the service, there was a little handful of people there. He read his
invocation; he read his sermon – – if you’d call it that. Then he read his
benediction. Then he dashed out.
I comparedit with a church whose pastorI so loved, thronged and crowded
with people, preaching a wonderful sermon of appeal and salvationand the
people streaming down those aisles, accepting the Lord. That church is today
one of the great churches still of America, and the pastorwasn’t converted
until he was thirty years of age, and never went to schoola day in his life.
GreatGod, what is our assignment? And our coming to church, do we do it
for duty sake,like paying our taxes or accepting a rationing system? Or
coming to church, is it out of respectability? Is it because ofthe culture into
which we’ve been born? Is it because of socialreasons, this is a place where
we have our weddings and this is a place where we have our funerals? If that’s
the reasonwe come, it will be seenin our services;our prayers will be routine;
the sermonwill be boring. And we’ll be indifferent and uncaring. But if the
reasonwe come to church: "O God, I have lost friends. I have lost neighbors.
I have lost members of my family. And O God, I’m beseeching Thee to send
Thy Spirit of love and compassionand mercy."
And when we come to the house of God, we come with intercessions and
prayers and appeals:"O God, make this a greatsoul-saving hour." When you

69. do that, God does something. He does something for us and He does
something for them. Blessedmoment, blessedmoment, when the lostsee
Jesus, who died for their sins according to the Scriptures [1 Corinthians 15:3],
who was raisedfor their justification according to the Scriptures [1
Corinthians 15:4; Romans 4:25] and who somedaywill open for us the gates
of heaven [1 Thessalonians4:16-17].
Oh people, I live in that world! I had a funeral yesterday:two o’clock
yesterdayafternoon. That day inevitably comes, and it may it be for us that
Jesus stands by us in the hour of our death and opens for us the door into
heaven. We need our loving compassionateLord. And that is why He came
into the earth, to seek and to save us who are lost [Luke 19:10].
And in this moment when we sing our hymn of appeal, to give your heart to
the Lord, what a precious hour, what a blessedmoment, what a high, holy,
and heavenly privilege. "Pastor, here I come. God has spokento me, and I am
answering with my life." Or a family you coming into the fellowshipand
communion of our dear church; anybody you, as God presses the appeal to
your heart, make this the day of decisionand commitment, "Pastor, here I
am." God bless, while we stand and while we sing.
STEVEN COLE
Lesson87:Why Jesus Came (Luke 19:1-10)
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70. Sohan Singh has banned customers from his grocerystore in England. He told
a London newspaperthat he was forcedto take such drastic actionbecause of
people’s bad manners. First, he banned smoking, then crude language, baby
strollers, pets and finally customers themselves. Shoppers now must look
through the window to spot items they want and then ring a bell to be served
through a small hatch in the door. “I have lost business, but I cannot say how
much,” Singh said. “I am a man of principles, and I stand by my decision.” (In
FlagstaffLive, June 4-10, 1998.)
It seems to me that a grocerwho bans customers from his store has lost sight
of his purpose! If your aim is to sell groceries, then you must put up with some
people whom you may dislike in order to achieve your purpose.
Just like that grocer, many churches have forgottentheir Savior’s purpose: to
seek and to save those who are lost. We don’t like the sinful habits and
worldly ways of outsiders. If they want to come to the door of the church and
tell us what they want, we will serve them. Otherwise, letthem shop
elsewhere!We must maintain our principles!
The Lord Jesus always keptin view the purpose of His coming to earth. He
states it in Luke 19:10, the theme verse of the GospelofLuke: “Forthe Son of
Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Jesus is stating this
purpose in response to the crowd, which grumbled that He had gone to be the
guestof a man who was a sinner, the chief tax collector, Zaccheus.Jesus is
saying, “Precisely!I am going to be the guestof a greatsinner because that is
the express reasonI came to this earth as the Son of Man: to seek and to save
those who are lostin sin.”
If you had takena poll in Israelin Jesus’day, you would have found that tax
collectors were notpopular fellows!They were the scum of the earth. For
personalgain they served Rome, taking unfair advantage oftheir own
countrymen. Zaccheus was not just a tax collector, but a chief tax collector,
which made people despise the man all the more. The average tax-paying
citizen would have said, “If I could get that little runt alone in a dark alley, if
he lived through it, he would go into another occupation!”
In light of the public hatred of tax collectors, it is significant that every time
they are mentioned in Luke, it is in a favorable light (3:12; 5:27; 7:29; 15:1;

71. 18:10;19:2). In fact, Jesus pickedone (Levi, or Matthew)as one of His twelve
apostles!This shows Jesus’heartfor sinners and the transforming power of
His saving grace. Luke tells the story of Zaccheus’conversionshortly after the
story of the rich young ruler. After that young man walkedawayfrom
salvationbecause ofclinging to his riches, Jesus said, “How hard it is for those
who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” In fact, it is impossible, just as
a camelcannot go through the eye of a needle. But, before we despair, He
added, “The things impossible with men are possible with God” (18:24, 27).
Zaccheus’story shows us the salvationof a rich man by God’s grace and
power.
If you follow Jesus, then His purpose must be your purpose. If you do not yet
follow Jesus, then Zaccheus’response to Jesus should be your response. This
story shows us that …
Since Jesus came to seek andto save the lost, sinners should respond to His
call quickly with joyful repentance.
We will look first at why Jesus came to this earth; and, then at how sinners
should respond to the Savior.
1. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost.
A. Christ came to seek the lost.
Jesus refers to Himself here as the Son of Man, His favorite wayto refer to
Himself. Although it took greatcondescensionforJesus Christ to lay aside the
glory of heaven and to take on human nature, He always delighted in being a
man. In Jesus we see perfecthumanity, apart from sin, living in total
dependence on the Father. Son of Man emphasizes that Jesus was in every
way human, except for our sin. He used it with increasing frequency as He
anticipated the cross. Thus, “Its meaning for Him was inextricably bound up
with His work of redemption” (D. Guthrie, Zondervan PictorialEncyclopedia
of the Bible[Zondervan], 3:568).
But the title also affirms the full deity of our Lord. Jesus usedit when
referring to the fact that He existed in heaven before descending to earth and
that He would againascendinto heaven (John 3:13; 6:62). He used it to assert
that the Father had given Him all authority to execute judgment (John 5:27).
He said that as the Son of Man He had authority on earth to forgive sins
(Luke 5:20-24). He used it often in reference to His secondcoming in power
and glory (Luke 17:22-30;18:8; 21:36;Matt. 24:30;25:31).
In fact, at His trial the high priest adjured Him by the living Godto tell them
whether He was the Christ, the Sonof God. Jesus replied, “You have said it

72. yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you shall see the Son of Man sitting
at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of glory.” He was
quoting from Daniel 7:13, 14 and applying it to Himself. At this the priest
accusedHim of blasphemy. If Jesus did not mean that as the Son of Man, He
is God, surely He would have correctedthe priest’s mistakenimpression and
absolvedHimself of the charge. By letting it stand, Jesus affirmed that they
were correct:the Son of Man is the Son of God, one with the Father.
When Jesus says in our text that “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save
that which was lost,” He was thus referring to the fact that as the second
person of the Trinity, He had takenon human flesh and had come to this
earth to offer Himself in the place of sinners. He took our penalty on Himself,
so that we could be savedfrom the penalty we deserve. God would not have
takensuch extreme measures as the incarnation and death of His Son if lost
people were able to save themselves. Theyare lostand so they must be sought
and found. Christ came to seek the lost.
(1). Christ seeksthe lost by taking the initiative.
Zaccheus was not seeking Christ;Christ was seeking Zaccheus. We are not
told what motivated this despisedlittle man to fight the crowds in order to see
Jesus on that day. Mostcommentators agree that he was probably curious.
Perhaps he had heard that this Teacherhad chosena tax collectornamed
Levi, to be one of His disciples. Perhaps he had heard the common complaint
of the Pharisees andothers, that this Man socializedwith notorious sinners.
Hearing that news may have given Zaccheus a glimmer of hope. Perhaps his
guilty consciencenaggedhim, and he thought, “Maybe Jesus couldforgive my
sins.” But whatevertuggedat Zaccheus to fight the crowds and finally to
climb into that tree so that he could see Jesus, it was not because Zaccheus
was first seeking Jesus. Itwas because Jesus wasfirst seeking Zaccheus.
We know this because the Bible plainly declares, “There is none righteous, not
even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks forGod”
(Rom. 3:10-11). Jesus Himself plainly taught, “No one can come to Me, unless
the Fatherwho sent Me draws him.” He repeats in the same context, “No one
can come to Me, unless it has been granted him from the Father” (John 6:44;
65). If Zaccheus was in that tree to seek Jesus, itwas because the Fatherwas
drawing him to Jesus.
We don’t know if Zaccheus would have been content just to geta glimpse of
Jesus as He passedby under that sycamore tree, because Jesusdidn’t give him
a chance. Jesus easilycould have passedunder that tree and never lookedup.
The crowdwas thronging around Him. He was passing through Jericho

73. (19:1), steadfastlymoving towardJerusalem and the cross (18:31-34;19:28).
But when our Lord came to the place, He took the initiative. He lookedup and
said, “Zaccheus,hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house”
(19:5). Zaccheus had wanted to see Jesus, but he had no prior clue that Jesus
wanted to see him!
John Calvin notes “the astonishing kindness” of our Lord who took the
initiative to seek out this notorious sinner from whom others recoiledbefore
there was any requeston Zaccheus’part (Calvin’sCommentaries [Baker], “A
Harmony of the Evangelists,” 2:434). Charles Spurgeonsaid, “Christdoes not
leave it to ourselves to seek him, or else it would be left indeed, for so vile is
human nature that although heaven be offered, and though hell thunder in
our ears, yet there never was, and there never will be, any man who,
unconstrained by sovereigngrace, willrun in the way of salvation, and so
escape from hell and flee to heaven” (Spurgeon’sSermons [Baker], 6:105).
Thus if you are seeking Godtoday, you can know that it is only because ofthe
Savior’s kindness in taking the initiative to seek you first.
(2). Christ seeksthe lost personally and particularly.
We don’t know how Jesus knew Zaccheus’name, whether by divine
omniscience orwhether someone told Him. But out of all the people in that
greatcrowd, the Saviorzeroed in on this one little man. There were probably
some boys up in that tree or in other trees, but Jesus focusedon this chief tax
collector. Onseveralother occasions, Jesus acceptedthe hospitality of others,
but this is the only recordedinstance where He invited Himself to someone’s
house. He was going after Zaccheus personally.
Jesus does not callthe mass of humanity to Himself, hoping againsthope that
somehow, somewhere, someone willrespond and come to Him. Rather, He
calls individuals by name and His call is effectual—itpowerfully accomplishes
His purpose. He saw Matthew sitting in his tax office and said, “Follow Me.”
He left everything behind and began following Jesus (Luke 5:27). He saw
Peterand Andrew fishing and said, “Follow Me.” Immediately they left their
nets and followedHim. Shortly after, He saw James and John mending their
nets and He calledthem. They also immediately left the boatand their father
and followedHim (Matt. 4:18-22).
Have you had that experience, where the Spirit of God was dealing with your
soul? Perhaps you were listening to a sermon and you felt that it was aimed
directly at you. Jesus was calling you very personallyand individually.
Perhaps even now you canhear the Saviorcalling you by name and saying,

74. “Follow Me.” Jesus Christseeks the lost individually by name and calls them
into a personalrelationship with Himself.
B. Christ came to save the lost.
Salvationrefers to God’s rescuing a perishing soul from His eternal wrath
and judgment, which the persondeserves due to his sin. Christ does not just
seek the lost and then try to persuade them to decide to acceptHim as Savior.
He seeks and savesthe lost. He announced regarding Zaccheus, “Today
salvationhas come to this house.” This shows us three things about Christ’s
saving us:
(1). Christ actually saves the lost.
In other words, He did not come just to make salvation possiblefor everyone,
but rather to make salvation actual for those whom the Father had given to
Him. In John 6:37 Jesus declared, “All that the Father gives Me shall come to
Me.” Then He adds, “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that
He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.” (6:39). Our
salvationdoes not depend on our weak will, but on the mighty and certain will
of God and on the keeping powerof the Lord Jesus Christ.
When Jesus told Zaccheus, “TodayI muststay at your house,” it was the must
of divine necessity. It is the same “must” of John 4:4, where it says that Jesus
“had to pass through Samaria.” Why? He easilycould have walkedaround
Samaria, as all the Jews did. He had to pass through Samaria because He had
a divine appointment there with the woman at the well, and with her whole
village. If Christ’s reasonfor coming into this world was to seek and to save
those whom the Father had given to Him before the foundation of the world,
then that intention will be accomplished. Salvationis not due to the will of
man, but rather to the will of God (John 1:12-13). His purpose in saving the
lost is never frustrated by the rebellious will of sinners.
(2). Christ saves the lost, not the found.
You may be thinking, “How do I know that Christ will save me in
particular?” Do you see yourself as lost? Do you know that apart from God’s
grace, you would justly spend eternity in hell? Do you recognize that if God
left you to yourself, you would never seek Him or believe in Him? If so, then
the goodnews is, “ChristJesus came … to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). He died
for the ungodly(Rom. 5:6). If the words, “lost,” “sinner,” “ungodly,” fit you,
then you canhave hope, because Christ came to save such people from their
sins.

75. But if you say, “I may have my faults, but I’m not lost,” then I cannot offer
you a Savior. Jesus came to save the lost. If you say, “I’m only human, of
course, but I’m not a sinner,” then Christ did not come to save you. He came
into this world to save sinners. If you say, “I know that I have done plenty of
wrong things, but I wouldn’t callmyself ungodly,”then I’m afraid that Christ
did not die for you. Scripture says that Christ died for the ungodly.
(3). Christ assures those whomHe saves.
Jesus proclaims, “Todaysalvationhas come to this house, because he, too, is a
son of Abraham” (19:9). He does not mean that every member of Zaccheus’
family automatically got savedbecause Zaccheus did. A man’s salvationdoes
not extend to his wife and children, unless they personallyrepent and believe.
Salvationis always individual and personal. But, when the head of a
household believes, the entire household comes under the influence of the
gospeland in that sense is setapart from the unbelieving world (1 Cor. 7:14;
Acts 16:31-34).
When Jesus says that Zaccheus is a son of Abraham, he does not mean simply
that he is a Jew by birth. He meant it in a spiritual sense, thatZaccheus was
now a true sonof Abraham, in the sense that Paul put it, “It is those who are
of faith that are the sons of Abraham” (Gal. 3:7). Jesus usedthat phrase
because the Pharisees self-righteouslythought that they were right with God
because they were physical descendants ofAbraham and they outwardly kept
the law. But Jesus is saying that this sinner whom they despisedwas a true son
of Abraham, possessing salvation, becauselike Abraham, Zaccheus believed
God and it was reckonedto him as righteousness (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:3).
Jesus proclaimedZaccheus’salvationbefore the crowd, in Zaccheus’
presence, to give him assurance ofGod’s forgiveness. Youcan be sure that as
soonas Jesus left town, Satanwould come to Zaccheus and say, “It was just a
flash in the pan. You know how wickedyour heart is! How canyou call
yourself a child of God?” The self-righteous crowdwould have taunted him,
“So you’ve become a followerof Jesus, have you! It won’t last! Justwait!
You’ll go back to your old cheating, greedyways!”
But whom the Lord saves, He keeps. And whom He keeps, He assures
repeatedly with His love and kindness that they are His children forever. As
Paul put it, “Who will bring a charge againstGod’s elect? Godis the one who
justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes,
rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes
for us” (Rom. 8:33-34). As he goes onto show, nothing can “separateus from
the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

76. Since salvationthen is totally of God, are we to sit back and do nothing?
Clearly, not! The same Bible that says that we cannot seek afterGod
commands us to seek Him (Rom. 3:11; Isa. 55:6). We should respond to God’s
command as Zaccheus did:
2. Sinners should respond to Christ’s call quickly with joyful repentance.
Perhaps you came to church today without much sense of your need for
salvation. Like Zaccheus, maybe you were curious. You heard that the music
was goodand that even the sermons were sometimes interesting, and so you
came. But now you realize that you are a sinner and that the Lord Jesus is
calling you to come down out of that tree where you’re perched to watchthe
parade. He wants to come and stay at your house. What should you do?
A. You should respond with haste.
Jesus said, “Zaccheus,hurry and come down” (19:5). It’s not easyto hurry
down out of a tree, but Jesus told him to hurry! And, Zaccheus “hurried and
came down” (19:6). I don’t know if he jumped or whether he scratched
himself on the branches as he climbed down. But he didn’t waste any time.
Neither should you! The Bible says, “Now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2).
It says, “Todayif you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Heb. 4:7).
You may not have tomorrow. If you put off responding to Christ’s call, you
may be in hell tomorrow. Even if you get scratchedup, hurry down from that
tree!
B. You should respond with obedience.
Jesus commandedand Zaccheus responded. He didn’t debate with Jesus,
“Who, me? Do you know about my past?” He didn’t protestthat he wasn’t
the religious type. He didn’t say, “I’ve gotsome important appointments at
my tax office I need to attend to. Could we make it some other time?” He
obeyed. If Christ is calling you to Himself, don’t debate with Him. Obey!
C. You should respond with joy.
Zaccheus receivedHim gladly (lit., “rejoicing”). Zaccheus was up there in the
tree, enjoying the parade, when suddenly Jesus stoppedand lookedup at him.
Uh oh! What would Jesus say? Would He condemn Zaccheus for his cheating,
greedy ways? Would He use him as a bad example to the crowd? Would He
despise him as the Pharisees did?
Then Zaccheus saw whatlookedlike a smile on Jesus’face. Insteadof a
condemning look, Jesus’eyes twinkled. Then he heard, “Zaccheus,hurry and
come down, for today I must stay at your house.” Zaccheus rejoiced!Even so,

77. when the reality of God’s grace floods your soul, greatjoy will be your
response.
D. You should respond with repentance.
Zaccheus’faith is not mentioned directly, but it is evident by his repentance.
We don’t know specificallywhat Jesus and Zaccheus talkedabout in his home
that day, but the fruit of it is evident. Zaccheus announces, probably in front
of the crowd, that he is giving half of his possessionsto the poor and he is
repaying those whom he has defrauded fourfold. The law only required
adding one-fifth to the amount, but Zaccheus is going all out. Everyone who
has truly believed in the Lord Jesus forsalvation will show it by righting
wrongs that he has done and living in a godly manner in his future dealings
with others. One of the suresttests of genuine repentance is when God gets a
hold of our money!
Conclusion
I hope that you see through Zaccheus’story that Jesus Christis a great Savior
for greatsinners. Spurgeon (Spurgeon’sExpositoryEncyclopedia [Baker],
3:445)illustrates this truth by saying, suppose that you came and told me of a
greatdoctor in London. I asked, “Whatdoes he do?” You said, “He has many
patients.” “But, what does he do?” Finally, you reply, “He cures bad fingers.”
Well, that’s not too impressive. But suppose, instead, you reply, “There have
been many patients whom no one else could cure. They were neardeath, but
he healed them.” That’s the kind of man whose praises we would sing. If we
were sick, we would go to Him for the cure.
Jesus Christ came to seek and to save the worst of sinners. If you will respond
to His call with joyful repentance, you will hear Him pronounce concerning
you, “Todaysalvation has come to this house!” I pray that those of us who
know His greatsalvationwill ask Him to use us in seeking and saving those
who are lost.
DiscussionQuestions
1. How can we become a friend to sinners without falling prey to the
warning of 1 Corinthians 15:33?
2. Is it right to give a person assurance ofsalvationbefore there are any
signs of repentance? Why/why not?
3. Why is it important to affirm that salvation is totally of the Lord, not at
all of man?
4. How should we respond to the charge that the doctrine of divine election
is not fair?

78. Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 1999,All Rights Reserved
JOHN MACARTHUR
A Sinner Meets a Seeking Savior, Part 1
• Sermons
• Luke 19:1–10
• 42-238
• Mar 25, 2007
A S i n n e r M e e t s a S e e k i n g S a v i o r , P a r t 1
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79. I would invite you to open your Bible now to the 19th chapterof the gospelof
Luke. Luke chapter 19 and the opening ten verses which provide for us one of
the most familiar New Testamentstories in all the Bible. If you were raisedin
the church and if you attended Sunday school, you were taught the story of
Zacchaeus, a little man who climbed up a tree to see Jesus.Here is that
wonderful story. It is only recordedby Luke, does not appearin the other
three gospels, but Luke's accountis rich and instructive. Luke chapter 19 and
I'll read, starting at verse 1 down through verse 10.
"And He” meaning Jesus “entered and was passing through Jericho. And
behold, there was a man called by the name of Zacchaeus andhe was a chief
tax-collector, and he was rich. And he was trying to see who Jesus was, and he
was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. And he ran on
aheadand climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was
about to pass through that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked
up and said to him, 'Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay
at your house.'And he hurried and came down and receivedHim gladly. And
when they saw it, they all beganto grumble, saying, 'He has gone to be the
guestof a man who is a sinner.' And Zacchaeus stoppedand said to the Lord,
'Behold, Lord, half of my possessionsI will give to the poor, and if I have
defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.' And Jesus
said to him, 'Todaysalvation has come to this house because he, too, is a son of
Abraham, for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was
lost.'"
That final verse, verse 10, that final statementof our Lord Jesus is the most
valuable, the most glorious and the most important truth everrevealed in
Scripture. As far as we are concerned, this is why we are saved, because God
is a seekeranda saver of those who are lost. This is true to the nature of God.
From the Fall of man in the garden, when the Lord came searching for Adam
and Eve who were hiding from Him, and He said, "Where are you?" Genesis
3:8 and 9, God has continued to seek for lostand hidden sinners. It all began
in the garden and it still goes on. In one of the most beautiful Old Testament
passages, Ezekielquotes Godas saying this, "I will seek the lost, bring back
the scattered, bind up the brokenand strengthen the weak," Ezekiel34:16.
God is a seekerofthose who are lost and in grave danger. This is critical. This
is foundational to our understanding of the Bible and of God's divine purpose
in history. We need only to be reminded from Romans 3:11 that no man seeks
after God to be gratefulthat God seeks afterus. In our sinfulness, in our
fallenness, in our reprobation, in our blindness, in our ignorance, in our
associationand relationship to the kingdom of darkness and under the power

80. of Satan, we cannotseek afterGod. We do not seek afterGod. There would
then be no reconciliation, no salvation, no forgiveness, no hope of heaven if
God did not seek afterus. God does the initial seeking. Goddoes the saving of
those who apart from Him would hide themselves from Him like Adam and
Eve, running from His presence with no capacityin them to ever turn and
pursue Him.
This is what our Lord is saying here. He is the seeker. He is the saverof those
who are lost. And the story is an illustration. A man out of a massive crowd
sitting in a tree has a divine appointment with the seeking, saving Lord who
spots him, names him and by divine necessitysays, "I'm coming to your house
because this is the day of your salvation." This is one of the greatbiblical
illustrations of sovereignsalvation, of God seeking notjust sinners in a
generalor vague way but seeking sinners in a very specific, personalway. And
this is the work of the Son of Man. The Son of Man in verse 10 is a title which
Jesus usedof Himself more than any other, by far. It refers to Him as man,
that is His humanity, but far more than that, it is a messianic title referring to
Him as the all-glorious, chosenOne by God to rule and reign over an ever-
lasting kingdom. That is prophesied as He is there identified in Daniel chapter
7. So it sees Him yes in His humanity, but far more in His divine glory and
everlasting rule. Son of Man has come. “Has come” refers to His incarnation,
not has come to Jericho, but has come into the world. At His birth He came,
incarnation, for the purpose of seeking and saving. Those are two infinitives
which means it starts with to, t-o. That's an infinitive. These are what we call
in Greek infinitives of purpose, two purposes to seek, to save. The word
“seek,” zte, means to pursue, to look for, to searchfor. To save means
basicallyto rescue from harm, to deliver from danger. And the amazing irony
of it all is that God sends Christ to seek andto save those who are headed for
His own wrath and judgment.
To sum that up, God seeks to save people from Himself, from His own wrath
and His own holy judgment. The ones that He seeks to save are identified here
as that which was lost, that which was lost. Literally in the Greek it's a
condition of being, the having been lostone, the one who is in a permanent
state of lostness. But evenbeing lostdoesn't express the fullness of this word.
It's a very strong word in the Greek, apollumi.Any Greek students know it's a
familiar word. It means to be ruined. It means to be destroyed. The Son of
Man then was incarnated, coming into this world for the purpose of pursuing
and saving those who are in a condition of ruination and destruction and
headed for damnation. Couldn't be more clear. Jesus did not come into the
world to be a goodteacher. He did not come to be a moral leader. He did not

81. come to espouse religious ideas. He did not come to raise the religious
consciousnessofthe people in His community and His society. He did not
come into the world to show us what a goodlife looks like. He came into this
world to rescue doomedsinners. That is the Christian message. Thatis the
only Christian message.Everything in the Old Testamentpoints to that.
Everything in the New Testamentdefines that.
Sin has devastatedall of humanity and all of humanity is marred, corrupted,
evil, ruined, headedfor eternal damnation. We are all in that same condition.
In fact, that condition needs to be understood, and so we read in Romans 3,
starting in verse 10, a very careful description of that condition. "There is
none righteous, not even one. There is none who understands. There is none
who seeksfor God. All have turned aside. Togetherthey have become useless.
There is none who does good. There is not even one. Their throat is an open
grave. With their tongues they keepdeceiving. The poisonof asps” orsnakes
“is under their lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet
are swift to shed blood. Destructionand misery are in their paths. The path of
peace have they not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes." So
writes the apostle Paul and every single sentence he drew from the Old
Testament. This is not a new description of man. This is God's description of
man's sinful condition from the start.
In Ephesians chapter 4, an even more concise descriptionof the human
condition, verse 17, "We walk in the futility of our minds, darkenedin our
understanding, excluded from the life of God because ofthe ignorance in us,
because ofthe hardness of our hearts we are callous given over to sensuality
for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness."We cannever get
enough impurity. This is the human condition. And the purpose of the coming
of the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus into the world, is to rescue sinners from this
condition with its inevitable result of eternaldamnation. So God sends Christ
to rescue the lost from God's own wrath and to preserve them safe and
unharmed in heaven's eternal joys. That is the Christian gospel. That is the
Christian message.Nothing less and there could be nothing more.
So, I say, verse 10 is the most important truth laid out in all of Scripture, that
God seeksand saves otherwise damnedsinners. It should have been clear
from the very beginning that this is true. Matthew 1:21, the angelsays upon
announcing the birth of Jesus, "CallHis name Jesus, forHe will save His
people from their sins." At His very birth it was clearthat that is why He
came. First Timothy 1:15, Paul writes, "Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners, among whom I am foremost." He came to save sinners. At the
very birth of the Lord, the announcement was made, ”He will save His people

82. from their sins” and here at the end of His ministry as the exclamationpoint
of His itinerant ministry, He reiterates the reasonHe came, the same reason
announced at His birth, to save lostsinners. And so, at the beginning and the
end of His life, the purpose for His coming is clear.
No writer in the New Testamentputs more emphasis on this than does Luke.
In fact, Luke's marvelous and unique emphasis is found in chapter15. Go
back to it for a moment. It will be a wonderful memory for those of you who
were with us when we went through chapter 15, to be reminded that God
likens Himself to a shepherd seeking a lostsheep, a woman seeking a lost coin,
and a father seeking a lost son.
In the first parable that the Lord gives, verse 4, "Whata...Whatman among
you, if he has 100 sheepand has lost one of them doesn'tleave the ninety and
nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lostuntil he finds it?"
This is God, the shepherd, who goes afterthe lostsheep who is in grave
danger. "And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing,
comes home, calls togetherhis friends and neighbors saying to them, 'Rejoice
with me, for I have found my sheepwhich was lost.’ I tell you in the same way,
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over
ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." The joy of God and
the joy of heaven is in the recoveryof lost sinners. That's the point of the
story. The Lord finds His heavenly joy and the joy of all the saints and angels
that surround His throne in the recoveryof lostsinners. God does it for His
own joy. He does it for His own glory.
And then the secondstory about a woman. God is first likened to a shepherd.
Then He is likened to a woman who had several, namely ten, silver coins and
lost one. Lit the lamp, sweptthe house, searcheduntil she found it. Same
response. Calledher friends and neighbors saying, “Rejoice withme, I found
the coinwhich I had lost.” In the same way there's joy in the presence ofthe
angels of God over one sinner who repents. And again, here is God the seeker
looking, searching, finding the lost, bringing the lost home and all heaven
celebrates the joy of God and the joy of all who surround Him.
And then the next story, you remember the son who was the prodigal. The
father pursued him. He was coming back with a lot of misconceptions. But
verse 20 says, "While he was still a long wayoff, his father saw him, felt
compassionfor him, ran, embraced him, kissedhim." Here is the seeking
shepherd, the seeking woman, the seeking father. God seeks to save the lost
for His own joy and the concomitantof all the inhabitants of holy heaven. God
finds His own satisfactionin the recovery of lostsinners. He finds His own
delight in it.

83. In Isaiah 62:5, "As the bridegroom rejoices overthe bride, so your God will
rejoice overyou." And here is an illustration. As the highest joy in human life
is the joy of a man and a woman in love coming togetherin the union of
marriage, God finds His highestjoy in the restorationand recovery of sinners.
The Old Testamentevensays God shouts for joy. He's exuberant.
Jeremiah32:41 says, "And I will rejoice over them to do them good and I will
faithfully plant them in this land with all my heart and with all my soul." It is
all soul and all heart for God to recoverlost sinners. He does it because it's
His greatestsatisfactionand highest joy. And none of us are going to seek God
unless God seeks us.
The Bible talks about men seeking God. It talks about sinners seeking God.
But when you put the two together, it's pretty clearthe only way we can ever
seek His...seekHim is if He seeks us. And I think John summed it up when he
said, "We love Him because He first loved us." Once God begins that seeking,
once He opens our understanding to our own sinfulness, once He illuminates
us as to the glory of the gospel, once He takes awaythe blindness and the
darkness, once He gives life to our deadness, the awakenedsinner, the
enlightened lost one, the one who has been given life responds by seeking the
one who soughtHim.
And then Proverbs 8:17 says, "Those who diligently seek Me will find Me."
And Isaiah55:6 says, "Seek the Lord while He may be found." And Jeremiah
29:13 says, "And you will seek Me and find Me when you searchfor Me with
all your heart." Amos 5:4, "Seek Me that you may live." Or Matthew 6:33:
"Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness andall these things
shall be added." Or Matthew 7:7, in the same Sermon on the Mount, "Seek
and you shall find." We are only enabled to seek whenGod has first sought
us. That's exactlywhat happens in the story of Zacchaeus.Out of nowhere
Jesus seeks him and before it's over, his heart responds by seeking Jesus. Any
seeking onthe part of a sinner must be in response to the seeking onthe part
of God. The generationof those who seek the Lord, in the words of Psalm
24:6, are those whom the Lord has sought.
So here the Lord seeks a man who then seeksHim. Now once more, for the
last time, Jesus is headedfor Jerusalem, leaving His ministry behind as He
heads for the cross in a few days. He's about to give His life as the only
acceptable sacrificethat satisfies God, the only ransomprice paid to God for
sin. It is imminent. He's wrapped up His earthly ministry. Spent most of that
last year in Judea, just before this occasionhad made a little foray into Galilee
and then down through Perea, crossing the Jordanto the eastso as not to go
through Samaria, which the Jews did not traverse normally, and coming

84. down the eastside of Jordanback across the river, headed through Jericho up
to Jerusalemfor the Passover. This would be His last time. And so He arrives
at the City of Palms, as it was called, the city of Jericho six miles north of the
DeadSea and six miles westof the Jordan River.
As I told you last time, it was really a wonderful city. It was the garden city of
the ancientworld, certainly of the land of Israelat that time; a far more
wonderful place then than it is frankly is now. It was fed by springs that were
producing ample amounts of water which was brought by aqueduct into the
city and used to irrigate the area so that it bloomed in a magnificent way. It
was a walledcity, new walls, not the ones that fell down in the Jericho of the
Old Testament. There was a theater there. There was an amphitheater there
built by Herod. There was a new palace as well. Gardens designedby
Archelaus, it was a magnificent, magnificent place. Edersheim, the great
historian, says, "It was characterizedby groves offeathery palms rising in
stately beauty, stretchedgardens of roses and sweet-scentedbalsam
plantations. The largestbehind the royal gardens of which the perfume is
carried by the wind almostout to the sea and which may have been given to
the city...may have been used as the reasonthe name was given to the city,
Jericho, Jericho meaning 'the perfumed.'" Edersheim says, "It was the Eden
of Palestine, the fairy land of the Old World."
Deepdown in a hallowedvalley it sits; massive limestone mountains to the
west. The sunken Jordan Valley to the eastand off in the distance the purple
mountains of Moab, a remarkable place, its streets filled with a motley throng.
Pilgrims from Galilee and Perea, priests who lived there and served there,
traders from all lands, it was one of the high density trading centers, there
were routes going north, east, westand south, it was a busy, busy place, full of
goodpeople in a human sense, full of the wretched, the worst who occupied
places where there was lots to steal. The robbers were there en masse. The
greatcaravans came through there. There was ample supply for those who
stole, as well for those...aswellas for those who bought and sold. Soldiers were
there, courtiers were there, the worst of everything, the best of everything.
Tax collectorshad a high profile there because it was one of the three regional
tax centers in the land of Israel, the northern one being Capernaum, the
central one on the coastbeing Caesarea, the southern one being Jericho.
So here Jesus came with His disciples headed for Jerusalem, not just His
disciples but all other kinds of followers that had collectedwith Him, plus all
the pilgrims headedfor a Passover. It was a huge crowdthat crossedthe
Jordan and came into...entering says verse 1, and passing through Jericho.
And the question was on people's minds: Is this Jesus the Messiah? Is He

85. going to bring the promised kingdom? They knew He had miracle power. He
had filled the land with His miracles. They knew He was a teacher like no
other teacher. And in Jericho they knew He had raisedLazarus from the dead
because just up the hill a little ways from Jericho is Bethany, before you enter
into Jerusalem, where Lazarus lived and was well known and it was only a
matter of weeks before this event that He had raisedhim from the dead. And
the word would have spread everywhere. We know it spread. It spread right
up to the upper echelons ofthe leadershipof Jerusalem. We can be certain
that it spread down the hill into Jericho that He had powerover death as well
as disease, as wellas demons.
So He was followedby a curious, pilgrim crowd. And when He came into
town, it was a customarything that when pilgrims came through your town,
to come out and greetthem, ask them if they needed a drink, ask them if they
needed something to eat. That's what you did. That's just normal in the course
of events. But in this case becauseit was Jesus, the crowd was biggercoming
in and the crowdcoming out of their homes would have been greaterthan
normal as well. It was a melee. It was a mob of people because it included
Jesus ofNazareth, the Prophet, the Healer and perhaps the Messiah. It is to
this huge crowdin this city that Jesus declaresHe is come to seek and to save
the lostand gives a magnificent example of that in the salvation, the sovereign
salvationof Zacchaeus.
So Luke is telling us the story of Zacchaeus, but it's really the story of God.
It's really the story of the purpose of God fulfilled in Jesus Christ. But let's
meet the sinner, OK? Then we'll meet the Savior. And then we'll talk about
salvation.
Let's meet the sinner. Verse 1, "He enteredand was passing through Jericho
and behold, there was a man calledby the name of Zacchaeus andhe was a
chief tax-gathererand he was rich." So into this little paradise, as it was
called, the city of Jericho, comes Jesus with His massive accumulating crowd;
comes into this crossroadcity, highway going to the north headed toward
Damascus, Tyre and Sidon, greattrade centers of the north. Highway going
through the westthrough Jerusalem, headedto Caesareaand Joppa, great
trade centers also on the MediterraneanSea. Highwaygoing through heading
to Egypt in the south and cities eastof the Jordan into Moaband the far east
from which all kinds of products came and went, greatexchange center. This
city would have had many, many tax collectors. This man is identified as a
chief tax gatherer.
As you know, because we've seenour tax gatherers before, this is number six
in the gospelof Luke. This is the sixth time our Lord has an encounterwith a

86. tax gatherer. And by the way, all of them are favorable. So He defies the
conventionalwisdom and the attitude of the people toward these men; and in
so doing, reminds us that it's not a crime to be a tax collector. Thatmay
encourage those ofyou who are. It is a noble calling if you do it right because
taxation is a divine institution. Jesus said, "Renderto Caesarthe things that
are Caesar's."Payyour taxes. He did. Paul said, "Customto whom customis
due, tribute to whom tribute is due, tax to whom tax is due," Romans 13. The
entire theocratic kingdom of Israel in the Old Testamentwas basically
functioning by a very carefully laid out taxation system in which every Jewish
person paid essentiallytwenty-three and a third of their average income to the
theocratic kingdom in order to fund the government. The Lord instituted
taxation because He instituted government. Powers thatbe are ordained of
God. The Lord never had a problem with the people who collectedtax
because He never had a problem with tax as such. But the Lord does have a
problem with abusive taxes, with illegitimate taxes, with corruption,
dishonesty, crime, and separating people from their money illegitimately by
use of physical force and cruelty, which is what the tax collectors inthe
ancient world did.
In order to have a tax franchise, you had to buy it from Rome. So you were a
traitor from the very outsetto your own people who were occupiedby the
Roman idolatrous and despisedpagans. Rome would set a certain amount
that the tax gathererhad to pay. Whatever else he could collect, he could
keep;a formula for corruption for sure. And there were so many ways to tax.
The people had no idea what they were supposed to pay. Yes, there were some
sort of foundational taxes. There was, for example, an individual tax, kind of a
poll tax for men from 14 to 65 and womenfrom 12 to 65 and they paid that
tax. There was a ground tax they calledlike a property tax, one tenth of all
grain or something the equivalent of grain, one fifth of wine and oil. So there
were some fixed taxes; even a kind of income tax which was about 1 percentof
a person's income. So they had those that were fixed. But beyond that, you
could tax anything that you could getaway with taxing. You could tax
everybody's commerce by taxing every wheel, every axle on their cart, taxing
every animal pulling the cart, taxing every product that they bought and sold,
every way imaginable. And so tax collectors became filthy rich because what
they paid Rome was only a portion of what they actually collected. Theyalso
became despisedand hated. They couldn't attend the synagogue. They
couldn't have any socialrelationships with people because the people wouldn't
get nearthem because theywere consideredunclean and anybody who came
near one of them would be polluted. So the only people they could associate

87. were the people who were also unclean, and so they were the collectionof
people calledthe tax collectors andsinners that we meet so often in Jesus'
ministry, the very people that God loves to save. "He came not to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance." In fact, Jesus spent so much time with
the scum and the riff-raff, the tax gatherers and their assortedcriminals, that
they calledHim, Luke 7:34, Matthew 11:9, "a friend of tax gatherers and
sinners." They would have said that with such disdain you couldn't imagine it.
And it is really why they thought that He represented Satanbecause He spent
so much time with the people that they thought belongedto Satan.
Well here's one of them. There was a man called by the name of Zacchaeus.
Now his mom and dad had goodintentions for him when he was born.
Zacchaeus means — Are you ready for this? — clean, innocent, pure, and
righteous. Nice try, things didn't go the way they intended them to go. So he in
his life defies the intent of his parents and becomes unclean, guilty, impure,
and unrighteous.
It's interesting that he gave him a name. This is the first for us to see a tax
gathererwho actually named other than Matthew who is calledan apostle by
Jesus. Why the name? Well again, remember when we studied Bartimaeus
and we suggestedthe church historians have said that Bartimaeus later
became a very prominent Christian and his name was used because everybody
knew who he was and this would have associatedhim with that great moment
in his life when he was given sight and savedin Jericho. Well here you have,
according to some church historians, a similar situation. It's Clement of
Alexandria, one of the church fathers, who says that this man, Zacchaeus,
became a very prominent Christian leaderand ended up a pastorof the
church in Caesarea,laterto be succeededby none other than Cornelius, the
centurion. That's from church history. We can't find that in the Word of God.
So perhaps it's so and that's why his name was used.
Nonethelessthis is Zacchaeus. He was, it says, architelns, architelns, actually
means commissioneroftaxes, commissionerof taxes. He was at the top of the
pyramid, top of the pile. Everybody who collectedeverything, and there were
lots of tax collectors, hadto pay him a piece of the action. So everything came
up the...up the pyramid and landed eventually in his pocket. Everybody
extorted for him. He gota piece of everybody's action. And as a result, he was
rich, a combination of legitimate and illegitimate activity. The people saw him
as a sinner, verse 7. They all beganto grumble, saying He's going to be the
guestof a man who is a sinner. That categoryis not simply a commentary on
his personallife. That is not a commentary on his character. It is a statement
of the categoryin which he belongs. He is in the categoryofoutcasts. He is in

88. the categoryof the defiled. He is in the categoryofthose that you don't go
near or you will become defiled. He is sordid. He is outside the pale of social
contact. He can't go to the synagogue and no one cancome near him without a
defilement. So this man was left to live with the rest of the scum who were
disallowedfrom any socialorreligious contactwith the restof the population.
Life would have been pretty tragic for him; a lot of money but outside of
everything that was goodand noble and meaningful.
Verse 3 tells us that he was interestedin Jesus. He was trying to see who Jesus
was. Everybody heard about Jesus. He probably had heard about the factthat
Jesus raisedLazarus from the dead and he gotthe word from the folks that
were first in the crowdcoming into town that Jesus was in this pilgrimage
group and he wantedto see who Jesus was, whichone in this pilgrim crowd
was Jesus. He was trying to see Him, perfecttense, he was in an ongoing
continual effort to try to see Jesus.And you canjust see the picture of him
because you know his stature was small and the crowd is massive and he's
bouncing up and down, bobbing back and forth trying to get a glimpse of this
mass of people flowing betweentwo crowds on either side of this dusty road
and he can't see Jesus. Is he curious? Sure he's curious. Is it more than that?
Sure it's more than that. He has a dissatisfiedheart. He knows he's alienated
from God. He knows he has no eternal life. He knows that he's overwhelmed
with guilt and sin. He knows the kind of man he is. I don't know exactly what
was going on in his heart, but he was after Jesus for more than just curiosity
because the Holy Spirit made sure he was in the right place at the right
moment for Jesus to look at him and speak to him.
Now he had two problems. Simple, verse 3, big crowd, small man: two
problems, he was unable to see Jesus, seewho He was, because ofthe crowd
for he was small in stature. The crowd was too large and he was too small.
Can't see past them because they're too thick, can't see overthem, he's too
short. But he's determined to see Jesus,setting aside all sense of
embarrassment, and these guys would probably keep to themselves and not
expose themselves to large crowds very often because they didn't want to take
the abuse that came to them because ofwho they really were. He sets all of
that aside. He ceasesto be self-protective or self-conscious as he normally
would have been. He comes out of his low profile kind of existence and he
determines that he's going to see who Jesus is. We can be sure he's being
prompted by the Spirit of God. So what's he going to do? Well, you've got to
get aheadof the crowd. So verse 4, he did what is obvious, he ran on ahead.
He climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him for He was about to
pass through that way. He knew the route, through the street, up the hill to

89. Jerusalem. He knew exactly the path that Jesus would go. So he ran ahead of
where Jesus was, aheadof where all the crowd was and got beyond the crowd
and he found a sycamore tree, sometimes indicatedas a mulberry tree. What's
important to know, it's a very...very low tree; short, fat trunk and low broad
branches that a little guy could climb rather easily and getup above the
crowdand perch himself in those branches. And that's exactly what he did.
It's a lot like an oak tree, some writers tell us, with very low branches. And he
sits there in the tree, waiting for Jesus to arrive.
So we meet the sinner, the sinner that Jesus is going to save. And this sinner is
going to get the shock ofhis life. And he's going to be the shock of the town,
too.
Secondly, we meet the Savior in verse 5. "And when Jesus came to the place,"
the place where he was sitting in the tree, the exactspot, "He lookedup and
said to him, 'Zacchaeus.'" I think if that were me at that moment, I'd have
fallen out of the tree, landed on my head and had to been takento the hospital
and been unconverted because Jesus wouldhave kept going. He said his name.
This is a reminder that the Son of Man knows who He's seeking. It reminds
me of Nathanaelin John 1 and Nathanaelsaid, "How do You know me?" And
He says, "I knew you before you evershowedup." He knows His own. He
never expectedto catchthe eyes of Jesus. He never ever dreamed that Jesus
would know him. But He does. And He says, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come
down, for today I must stay at your house."
Whoa! The first stunner must have been the eye contact. The secondstunner:
"Zacchaeus."The third one, "Hurry and come down. I'm coming to your
house to stay." The jolt to that poor little Jew's systemmust have been beyond
description. But it was an irresistible call, an irresistible callbecause verse 6
says, "And he hurried and came down and receivedHim gladly."
Now I just need to kind of take this part a little bit for you for a minute.
"Hurry and come down," that's an imperative, calls for immediate action, no
delay. Why? "Fortoday." Listen, God not only knows who He will save, He
knows when He will save and where He will save. "Todayis the day of your
salvation. TodayI must stayat your house." Wellwho said? Who determined
that? This is what we callthe divine necessity, a little particle dei in the Greek,
d-e-i transliterated in English, dei. It's used throughout Luke for divine
necessityor “it must be,” “it is necessary.” This is divine necessity. It is
predetermined before the foundation of the world, if you will, that this is the
day that I come to your house.

90. Wow. "Today, I must stay at your house." And that phrase, "stayat your
house," indicates to spend the night. I'm coming and I'm going to stay
overnight. This is not, by the way, a request and he didn't run a Bed and
Breakfast.This is a divine command. Zacchaeus nevercould have anticipated
anything like this because he knew he was a defiled person and no one who
consideredhimself righteous or cleanwould ever come near him, let alone
near his house, and worst of all, eata meal with him, which was tantamount to
affirmation and partnership. Yes, Zacchaeus wantedto see who Jesus was,
but far more than that, Jesus wantedto see Zacchaeus.So in verse 6, he
hurried, came down and receivedHim gladly.
It would have been the first time any righteous, clean, noble, respectedperson
had come to his house. And here is the Lord, like that father, throwing his
arms around a stinking, prodigal son, kissing him all over the head and
reconciling him and embracing him. Of course he receivedHim gladly,
profusely, because he was so overjoyed. Contrastthat with the crowd in verse
7 and you understand the difference betweenthe heart of God and apostate
first century Judaism. "And when they saw it, they all said, 'Isn't it wonderful
to see the grace of God towarda sinner.'" Oh, is that what it says? Afraid not.
What it says is, "They all beganto grumble." That is in the Greek an
onomatopoetic word. You remember what an onomatopoeia is? It is a word
whose meaning sounds like it. The word is diagogguz, da-ga-da-goo-goo,
diagogguz, rr-rr-rr-rr. It's a compound strong term.
This is absolutely predictable. This is...youknow they're going to do this,
outragedpropriety, religious incorrectness, no self-respecting Jew wouldever
expose himself to such severe pollution by staying at the house of the chief
administrator of taxation, the most corrupt of all tax gatherers and then to eat
a meal with him, to sleepat his house, absolute outrage. And then you've got
to realize that there are people in the crowdwho are just looking for some
actionon the part of Jesus to take them on the last few steps to being
convinced that He's the Messiah, andinstead He does something that would
literally undo all of their previous idea that He would be the Messiahby
defiling Himself in this way. It's just againstthe grain of everything that was a
part of their religious thinking. He's gone to be the guestof a man. That is a
Greek verb, katalu, andit means to loose in a...in a compound sense, to take
off. What it means is to be a guest. He went to take His clothes off to stay the
night. He went to loose His clothing. It's also usedto unhitch an animal. It's
only here and in Luke 9:12. But it means to take everything apart, to take all
your clothes off, getready for the night. And this man is a hamartl. He's in the

91. categoryofthe wretched, the despised and the rejected, the categoryofthose
people who are the unclean and the untouchable.
No Jew would go to his house because then he would be basicallya partaker in
his evil deed. He would be guilty of all his crimes and all his corruption. But
Jesus goesto his house because He seeksto save this lostman. He is on a
divine mission, establishedby divine, sovereigngrace and a divine timetable.
He knows exactly who he is though he's never met Him. He knows his name
though he's never heard it. And he has an appointment with salvation. He
receivedHim gladly. What a contrast. And when they saw it, they beganto
grumble. They never got it. People of Israel never gotit. All the way to the end
they're holding on to their vile, damning, self-righteous religion while Jesus is
saving sinners who have no merit, nothing to commend them to Him.
At this point the curtain goes downon that day. Jesus has gone now to
Zacchaeus'house. Whathappens? Come back next week. We're out of time.
But what happens is the bestthing that can ever happen to anyone and we'll
see that next time.
Father, again we thank You for the revelation, the wonderful and rich
revelation that You are the seeking God;that You pursue the sinner before
the sinner could ever pursue You. We thank You, Lord, that You know our
names before we can ever introduce ourselves because ournames are already
written down in Your book and they were written down before creation. You
know us. You know those You will seek and save. And, Lord, we would ask
that today, even this day, You might come to the house of some poor sinner
here, that You might callthat poor sinner and say, "Today, I must come into
your life. Today, salvation is coming to your house." I just pray, Lord, that
there are some Zacchaeuseshere. They came. They're sitting in the tree this
morning and You've passedby and they've seenyou. I just pray, Lord, that
this would be the day when You would call out to them and go to their house
and bring them salvation. Do it for Your own glory and for Your own joy as
well as the joy that comes to the rescuedsinner. We thank You. We want to
live for Your glory, all this because ofChrist, in whose name we pray. Amen.
JOHN MACARTHUR
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A S i n n e r M e e t s a S e e k i n g S a v i o r , P a r t 2
A Sinner Meets a Seeking Savior, Part2
• Sermons
• Luke 19:1–10
• 42-239
• Apr 1, 2007
A S i n n e r M e e t s a S e e k i n g S a v i o r , P a r t 2
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We return in our Bibles to Luke chapter 19, to the familiar story, the beloved
story really, of the little Jewishtax collectornamed Zacchaeus,who climbed a
tree to see Jesus andto whose home Jesus went and brought salvation. One of
the most familiar Sunday schoolstories, one of the most beloved ones.
It is a story that is far more, however, than just the story. There is in this story
so much spiritual truth that we find it almost impossible to getit all out. So
we're going to make a run at it and see how well we do today. This is part two
of the story of Zacchaeus and there well could be three or four more, but I'll
restrain myself so that we can keepmoving through this wonderful chapter
together.
Let me read for you this ten-verse sectionat the beginning of Luke 19. And
speaking ofJesus, it says, "And He entered and was passing through Jericho
and behold, there was a man calledby the name of Zacchaeus andhe was a
chief tax gathererand he was rich. And he was trying to see who Jesus was
and he was unable because ofthe crowd, for he was small in stature. And he
ran on aheadand climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He
was about to pass through that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He
lookedup and said to him, 'Zacchaeus, hurry and come down for today I must
stay at your house.'And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly.
And when they saw it, they all beganto grumble, saying, 'He has gone to be
the guestof a man who is a sinner.' And Zacchaeus stoppedand saidto 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.' And Jesus
said to him, 'Todaysalvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son
of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was
lost.'"
Verse 10 states the most blessedtruth, no truth more wondrous, more
beneficialthan this one. This is at the very heart of the existence of the
universe. God actually createdthe universe so that in the universe He could
create the Earth so that on the Earth He could create the human race so that
out of the human race He could seek andsave lost sinners, this for His own
everlasting joy and glory. This is what it's all about. What's going on on Earth
is not incidental in the infinity of this universe; it is the focalpoint of this
entire universe. It is true that the vastand infinite heavens declare the glory of

94. God and the rest of the creationshows His handiwork, and that all together
collectivelyit manifests His mighty powerand Godhead.
But the reasonfor all of it is not just to put God on display but to put God on
display to humans, so that He might be glorified by them, that He might
rescue a group of sinners who would gather around Him in heaven, along with
the holy angels who are His servants sent to minister to that redeemed
community where collectivelysaints and angels would worship Him forever
and ever and ever, in ways that He otherwise would not be worshiped. He
could never be worshiped for His mercy and His compassionandHis
sympathy and His forgiveness and His grace and His salvationif He had not
allowedsin so that all of those things could be manifest. So when you ask the
question, "Why is the universe here? And why is the Earth here? And why is
the human race here?" The answeris so that Godmight, for His own eternal
joy and glory, seek and save lostsinners. This againreminds us that God is by
nature a saving God, and I have taught that through the years many times
and won't go back over that again. But it is the nature of God to save. In the
New Testament, God, our Savior, God, our Savior, God, our Savioris
repeatedagainand again, particularly in Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus.
God is our Savior.
In the greattext of John chapter 4 and verse 42, we are reminded there that
God is our Savior, that Jesus Christ is the Savior. In 1 Timothy 4:10 God is
the Saviorof all men, especiallyof those that believe. He's not only a Savior
spiritually and eternally of those who believe, but He's a Saviorphysically and
temporally even of those who don't believe. That is to say, the fact that sinners
don't die and go to hell immediately when they sin is an indication that God
by nature is a Savior. God delivers the sinner even temporally and physically
from the immediately consequenceofsin. Godsets aside His holy wrath, His
just judgment and His righteous vengeance in order to demonstrate His
tolerance and His patience which is a manifestation of His mercy and grace,
even on a temporal basis. That is what we call common grace. That's why
sinners live lives and enjoy all that God has createdin this world, even though
they do not worship Him. Godis by nature a Savior. You see it even in that
sense. You see it more powerfully and most truly in His salvationof those
sinners, in that salvation which is spiritual and eternal.
When we talk about the ministry of reconciliationin 2 Corinthians 5 where we
have been calledas ambassadorsto preach the gospelofreconciliation, it
begins...Thatgreatsection begins in verse 18, "All these things are from God
who has reconciledus." It is a program initiated by God because of who He is.
He is a saving God. Perhaps nowhere in the Old Testament, although there

95. are many places to turn to, nowhere in the Old Testamentsays it more
directly than in the 45th chapterof Isaiah, 45th chapter of Isaiahsays this,
verse 15, "Oh God of Israel, Savior..." Verse 17:"Israelhas been saved by the
Lord with an everlasting salvation. Verse 21:"Declare andset forth your
case. Indeed, let them consult together. Who has announcedthis of old? Who
has long since declaredit? Is it not I the Lord? There is no other God besides
Me, a righteous God and a Savior. There is none except Me."
God, of course, the only true and living God is a Savior. But, even in the gods
of men's invention, and even in the gods of demonic invention; there is no such
thing as a false god who is by nature redeeming, saving, gracious, merciful,
compassionate, kind and forgiving. That doesn't exist in the false deities
concoctedby men and demons. But God is by nature a saving God. God sent
Jesus Christ into this world, as it says in verse 10, to seek and save that which
is lost. From before the foundation of the world, God determined who it was
that would be savedand then God setthe saving enterprise in motion, saving
people in the Old Testament, sending His Son into the world to pay the price
for their sin both past and present and future in order that their sin might be
forgiven through justice being satisfiedin the executionof Jesus Christ in the
sinner's place, and Godhas on the basis of that sacrifice savedsinners by
grace. He is the seeking Godwho seekstrue worshipers, in John 4, through
salvation. And here we find that Jesus is the seeking Savior.
The story of Zacchaeus is just an illustration of that, and it is a wonderful
illustration. It is a marvelous illustration. And it's far more than a story. It is a
profound theologicaltreatment. The theology in this story is well nigh
inexhaustible. Now last time we began to look at this accountby considering
the sinner, the sinner in the first four verses. The one who is lost, in this case,
is a man named Zacchaeus.He lives in a town calledJericho. Rather
formidable place, as I told you last time and the times before when we were
considering the two blind men that Jesus healedand savedthere on the same
trip through the town. But Jericho was a notable place, particularly because it
was one of the three regionaltax centers in the land of Israel. So here was the
man who was the chief tax gatherer, the guy at the top of the pyramid. He was
the administrator of taxation under the Roman occupying government and
because ofthat, he was very rich. Rich partly on legitimate basis, because he
had a job and Rome compensatedhim for it, but rich on an illegitimate basis
because he extorted and robbed in every way that he could to getwhatever
money he wanted out of people, not on a legitimate basis but strong-arming it
out of them, so he was surrounded by thugs who gotthe money that he
demanded one way or another. He had become by these means very rich. He

96. had also become despised, despicable atthe lowestlevelof hatred and
animosity of anybody in the Jewishculture because he had purchased a
Roman tax franchise that is aiding and abetting the occupying, idolatrous,
paganenemy and extorted money from his own people. He is a traitor of all
traitors. He can't go to the synagogue, he can't interact with people. He can't
go into the home of a self-respecting Jew. No self-respecting Jew wouldever
enter into his house. He can't eat a meal with one of them. They can't eat a
meal with him. He is isolatedcompletely so that the only people who surround
him is the rest of the riff-raff that would be consideredin the categoryof
outcasts and rejects. This is the man. This is the sinner.
Jesus spentso much time with people like this that in Luke 7:34 they called
Him, "the friend of tax collectorsand sinners." And you remember that in
Acts...in rather Luke chapter 5 He says He didn't come to callthe righteous,
but He came to callsinners to repentance. It was the righteous, self-righteous,
who wanted nothing to do with Jesus. Theywouldn't listen to His message. It
was the lowly, the outcasts, the forsakenthat listened to Him, as you
remember.
So, on this visit Jesus has already healedand savedtwo blind beggars, as we
saw back in chapter 18. They were outcasts becausethe theologybasicallyof
the day was that if you're blind and you're a beggar, it's because you're sinful
and God is judging you. That was their theology. That was an old, old, old
theology. It went all the way back to...Wellit went all the way back to
patriarchal period when that's how the friends of Job judged Job. All the
adversity in Job's life they told him comes becauseGodis punishing you for
your sin. That theologystayed around all that time, still around today in many
places. And so these beggars were assumedto be sinful and under the
discipline of God and therefore they were treatedas outcasts as well, and only
handed a meagercoinhere and there because the Old Testamentdemanded
that the people of God be sensitive to those who were deprived and destitute.
But below the beggars andbelow the blind were the tax collectors. Theywere
even worse. So here comes Jesus into a respectable townand saves three
people, and three at the bottom of the socialladder, basementpeople, the
scum. And it is a reminder of the purpose of God as indicated by the apostle
Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:26, "Consideryour calling, brethren. There were not
many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble. God has
chosenthe foolish things of the world to shame the wise. Godhas chosenthe
weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base
things of the world and the despised. God has chosenthe things that are not,

97. the nobodies, that He might nullify the things that are that no man should
boastbefore God.”
The saving enterprise has always majoredon outcasts andlowly people.
They're the ones, of course, who in their destitution, in their desperation, in
their isolationand in their alienation have the leastto hold on to and seemthe
most eagerto be delivered from the horrors of their situation. And this tax
collectorwas one of those. He had money, lots of it. He had power, lots of it.
He had people who did whatever he told them to do and they served his
purposes. But he had nothing in his heart to satisfyhim. And so in his
curiosity he wants to see who Jesus is, verse 2, trying to see who Jesus was. He
had two problems: big crowd, small man. It's not a goodcombination. He
can't see through them and he can't see overthem. So, presses the issue, ran
on ahead, verse 4, got aheadof where the crowd was. You remember, there
was a mass of humanity moving through Jericho on the road to Jerusalem.
It's Passoverseason, there would have been a steadystream of pilgrims. But
this crowdwould have been far bigger than any other streaming group of
pilgrims coming to the Passoverbecausein the middle of this crowd was Jesus
of Nazareth and Jesus of Nazarethhad a reputation acrossthe country. Most
particularly in Bethany just a few miles awayHe had raised Lazarus from the
dead not too long before this. And so they all would have known that. He
wanted to see who Jesus was, so He ran ahead, aheadof the crowdas the
crowdis moving through town. He knows the direction they're going to take
in order to progress towardthe city of Jerusalemeventually. He gets there.
Verse 4 says, he climbs into a sycamore tree, also calleda fig mulberry tree,
big leaves and small fruit on that tree. It's spring so the tree would have been
full of foliage at this particular time, probably thought maybe he could get up
there and kind of hide and look betweenthe branches and not be seen. Sort of
had to eat humble pie; you know, a dignified tax collectormaintaining some
kind of decorum, some sense of dignity and honor, sitting up in a tree looking
through the leaves isn't exactly the way to get it. He's already hated and
despisedas well. He wouldn't want to put himself in a prominent place for
public view anyway. So in this case we might assume that he was sort of
tucked in the leaves somewhere up there. Short, wide trunk, low branches
made it accessible evento a little man.
Jesus came to the place, as you remember in verse 5, and with that statement
we move from the sinner to the Savior, from the lost to the seeker. And the
secondphase the Saviorcomes along;this is scene two. Scene one is this little
Jewishtax collectorsitting in a tree looking through the leaves waiting for
Jesus to show up. Scene two, Jesus comesto the place. He reaches the place

98. and it says, "He lookedup and said to him, 'Zacchaeus.'"That's the first
shock. He never met Jesus, perfectstranger, and He knew his name, made eye
contactwith him, called him by name, “Zacchaeus.”That's pretty affirming
that whateverZacchaeus was thinking about the uniqueness of Jesus was
probably true. "Hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house."
Now there are just a lot of imperatives in that. He says, "I must," dei, divine
necessity. “Itis necessary,”repeatedlyused in the book of Luke for things that
Jesus must do. Why? Becauseit's a matter of divine, sovereignpurpose, divine
timing. "I must stayat your house today." Divine necessity, divine timing,
divine location. I suppose in the vernacular we would sayas far as God's
concerned, Zacchaeus, youare the man and this is your day. What was
determined in eternity past, what was determined in the counselof God before
anything was createdis about to come to reality. “Hurry and come down for
today I must stay at your house.” He said that openly. He said that publicly
and Jesus knew that that was a serious breachof Jewishexpectation. If they
thought He was the Messiah, if they thought He was the man of God, if they
thought He was the prophet of God, if they thought He was holy and
righteous, if they had any inkling along that line, this would shock them,
because you didn't go to the house of a man like that and you didn't stay
overnight at the house of a man like that. And I told you, that's the
implication of the words and the language there. And you didn't eata meal
with a man like that because if you did that, that was tantamount to sharing in
his corruption. And so they were stunned to hear that come out of His mouth.
And while they were stunned, as we shall see, and complained and grumbled,
it says that Zacchaeus receivedHim gladly, rejoicing. That tells us that he
came for more than curiosity. That tells us that he came for more than some
kind of superficial interest. He didn't just come because he had some kind of a
little idea that maybe this was a unique guy and he wanted to have a novel
experience. He responds with joy because he's gotsome things going on his
heart that are pretty profound and pretty deep. Now remember, he is
alienated, he is isolated. He has no relationships with anybody that matters,
with anybody that's goodor noble or pure. His only companions are the riff-
raff, the worstof the worst, the scum. But remember, deeper than that is the
fact that he is an extortioner and a thief and a robber who has abused and
harmed and hurt people and stolenfrom them, and impoverished them, and
abused them in every sense possible. And he feels the weightof that and he
feels the guilt of that. He can't worship. He can't go to the temple. He can't
have a...anatonementoffered for him. That's why in Jesus telling the story of
the Pharisee andthe publican, you remember the publican goes to the temple

99. and says, "God, please apply this atonementto me," because that was not how
it was. They were outcasts. And typically of a Pharisee...ifa publican went to
the temple ground, they would be discoveredthere as one of the unclean and
thrown out the easterngate. So he was isolatedfrom God. He was isolated
from religion. He was isolatedfrom hope. And then he was bearing the full
weight of this massive burden of extortion and corruption which is the way he
had lived his life in his heart. And to hear that a holy prophet of God with
miracle powerwho may well be in the eyes of some the MessiahofIsraelwas
going to come to his house? It wasn't just that now in spite of the way he was
treated by everybody else, the most significantperson in all of Israelwould
come to his house. It wasn't a yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah attitude. Too
bad for you, He's coming to my house. It wasn't that. It is just the
overwhelming unbelievable joy of an aching heart, of an empty heart having a
meeting with someone who represents God. He was eagerlyjoyous though he
must have been stunned. It doesn't sayhe receivedHim with fear. It doesn't
say, "Whoa, I don't want to go that far, I just wanted to know who You were.
I don't want to get that close."He receivedJesus with joy.
And againin typical fashion, he stands in direct contrastto the rest of the
populace. When they saw it, verse 7, they all beganto grumble saying, "He's
gone to be the guestof a man who is a sinner." That may have been sort of
orchestratedby some Pharisees inthe crowd, or some of their more devout
disciples. “Sinner” not meaning...meaning in some personalsense they knew
about his life, although that were true, sinner in the sense that he belongs to
the categoryof the despised, the categoryofthe rejected, the categoryofthe
outcasts. You don't go to their house. This is more of the cantankerous
criticism that came againstJesus Christ from the self-righteous people who
thought He workedfor Satanbecause He hung around Satan's people so
much.
Please notice verse 7, "Whenthey saw it, they all began to grumble." This is
universally the viewpoint. This man belongs in the categoryof rejected,
despised, defiled, corrupted people. No Jew with any sense ofpurity would
ever go to his house, stay and eat;you share his corruption. But Jesus says,
"I'm coming to your house." He hurried and came down and receivedHim
gladly. Off they went to the house. End of scene one:Curtain falls.
That's where we left it last week. Curtainrises on scene two in verse 8. "And
Zacchaeus stoppedand 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'll give
back four times as much.'" Wow, something dramatic has just happened.
Whoa! You've got a man who is a professionalthief, extortionist who is now

100. become an instant philanthropist. You've got a man who spent his whole life
taking who now wants to give. You've got a man who is defined by selfishness
now acting in an absolutely unselfish way. Something dramatic has happened
here. And by the way, there is no discussionof the conversationthat Jesus had
with him. And that's such a wonderful thing. That is so much genius on the
part of the Holy Spirit. It... There's no verse betweenverses 7 and 8 that
say...thatsays when Jesus gotto the house, Jesus preachedto him concerning
repentance and the kingdom of God, and the need to enter the kingdom by
faith. It doesn't saythat. It doesn't sayanything about Jesus confronting his
sin. It doesn't tell us what the conversationwas.
But it doesn't need to. We know what the conversationwas. Hey, we're
already in the third gospel, Matthew, Mark, Luke. We know all those
conversations Jesus has had about repentance and about the kingdom and
about salvation and about eternallife and about believing on Him. We know
all of that. Obviously what Jesus did was recognize the conviction of sin in his
heart, the emptiness, the isolation, the lostness.He is one of the lost which He
seeks.It is true that he knows he has no eternal life, no relationship with God,
no forgiveness ofsin, bears a weight of guilt and all of its consequences. Jesus
addresses that, talks to him about forgiveness, aboutrepentance, about the
kingdom, and he embraces it, by the power of God he embraces it. That's
obvious. You say why? Because in verse 9 Jesus saidto him, "Todaysalvation
has come to this house." And I'll tell you this, Jesus knows whenthe salvation
comes. We might not always know but Jesus knows. In fact, verse 10, He says,
"The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” And
here's an illustration of saving one who is lost. “Todaysalvation has come to
this house." You know, I just love the fact that there's no discussionofthe
gospel, there's no discussionof the reactionof Zacchaeus. He didn't say, "I
believe, Lord, I...I repent," that's not there. Sure he said it, it's not here. Why?
Becausethere's an emphasis being made here. We can assume the gospel.
What we can't assume is that it really took root because there are many
people who followed Jesus fora little while and then left. So rather than go
through the discussionand some verbal response from Zacchaeus, the Lord
jumps right to the evidence of the transformation.
Look at verse 8 againwith that in view. Zacchaeus stopped. I don't know if
that's the best word for that, statheis, statheis in the Greek. It really means
he...he took a stand...he...he sethimself with a fixed attitude. It could be used
for a formal act. It is really saying this: Zacchaeus, afterthe conversationis
over that we can assume took place, rises, sets himself, and makes this
confession. That's the idea. “And said to the Lord...” This is where he takes

101. his formal stand. Obviously the Lord made everything clear. The Lord talked
of salvation. He believed by the powerof the Spirit of God at work in his
heart, not apart from his will but through his will. And so he rises, takes his
stand and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord." That's enough right there. He's
confessing Jesusas what? As Lord. This is foundational. This isn't something
that comes later. This is foundational. If you confess Jesusas Lord, you're
saved, Romans 10:9 and 10. It's essential. "Behold, Lord," and behold is an
exclamation. I suppose today we would say, "Wow, Lord, whoa, Lord." And
this is just a wayto exclaim something that speaks ofthe dramatic
transformation that has takenplace in this man's life. First thing he says when
he takes his stand is, "You're my Lord." Secondthing, "Half of my
possessionsI will give to the poor." Wow that is a change. This is self-denial.
This is, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself." That's it.
"Take up his cross and follow Me." He has affirmed that Jesus is his Lord
and he says immediately, "I'm going to give half of everything that I possessto
the poor." Now he possesseda lot. Remember back in verse 3...pardonme,
verse 2...he was...he wasrich, he was really, really rich. In one day he was so
totally transformed that he went from being a thief to being a benefactor;that
he went from being selfishto being unselfish; that he went from being a taker
to being a giver. It's stunning, stunning. Ah, it's very much different than the
rich young ruler back in chapter 18 verse 22. "Jesus said, 'One thing you still
lack, sellall that you possessand distribute it to the poor, you'll have treasure
in heaven, come follow Me.' When he heard these things he became very sad,
he was extremely rich." There was a man who wasn't about to be parted from
his riches. It's impossible, Jesus says, forrich men to give up their riches on
their own. Verse 24 of 18: "How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter
the kingdom of God!" How hard is it? "It's easierfor a camelto go through
the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."
Wow, that sounds like impossible, not hard. Verse 27: "Things impossible
with men are possible with God." It's impossible for a rich man on his own to
give up his riches. Here's an illustration in the very next chapter of a rich man
who immediately gave up his riches. Why? Because he was soughtand saved
by a sovereignLord. True righteousness results in a transformation, a
transformation that hits at the very core of your dominant categoryofsin.
Now you canpick a lot of categories.Forthis guy it was money and extortion.
For somebodyelse, it might be something else. It might be anger, it might be
immorality. It might be homosexuality. It might be whatever. But when true
salvationcomes and real transformation comes, it strikes a death blow at the
core categoryofone's wretchedness.

102. And so, immediately that transformation showeditself up right in the realm
where his sin was most dominantly manifest. He became...He actuallybecame
like the noble, wonderful, generous Macedonians.Rememberin 2 Corinthians
8, wish to make known to you the grace of God given to the churches of
Macedonia, thatin a greatordealof affliction their abundance of joy and deep
poverty overflowedin the wealthof their liberality; poor people in the middle
of suffering and persecutiongiving generously, giving according to their
ability, verse 3, and beyond their ability. Pure religion in this, right?
Generositytoward the poor, orphaned, and the widow. The apostle John
writes about this in 1 John in about five different places. "Don'tsay you love
God and then withhold what your brother needs." True righteousness results
in unselfishness, it results in self-denial. It results in abandonment of all that is
tainted.
So he says, "I'm going to give half of it to the poor." Half of his accumulated
wealth, huge. And these would be the poor who had paid him taxes and surely
from some of them he had extorted more than was just. I'm going to give it all
to the poor. It's amazing.
You remember that James wrote, "Faithwithout works is” what? “dead."
You remember that Ephesians 2:10 says that “you were savedunto good
works which God has before ordained that you should walk in them.” That is
a natural consequenceofa supernatural transformation. And here you see it.
You don't need to know what the conversationwas. You don't need to know
what he said about believing. All you need to see is this massive miracle of a
transformed soul: Half of my possessionsI'll give to the poor. And now he's
got half left. What about the other half? "If I have defrauded any one of
anything, I'll give back four times as much." Wow!Anybody that I've
defrauded, I'll give back four times as much. Now how many people would
that be? Hundreds? Thousands? Just play that scene out in your mind. This
isn't a parable, this is a real man in a real story in a real place and one can
only imagine how many weeks people were in line, right? getting back four
fold, 400 percent.
Now where did he get that idea? Did that just come out of the air? If you go
back to Leviticus, chapter 6 verse 5, or Numbers. In fact, you might look at
Numbers. I think it's chapter 5 verse 6 and 7. There is an Old Testament
prescription for restitution. Numbers 5, go down to verse 6, The Lord
said...spoketo Moses saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, when a man or
woman commits any sin of mankind acting unfaithfully againstthe Lord and
that personis guilty” verse 7 “he shall confess his sins which he has
committed, he shall make restitution in full for his wrong” to the person he

103. has wronged, obviously, “and add to it one fifth of it and give it to him whom
he has wronged." So this was pretty much the Jewishstandard. If you read
any Jewishliterature, 20 percent, one fifth, would have been what was
necessaryin restitution. You...you stole somebodyfrom something...something
from somebody, you defrauded somebody, you gave them back plus 20
percent, which would cover something of the lost interestor accumulation
that could have been gained by whateverit was you stole. That would be
typically what Judaism would honor. Judaism at that time would honor the 20
percent. So he could have saidthat. He could have said, "I'll tell you what, I'll
follow the Old Testamentprescription in Leviticus and Numbers and I'll give
back everything I've takenplus one fifth." And he would have been...Wellhe
would have been right on target.
Or he could have done it another way. He could have based it...and I won't
take time to go to that...He could have basedit on Exodus 22. In Exodus 22 if
you read the first sevenverses, you find that in the case ofan ordinary
robbery which was what he was doing, according to Exodus 22 verses 4 and 7,
you paid back double. You paid back double. So he could have said, "You
know what? I'll pay back two fold." That would have been more generous
than 20 percent. Now you've gone to 200 percent. That's pretty good...or100
percent, that's pretty good.
Well why did he sayfourfold? Becausein Exodus 22:1, if you robbed someone
with violence and destruction, a fourfold response was required. He went to
the max. He said, "I've done this, I've done it violently, I've done it
destructively. I will gladly pay back the max." He knew his Old Testament
Law. And this is the evidence of transformation. It's not a, "Oh, is that what
I'm supposedto do? Oh do I have to do that? How little canI do and getaway
with it? How little can I obey and still be considereda Christian? How close
can I walk to the edge?" It's, "Look, just show me the maximum
demonstration of obedience, that's what I want to do." This is the real deal,
folks, the real deal. He was determined to do more than was asked, more than
the law required. There wasn't any law that said give half of everything you
have to the poor. He would have probably given more, but he needed to keep
half because he was going to give back 400 percent of what he had defrauded
people of to the maximum of Old Testamentallowance.This is the kind of
obedience that marks the one who has denied himself, takenup his cross and
followedChrist and doesn't live on the minimal but lives at the maximum
level of obedience. He actedas if every illegitimate, defrauding taxation was
destructive, violent, devastating. And he strips himself of everything he has,
even his honest gain.

104. Well what does this tell us? That here is a transformed heart, right? I might
ask the question this way. How long does it take for a person who is genuinely
savedto gethis acttogether? How about the same day, because you're a new
creation? The same day he stands up and says, "I getit, You're Lord and I
deny myself and all that I possess andI want to go to the extreme of obedience
and that's where I want to live my life." This is transformation that is
stunning and staggering, the revelationof a totally transformed heart. What a
dramatic, dramatic day.
"And Jesus saidto him, 'Today salvationhas come to this house.'" Sure, and
salvationcan even refer to Him, that is to Jesus, becauseyou remember back
in Luke 2:30 Simeon took the little baby Jesus in his arms and says, "Myeyes
have seenYour salvation." Salvationin Christ came to his house and salvation
as an actof transformation happened in his soul. The proof: transformation.
“House,” does that mean his whole household? It doesn't saythat. There are
times when like in the Philippian jailor's case, he believed, and his household.
Probably just means house and Zacchaeus andsalvationin a moment turned
an essentiallygreedy man into a gracious, generous man, turned a passionof
his life from abuse and gain to kindness and giving. And Jesus says, "Because
he, too, is a son of Abraham."
You say, "What in the world does that mean? He was the son of Abraham
before Jesus showedup." Well sure, physically. By the way, this is a very
important statement. This...This is another shockerforJesus. What did the
Jews always say? "We are the children of Abraham," right? And Jesus says,
Abraham wanted...If God wantedto...to raise up children to Abraham, He
could raise them up out of those rocks. You think you're children of
Abraham, you are ethnically, you are genetically, you are by heritage, you are
by race, progeny. But this man is a son of Abraham who is a true son of
Abraham.
What does Paul say in Romans 2:28? A Jew is not a Jew who is one
outwardly, but is one inwardly. It is not about circumcision, and religion on
the outside, it's about the heart. Here is a true son of Abraham. Abraham is
the father of faith and all who put their trust in God as Abraham put his trust
in God, then in a sense are children of Abraham. Did you remember what I
was reading in 1 Peterabout Sarah who obeyedAbraham and it says, all
women who obey their husbands are like the daughters of Sarah? It's a
similitude, it's a similarity. Abraham was a man of faith, Genesis 15:6, he
believed God and God accountedto him for righteousness.Here's another
one, here is an ethnic, genetic sonof Abraham who is a spiritual son of
Abraham as well. He is a true Jew. Paulsays in Romans, "Notall Israel is

105. Israel. Not all Israelis Israel." In fact, he says, "I...Ihave heaviness of heart
and greatsorrow” forIsraelites, “I could almost wish myself accursed” forthe
Israelites, becausethe Israelites do not know God. There's a movement going
on today, driven by certain preachers on televisionto say that the Jews don't
need to come to Christ, they don't need the gospelof Christ; they canbe saved
without Christ. That's a lie. You're not savedby just being Jewishorbeing
religious while you're being Jewish. You must come to Christ to be one of the
true sons of Abraham. RealIsraelis the Israelof faith, Jews who believe. The
church is not Israel. The church is not the Israel of God. Galatians 6:16 talks
about the Israelof God. That's not the church. The Israelof God are the
Israelites who know God through trust in Christ.
In Galatians 3, it would be worth a moment to look at it because this is an
important subject, Galatians 3:6. "Abraham believed God," quoting Genesis
15:6, "Abraham believed God and it was reckonedto him as righteousness,"
that's justification by faith, imputing righteousness."Therefore,”verse 7, “be
sure that it is those that are of faith who are the sons of Abraham." And verse
9, "Those who are of faith are blessedwith Abraham, the believer." Verse 29
says it even clearer, if you belong to Christ, you're Abraham's offspring. So
among the Jews, the only true Jews, the true Israel of God are those that know
Christ. The apostle Paul was a child of Abraham, born of the Abrahamic line,
tribe of Benjamin, Philippians 3. It was all dung, he says, it was all rubbish.
Only Christ could save him. And even though he was a zealous Pharisee, he
calledhimself the chief sinner, 1 Timothy 1:15. The Jews said, we're the
children of Abraham, we're the children of Abraham, John 8. Jesus said, "No,
you're of your father” whom? “the devil."
Well Zacchaeus became a true Jew, part of the Israelof God, the Jew who was
one inwardly. Notjust the sonof Abraham by race, but a sonof Abraham by
faith in that he followed the same pattern of Abraham's faith. He that day was
justified. He who was lost was saved, delivered from sin and death and hell.
The Lord sought him. the Lord convictedhim of sin. The Lord proclaimed to
him the truth. The Lord opened his heart to believe and repent and a miracle
transformed his life. The transformation was massive, massive.
You say, "Well maybe this was just an anomaly." No, this is not an anomaly,
this is the very reasonJesus came, to seek and save that which was lost. And
this is one final comment made to Israel. You haven't gottenit all along and
you don't getit now. You're still grumbling and you're still complaining
because you don't getit. I'm come to seek and save the lost and I can't do
anything for the self-righteous. In the Middle Easternmind, to include this
man in the community of salvationwas outrageous. Butfor us, it is the most

106. magnificent expressionof the redeeming grace and love of God. Jesus came to
seek and save sinners and then to totally transform them.
We're all in the same state that this man was in, spiritually dead, defiled,
slaves of sin, full of guilt, living in isolation, alienation, ignorance, darkness.
We need a prophet from God to come and tell us the truth. We need a priest
of God to come and give us accessto God. We need a King to come and guide,
protect and provide. We need a Shepherd to come and feed and lead. The
entire complex of man's needs points to the Lord Jesus Christwho makes men
alive, who cleansesthem, who frees them from sin, who gives them light,
instruction, who is their prophet, priest, King, and Shepherd. He didn't come
to demonstrate a noble ethic. He came to save people from their sin, from
eternal hell, to bring them into His everlasting kingdom and heaven, to make
them the possessors ofeverlasting life. And there are some Zacchaeusessitting
in the trees here today and you're curious enough to be here and you're
looking through the leaves at Jesus. I pray this is the day when He calls your
name, comes to your house and brings His salvation. Open your heart and
receive Him gladly. Let's pray.
To see our Lord, the wonderful consistentministry of the Lord Jesus Christ,
seeking the ones that everybody else wantedto push away, finding the outcast,
the lowly, the ones who are overwhelmed with sin and guilt, always from the
start to the finish, that's what He did. Self-righteous always left out. Lord, it
drives home the point so dramatically and so consistentlythat we must, if
we're ever to be delivered, if we're ever to be rescued, if we're ever to be
found as those that are lost, if we're ever to be saved, we must recognize that
we are not righteous. We are dead in trespassesand sin, we are alienatedfrom
the life of God. We are blinded by the powerof Satan. We cannot subject
ourselves to the law of God, we have no capacity to do that. We are in the
flesh. We cannot please You. All our best efforts, righteousness included, are
filthy rags. We must awakento the fact that we are nothing but blind,
beggars, andtax collectors who deserve nothing, who should be shunned,
despisedand rejectedby an infinitely pure and holy God and yet it is the
remarkable reality that by nature You are a seekerand saverof such sinners.
And, Lord, I just pray today that You will display that saving powerin souls
right here right now and may we remember as well that the transformation is
instantaneous and that it takes place in a dramatic fashion that intrudes
powerfully into the very categoryin which our sin is most manifest and it
disrupts us as that which is most characteristic ofus in our unredeemed state.
Lord, we need to look at that to validate any claim to salvation. If we say we
have come to the knowledge ofChrist, if we saywe have been saved, if we say

107. we belong to You, it has to show up in the way we live. Faith without works is
dead. We have been saved unto goodworks. It is manifest this dramatic
transformation and right at the point of our past corruption, new longings,
holy affections, love for the things we once hated and hate for the things we
once loved. This is the sovereign, divine work of regeneration. Oh Lord, we
pray that we would be faithful to that. It's so easyto slip from that. It's so easy
to begin to love the things that when we were savedwe hated, so easyto begin
to want to accumulate the things we're here to give up when we saw Jesus as
all precious and all glorious and all wonderful and all consuming and little by
little our first love dies and we begin to be drawn back into the things we once
so gladly abandoned. May we not be guilty of having left our first love. May
the fire of that initial miraculous transformation always grow brighter and
brighter and brighter until we see You face to face. We pray in the Savior's
name. Amen.
GENE BROOKS
Luke 19:1-10 - Zacchaeus the Tax Collector
Jesus callsZacchaeus
When Steven Spielberg filmed Schindler’s List, his penetrating film about the
Holocaust, he wantedus to feel the intensity as if we were living it. So he
refused to use anything other than natural angles. No shots from high above,
nothing to detach the viewer. He wanted them in the middle of the action –
just like Luke the Physician does in his Gospel. He puts us today under a large
tree on a dusty street in Jericho to see a remarkable sight, an impossible sight,
that only the presence of Jesus couldovercome – perhaps the hardest and
most hopeless ofall the forms of human sin: the love of money.
Key Truth: Luke wrote Luke 19:1-10 to teachbelievers that Jesus draws us to
His Presenceand His Purpose.
Key Application: Today I want to show you what God’s Word says about
Jesus’PresenceandPurpose.
Key Verse:Luke 19:10 (the keyverse of the entire Gospel)
Pray and Read:Luke 19:1-10

108. Contextual Notes:
Throughout his Gospel, Luke emphasizes the importance of walking in faith
and avoiding unbelief. He has made it clearthat every individual who meets
Jesus Christ must make a decisionabout Him. Christ must be receivedor
rejected. His claims must be believed or denied. When the Gospelshifts gears
at Luke 9:51, Luke urges us to prioritize faith over unbelief (Luke 9:57-11:36)
and warning us to trust the Lord rather than ourselves (Luke 11:37-12:59).
Christ then calls us to a Kingdom marked by grace (Luke 13:1-21),
repentance (Luke 13:22-35), provision (Luke 14), and redemption of the lost
(Luke 15). Luke warns us to prepare for His Return by responding to God’s
Word in repentance (Luke 16), guarding againstsin with obedience and
thankfulness (Luke 17:1-19), waiting with faithful service (Luke 17:20-37),
and persevering prayer (Luke 18:1-8). God always responds with mercy to a
humble and simple reliance on Him (Luke 18:9-17). True faith is
In chapter 18, Luke, who has been talking about the importance of walking in
faith and not in unbelief, shows us what true faith actually looks like. The
necessityofcomplete reliance on God is emphasized in Jesus’response to the
little children (Luke 18:15-17), the response ofthe rich young ruler to Jesus
(Luke 18:18-30), and most powerfully by Jesus Himself when He shares with
His disciples His coming death and resurrection(Luke 18:31-34). Thenin an
example of His free mercies, Jesus turns aside to free a beggarfrom blindness
(Luke 18:35-43).
The passagebefore us brings us to the end of Jesus’journey toward
Jerusalem.
Sermon Points:
1. Jesus draws us to His Presence(Luke 19:1-7)
2. Jesus draws us to His Purpose (Luke 19:8-10)
Exposition: Note well,
1. JESUS DRAWS US TO HIS PRESENCE(Luke 19:1-7)
a. The story of Zacchaeus togetherwith the Ten Minas bring Luke’s Journey
to Jerusalemto a close (Luke 9:51-19:44). Whata fitting conclusionto a
sectionthat has been called “The Gospelto the Outcast.” Zacchaeus, whose
name “Zakkai” means “the innocent one,” (Ezra 2:9; Neh 7:14) is the ultimate
in Israel’s outcasts, a chief tax collector, the worstof the worst. Jesus’

109. encounter with the rich ruler (Luke 18:18-30)had prompted the question,
“Who then, can be saved?” (Luke 18:26). If, as Christ had said, that it was
harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven than for a camelto
pass through the eye of a needle, Zacchaeus was the most impossible case.
b. In this story, told only by Luke, Jesus is now passing through Jericho, an
oasis for millennia in the desert, a stopping point on the way up to Jerusalem.
Mostpeople restedhere in this desertoasis with nice weatherall year before
starting the six-hour trip uphill trip from 600 feetbelow sea level to 3000 feet
above, through the dangerous, rocky, robber-haunted gorge leading up to
Jerusalem. There were two Jerichos, the old and the new cities, and it was a
town of two classes ofpeople: priests and publicans, Pharisees andtax
collectors.This is the sixth mention of tax collectorsin Luke, all of them
favorable to Jesus (Luke 3:12; 5:27; 7:29; 15:1; 18:10).
c. Zacchaeus wantedto see this Jesus ofwhom he had heard so much (like
John 12:21), but he was so short that the crowdmade it impossible for him to
see anything. So, he climbed up in a tree along the route which Jesus’group
would take. Jesus transforms a tax collectorin Jericho and leads to Luke’s
clearstatement of the purpose of Christ’s missionto the planet. Zacchaeus is a
seeker(Luke 19:1-4), and soonJesus himself seekshim (Luke 19:5-7) to save
him (Luke 19:8-10). Jesus seeshim in the tree and calls him down, asking him
for hospitality.
d. Luke 19:2 – chief tax collector:Being a border city betweenPerea and
Judea with the Jordan as the border, Jericho had a customs station. Taxes
were assessedonthe large business traffic in balsam in the Jericho area and
on goods crossing the Jordan from the easternRomanprovince into Herod
Antipas’ Judea. Tax collectors were viewedas extortionists and Roman
collaborators andwere despised. Zacchaeus apparently held a relatively high
position in the Roman tax system (architelonis). Though this word has not
been found in Greek literature outside the Bible yet, it seems to be an official
title, perhaps we could say Commissionerof Taxes. These positions were
obtained by making high bids with the Roman government for the leasesto
collecttaxes who then hired employees to collectthe taxes. The costof the bid
was recoveredby charging ordinary people exorbitant rates. Zacchaeus’title
probably indicates that he was responsible for a broader region,
e. Luke 19:4 – sycamore-fig tree:For Zacchaeus to be short by ancient
Mediterraneanstandards means he was probably less than five feet tall.
BecauseofZacchaeus’lack ofheight, he ran ahead to a place where Jesus
would pass, and he climbed to one of the widespreadbranches of the
sycamore fig tree to geta glimpse of Jesus. This is not the Europeansycamore,

110. nor like our fig, but the ficus sycoorus, “fig-mulberry.” It was tall, similar to
an oak with a short trunk, pleasing shade, and wide branches, easyto
climb.[1] Without a doubt he was not welcome in this crowdof religious and
self-righteous from that city.
f. Luke 19:5 – “I must stay at your house”:Even in ancient times, people did
not normally invite themselves to someone else’s home. Pharisees, especially,
would not do this because they would not trust the food. Not its cleanliness,
but insteadone could not be sure if what one was given to eat had been tithed
on. Still, Jesus couldhave enjoyed accommodations atany home in Jericho,
but he chose to spend it with this despisedtax collector. Jesus’ability to call
the name of someone whom he had never met was considered by the Jewish
people to be the sortof thing only a prophet could do (how Jesus knew
Nathanaelcf. John 1:47).
g. APPLICATION:How do we reachpeople? By spending significant time
with them in settings where they feel comfortable. Don’t be surprised when
people don’t acceptan invitation to come to church. If you want to reach
them, spend time where they do.
h. Luke 19:7 – The guestof a sinner: In a city of priests as Jericho was, it is
natural to expect that a great rabbi like Jesus would be receivedin the home
of some descendantof Aaron. But no, it was in the home of a hated tax
collectorwhere he found hospitality. Eating in a person’s home was a
significant actin biblical times, signifying fellowshipand acceptanceofthe
other by both guestand host. In the eyes of the crowd, Jesus had a lot to lose
and did lose a lot of respectwith them for going to Zacchaeus’home. Fora
religious-minded Pharisee to eatwith a notorious sinner brought ceremonial
defilement and socialostracism. Jesus’motive was not consideredby the
crowds, but look at his love for the lost. It must move you and me. The mere
presence ofChrist in Zacchaeus’home brought conviction to the tax collector.
2. JESUS DRAWS US TO HIS PURPOSE (Luke 19:8-10)
a. Luke 19:8 – Four times: The OT Law demanded restitution in cases ofloss,
but only by adding 20 percent to the value of the goods lost, certainly not this
much under ordinary circumstances (Lev 5:16; 6:1-5; Num 5:5-7). A thief
who has been caughthad to pay the victim double (Exod. 22:4, 7). The penalty
for outright theft of something essentiallike a farm animal and showing no
pity, however, required restitution of four or five times the value (Exod. 22:1;
2 Sam 12:6). Zacchaeus apparentlyviewed his white collarcrime, his
heartlessness andcruelty just as serious as outright theft and offers the whole
four-fold restitution.

111. b. The text (statheis, pros ton kurion, idou) indicates that for Zacchaeus,this
was a formal act of renunciation. This is a declarationof the immediate result
of personalcontactwith the presence ofChrist. He is overwhelmedby Christ
coming to be with him, and his is eagerto acknowledgeit well. He is not
answering his accusers.Instead, Luke is contrasting his conduct with theirs.
He addresses the Lord. By saying in presenttense, “I hereby right now restore
. . .”
c. Zacchaeus’restitutionis in response to grace, notin order to receive grace.
One cannotearn salvation by doing. That would be a wage, notgrace.
Zacchaeus’salvationwas not basedon what he did, not on his works. Instead
what we see is the result of his faith. Because ofhis faith in Jesus, we see its
genuineness in what he did. Zakkaihad himself now become innocent.[2]
d. APPLICATION:The proof of salvationis not that we do what is required
to make things right, but that we gladly do more.
e. Luke 19:9 – A son of Abraham: Most Jewishpeople believed that salvation
belong to all Israelites by virtue of being descendedfrom Abraham exceptfor
those, like Zacchaeus,who excluded themselves through heinous crimes. The
Jews were proud of their status as children of Abraham and treated this as
reasonenoughfor God’s blessing. Tax collectors, however, were viewedas
having forfeited their rights as Abraham’s children. Salvation, in Hebrew
(yeshu’ah), the feminine form of Jesus’name is important. There is wordplay
in “Salvation/Yeshua has literally come to this house.” Note the complete
difference betweenZacchaeus andthe Pharisee ofLuke 18 with his self-
congratulating prayer and the difference betweenthe rich young ruler who
found it impossible to give up his idol of possessions, “he became very
sorrowful, for he was a man of greatwealth,” and Zacchaeus, “Here and now
I give half of my possessions to the poor.”
f. Luke 19:10 – Though this story told only by Luke, is often viewed only as a
cute children’s story, it is in factone of the most important stories in the
whole Bible, since it reveals the heart of Jesus’missionand God’s purpose for
the world. Jesus came, above all, to seek and save what was lost.
g. Only on this occasiondid Jesus invite Himself as a guest, though He
sometimes acceptedinvitations. But the remarkable thing He does here is to
revealHimself as Messiahto this outcasttax collector. He only did that with
the womanat the well (John 4:26), a despisedSamaritan, and to the man born
blind, who had been castout of the synagogue (John9:37). This verse is
consideredthe key verse and a major theme of Luke’s Gospel, the best
summary of what Luke taught.

112. h. It reflects the image of a shepherd seeking his lost sheep, and image Luke
has alreadyused of Jesus eating with tax collectors (Luke 15:1-7), and further
points especiallyto the image in Ezekiel34:6, 11 of God as a shepherd to his
people Israel. The criterion of God’s dealings with men is not men’s merit but
his need.
APPLICATION: Those who love God will share his passionto bring his
wondrous salvationto a lost world. Christ came to seek andsave the lost. That
is the GreatCommission. That the order He gave us when He ascended. His
mission on this planet is that there be disciples from every tribe, language,
people, and nation to worship Him one day around His Throne. What are you
doing to make that a reality?
j. Second, The Lord seeksto save those who acknowledgethey are sinners, not
those who think they are saints. We can play the game. You know what I
mean, the church game. It is a variant on the child’s game, hide-and-seek, but
with eternal consequences. You canplay as if you are already found. You can
play the part of a saint, as much as the flesh will allow you. You can even
convince yourself, but in reality you are still hiding. You are hiding from the
only person who can give you life and rescue you from your charade. You can
play nice, play as if you are a good, wholesome personwho doesn’t need Him,
but you do, and you know that is true. Jesus is searching for those who realize
the truth and are honest with themselves that their lives are empty without
Him.
Invitation:
The Lord seeksus far more intensely than we seek Him. He is the ultimate
pursuer. He initiates with his love on the cross. Our job is only to sayyes to
Him. He is calling your name, as He did with Zacchaeus, andHe offers you an
invitation. Your part is to welcome Him and receive Him. Will you do that
now?
A. MACLAREN
MELTED BY KINDNESS
‘And when Jesus came to the place, He lookedup, and saw him, and said unto
him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy
house.’—LUKE xix. 5.
It is characteristic ofLuke that only he tells the story of Zacchaeus. He always
dwells with specialinterest on incidents bringing out the characterofChrist

113. as the Friend of outcasts. His is eminently the Gospelof forgiveness. For
example, we owe to Him the three supreme parables of the lost sheep, the lost
coin, and the prodigal son, as wellas those of the Pharisee and the publican
praying in the Temple; and of the goodSamaritan. It is he that tells us that all
the publicans and sinners came near to Jesus to hear Him; and he loses no
opportunity of enforcing the lessonwith which this incident closes, ‘The Son
of Man is come to seek andto save that which was lost.’It is because of the
light that it throws upon that greatthought that he tells this fascinating story
of Zacchaeus. I need not repeat it. We all remember it, and the quaintness and
grotesquenessofpart of it fix it in people’s memories. We know how the rich
tax gatherer, pocketing his dignity, and unable to see over the heads of the
crowd, scrambled up into the branches of the sycamore tree that overhung the
road; and there was found by the eye of love, and surprised by the words of
kindness, which melted him down, and made a new man of him on the spot.
The story seems to me to be full of teaching, to which I desire to turn your
attention at this time.
I. First, note the outcast, drawn by imperfect motives to Jesus Christ.
It has been supposedthat this man was a Gentile, but his Jewishname
establishes his origin. And, if so, the factthat he was a publican and a Jew
says a gooddeal about his character. There are some trades which condemn,
to a certain extent, the men who engage in them. You would not expectto find
a man of sensitive honour acting as a professionalspy; or one of earnest
religious characterkeeping a public-house. You would not expect to find a
very goodJew condescending to be the tool of the Roman Government.
Zacchaeus was atthe head of the revenue office in Jericho, a position of
considerable importance, inasmuch as there was a large volume of trade
through that city from its situation near the fords of the Jordan, and from the
fertility of the plain in which it stood. He had made some money, and
probably made it by very questionable means. He was the object, not
undeservedly, of the execrationand suspicion of his countrymen. Italians did
not love Italians who took service under Austria. Irishmen did not love
Irishmen who in the bad old days used to collectchurch cess. And so Jews had
no very kind feeling towards Jews who became Caesar’s servants. Thata man
should be in such a position indicated that he caredmore for money than for
patriotism, religion, or popular approval. His motto was the motto of that
Roman Emperor who said, ‘Money has no smell,’ out of whatever cesspoolit
may have been fished up. But the consciousness ofbeing encompassedby
universal hatred would induce the objectof it to put on an extra turn of the
screw, and avenge upon individuals the generalhostility. So we may take it for

114. granted that Zacchaeus,the head of the Jericho custom-house, andrich to
boot, was by no means a desirable character.
What made him want to see Jesus Christ? He said to himself, curiosity; but
probably he was doing himself injustice, and there was something else
working below than merely the wish to see whatsort of man was this Rabbi
Joshua from Galilee that everybody was talking about. Had he heard that
Jesus had a soft place in His heart for his class? Orwas he, perhaps,
beginning to gettired of being the butt of universal hatred, and finding that
money scarcelycompensatedforthat? Or was there some reaching out
towards some undefined good, and a dissatisfactionwith a very defined
present, though unnamed, evil? Probably so. Like some of us, he put the
trivial motive uppermost because he was half ashamedof the half-conscious
better one.
I wonder if there are any here now who said to themselves that they would
come out of curiosity to hear the preacher, or from some such ordinary
motive, and who all the while have, lying deep below that, another reason
altogether, a dim feeling that it is not all right betweenthem and God, and
that here may be the place to have it put right? At all events, from whatsoever
imperfect motives little Zacchaeus was perchedup in the sycamore there, he
went to see Christ, and he got more than he went for. Unconsciouslywe may
be drawn, and imperfect motives may leadus to a perfect Saviour.
He sets us an example in another way. Do not be too punctilious about dignity
in pursuing aims that you know to be good. It would be a sight to bring jeers
and grins on the faces ofthe crowdto see the rich man of the custom-house
sitting up amongstthe leaves. Buthe did not mind about that if he gota good
look at the Rabbi when He passed. People care nothing for ridicule if their
hearts are setupon a thing. I wish there were more of us who did not mind
being laughed at if only what we did helped us to see Jesus Christ. Do not be
afraid of ridicule. It is not a test of truth; in nine casesoutof ten it is the
grimace of fools.
II. Then, further, notice the self-invited Guest.
When the little processionstoppedunder the sycamore tree, Zacchaeuswould
begin to feel uncomfortable. He may have had experience in past times of the
way in which the greatdoctors of orthodoxy were in the habit of treating a
publican, and may have begun to be afraid that this new one was going to be
like all the rest, and elicit some kind of mob demonstration againsthim. The
crowdwould be waiting with intense curiosity to see what would pass between
the Rabbi and the revenue collector. Theywould all be very much astonished.

115. ‘Zacchaeus!make haste and come down. To-day I must abide at thy house.’
Perhaps it was the first time since he had been a child at his mother’s knee
that he had heard his name pronounced in tones of kindness. There was not a
raggedbeggarin Jericho who would not have thought himself degradedby
putting his foot across the threshold that Jesus now says He will cross.
It is the only time in which we read that Jesus volunteeredto go into any
house. He never offers to go where He is not wanted, any more than He ever
stays awaywhere He is. And so the very factof His saying ‘I will abide at thy
house,’is to me an indication that, deep down below Zacchaeus’superficial
and vulgar curiosity, there was something far more noble which our Lord
fosters into life and consciousness by this offer.
Many large truths are suggestedby it on which we may touch. We have in
Christ’s words an illustration of His individualising knowledge.‘Zacchaeus,
come down.’ There is no sign that anybody had told Christ the name, or that
He knew anything about Zacchaeus before by human knowledge.But the
same eye that saw Nathanaelunder the fig-tree saw Zacchaeusin the
sycamore;and, seeing in secret, knew without being told the names of both.
Christ does not name men in vain. He generally, when He uses an individual’s
name in addressing him, means either to assertHis knowledge ofhis
character, orHis authority over him, or in some way or other to bespeak
personaladhesionand to promise personal affection. So He named some of
His disciples, weaving a bond that united eachsingle soul to Himself by the
act. This individualising knowledge and drawing love and authority are all
expressed, as I think, in that one word ‘Zacchaeus.’And these are as true
about us as about him. The promises of the New Testament, the words of
Jesus Christ, the great, broad, universal ‘whosoevers’ofHis assurance and of
His commandments are as directly meant for eachof us as if they were in an
envelope with our names upon them and put into our hands. We, too, are
spokento by Him by our names, and for us, too, there may be a personal bond
of answering love that knits us individually to the Master, as there certainly is
a bond of personal regard, compassion, affection, andpurpose of salvation in
His heart in regard of eachsingle soul of all the masses ofhumanity. I should
have done something if I should have been able to gatherinto a point, that
blessedlypierced some heart to let the life in, the broad truths of the Gospel.
‘Whosoeverwill, let him come.’Sayto yourself, ‘That is me.’ ‘Whosoever
cometh I will in no wise castout.’ Say to yourself, ‘That is me.’ And in like
manner with all the generaldeclarations, andespeciallywith that chiefestof
them all, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only begottenSon, that
whosoeverbelievethin Him should not perish.’ Readit as you may—and you

116. will never read it right until you do—‘Godso loved me’—John, Mary, or
whateverbe your name—‘Jesus so lovedmethat if I believe upon Him I shall
not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Then, note, further, how here we get the revelation, in a concrete form, of
Christ’s perfect willingness and desire to make common cause, and dwell with
the most degradedand outcast. I have said that this is the only instance in
which He volunteered to be a guest. PhariseesaskedHim, and He did not
refuse. The publican’s dwelling, which was tabooed, He openedthe door of by
His own hand. And that is what He always does.
This little incident may be takento be, not merely a symbol of His whole
dealings, but an illustration, in small, of the same principle which has its
largestembodiment and illustration in the fact of His Incarnation and
Manhood. Why did Jesus Christ take fleshand dwell among us? BecauseHe
desired to seek and to save that which is lost. Why did He go into the
publican’s house, and brave the sneers of the crowd, and associateHimself
with the polluted? For the same reason. Microscopic crystals andgigantic
ones are due to the same forces working in the same fashion. This incident is
more than a symbol; it is a little instance of the operation of the law which
finds its supreme and transcendent instance in the factthat the Eternal Sonof
God bowedthe heavens and came down ‘and dwelt among us, and we beheld
His glory.’
His example is our pattern. A Christian church which does not imitate its
Masterin its frank and continual willingness to associateitselfwith the
degradedand the outcasthas lost one of the truest signs of its being vitalised
with the life of Christ. There is much in this day in the condition of Christian
communities to make men dissatisfiedand fearful. But there is one thing
which, though in all its developments one cannot sympathise with it, is in its
essencewhollygood, and that is the new and quickened consciousness thata
church which does not address itself to the outcasts has no business to live;
and that Christian people who are too proud of their righteousness to go
amongstthe unclean and the degradedare a greatdeal more of Pharisees than
Christians, and have need to learn which be the first principles of the religion
which they profess. Self-righteousnessgathers up its skirts in holy horror;
perfect righteousness goescheerilyand without fear amongstthe outcasts, for
where should the physician go but to the sick, and where should Christ be
found but in the house of the publican?
Further, the saying of our Lord suggestsHis recognitionof the greatlaw that
ruled His life. Chronologyhere is of much importance. We do not generally
remember that the scene with Zacchaeus was within about a week of the

117. Crucifixion. Our Lord was on that lastjourney to Jerusalemto die, during the
whole of which there was over His demeanour a tension of holy impatience,
altogetherunlike His usual manner, which astonishedand amazed the
disciples as they followedHim. He set His face like a flint to go to Jerusalem;
and strode before them on the way as if He were eagerto reachthe
culmination of His sufferings and of His work. Thus borne on the wings of the
strong desire to be perfected on the Cross, He is arrestedon His path. Nothing
else was able to stopHim, but ‘To-day I mustabide in thy house.’There was a
soul to be saved; and the world’s sacrifice had to wait till the single soul was
secured. Christ hurrying, if I may use the word, at all events steadfastlyand
without wavering, pressing towards the Cross, letHis course be stopped by
this need. The highest ‘must’ was obedience to the Father’s will, and parallel
with that need there was the other, of rescuing the Father’s prodigal sons. So
this elder Brother ownedthe obligation, and paused on the road to Calvary, to
lodge in the house of Zacchaeus.Let us learn the sweetlesson, and take the
large consolations thatlie in such a thought.
Again, the utterance of this self-invited Guestsuggests His over-abundant
fulfilment of timid, half-conscious desires. I saidat the beginning of my
remarks that only curiosity was on the surface;but that the very factthat our
Lord addressedHimself to the man seemedto imply that He descriedin him
something more than mere vulgar curiosity. And the glad leap with which
Zacchaeus came downfrom his tree might have revealedto Zacchaeus
himself, as no doubt it did to some of the bystanders, what it was that he had
been dimly wishing. So with us all there are needs, longings, half-emerging
wishes, that have scarcelycome into the field of consciousness,but yet have
powerenough to modify our actions. Jesus Christunderstands all about us,
and reads us better than we do ourselves;and is ready to meet, and by
meeting to bring into full relief, these vague feelings after an undefined good.
Brethren, He is to us, if we will let Him be, all that we want; and He is to us all
that we need, although we only half know that we need it, and never sayto
ourselves that we wish it.
There is a lastthought deducible from these words of our Lord’s; and that is,
His leaving a man to decide whether he will have Him or no. ‘Make haste and
come down, for to-day I mustabide at thy house. Yes! but if Zacchaeus had
stuck in his tree, Christ’s ‘must’ would not have been fulfilled. He would have
gone on to Jerusalemif the publican had not scrambleddown in haste. He
forces Himself on no man; He withholds Himself from no man. He respects
that awful prerogative of being the architects of our own evil and our own
good, by our own free and unconstrained choice.

118. Did you ever think that it was now or never with this publican; that Jesus
Christ was never to go through the streets ofJericho any more; that it was
Zacchaeus’lastchance;and that, if he had not made haste, he would have lost
Christ for ever? And so it is yet. There may be some in this place at this
moment to whom Jesus Christis now making His last appeal. I know not; no
man knows. A Rabbi said, when they askedhim when a man should repent,
‘Repent on the last day of your lives.’And they said, ‘But we do not know
when that will be.’ And he said, ‘Then repent now.’So I say, because some of
you may never hear Christ’s Gospelagain, and because none of us know
whether we shall or not; make sure work of it now, and do not let Jesus Christ
go out of the city and up the road betweenthe hills yonder; for if once the
folds of the ravine shut Him from sight He will never be back in Jericho, or
seenby Zacchaeus any more for ever.
III. And so, lastly, notice the outcastmelted by kindness.
We do not know at what stage in our Lord’s intercourse with the publican he
‘stoodand said, Half of my goods I give to the poor,’ and so on. But
whensoeverit was, it was the sign of the entire revolution that had been
wrought upon him by the touch of that loving hand, and by the new fountain
of sympathy and love that he had found in Jesus Christ.
Some people have supposed, indeed, that his words do not mark a vow for the
future, but express his practice in the past. But it seems to me to be altogether
incongruous that Zacchaeus shouldadvertise his past goodin order to make
himself out to be not quite so bad as people thought him, and, therefore, not so
unworthy of being Christ’s host. Christ’s love kindles sense of our sin, not
complacentrecounting of our goodness. So Zacchaeus said, ‘Lord! Thou hast
loved me, and I wonder. I yield, and fling awaymy black past; and, so far as I
can, make restitution for it.’
The one transforming agencyis the love of Christ receivedinto the heart. I do
not suppose that Zacchaeus knew as much about Jesus Christ even after the
conversationas we do; nor did he see His love in that supreme death on the
Cross as we do. But the love of the Lord made a deep dint in his heart, and
revolutionised his whole nature. The thing that will alter the whole current
and setof a man’s affections, that will upset his estimate of the relative value
of material and spiritual, and that will turn him inside out and upside down,
and make a new man of him, is the revelation of the supreme love that in
Jesus Christ has come into the world, with an individualising regard to each
of us, and has died on the Cross forthe salvationof us all. Nothing else will do
it. People had frowned on Zacchaeus,and it made him bitter. They had
execratedand persecutedhim; and his only response was setting his teeth

119. more firmly and turning the screw a little tighter when he had the chance.
You can drive a man into devilry by contempt. If you want to melt him into
goodness,try love. The Ethiopian cannot change his skin, but Jesus Christ can
change his heart, and that will change his skin by degrees. The one
transforming power is faith in the love of Jesus Christ.
Further, the one test of a true receptionof Him is the abandonment of past
evil and restitution for it as far as possible. People saythat our Gospelis
unreal and sentimental, and a number of other ugly adjectives. Well!If it ever
is so, it is the fault of the speakers, andnot of the Gospel. Forits demands
from every man that accepts it are intensely practical, and nothing short of a
complete turning of his back upon his old self, shown in the conclusive
forsaking of former evil, howeverprofitable or pleasant, and reparation for
harm done to men, satisfies them.
It is useless to talk about loving Jesus Christand trusting Him, and having the
sweetassuranceofforgiveness, anda glorious hope of heaven, unless these
have made you break off your bad habits of whatsoever sortthey may be, and
castthem behind your backs. Strong emotion, sweetdeepfeeling, assured
confidence in the sense offorgiveness and the hope of heaven, are all very
well. Let us see your faith by your works;and of these works the chief is—
Behold the evil that I did, I do it no more: ‘Behold! Lord! the half of my goods
I give to the poor.’There was a young ruler, a chapter before this, who could
not make up his mind to part with wealth in order to follow Christ. This man
has so completely made up his mind to follow Christ that he does not need to
be bidden to give up his worldly goods. The half given to the poor, and
fourfold restorationto those whom he had wronged, would not leave much.
How astonishedZacchaeus wouldhave been if anybody had said to him that
morning, ‘Zacchaeus!before this night falls you will be next door to a pauper,
and you will be a happier man than you are now!’ So, dear friends, like him,
all of us may, if we will, and if we need, make a sudden right-about-face that
shall alter the complexion of our whole future. People tell us that sudden
conversions are suspicious. So they may be in certaincases. Butthe moment
when a man makes up his mind to change the direction in which his face is set
will always be a moment, howeverlong may be the hesitation, and the
meditation, and the preparation that led up to it.
Jesus Christ is standing before eachof us as truly as He did before that
publican, and is saying to us as truly as He said to him, ‘Let Me in.’ ‘Behold! I
stand at the door and knock. If any man open . . . I will enter.’ If He comes in
He will teachyou what needs to be turned out if He is to stop; and will make

120. the sacrifice blessedand not painful; and you will be a happier and a richer
man with Christ and nothing than with all beside and no Christ.
RICH CATHERS
Luke 19:1-10
Sunday Morning Bible Study
December4, 2016

121. Introduction
Join us in Israel November7-18 next year! Check out our website for details.
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Jesus’ministry is wellunder way, and the people have been amazed not just
at the things He’s been teaching, but the things He’s been doing.
19:1-10 Zacchaeus
:1 Then Jesus enteredand passedthrough Jericho.
:1 passedthrough Jericho
Last week we mentioned that in Jesus’day there were two Jerichos. There
was the ancient Jericho and there was the newer RomanJericho. The blind
man Bartimaeus was on the portion of road betweenthe two Jerichos. Jesusis
now entering into and passing through the second, RomanJericho.
While the older Jericho was populated by the poorer folks, the newer Roman
Jericho was the home of the wealthy people.
It’s this wealthy part of Jericho that Jesus has just passedthrough.
The area of Jericho is an oasis, kind of like Palm Springs.
Winters can getcold in Jerusalemand they will even have occasionalsnow.
But because Jericho is 1000 feetbelow sea level, it can still be in the 70’s and
80’s.
There are also quite a few springs in Jericho, providing lots of water, and
making it a place for farming year-round.
Today you will see acres andacres of date palms and fruit trees growing
around the area of Jericho.
:2 Now behold, there wasa man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax
collector, and he was rich.
:2 who was a chief tax collector
Zacchaeus wouldbe a Jewish, “mid-level” manager. He would report to a
boss who lived in Rome, but he had lowerlevel Jewishmen actually doing the
tax-collecting who would work for him.
:2 he was rich
If your tax bill for Rome was $100, the tax collectorswere allowedto collect
$200 ormore from you, and keepthe extra for themselves.
This is how the tax guys became both wealthy, as well as hated by the common
Jewishfolks.

122. :3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because ofthe crowd, for
he was of short stature.
:3 he was of short stature
As the children’s song goes,“Zacchaeuswas a wee little man…”
BecauseZacchaeus was sucha short fellow, he couldn’t see over the crowd to
get a glimpse of Jesus.
Yet he certainly wanted to see Jesus. He was trying and trying to see Jesus,
but he just was not able to see over the crowd.
:4 So he ran aheadand climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He
was going to pass that way.
Here’s this important government official gathering up his expensive robes
around his waistand running as fastas he can to find a place to catcha
glimpse of Jesus.
:4 climbed up into a sycamore tree
sycamore tree – sukomoraia
This is the sycamore fig tree, also knownas the fig-mulberry tree (ficus
sycomorus)
As you can see in the picture, the sycamore had broad, low hanging branches,
making it the perfecttree for Zach to climb up.
This was also a fruit tree that needed the warm climate of Jericho to grow in.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_sycomorus
:5 And when Jesus came to the place, He lookedup and saw him, and said to
him, “Zacchaeus, make haste andcome down, for today I must stay at your
house.”
:5 He lookedup and saw him
A strange thing for Zacchaeus.He was usedto people looking “down” at him,
both physically and socially.
And here’s Jesus looking “up” at him.
:5 today I must stayat your house
must – dei – it is necessary, there is need of
Lesson
At home

123. Back in 1954, RobertBoyd Munger wrote a little booklet, “My Heart, Christ’s
Home”. Mr. Munger paints a picture of how Jesus comes into our lives and be
“at home” in our hearts. Here’s some of that booklet:
Illustration
The Living Room
From the dining room we walkedinto the living room. This room was
intimate and comfortable. I liked it. It had a fireplace, overstuffed chairs, a
sofa, and a quiet atmosphere. He said, “This is indeed a delightful room. Let
us come here often. It is secluded and quiet, and we can fellowship together.”
Well, as a young Christian I was thrilled. I couldn’t think of anything I would
rather do than have a few minutes with Christ in close companionship. He
promised, “I will be here early every morning. Meet me here, and we will start
the day together.” So morning after morning, I would come downstairs to the
living room. He would take a book of the Bible from the case. We wouldopen
it and read together. He would unfold to me the wonder of God’s saving
truths. My heart sang as He sharedthe love and the grace He had towardme.
These were wonderful times. However, little by little, under the pressure of
many responsibilities, this time beganto be shortened. Why, I’m not sure. I
thought I was too busy to spend regular time with Christ. This was not
intentional, you understand. It just happened that way. Finally, not only was
the time shortened, but I began to miss days now and then. Urgent matters
would crowd out the quiet times of conversationwith Jesus. I remember one
morning rushing downstairs, eagerto be on my way. I passedthe living room
and noticed that the door was open. Looking in, I saw a fire in the fireplace
and Jesus was sitting there. Suddenly in dismay I thought to myself, “He is my
guest. I invited Him into my heart! He has come as my Savior and Friend, and
yet I am neglecting Him.” I stopped, turned and hesitantly went in. With
downcastglance, Isaid, “Master, forgive me. Have You been here all these
mornings?” “Yes,” He said, “I told you I would be here every morning to
meet with you. Remember, I love you. I have redeemedyou at great cost. I
value your fellowship. Even if you cannot keepthe quiet time for your own
sake, do it for mine.” The truth that Christ desires my companionship, that
He wants me to be with Him and waits for me, has done more to transform
my quiet time with Godthan any other single fact. Don’t let Christ wait alone
in the living room of your heart, but every day find time when, with your
Bible and in prayer, you may be togetherwith Him.
My Heart Christ's Home© 1954 RobertBoyd Munger.
To purchase a copy of Mr. Munger’s book from Amazon.com, click here.

124. It is necessarythat Jesus be at home in your heart.
:6 So he made haste and came down, and receivedHim joyfully.
:7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a
guestwith a man who is a sinner.”
:7 a guestwith a man who is a sinner
to be a guest – kataluo (“downfrom” + “to loosen”) – of travelers, to halt on a
journey, to put up, lodge
It’s an expressionthat originates from the notion that when a traveler arrives
at his destination, he will loosenthe straps of his horse or camel, he will loosen
his owngarments.
It’s like “letting down your hair”, or “loosening your tie”.
:7 they all complained
complained – diagogguzo – to murmur; either of a whole crowd, or among
one another; always usedof many indignantly complaining.
We saw this word used back in:
(Luke 15:2 NKJV) And the Phariseesand scribes complained, saying, “This
Man receives sinners and eats with them.”
Here, it’s not just the scribes and Pharisees, but ALL are murmuring over
this.
As Jesus’ministry is progressing, so is the complaining and grumbling.
Perhaps in the beginning some of the people were thinking, “Well, give Him
some time, He’ll see whata bad move that is …” But now, when Jesus reaches
out to Zacchaeus, the whole crowd is complaining.
And after all, why not? As a chief tax-collector, everyone hates Zacchaeus.
Jesus is a person that the people have come to love and admire, and it just
doesn’t make sense that He would want to go to Zacchaeus’house.
In this recentelectionseason, both parties worked hard to make the other
candidate out to be the worst sinner ever.
For those of you who do not like Mr. Trump, how would you reactif Jesus
invited Himself to Trump Towerfor lunch?
For those of you who do not like Mrs. Clinton, how would you reactif Jesus
invited Himself overto Mrs. Clinton’s house?

125. Do you understand why they complained?
Lesson
Complaint Department
After the nation of Israel was brought out of Egypt by Moses, theywandered
in the wilderness for forty years before coming into the Promised Land.
One of the chief characteristicsoftheir time in the wilderness was their
“complaining”. Paul tells us about this time in history when he writes,
(1 Corinthians 10:6–13 NLT) —6 These things happened as a warning to us,
so that we would not crave evil things as they did, 7 or worship idols as some
of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebratedwith feasting and
drinking, and they indulged in paganrevelry.”
Here Paul is describing the incident where Aaron made a goldencalf and the
people descendedinto idolatry.
It happened when the people were complaining because Moseswas taking so
long up on the mountain getting the commandments of God (Ex. 32).
8 And we must not engage in sexualimmorality as some of them did, causing
23,000ofthem to die in one day. 9 Nor should we put Christ to the test, as
some of them did and then died from snakebites.
When the “fiery serpents” startedbiting people, the incident happened
because the people were complaining about the food (Numbers 21:5-6)
10 And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the
angelof death.
Over and over the people complained in the wilderness.
11 These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written
down to warn us who live at the end of the age. 12 If you think you are
standing strong, be carefulnot to fall.
We too can fall into the trap of complaining. It’s a very easything to start.
13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience.
And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can
stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can
endure.
temptations – peirasmos – an enticement to sin, temptation; adversity,
affliction, trouble sent by God to test or prove one’s character
The word is used to describe both enticement to sin, as well as the difficult
trials of life.

126. We often look at this verse as a reminder that God will provide a way out of a
temptation to sin.
Yet in context it seems to speak more to how God will not allow you to go
through a difficult time without showing you a wayto endure it.
When we are faced with difficult times, will we learn to trust God, or will we
respond the normal way, by complaining?
Paul also wrote,
(Philippians 2:14–15 NLT)—14 Do everything without complaining and
arguing, 15 so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as
children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crookedand
perverse people.
We live in a world filled with wickedness.
One of the ways that we shine as a light in this dark world is by learning to
trust God instead of complain.
Don’t like what’s happening around you?
Take it to God and ask for His help.

127. When we learn to trust God instead of complain, we will shine as lights in a
dark world.
When we trust God rather than complain, we will find more positive things
coming out of our mouths. We might just find more people paying attention to
what we say.
Video: Validation
I wonder if the problem with our witness is that too often the things people
hear coming out of our mouths are complaints rather than demonstrating our
trust in God and our love for others.
:8 Then Zacchaeus stoodand said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my
goods to the poor; and if I have takenanything from anyone by false
accusation, Irestore fourfold.”
:8 if I have taken
This is what’s calledin the Greek, a “condition of the first class”. It makes the
assumption that the statement is true. This means that the grammar carries
the idea of, “If I have takenany thing, and I have …”.
:8 by false accusation– sukophanteo (“fig” + “shine”) – to accusewrongfully;
to exactmoney wrongfully; to extort from
In ancient Greece, itwas frowned upon to ship figs out of the country. There
were a group of men who were given the job of exposing people who were
wrongfully exporting figs.
These men were called “fig-shiners” becausethey were to expose the figs.
They also ended up being guys who took bribes to look the other way and
became rich rather than exposing the illegalfig business.
Our word “sycophant” means a personwho extorts or influences others
through flattery.
It’s ironic that Zacchaeus, the sycophant, gets shined upon by Jesus as he’s
sitting up in a sycamore tree.
:8 I restore fourfold
This follows what the Law of Mosessaidabout restitution:
(Exodus 22:1 NKJV) “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or
sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.

128. Lesson
ChangedLives
We are watching Zacchaeus’life change before our eyes.
Illustration
I remember hearing PastorChuck talk about an incident when he was
teaching on a Monday night at Costa Mesa. Ayoung lady had walkedinto the
church and had sat down in the front row. She was not exactlydressedvery
modestly. Her blouse was unbuttoned a little too much. Chuck was rather
upset and was considering changing his messageandtalking about how
women ought to dress modestly. But he felt that the Lord was telling him to
back off and so he simply gave the messagehe was planning on giving. At the
end of the message, whenhe gave an altar call, the young lady came forward
to acceptthe Lord. And her blouse was buttoned.
The very thing that you might be upset at an unbeliever could very well be one
of the things that would change if they just knew the Lord.
Jesus didn’t need to tell Zach what he needed to do. He just needed to have a
relationship with Zach.
Sometimes we overdo it in trying to fix everyone around us.
Perhaps we’d be better off helping them to get closerto Jesus.
:9 And Jesus saidto him, “Todaysalvationhas come to this house, because he
also is a son of Abraham;
:9 Today salvationhas come to this house
Jesus is declaring that Zacchaeus has beensaved.
:9 he also is a sonof Abraham
Abraham is the epitome of a person who is right with God.
The keyto Abraham being right with God was his faith.
(Genesis 15:6 NKJV) And he believed in the Lord, and He accountedit to him
for righteousness.
Zacchaeus was demonstrating his faith in Jesus by his acts of repentance,
making things right with others.
:10 for the Sonof Man has come to seek andto save that which was lost.”
:10 to seek andto save that which was lost
Lesson
What Jesus is all about

129. This is the essence ofwhy Jesus came.
You might call this the “keyverse” to the entire book.
Video: Jesus The Name Lives One
Jesus came to save lostpeople.
He wants to have a living relationship with us, being involved in our lives,
being “at home” in us.
When Jesus died on the cross, itwasn’t because ofsome tragic
misunderstanding betweenJesus and the Jewishleaders.
Jesus died on the cross on purpose, to pay the price of forgiveness for sinners.
Perhaps you have yet to turn your life over to Jesus.
You are not here by accidentthis morning.
Jesus is standing at the bottom of the sycamore tree looking up at you, and He
wants to come to your house today.
He wants you to getto know Him. He says,
(Revelation3:20 NKJV) Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone
hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him,
and he with Me.
Perhaps you think that you could never become a Christian because you have
done terrible things in your life.
I would remind you that you are exactly the kind of personJesus is looking
for.
He came to save lostpeople.
DON FORTNER
EffectualCalling
Text: Luke 19:5-6
Date:Sunday Evening—, 2004
Tape # Y-50b
Readings:Psalm 30:3-5;29:1-11;and 113:1-9
Introduction:

130. I want to preach to you about EffectualCalling. Our text will be Luke 19:5-6.
(Luke 19:5-6) And when Jesus came to the place, he lookedup, and saw him,
and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, andcome down; for to day I must
abide at thy house. (6) And he made haste, and came down, and receivedhim
joyfully.
Do you know any thing of the love-calls of our omnipotent Savior? It is
impossible not to know them, if you have ever heard them. The soul that hears
the voice of the Son of God, though he never heard it before, knows the sweet
sound of the Shepherd’s voice. When the Saviorspeaks to a sinner dead in
trespassesandsins, he speaks with…
· A Loud Voice (John 11:43).
· A PowerfulVoice (John 11:44;Psalm 29:3-11).
· A Still Small Voice (1 Kings 19:9-14).
· A Sweet, Loving, Winning Voice (Song 5:2).
· And A PersonalVoice (Luke 19:5).
Oh, may he whose voice awakesthe dead speak to you this day by his Word!
In order to introduce my messageto you, and in order to prepare our hearts
for the message, I want to share with you four things that God has taught me
by his Spirit.
1. It is my responsibility to preach the gospelto all men as the Lord gives me
opportunity (Mark 16:15-16).
(Mark 16:15-16)And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach
the gospelto every creature. (16) He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
I recognize that the greatestprivilege that has ever been bestowedupon a man
is the privilege of preaching the gospelto men, to speak to men on God’s
behalf. The highest calling in the world, the greatestprivilege that canbe
given to a mortal man, is to be sent of God to proclaim the gospelof
redeeming grace to perishing men. But, while this is the greatestprivilege in
the world, it is also the greatestresponsibility in the world. It is an awesome
thing to speak to men with immortal souls on the behalf of the eternalGod. In
fulfilling this responsibility, basically, three things are required of me.
· Sincerity
· Simplicity
· Steadfastness

131. 2. It is your responsibility to repent and believe the gospel (2 Cor. 6:1-2).
“God commandethall men everywhereto repent.” — I rejoice to declare to all
men everywhere, that any sinner in all the world who will callupon Christ in
true faith shall be saved. It is written, “Whosoever shall call upon the nameof
the Lord shall be saved.” I know that you are responsible before God to believe
that which is plainly revealedin his Word. And I know that if you will believe
on Christ God will save you.
3. Yet, I know that no man by nature can or will come to Christ. You have
neither the desire, nor the ability to trust Christ in yourself (John 5:40; 6:44).
It is not within the realm of man’s power, and it is not within the scope ofhis
heart’s desire to come to Christ. Unless God does for a sinner what that sinner
cannot and will not do for himself, he will perish.
4. And I know that true saving faith is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8).
If any man comes to Christ and believes on Christ unto life everlasting, he
does so because Godhas drawn him to Christ by the effectualpowerand
irresistible grace ofhis Spirit. True faith is the result of, not the cause of,
divine grace. Saving faith is createdin a man’s heart by the mighty, sovereign
operations of God the Holy Spirit in omnipotent, saving grace (Eph. 1:19; Col.
2:12).
This creationof faith in the heart, by which a personis drawn to Christ, is
what we call“effectualcalling.” The effectualcalling of the Holy Spirit is that
sovereign, gracious, irresistible work and operationof God the Holy Spirit,
which changes a man’s heart and will, causing him to come to Christ and be
saved.
Proposition:Effectual calling is the tender influence, overpowering love,
compelling grace, andirresistible power of God the Holy Spirit which causes a
man to gladly and willingly receive Christ as Lord and Savior. Those who by
nature, if left to themselves, would not come to Christ, are made willing to
come to him in effectual calling.
There are many, many pictures of effectual calling in the Scriptures, pictures
that beautifully illustrate this blessedactof God’s grace.
· The calling of Abraham
· The calling of Lazarus
· The calling of Saul
Zacchaeus

132. But perhaps the clearestillustration of the doctrine of effectualcalling is the
story of the calling and conversionof Zacchaeus. You remember the story.
Zacchaeus was verycurious about this man, Jesus ofNazareth, who was
turning the world upside down with his doctrine. The fame of our Lord’s
miracles, the authority of his speech, and the spirituality of his doctrine
causedgreatexcitement among the people, and greatlystirred Zacchaeus’
curiosity.
One day, our Lord came through Jericho, the place where Zacchaeus lived. As
usual, greatcrowds gatheredaround him. Zacchaeus was very curious. He
really wanted to see this famous man. But he was a little man; and he could
not see overthe heads of the people. So Zacchaeus climbed up in one of the
trees, like the little boys, to see the unusual procession. He wanted to see this
famous person. But before he could geta sight of Christ, Christ fixed the eye
of his grace and love on him. “And when Jesus cameto the place, he looked up,
and saw him, and said untohim, Zacchaeus, makehaste, and come down;for
today I mustabideatthy house. And he madehaste, and camedown, and
received him joyfully”(vv. 5-6).
Be sure you get the facts straight. — It was the Lord Jesus who came to
Zacchaeus, notZacchaeus who came to the Savior. It was the Son of God who
called“Zacchaeus, makehaste, and come down,”not Zacchaeus who calledthe
Son of God. And when the Savior calledhim, Zacchaeus “madehaste and
camedown.”
Taking this delightful story of Zacchaeus as our basis, I want to show you
eight things about the blessed, sweet, saving callof God’s grace, by which
chosen, redeemedsinner’s are causedto come to Christ and receive him
gladly.
A Gracious Call
I. The call of Zacchaeus was a very gracious call(1 Cor. 1:26-29).
Of all the people you might suspectto be the objects of mercy and salvation,
Zacchaeus wouldbe the very last. He is what some folks would call, “a very
unlikely candidate for grace.”
· He was a citizen of a very wickedcity, Jericho.
· He made his living by a very wickedbusiness. Zacchaeuswas a publican. He
made his living by cheating other people. Everyone, even in the vile city of
Jericho, said, “This man is a terrible sinner.”
· He was a rich publican.

133. But that which seemedmost likely to exclude him from all heavenly bliss,
made him all the more a likely candidate for mercy. Christ is the friend of
sinners. He came to save sinners. Grace knows no distinctions. Grace is no
respecterof persons. Godcalls whom he will. He has mercy on whom he will.
The calling of God the Holy Spirit is always a very gracious call.
(1 Corinthians 1:26-29)For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many
wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:(27)
But God hath chosenthe foolishthings of the world to confound the wise;and
God hath chosenthe weak things of the world to confound the things which
are mighty; (28)And base things of the world, and things which are despised,
hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that
are: (29) That no flesh should glory in his presence.
· The Lord God has called us out of darkness into light.
· He has calledus out of bondage into liberty.
· He called us out of death into life.
· We have been calledby divine grace into a state of peace, righteousness, and
joy in the fellowship of Christ.
A PersonalCall
II. The calling of Zacchaeus was a personalcall (John 10:3).
The GoodShepherd “callethhis own sheep by name.” There were many in the
crowdedstreets of Jericho that day. It seems likely that there were many boys,
teenagers,and young men in the trees which lined the street. But, lest there
should be some mistake about who was called, the Lord said, “Zacchaeus,
makehaste and come down.”
· There is a generalcall. ¾ “Manyare called, butfew are chosen.”
· But this is that personal, particular, distinguishing call that goes forth to the
hearts of God’s elect¾ “Whom he called, them he also justified.”
Spurgeonsaid, “When the Holy Ghost comes home to a man, God’s arrow
goes right into his heart. It does not graze his helmet, or make some little
mark upon his armor, but it penetrates betweenthe joints of the harness,
entering the marrow of the soul.”
· Every time our Lord calledone his disciples to himself in the New
Testament, he calledthem personally: Mary, Peter, John, and Matthew.
· You who are believers were brought to Christ by a personalcall, were you
not?

134. · The callof Lazarus out of the tomb portrays this beautifully (John 11:43-44).
(John 11:43-44)And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice,
Lazarus, come forth. (44)And he that was deadcame forth, bound hand and
foot with graveclothes:and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus
saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
A Demanding Call
III. This call, which our Lord gave to Zacchaeus, wasa call that demanded an
immediate response (Ps. 95:6-9).
(Psalms 95:6-9) O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the
LORD our maker. (7) For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, (8) Harden not your
heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
(9) When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
The Lord said, “Zacchaeus, makehaste and come down.” God’s gracealways
comes to men with urgency, demanding an immediate response in the heart. If
the Lord God speaks to a man’s heart, he will run after him, without delay. —
“Draw me, and wewillrun after thee.” — “Surelyafter that I wasturned, I
repented; and after that I wasinstructed, I smote upon mythigh: I wasashamed,
yea, even confounded, because I did bearthe reproach of myyouth.”
Am I called? And can it be!
Has my Savior chosenme?
Guilty, wretchedas I am,
Has He named my worthless name?
Vilest of the vile am I.
Dare I raise my hopes so high?
Am I called? I dare not stay,
May not, must not disobey;
Here I lay me at Thy feet,
Clinging to the mercy-seat:
Thine I am and Thine alone;
Lord, with me, Thy will be done.
A Humbling Call
IV. When our Lord called Zacchaeus,it was a very humbling call. ¾
“Zacchaeus, makehaste and come down” (Ps. 51:17).

135. (Psalms 51:17)The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a
contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
God always humbles the sinner he intends to save. Grace knows how to bring
the sinner down (Ps. 107).
Psalm107:1-43
1. O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good:for his mercy endureth for
ever.
2. Let the redeemedof the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the
hand of the enemy;
3. And gatheredthem out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from
the north, and from the south.
4. They wanderedin the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to
dwell in.
5. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
6. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out
of their distresses.
7. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of
habitation.
8. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness,and for his
wonderful works to the children of men!
9. Forhe satisfieththe longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
10. Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in
affliction and iron;
11. Becausethey rebelled againstthe words of God, and contemned the
counselof the most High:
12. Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and
there wasnone to help.
13. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he savedthem out of
their distresses.
14. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake
their bands in sunder.
15. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, andfor his
wonderful works to the children of men!
16. For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.

136. 17. Fools becauseoftheir transgression, andbecause of their iniquities, are
afflicted.
18. Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the
gates ofdeath.
19. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveththem out of
their distresses.
20. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their
destructions.
21. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, andfor his
wonderful works to the children of men!
22. And let them sacrifice the sacrifices ofthanksgiving, and declare his works
with rejoicing.
23. They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in greatwaters;
24. These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
25. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the
waves thereof.
26. They mount up to the heaven, they go down againto the depths: their soul
is melted because oftrouble.
27. They reel to and fro, and staggerlike a drunken man, and are at their
wit’s end.
28. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out
of their distresses.
29. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereofare still.
30. Then are they glad because theybe quiet; so he bringeth them unto their
desired haven.
31. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, andfor his
wonderful works to the children of men!
32. Let them exalt him also in the congregationofthe people, and praise him
in the assemblyof the elders.
33. He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground;
34. A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness ofthem that dwell
therein.
35. He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into
watersprings.

137. 36. And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for
habitation;
37. And sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase.
38. He blesseththem also, so that they are multiplied greatly; and suffereth
not their cattle to decrease.
39. Again, they are minished and brought low through oppression, affliction,
and sorrow.
40. He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeththem to wander in the
wilderness, where there is no way.
41. Yet settethhe the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families
like a flock.
42. The righteous shall see it, and rejoice:and all iniquity shall stop her
mouth.
43. Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand
the lovingkindness of the LORD.
· You must come down from your proud self-sufficiency.
· You must come down from your proud opinion of yourself.
· You must come down from your proud goodworks.
· You must come down to the foot of the cross.
· You must come down in the dust of repentance.
· You must come down in surrender before the throne of the sovereignChrist.
Mark this down and remember it. ¾ God never plants the white flag of peace
in a man’s soul, until the white flag of surrender has been raised in his heart.
God never reveals his grace until he breaks the neck of rebellion. ¾ Total
Surrender.
God has many ways of bringing his chosenobjects ofmercy down in the dust
of repentance.
· Providence
· Law
· His Spirit
· The gospel.
· The Revelationof Christ in the Heart (Zech. 12:10).

138. (Zechariah 12:10-14)And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications:and they
shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as
one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is
in bitterness for his firstborn. (11)In that day shall there be a greatmourning
in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.
(12) And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of
David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart,
and their wives apart; (13)The family of the house of Levi apart, and their
wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; (14) All the
families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.
(Zechariah 13:1) In that day there shall be a fountain openedto the house of
David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalemfor sin and for uncleanness.
An Affectionate Call
V. This call, which our Lord issued to Zacchaeus, was anaffectionate call. –
“TodayI mustabideatthy house” (Jer. 31:3).
Our Lord went to be a guestin the home of a notorious sinner. It is still his
delight to do so.
A NecessaryCall
VI. Now, I want you to notice also that this was a necessarycall.
Our Lord said, “Zacchaeus, makehaste and come down;for today; I mustabide
at thy house.” (It is absolutelyessentialfor me to do so!) I love to read that
word “must” as it relates to the work of our Lord Jesus Christ and the
salvationof our souls.
· “He mustneeds go through Samaria.”
· “The Son of man mustbelifted up.”
· “He mustincrease.”
· “The Scripturemustbe fulfilled.”
· “Other sheep I have, them also I mustcall.”
The salvationof God’s electis an absolute necessitywith God. Every blood-
bought sinner must be calledto life in Christ by the power of God the Holy
Spirit.
· The purpose of God requires it.
· The love of God requires it.
· The blood of Christ requires it.

139. · The justice of God requires it.
· The intercessionofChrist requires it.
· The suretyship engagements ofChrist require it.
· The promise of God requires it.
Our Lord seems to sayto Zacchaeus, “Imust come to your house with the
blessings ofmy grace. My love and grace towardyou compel me. I told my
Father before the world was that I would save you. Now I must come. I am
determined to make you willing in this day of my power to have me.”
NOTE:There was not one sign of resistance. Zacchaeus wasperfectlywilling
for Christ to come home with him (Ps. 65:4; 110:3).
NOTE:This is how Christ saves sinners. He opens the door of your heart,
invites himself in, and makes himself welcome. — “Salvationisof the Lord!”
This is irresistible grace!
An Immutable Call
VII. Again, this was an immutable call (Rom. 11:29).
Look at the text again. ¾ “Zacchaeus, makehaste and come down;for today I
mustabideatthy house.”
The grace ofGod is immutable. When Christ comes into a man’s heart, he is
not a visiting guest. He is a permanent resident of the house. He takes his
rightful place as Masterof the house.
An EffectualCall
VIII. And this call of the Holy Spirit, this callof Zacchaeus to salvation and
life in Christ is an effectualcall (v. 6).
Our Lord said, “Makehaste and come down and he madehaste and come
down, and received him joyfully!”
When the Lord Jesus Christ calls sinners to himself by the omnipotent,
irresistible grace and powerof God the Holy Spirit, those sinners whom he
calls come to him and receive him joyfully.
Application:
1. Who are those that are calledby the Holy Spirit?
· All who were chosenof God in eternal election.
· All who were redeemed by Christ at Calvary.
· All who come to Christ in faith.

140. 2. A word to the proud. You must come down, come down to the nail-pierced
feet of the Son of God. The grace ofGod runs not upon the lofty mountains of
pride, but in the low valleys of humiliation. You must come down!
2. A word to you who desire and seek the salvation of Christ. “Believeon the
Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” If you truly desire salvationby
Christ, it is because he senthis Spirit to callyou. Does the heavy burden of sin
press you down? Stand againstit no longer. Come down to the footof the
cross. Wearysinners lose their burdens only there.
Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity joined with power:
He is able, He is able, He is able,
He is willing; doubt no more.
Come, ye needy, come and welcome,
God’s free bounty, glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Every grace that brings you nigh.
Without money, without money, without money,
Come to Jesus Christ and buy.
Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Bruised and broken by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all:
Not the righteous, not the righteous, not the righteous,
Sinners Jesus came to call.
Let not conscience make you linger,
Nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him;
This He gives you, this He gives you, this He gives you;
‘Tis the Spirit’s rising beam.

141. Lo! th’ incarnate God, ascended,
Pleads the merit of His blood;
Venture on Him, venture wholly,
Let no other trust intrude.
None but Jesus, none but Jesus, none but Jesus,
Can do helpless sinners good.
Amen.
Rev. David Holwick ZH Running Into Jesus series
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
October9, 2016
Luke 19:1-10
THE WEE LITTLE MAN
I. How to rise up in life.
A. How some government officials have succeeded.
Pronab Adhikary was a low-levelofficial near Calcutta, India.
His salarywas $173 a week.
Neighbors saidhe lived frugally, buying inexpensive food at
the localgrocerystore and riding his motorcycle to work.
Private building contractors complainedthat Pronab's office
was harassing them for bribes before he would approve
their building plans, so police investigated.
Pronab's six-room house containedmoney hidden under the floor,
in the ceiling, the cupboards, under the bed, and even
stuffed in an (unused) toilet.
The man earnedunder $10,000 a yearbut police discovered
$31 million in his humble house.
Apparently this is not unusual in India.
The year before, a city engineer's house nearDelhi contained

142. $15 million.
Government jobs are always the best.
Corruption in America doesn't quite measure up.
Back in 2014 an IRS agentwas arrestedfor accepting a bribe
from a medical marijuana storeownerin Washingtonstate.
The agenttold the owner he would cut him a deal that would
save him a million dollars in taxes.
In return, the owner could slip him $20,000to pay off his
student loans.
The ownerwent to the police, who riggedhim with a wire,
and the agent was arrested.
There is no word on how much tax the storeownerendedup
paying....
#65329
B. False income is not ultimately satisfying.
1) Today's story is about a man who made a bundle, but ran
into someone who changedhis perspective on everything.
2) He didn't just change his attitude, but showedit by his
actions.
3) What is there about YOU that shows what you really believe
in life?
II. Today's story is about an IRS agent.
A. He was more like the first example rather than the second.
1) Zacchaeus was anIRS agent, and a high-up one (chief)
in a big town.
2) They had an interesting way to raise taxes back then.
a) Agents would be assignedto raise a certain amount of
money from their district.
b) If they raised more, they got to pocket the excess.
c) They all raisedmore, and Zacchaeus must have been a

143. master at it.
1> He skimmed off the guys who were skimming off of
everyone else.
2> He was loadedwith money.
B. The one thing Zacchaeus didn't have is stature.
1) He was lookeddownon in the city because ofhis job.
a) Tax collectors were hatedfor being corrupt.
b) They were also hated for being agents of the Roman
Empire, their foreigndominators.
2) He was also lookeddownon because he was short.
a) Some take verse 3 to mean that Jesus was the short guy
but this is unlikely.
b) Zacchaeus climbs the tree before Jesus evershowedup,
showing he knew how to adjust to his limitations.
1> One preachersays that all Zacchaeus couldsee was
backs and bottoms.
c) Even today we look down on short people.
Randy Newmanhad an infamous song back in 1977.
The secondstanza goes:
Short people gotnobody
to love
They got little baby legs
That stand so low
You gotto pick 'em up
Just to say hello
They got little cars
That go beep, beep, beep
They got little voices
Goin' peep, peep, peep
They got grubby little fingers

144. And dirty little minds
They're gonna get you every time [...]
Don't want no short people around here [1]
In 1978, state ofMaryland delegate IsaiahDixon
attempted to introduce legislationmaking it illegal
to play "Short People" onthe radio.
He was told this would be unconstitutional. [2]
III. Running into Jesus.
A. Why did Zacchaeus wantto see Jesus?
1) It may have been the celebrity angle.
a) If you heard that Kim Kardashian was in the Ledgewood
Walmart right now, all you would clear out of here.
b) So it could have been his natural curiosity.
2) It may have been a deep spiritual thirst.
a) The way Zacchaeus responds a few verses from now, I
think his interest in Jesus was fardeeper than
curiosity.
b) Perhaps Zacchaeus was looking forsomeone who might
make him feel big and accepted.
3) How interested are you in seeing Jesus?
a) I had the midnight slot at our Friday prayer vigil.
1> The sanctuary was dark, but I had the sense that
Jesus was looking atme (all these windows...)
b) How much do I really see him?
1> How much effort do I put into discovering what he
is really about?
2> How much am I willing to yield my life to him?
3> Every true Christian has to ask these questions.
B. He had only wanted to see Jesus, but Jesus saw him.
1) Surrounded by a mob, Jesus notices the little man in a tree.

145. 2) He invites himself into Zacchaeus'house.
a) Throughout the gospels, many people invite Jesus over
for dinner but it is never the other way around -
excepthere.
b) Zacchaeus is thrilled.
C. The crowdis not thrilled.
1) "All the people" may have included the disciples, too.
2) Public figures should not associatewith the notorious.
a) Imagine Hillary Clinton having lunch with a KKK leader,
or Donald Trump playing golfwith an ISIS general.
b) They are not that stupid - it would be all over the
cable news shows.
3) The badness of bad people canrub off on you.
a) What they didn't consider is that the goodness of
Jesus canrub off, too.
b) Jesus enters the home of a sinner and is welcomed
by a new man, a savedman.
1> I would love the details on what they talked about.
2> None are given. Did Jesus challenge him to repent,
or did Zacchaeus come up with it on his own?
3> All that really matters is that Zacchaeus changed.
IV. Christian change is concrete change.
A. The rich tax collectormade an expensive promise.
1) He gave half his wealth to the poor.
a) That's a pretty steepcontribution.
1> 20% would have been consideredextra generous.
2> 50% is astounding.
A> I have heard of only 3 modern people who have
done it.
b) Who of us would do such a thing?

146. 1> Maybe if Jesus was standing right here - with a gun.
2> Perhaps Zacchaeus has more faith than we do.
c) "Here and now" is not in the original Greek.
1> The NIV supplies it to bring the sense out.
2> His words are in the present tense, so some believe
he is saying he has been doing these things
already.
A> But this is unlikely, because Jesus saysthe
change in him came on this very day.
B> What Zacchaeus is stating on that day, will be
his normal behavior from that point on.
2) He promises to pay four-fold back to anyone he had cheated.
a) In the Old Testament, those who confess to cheating
had to pay back the original amount and 20%.
b) Thieves who were caught had to pay back double in some
casesand four-fold in others.
c) So Zacchaeus is applying the harsheststandards to
himself.
1> He is being ultra-generous and ultra-scrupulous.
B. In what concrete wayhas Jesus changedyour life?
1) Do you do anything different now than you did before?
2) What habits have changed(or not changed)?
3) How have your finances changed?
a) Your attitudes towardthe poor and needy and outcast?
C. Does salvationhave to be expensive?
1) Ultimately, you can pay nothing to be reconciledto God.
a) Zacchaeus is not making a financial contractto get
God on his side.
b) God has paid for our salvationin full.
The Book ofRevelation, adapting a verse in Isaiah, says:

147. Revelation21:6 --
"To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost
from the spring of the waterof life."
c) Nevertheless,the sincerity of your heart will always
be backedup (or betrayed) by your actions.
1> Genuine repentance goes beyondwords.
2> Zacchaeus is showing he really believes in Jesus.
2) Jesus acknowledgeshis faith and calls him a son of Abraham.
a) Abraham was the friend of God, and now Zacchaeus is.
b) You can be as well.
1> It comes by personalfaith, not family heritage.
V. Jesus came to seek and save the lost.
A. That includes you.
1) Everyone is lost, whether they realize it or not.
2) Perhaps you realize that all your schemes to get aheadand
be happy aren't panning out.
3) Have you tried Jesus?
B. Jesus doesn'tjust save - he seeks.
1) He invites himself into your home, and your heart.
2) You have to decide if you are going to accepthim or not.
C. How should you respond to that kind of God?
1) You should do it the way Zacchaeus did.
2) "He came down at once and welcomedhim gladly."
3) Have you done this?
==========================================================
===============
SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
1. Randy Newman, “Short People,” 1977;<link>.
2. Wikipedia, “Short People,” <link>.
#65329“CorruptionCan Be Lucrative,” by Rev. David Holwick, adapting

148. these articles:"House of cash:police find $31minside home,"
19 August 2015;<link>,
and "IRS Agent Arrested for Accepting Bribe," by Michael
Patrick Leahy, 24 Sep 2015;<link>.
These and 35,000others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutelyfree, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
==========================================================
===============
Copyright © 2018 by Rev. David Holwick
JESUS THE SINNER'S GUEST
When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him
by name. "Zacchaeus!" he said. "Quick, come down! For I must
be a guest in your home today."
But the crowds were displeased. "He has gone to be the guest of a
notorious sinner," they grumbled. Luke 19:5,7
The social element of our Lord's nature found its appropriate and
widest scope in the race He had come to redeem. It formed,
indeed, one of the most marked and effective instruments of His
mission of love. Overcoming every class barrier, and penetrating
the hardest surface of society, it bore Him into every abode of
man, blending Him with every form of sorrow and suffering.
Jesus was now the guest of Zaccheus. He had come to seek and to
save that which was lost; and this rich man, and chief among the
publicans, was one of them. Living in sin though he was, and now
concealed amid the foliage of the sycamore tree, the Savior knew
where to find, and how to call this "hidden one" of His eternal
love, this "vessel of mercy afore-ordained unto glory." "Quick,
come down! For I must be a guest in your home today." But the
crowds were displeased. 'He has gone to be the guest of a
notorious sinner,' they grumbled." Blessed testimony! Jesus is

149. still our guest; He still abides and banquets with us.
What a banquet is the Gospel Feast at which we meet the Savior!
It is just the feast our famished souls need. Here is the full
forgiveness of all sin; here is a free grace, justification from all
things; here is adoption into God's family; here is the wine and
the milk of God's love and the Savior's grace, "without money
and without price," for all who have "nothing to pay." Approach,
my soul, for, "all things are ready." Come, not waiting to change
your clothing, or for some self-cleansing, but just as you are, since
Jesus has provided the fountain that washes, and the robe that
clothes you; the only plea springing from yourself, that you are
"wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Oh,
remember that Jesus is the guest of sinners!
Jesus meets His saints at the table of His Holy Communion. If
ever heaven and earth unite and embrace, it is then! When the
King sits at the table, surrounded by the people of His love, eating
by faith of His flesh, and drinking by faith of His blood--symbols,
and nothing more, of His atoning death--it is a heaven below,
lacking but the immediate and unveiled presence of the glorified
Lord. Approach, then, oh my soul, take your place as a welcome
guest at this heavenly banquet, and hear your Lord's sweet
welcome, "Eat, O friends, and drink, yes, drink abundantly, O
beloved."
"He knows what wandering hearts we have,
Apt to forget His lovely face;
And to refresh our minds He gave
These kind memorials of His grace.
"The Lord of life this table spread
With His own flesh and dying blood;
We on the rich provision feed,
And taste the wine, and bless our God.
"While He is absent from our sight,
'Tis to prepare our souls a place,
That we may dwell in heavenly light,
And live forevernear His face."
Oh my soul, invite Jesus often to your house, for none ever
entertained such a guest as He. He brings His own refreshment,

150. and always gives more than He receives. Receive Him into your
house, worship Him at your domestic altar, acknowledge Him at
your meals, invite Him to your marriage feasts, and see that He
has on all occasions a loving reception, and the best
entertainment--even a loving and an unreserved heart. O Lord,
since you receive sinners, and eat with them, enter my humble
abode, and abide with me, for it is toward evening, and the day is
far spent.
https://www.gracegems.org/Winslows/w27.htm
RAY PRITCHARD
Zaccheus Anonymous
Luke 19:1-10
This is an appropriate text for the first Sunday after April 15. I hope you got
your taxes done on time. I told you two weeks ago Iwas going to turn mine in
and I did. I finished last Monday, the 15th, at 1:30 P.M., which beat the
previous year by about 8 hours.
It’s good, in light of this time of year, to read the story of a tax collectorwho
was up a tree. This is one of those stories that our children know better than
we do. Were we to go back into the eastwing of the church, we would discover
that the kids back there know this story much better than we do. When we
read it, because we’ve readit so many times, we tend to pass over it. But you
ask your kids about this story and they will begin to sing, “Zaccheus was a
wee little man and a wee little man was he. He climbed up into a sycamore
tree for the Lord he would to see. And as the Saviorpassedthat way, he
lookedup in the tree and he said, ’Zaccheus, you come down, for I’m going to
your house today. For I’m going to your house today.’”
Of all the Bible stories in the New Testament, this is one of the best-known
and best-loved. And this morning, what I would like to do is take this familiar
Bible story which we have heard since we were children and draw from it

151. severallessons forour edification.
Lesson# 1: What Money Can’t Buy 1-2
Verses 1 and 2 introduce us to the circumstances ofthis story. “Jesus entered
Jericho and was passing through.” You need to know that this episode takes
place at the end of Jesus’ministry. He is only days from Jerusalemand
crucifixion. He has been to Jericho many times. But this time he has come for
the final time.
Jericho was one of the most important cities of ancient Israel. Locatedin the
tropical plain about six miles westof the JordanRiver, it was a center of
trade, commerce, business, industry and agriculture. It had been a very
important city for many generations. In fact, well before the time of Christ,
the Romans knew and valued the city of Jericho. Marc Antony once gave the
city of Jericho to Cleopatra as a gift. She promptly turned around and sold it
to get the money, but that’s anotherstory. King Herod built a hippodrome
there, and also a summer palace.
The city of Jericho was knownfor two things above everything else. It was
known for the balsamwhich was grownthere and sold throughout the ancient
near east. It was also knownfor the growing, harvesting and production of
dates from the date palm trees. They were sold and shipped to all the
countries around Israel.
One other note. There was a major road which ran from the south to the
north through Jericho. If you were coming from the north down along the
westernside of the Jordan River and you wanted to go to Jerusalemyou
would inevitably go through the city of Jericho. From the north or the east, if
you were coming through Damascus, you would come through Jericho. From
the south you would cross overthe DeadSea and up through Jericho to
Jerusalem.
What that means is this. Jericho in Jesus’day was a goodplace to be because
if you knew what you were doing, you could make a lot of money. It was a
goodplace to be if you had a goodidea and were willing to work hard to make
your idea become reality. A lot of things went to Jericho, a lot of things came
out.
Jesus Meets the IRS
So it was that Jesus has come to Jericho on a sunny day in March on his way
to Jerusalemfor the last time. By now, he’s well known. Everybody either

152. hates him or loves him. After three and a half years of ministry no one can
ignore him. And when the word begins to spreadthat this strange, miracle-
working rabbi from Galilee has come to Jericho again, people by the
hundreds and perhaps by the thousands flockeddown those narrow dirt
streets to meet Jesus as he enters the city. Oh, they want to talk with him. Oh,
they want to hear him tell the stories. Oh, they want to touch the sleeve ofhis
garment. Perhaps he will work a miracle for them.
Jesus has come to Jericho amid the greatestofall possible fanfare. Everybody
has heard he was coming. Everybody, including the most hated man in town.
A man by the name of Zaccheus. Verse 2 tells us that “He was the chief tax
collectorand was wealthy.” Luke is telling us that he was wealthy because he
was the chief tax collector. In those days the Romans controlledthe taxation
of ancient Israel, and they setit up this way. They divided Israelinto districts.
There were three–one in Caesarea,one in Capernaum and one in Jericho.
They would hire a man to be something like a District Commissioner. The
man chosenwas usually the personwho had bid the most for the right to be
the head tax collector. Thatwas Zaccheus, whichmeans he had a group of
people working for him who themselves would collectthe taxes. Now it was a
simple factin the first century that the tax collectorswere greedyextortioners.
They were thugs who used pressure and intimidation to extort money from
the common people of Israel. In fact, the ancient writers tell us that Israelwas
among the most taxed of all nations in the first century.
Zaccheus was the head of the tax collectors.Now, please notice thatZaccheus
has three strikes againsthim. Number one, he was a tax collector. Tax
collectors back thenweren’t liked any better than tax collectors are liked
today. Number two, he was a crook and a cheatas we will find out later in the
story. Number three, he was working for the hated Roman empire. So we
have a crookedtax collectorworking forthe enemy. They hated his guts. They
couldn’t stand the sight of him. He representedeverything that was wrong
and bad about life as they knew it. When they saw Zaccheus coming, the
people of Jericho wantedto getawaybecause they didn’t like the sight of this
man.
The systemworkedlike this: Rome would sayto a “DistrictCommissioner”
like Zaccheus, “We wantyou to collecttaxes of such-and-suchamount, and
send that amount to us.” So the Romans would assignthe amount and the tax
collectorwould setabout collecting that amount. But there was one hitch:
Mostof the “DistrictCommissioners” wouldcollectmore than the designated
amount–sending this amount to Rome and putting the rest in their pockets.
Thus incurring the wrath and hatred and displeasure of everyone in the town.

153. Which is why Zaccheus is wealthy and rich and despised and hated. Zaccheus
has learnedthe hard way one of the most basic lessons oflife: You can be rich
and not be happy. You canbe wealthy and not be loved. You can be successful
and not be satisfied.
Al Kasha
Al Kasha is a gifted Christian songwriterin Hollywood. He’s won two Oscars,
one for the song “There’s Gotto Be a Morning After” from the Poseidon
Adventure and one for the song “We’ll NeverLove This Way Again” from the
Towering Inferno. What’s life like in Tinseltown?
I find that more than any other place in the world, people are most responsive
to Christ here. You think they’re most loved, but this is the first place that
they’re most unloved. One day in the trade papers they’re told they’re big
stars. The next day they’re told they’re nothing. The question that’s always
askedin Hollywoodis, “What are you doing now?” They don’t ask who you
are; they ask whatyou’re doing. “You mean you’re not doing anything new?”
That means you’ve gotten cold. It’s a very fickle town.
What’s worse than blowing up a balloonand puncturing it every day? That’s
what this town is. It’s blown-up balloons. (Worldwide Challenge, Sept-Oct,
1985, p.10)
Did you see the Chicago Sun-Times this morning? There’s a review of a book
about success, a major story about men in the last decade in America who
have amassedgreatfortunes only to blow it all once they gotto the top. And
the article names MichaelMilkin, Donald Trump, Pete Rose and Ivan Boesky.
Men who had everything that the world considers successfuland when they
reachedthe top, it wasn’tenough. They had to cheatand break the rules to
try to getmore.
He’s worth millions. He snaps his Midas fingers and people jump. He has a
trophy wife or mistresses.Or both.
Yet just when he seems to have it all, the castle comes crashing downand
everything he touches turned to garbage. (ChicagoSun-Times, April 21, 1991,
p. 37)
You can be rich and not be happy. You canbe wealthyand not be loved.
LessonNumber one. What money can’t buy. Zaccheus had learned it well.

154. Lesson# 2: No shortage of hungry hearts 3-4
Zaccheus had a problem. Verse 3 says he wanted “to see who Jesus was. But
being a short man he could not because ofthe crowd.” That’s one problem I
personally have never had. Zaccheus had the problem of being too short to see
Jesus. I don’t know how tall he was–probablyaround 5 feetor a little less. I
don’t think he was any bigger than that. He was a short, rich man who was
the most hated man in town. And Zaccheus wants to see this Jesus so he’s
pushing his waydown the street. He tries to stand on his tiptoes but that
doesn’t help. He starts pushing, “Excuse me. I’ve gotto getthrough.” When
people turn and see it’s Zaccheus they spit right in his face. Do you think
they’re going to let the tax collectorthrough? Not this year. Not any year.
They hate this man. Zaccheus can’t fight his way through the crowd. And so
Zaccheus, in a show of determination and a triumph of ingenuity, sees Jesus in
the crowdmoving his way slowly through the streets of Jericho. Spying a
sycamore tree up ahead, he runs down the street, comes to the tree, which was
something like an oak tree with limbs that came down near the ground. He
climbs up into the tree and drapes himself over a limb and waits for Jesus to
come his way.
Have you ever askedyourselfwhat made Zaccheus want to see Jesus? He had
it all–money and all that money could buy–and still he wants to see Jesus. We
talk about the self-made man. We talk about the people at the top as if they
don’t have any needs or desires. Whatwas it that made Zaccheus want to see
Jesus? Ithink he’d heard about him. I think he was curious about this man
from Galilee. Do you suppose Zaccheus had heard through the tax collectors’
grapevine about what had happened when Jesus met Levi? He was another
tax collectorequallyhated and despisedand when Jesus had dinner with him,
he said, “Levi, why don’t you come and follow me?” (By the way, what was
Levi’s name when he became a followerof Jesus? Matthew.)Do you suppose
that Zaccheus had heard that Jesus had called one of his colleaguesinto his
ministry? Do you think it’s possible that Zaccheus for all his money had a hole
in his heart that made him so desperate that he would do anything just to see
this man?
MostHated Man in Jericho
I submit something for your consideration. If you had takena poll that day
and asked, “Name the most hated man in Jericho,” Zaccheus wouldhave been
named on 99% of the ballots. Virtually everybody would have said, “This is
the worstman in town.” And then you’d ask the secondquestion, “Who is the
leastlikely person to want to see Jesus?”Zaccheus wouldonce againhave

155. been at the top of the list. People had written off this crookedtaxcollector
long ago. But when Jesus comes downhe sees a man up a tree so desperate to
see him. It’s the man everybody hates.
Sometimes in our effort to share the gospelwe getso discouraged. We think
our friends and loved ones are never going to listen. We try to share Christ at
work. We try to share Christ with our friends and our neighbors. We try to
build bridges. We try to get to know people who don ’t know the Lord. We get
discouragedwhenthey don’t respond quickly. Sometimes they go months and
years without responding at all. We look at them and we conclude that they
are hardened to God. Zaccheus reminds us not to jump to hasty conclusions.
If you had lookedon the outside you would have written him off because his
societyhad written him off. But in his heart, the Holy Spirit was working,
waiting for the day when Jesus would arrive.
What was it Al Kasha said? “I find that more than any place in the entire
world people are most responsive to Christ here.” Where’s that? Hollywood.
The place that we are used to considering a moral cesspool.He says they are
more responsive to Christ there than anywhere. Why? Because they’ve got the
powerand the glory and the glitter and they’ve found out it’s not enough.
Thank God, there are hungry hearts everywhere. Just because youdon’t see
the signs on the outside doesn’t mean that on the inside your friends and loved
ones haven’t climbed up in a tree to see Jesus as he passes by. It may not look
on the outside like anything is happening, but on the inside, something is.
Lesson# 3: SalvationMade Simple 5-6
Here comes the crowddown the street, Jesus in the middle. Greatcommotion.
Greatexcitement. Verse 5: “When Jesus reachedthe spot (that is the spot
underneath the tree where Zaccheus was)he lookedup and said to him,
’Zaccheus, come down immediately.’” How did he know Zaccheus’name?
That’s a goodquestion. I don’t totally know the answer. Did somebody spot
Zaccheus up there and throw a rock at him and hit him on the head? Did
somebody yell, “Getthat creepout of here?” Had Jesus heard about him
somehow? Ordid Jesus recognize a hungry heart? Study it in the gospels.
Whenever Jesus calls a personby name, something is about to happen. Our
Lord never uses anybody’s name in vain. “Zaccheus, youcome down because
I’m going to your house today.” If you like to write words in the margin of
your Bible, write beside verse 5 the word “Grace.”Beside verse 6, write the
word “Faith.” “So he came down and welcomedhim gladly.”

156. This is the doctrine of the free grace of God. This is the story of what salvation
is all about. Zaccheus is up in a tree. He’s interested in Jesus. He’s watching
and here comes Jesus.He stops and he calls him by name and says,
“Zaccheus, come ondown.” That’s the grace of God. That’s where salvation
begins. Listen, Zaccheus had nothing with which to recommend himself to
God. Zaccheus had done nothing to deserve an invitation from the Master.
Zaccheus was the worstman in the city. And that’s the man that Jesus singles
out. That’s the unmerited grace of God. “Zaccheus, Zaccheus, youwickedold
tax collector. Come ondown. We’re going to eatsupper together.” That’s the
grace ofGod and the Bible says that “Zaccheus came ondown and he
receivedhim gladly.” That’s the human response to the grace of God. That’s
what salvationis. Zaccheus had nothing to recommend himself to Jesus. He
had done nothing goodin his past, nothing at all.
Do you want to know how to be born again? When Jesus calls you, answer
him gladly. How do you know when he calls? Believe me, you’ll know it when
you hear his voice speaking to your heart. When you want to leave your life of
sin, when you are ready, come on down and receive him gladly. You say, “I’m
not goodenough.” Neitherwas Zaccheus. “I’ve been a bad man.” Zaccheus
was bad too. “I’m an outcast.” So was Zaccheus.He’s the man that Jesus
picked out. Salvationmade simple. “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy
cross I cling.” This is a wonderful picture of the grace of God saving the worst
of sinners.
Lesson# 4: Money for the Master7-8
When Zaccheus came down and welcomedJesus gladly;he not only welcomed
him personallybut he said, “Jesus, come to my house.” I believe that between
verse six and seven they’ve had a meal together. We pick up the story in verse
7, “All the people saw this and beganto mutter, ’He has gone to be the guest
of a “sinner.’” If you have the NIV, notice the quotation marks around the
word “sinner.” That means a big sinner, a gross sinner, a terrible sinner, a
person we would never associatewith.
Don’t you know that this upset the country club crowd? Don’t you know they
said, “Why, Jesus, Iwould have takenyou out to the Jericho Country Club.
We would have had some grilled red snapper. It would have been great. The
service is wonderful out there. Jesus, why are you messing around with a tax
collector? This is the worstman in town.” They beganto mutter. Isn’t it true
that Pharisees thenand now are offended at the people Jesus choosesto be his
followers? Isn’t it true, then as now, that some people are offended by the fact

157. that our Lord loved to be with the worstof sinners?
A New Man With An Old Reputation
Zaccheus had a problem. The problem was this: He had been a crook for
many years. That’s how he had gottenhis money. Now Zaccheus and Jesus
are eating together. The people are muttering. The problem is that people are
looking at the old Zaccheus. They’re judging him by the old standards. When
they see Zaccheus, allthey see is the man he used to be. They don’t
understand that the man who came down from the tree was a brand new
Zaccheus with a brand new life and a brand new set of spiritual values. All
they see is the old Zaccheus and they don’t understand why Jesus would want
to spend any time with the old Zaccheus.
If you’re Zaccheus, how do you show to the world that you’ve become a new
man by the powerof Jesus Christ? How do you do it? That often happens
when people come into the church from a sordid or questionable background.
They weren’t raisedin Sunday School, they didn’t come up through “our
system” and when they come into the Christian church, they wonder to
themselves, “Am I really goodenough to be here?” They feel like they’re not
worthy to belong. Isn’t that a problem that people often have when they come
to Christ? How do you demonstrate the reality of your faith?
Verse 8 tells us what he did: “Zaccheus stoodup after the meal and saidto the
Lord, ’Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor,
and if I have cheatedanybody out of anything I will pay back four times the
amount.’” By the way, this is the only place in the Bible where Zaccheus is
recordedsaying anything. Notbad for a new convert.
Do you understand what he’s saying here? “I’ve got a lot of money but I’ve
just met you. And here and now, Lord, this is what I’m going to do. I’m going
to take half of it right off the top and I’m going to give it to the poor. I’m
going to use the other half to pay back anybody I’ve cheated. And just so
they’ll know I’m serious about it, I’ll pay them back four-fold.” When he says,
“If I’ve cheatedanyone,” what he means is, “If I have cheatedanybody … and
I have.” He is admitting his pastmisdeeds to Jesus. And he’s saying, “Lord,
anytime I can find anybody in the future that I have cheatedin the past, I’m
going to pay him back four-fold. If I have cheatedhim out of a thousand
dollars I will pay him one thousand dollars plus four thousand dollars on top
of that–a total of five thousand dollars.”

158. New Life at the Point of Old Weakness
Does that seemradical to you? Well, it depends on your point of view. If
you’re a cheating tax collectorand your life has just been revolutionized by
Jesus Christ, why shouldn’t you do that? The greaterquestion is this: How do
you show the reality of Christ in your life? The answerfor you would be the
same as it was for Zaccheus. Here’s the principle. The reality of your new life
in Jesus Christ will be seenat preciselythe point of your old weakness.His
problem was money, greedand lust. Therefore, since that was the point of the
weakness,that’s the point at which his new life had to be demonstrated.
It wouldn’t do any goodfor Zaccheus to say, “Lord, I’m not going to curse
any more” because cursing wasn’t his problem. It wouldn’t do to say, “Lord
I’m going to be a nice guy” because being a jerk wasn’t his problem. It
wouldn’t do for him to say, “Lord, I’m going to give more offerings at the
temple” because I’m sure he was a religious Jew. Thatwasn’t the point of his
weakness.The point of his weaknesswas money. Greed for money. And
nobody would believe that he had really changedunless he had changedthe
point of his past weakness.
When you come to Jesus Christ, if your problem is gossip, if that area doesn’t
change, don’t think anybody is going to buy your Christianity just because
you come to church. If you gossipand that’s your weakness,if that doesn’t
change, then coming to church isn’t going to make any difference at all. It’s
not simply that you add on something to your past weaknesses;real
conversionis shownwhen you change in the future in what used to be your
weak point. If pornography is your problem, if sleeping around is your
problem, then that’s the area that has to change. If that doesn’tchange, then
singing in the choir isn’t going to convince anybody. If lust is your problem
then that’s the area that has to change. If bitterness is your problem then
that’s the area that has to change. If a bad temper is your problem then that’s
the area that has to change. If treating people like dirt is your problem, then
that’s the area that has to change. If being disrespectful to those who are in
authority over you is your problem, when you come to Jesus Christ that’s the
area where the change has to be demonstrated. That’s a tremendously
important principle.
Restitution–Thenand Now
Notice how Zaccheus demonstratedthe change. He made voluntary
restitution. He said, “I’m giving half to the poor.” That takes care ofthe
future. When he said, “If I’ve cheatedanybody, I’m going to pay them back

159. four times,” that takes care ofthe past. His present is okay. He is taking steps
to take care of the future and the past.
This whole idea of restitution seems odd to us–musty and ancientand
somewhatirrelevant. Do you know what I found out this week? Ifound out
that the idea of restitution would not have been unusual to the Jews atall. It’s
only unusual to us because we don’t do it. The Old Testamentdiscussesthe
conceptmany times. It’s in Exodus. It’s in Numbers. It’s in Leviticus. It’s in
Deuteronomy. It’s in II Samuel. It’s in Ezekiel. Forinstance, according to
Exodus 22 if you stole somebody’s sheep, you had to pay them back four
times. If you stole somebody’s oxen, you had to pay them back five times
because oxenwere goodnot only for their hides and fur but they were also
goodto pull the plow. According to Numbers if you stole certain items you
were required to pay back what you stole plus 20 percent of the value. In some
places it was double. In some places it was triple. In some places it was four
times. In some places it was five times. That was standard practice in the Old
Testament. You made restitution for what you had done wrong.
That’s what Zaccheus was doing here–voluntarily. Do I hear someone saying,
“Thank God, we’re under grace, not law, so we don’t have to do that
anymore?” That’s a theologicalcop-out. It says more about us than it does
about the Bible.
Why Restitution is GoodFor You
There are at leastthree reasons why restitution is goodfor you. First, it’s good
because it shows that you are really sorry for what you did. I’m not just
talking about restitution for money, or things you stole, but people you’ve
hurt by what you’ve said, by your attitudes, by your broken relationships.
People you’ve treated like dirt in the past and now you want to live for Christ.
Those bridges are out and you’re going to have to go back and rebuild them.
You need to make restitution. It’s good, number one, because it shows that
you are really sorry for what you have done.
Second, restitution is goodbecause it makes it easierfor the people you’ve
hurt to forgive you. People don’t want to hear pious words;they want to see
your changedlife exhibited by changedbehavior. What better exhibition than
making amends for the things you have said and done that have hurt people?
Third, if you make restitution it makes you much less likely to make the same
mistake againbecause it’s costyou so dearly. Restitutioncosts something. You
have to humble yourself and admit your wrongdoing. It isn’t easy, which is
why most people don’t do it. That’s also why it is so goodfor you. Make

160. restitution once or twice and you’ll think twice before doing the same dumb
thing again.
That’s what Zaccheus is doing here. At the point of his weakness,he is
demonstrating new life in Christ by voluntarily giving his money awayto the
poor and making restitution four times over.
The Eighth Step
This week I borroweda book from Bill Miller calledThe AA Way of Life. Are
you familiar with the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous? Millions of
people have been helped by following the twelve steps. Listen to step 4: Make
a searching and fearless moralinventory of your own life. Take a look in the
mirror and see yourself as you really are. Step number 8: Make a list of all the
persons you have harmed and be willing to make amends to them all. Step
Number 9: Make direct amends to such people wheneverpossible exceptwhen
to do so would injure them or others.
Step 4: Take an inventory
Step 8: Make a list of the people you’ve hurt
` Step 9: Make amends
This is what Zaccheus is doing. This is what the book says on page 187:
In making amends it is seldom wise to approach the individual who still
smarts from our injustice to him and to announce that we have gone religious.
This might be calledleading with the chin. Why lay ourselves opento being
branded fanatics or religious bores? If we do this we may kill a future
opportunity to carry a beneficialmessage. Butthe man who hears our amends
is sure to be impressedwith our sincere desire to set right a wrong. He is going
to be more interestedin a demonstration of goodwill than in talk of spiritual
discoveries.
It’s not what you say, it’s what you do. And don’t say it until your life can
back it up.
“Repentance,Repentance, Repentance”
Two weeks agoI mentioned the remarkable story of Lee Atwater’s
conversion. The “BadBoy of GOP Politics” died on GoodFriday. In the midst
of fighting a brain tumor he came to Christ. At his funeral service, Harry
Dent, who was an advisor to PresidentNixon in the 70s and who himself found
Christ nearly twelve years ago, stoodup and said, “A lot of people wonder if

161. Lee Atwater’s confessionoffaith is real. Let me tell you about Lee Atwater’s
life the last few months. It was characterizedby one word. Repentance.
Repentance. Repentance.”He told how Lee Atwater had written letters of
apologyto MichaelDukakis, and Tom Turnipseed, a politician in South
Carolina, to Ron Brown, the head of the Democratic Party, asking forgiveness
for his bad and hateful attitude and for the things he had done in the past.
Harry Dent said, “That’s the evidence of a changedlife. A man who repented
to the point that before he died he made right the wrongs he had done. He
made amends with the people he had hurt.” (Source:World magazine, April
13, 1991, pp. 16-17;Harry Dent interview on Primetime America)
You can talk about faith all you want. But unless your faith is backedup by
the evidence of a changedlife no one will listen. Why is that? Becausewe are
justified before Godby faith but we are justified before men by works. Why?
Becauseonly God can see our faith. The only thing men can see is our works.
There’s no contradiction there. Talk all you want about your faith but then
show it by the way you live. Specificallyby the change that Jesus had made at
the point of your past weakness.
Lesson# 5: Our Number One Priority 9-10
“Jesus saidto him, ’Today salvationhas come to this house, because this man,
too, is a Son of Abraham.’” I’ll bet the country club crowdin Jericho couldn’t
stand that. They were offended that Jesus would considera man like Zaccheus
as a Son of Abraham. They thought they had it made and they had already
counted Zaccheus out. But the truth of the matter is, Jesus was saying that a
son of Abraham is not somebody who has the right kind of birth certificate. A
son of Abraham is the one who has the kind of faith Abraham had. Zaccheus
had that faith demonstratedby his changedlife.
Verse 10 gives us the moral of the story: “Forthe Son of Man came to seek
and to save what was lost.” Why did Jesus come? Why is the church here?
The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. It’s a lessonto
us about why the church is in the world. As the Saviorcame to seek andto
save that which was lost, Exhibit A would be Zaccheus. Evenso, the reason
the church is here is to follow the Sonof God as we seek and save that which is
lost.
If Jesus Came to Oak Park
Don’t you understand? It’s easyfor us to mutter and complain and say, “I’m
not sure we want those Zaccheus types here in our church. I’d rather they go

162. someplace else.” Ifwe are not willing to do what Jesus did, we can hardly call
ourselves his disciples. If we as a church have decided that only the good, the
pure, the righteous and the holy can come into this place, then we’re not
worthy of the name Christian. That’s really the challenge–to follow Jesus in
this world.
Let me leave you with this. If Jesus were to come to Oak Park today where
would we find him? Where would we find him? You wouldn’t find him in the
churches. He wouldn’t be here. That’s not where he was two thousand years
ago. You’d find him out with the homeless, outwith the hungry, out with the
hurting, out with the drug abusers, down in Austin helping the people who
have AIDS. He’d be out talking to those guys who are sleeping around every
night of the week. He’d be talking to those women who feel like there’s no
hope of a change for them. That’s where Jesus would be if he came to Oak
Park today.
The R.O.Z.A.
And I’ll give you something else to think about. As long as the church stays in
the church, Jesus is not there because that’s not where Jesus is. If the church
wants Jesus, the church has to go out where Jesus is. Out into the world,
because that’s where he is this morning.
What I want to suggestto you is that many of you face the challenge ofdoing
what Zaccheus did. You need to join the ROZA - The RoyalOrder of
Zaccheus Anonymous and take seriouslythe challenge of going out of this
place and showing to the world that Jesus Christ has really made the
difference. Some of you this morning need to take StepNumber Four
seriously–Make a searching moral inventory. Where do you really stand
before God? You need to take Number Eight seriously–Make a list of the
people we have hurt and offended. And you need to take Number Nine
seriously–Resolve before Godthat as far as possible we will make things right
with the people we have hurt so badly. Until you do that we’re not going to get
very far in you Christian life. It’s just that basic. But when you do, you will be
providing to the world living proof of two things. First, living proof of why
Jesus came into the world. Second, living proof of the difference Jesus Christ
can make when he comes into a life.
God help us to be that living proof whereverwe go this week.. Amen.

163. 163. Must He?
And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto
him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy
house. Luke 19:5
OUR Savior for the first time invited himself to a man's house. Thus he
proved the keeness and authority of his grace. "I am found of them that
sought me not" (Isa. 65:1). We ought rather to invite him to our houses. We
should at least cheerfully accept his offer to come to us. Perhaps at this hour
he presses himself upon us.
Yet we may feel ourselves quite as unlikely to entertain our Lord as
Zacchaeus seemedto be. He was a man—
In a despisedcalling—a publican, or tax collector.
In bad odor with respectable folk.
Rich, with the suspicion of getting his wealth wrongly.
Eccentric, for else he had hardly climbed a tree.
Excommunicated because ofhis becoming a Roman tax gatherer.
Not at all the choice of societyin any respect.
To such a man Jesus came; and he may come to us even if we are similarly
tabooed by our neighbors, and are therefore disposed to fear that he will pass
us by.
I. LET US CONSIDER THE NECESSITYWHICH PRESSEDUPON THE
SAVIOR TO ABIDE IN THE HOUSE OF ZACCHAEUS.
He felt an urgent need of—
1. A sinner who needed and would accepthis mercy.
2. A personwho would illustrate the sovereigntyof his choice.
3. A characterwhose renewalwouldmagnify his grace.
4. A host who would entertain him with hearty hospitality.
5. A case whichwould advertise his gospel(verses 9 and 10).
There was a necessityof predestinationwhich rendered it true, "TodayI must
abide at thy house?"
There was a necessityof love in the Redeemer's gracious heart.
There was also a necessityin order to the, blessing of others through
Zacchaeus.
II. LET US INQUIRE WHETHER SUCH A NECESSITYEXISTS IN
REFERENCETO OURSELVES.

164. We canascertainthis by answering the following questions, which are
suggestedby the behavior of Zacchaeus to our Lord—
1. Will we receive him this day? "He made haste."
2. Will we receive him heartily? "Receivedhim joyfully."
3. Will we receive him whatever others say? "They all murmured."
4. Will we receive him as Lord? "He said, Behold, Lord?"
5. Will we receive him so as to place our substance under the controlof his
laws (verse 8)?
If these things be so, Jesus must abide with us.
He cannot fail to come where he will have such a welcome.
III. LET US FULLY UNDERSTANDWHAT THAT NECESSITY
INVOLVES. If the Lord Jesus comes to abide in our house—
1. We must be ready to face objections at home.
2. We must get rid of all in our house which would be objectionable to him.
Perhaps there is much there which he would never tolerate.
3. We must admit none who would grieve our heavenly Guest. His friendship
must end our friendship with the world.
4. We must let him rule the house and ourselves, without rival or reserve,
henceforth and for ever.
5. We must let him use us and ours as instruments for the further spread of
his kingdom.
Why should we not today receive our Lord?
There is no reasonwhy we must not.
There are many reasons why we must do so at once.
Lord, issue your own mandate, and say, "I must?"
Noteworthy Passages
Had our Savior said no more but "Zacchaeus, come down," the poor man
would have thought himself taxed for his boldness and curiosity: it were
better to be unknown than noted for misbehavior. But how the next words
comfort him: "For today I must abide at thy house!" What a sweet familiarity
was here! as if Christ had been many years acquainted with Zacchaeus, whom
he now first saw. Contrary to custom the host is invited by the guest, and
called to an unexpected entertainment. Well did our Savior hear Zacchaeus'
heart inviting him, though his mouth did not: desires are the language of the
spirit, and are heard by him that is the God of spirits. —Bishop Hall
Now, Christ begins to call Zacchaeus from the tree to be converted, as God
called Adam from among the trees of the garden to be judged (Gen. 3:8-9).

165. Before, Zacchaeus was too low, and therefore was fain to climb; but now he is
too high, and therefore he must come down. —Henry Smith
Charles Hadden Spurgeon
164. The Ordained Memorial
And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying,
This is my body whichis given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise
also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood,
which is shed for you. Luke 22:19-20
HERE we have full directions for observing the Lord's Supper. You see what
it was, and how it was done. The directions are plain, clear, definite.
It will not be right to do something else;we must "this do." Nor this for
another purpose; but "this do in remembrance of me."
This command raises a previous question: Do you know him? He who does
not know him cannotremember him.
This being premised, let us observe that—
I. THE MAIN OBJECT OF THE SUPPER IS A PERSONALMEMORIAL.
"In remembrance of me." We are to remember not so much his doctrines, or
precepts, as his person.
Remember the Lord Jesus atthis Supper—
1. As the trust of your hearts.
2. As the objectof your gratitude.
3. As the Lord of your conduct.
4. As the joy of your lives.
5. As the Representative ofyour persons.
6. As the Rewarderofyour hopes.
Remember what he was, what he is, what he will be.
Remember him with heartiness, concentrationof thought, realizing vividness,
and deep emotion.
II. THE MEMORIAL ITSELF IS STRIKING.
1. Simple, and therefore like himself, who is transparent and unpretentious
truth. Only bread broken, and wine poured out.
2. Frequent — "as oft as ye drink it," and so pointing to our constant need. He
intended the Supper to be often enjoyed.

166. 3. Universal, and so showing the need of all. "Drink ye all of it." In every land,
all his people are to eat and drink at this table.
4. His death is the best memory of himself, and it is by showing forth his death
that we remember him.
5. His covenant relation is a great aid to memory; hence he speaks of: "The
new covenant in my blood." We do not forget Adam, our first covenant-head;
nor can we forget our second Adam.
6. Our receiving him is the best method of keeping him in memory; therefore
we eat and drink in this ordinance.
No better memorial could have been ordained.
III. THE OBJECT AIMED AT IS ITSELF INVITING.
Since we are invited to come to the holy Supper that we may remember our
Lord, we may safelyinfer that—
1. We may come to it, though we have forgottenhim often and sadly. In fact,
this will be a reasonfor coming.
2. We may come, though others may be forgetful of him. We come not to
judge them, but to remember him ourselves.
3. We may come, though weak foraught else but the memory of his goodness.
4. It will be sweet, cheering, sanctifying, quickening, to remember him;
therefore let us not fail to come.
Let us at the sacredtable quit all other themes.
Let us not burden ourselves with regrets, resolves, etc.
Let us muse wholly and alone on him whose fleshis meat indeed, whose blood
is drink indeed (John 6:55).
Testimonies
Our Lord Jesus has his own memorials of us, even as he has given us a
memorial of himself. The prints of the nails constitute forget-me-nots of a
peculiarly personal and abiding kind: "Behold, I have graven thee upon the
palms of my hands" (Isa. 49:16). By these marks he sees what he has already
suffered, and he pledges himself to do nothing apart from those sufferings, for
his hands, with which he works, are pierced. Since he thus bears in his hands
the marks of his passion, let us bear them on our hearts.
Frequently to me the Supper has been much better than a sermon. It has the
same teaching-power, but it is more vivid. The Lord is known of us in the
breaking of bread, though our eyes have been holden during his discourse. I
can see a good meaning in the saying of Henry III., of France, when he
preferred the Sacrament to a sermon "I had rather see my Friend than hear

167. him talked about." I love to hear my Lord talked about, for so I often see him,
and I see him in no other way in the Supper than in a sermon; but sometimes,
when my eye is weak with weeping, or dim with dust, that double glass of the
bread and wine suits me best — C.H.S.
"This do in remembrance of me." — 1. This command implies a knowledge of
himself. To remember, we must first know. it is no use saying to a man born
blind, "Remember the sunshine." 2. It reveals the love of Christ. Why should
he care about our remembering him? Dying voices have said to some of us,
"Think of me sometimes; don't forget me." It is the very nature of love to
want to be remembered. 3. It implies a tendency to forget. God never founds a
needless institution. It is a sin that we do not remember Christ more. We
should thankfully use every help to memory.— Outline of an Address by Dr.
Stanford.
At school we used certain books called "Aids to Memory." I am sure they
rather perplexed than assisted me. Their utility was equivalent to that of a
bundle of staves under a traveller's arm: true, he might use them one by one
to walk with, but in the meantime he carried a host of others which he would
never need. But our Saviour was wiser than all our teachers, and his
remembrancers are true and real aids to memory. His love-tokens have an
unmistakable language, andthey sweetlywin our attention. — C. H. S.
If a friend gives us a ring at his death, we wear it to keep up the memory of
our friend; much more, then, ought we to keep up the memorial of Christ's
death in the sacrament. —ThomasWatson.
In mem'ry of Thy cross and shame, (I Cor. 11:23-26,)
I take this Supper in Thy name;
This juice of grape, and flour of wheat,
My outward man doth drink and eat.
Oh, may my inward man be fed
With better wine and better bread!
May Thy rich flesh and precious blood
Supply my spirit's daily food! (John 6:54.)
I thank Thee, Lord, Thou diedst for me:
Oh, may I live and die to Thee! (Rom. 14:7-10.)
—A. A. Rees.
Charles Hadden Spurgeon

168. 165. Servus Servorum
I am among you as he that serveth. Luke 22:27
Singular fact with regard to the apostles. They were at the same time troubled
with two questions: "Which of them should be accounted the greatest?" and
"Which of them should betray his Master?"
Where humility should have abounded ambition intruded.
Of the evil of self-seeking our Lord would cure the apostles.
The remedy which he used was his own conduct(John 13:12-17).
If he made himself least, they must not strive to be greatest.
May this example be blessedto us also!Let us attentively note—
I. OUR LORD'S POSITION. "Iam among you as he that serveth."
1. In the world our Lord was not one of the cultured few on whom others wait.
He was a workingman, and in spirit he was servus servorum, servant of
servants (Mark 10:45).
2. In the circle of his owndisciples he was one that served. Where he was most
Masterhe was most servant.
He was like a shepherd, servant to the sheep.
He was like a nurse, servant to a child.
3. In the celebrationof the Supper, our Lord was speciallyamong them "as he
that serveth;" for he washedhis disciples' feet.
4. In the whole course of his life, Jesus on earth ever took the place of the
servant, or slave.
His earwas bored by his entering into covenant. "Mine ears hastthou
digged, or pierced" (Ps. 40:6 margin;Exod. 21:6).
His office was announcedat his coming, "Lo, I come to do thy will!"
(Ps. 40:7; Heb. 10:5-9).
His nature was fitted for service:he "took upon him the form of a
servant'' (Phil. 2:7).
He assumed the lowestplace among men (Ps. 22:6; Isa. 53:3)
He cared for others, and not for himself. "The Son of man came not to
be served but to serve" (Mark 10:45).
He laid aside his own will (John 4:34; 6:38).
He bore patiently all manner of hardness (1 Pet. 2:23).
II. THE WONDER OF IT. That he should be a servant among his own
servants.

169. The marvel of it was rendered the greater—
1. As he was Lord of all by nature and essence (Col. 1:15-19).
2. As he was superior in wisdom, holiness, power, and in every other way, to
the very best of them (Matt. 8:26, 27; John 14:9).
3. As he was so greatly their Benefactor (John 15:16).
4. As they were such poor creatures, and so unworthy to be served. How could
it be that they suffered themselves to be served of him? How could it be that
he endured to serve them?
III. THE EXPLANATION OF IT.
We must look for this to his own nature.
1. He is so infinitely great(Heb. 1:2-4).
2. He is so immeasurably full of love (John 15:9; 1 John 3:16).
Becauseofthese two things he condescendedso marvelously.
IV. THE IMITATION OF IT.
Let us copy our Lord—
1. In cheerfully choosing to fulfill the most lowly offices.
2. In manifesting great lowliness of spirit, and humility of bearing (Eph. 4:1-3;
Phil. 2:3; 1 Pet. 5:5).
3. In laying ourselves out for the good of others. Let self-sacrifice be the rule
of our existence (2 Cor. 12:15).
4. In gladly bearing injustice rather than break the peace, avenge ourselves, or
grieve others (1 Pet. 2:19-20; 3:14).
5. In selecting that place in which we receive least, and give most; choosing to
wait at table rather than to sit at meat.
Does not the text rebuke our pride?
Does it not arouse our adoring love?
Does it not lead us to gird up our loins to serve the brethren?
Concerning Service
When the son of Gamaliel was married, Rabbis Eliezer, Joshuah, and Zadig
were invited to the marriage-feast. Gamaliel, though one of the most
distinguished men among the Israelites, himself waited on his guests, and
pouring out a cup of wine, handed it to Eliezer, who politely refused it.
Gamaliel then handed it to Joshuah. The latter accepted it. "How is this,
friend Joshuah?" said Eliezer, "shall we sit and permit so great a man to wait
on us?" "Why not?" replied Joshuah, "a man even greater than he did so
long before him. Was not our (Abraham) a very great man? Yet even he

170. waited upon his guests, as it is written, 'and he (Abraham) stood by them
"whilst they were eating.' Perhaps you may think he did so because he knew
them to be angels; no such thing. He supposed them to be Arabian travelers,
else he would neither have offered them water to wash their feet, nor viands to
allay their hunger. Why, then, shall we prevent our kind host from imitating
so excellent an example? . . . . "I know," exclaimed Rabbi Zadig, "a Being still
greater than Abraham, who doth the same. "Indeed;" continued he, "how
long shall we be engaged in reciting the praises of created beings, and neglect
the glory of the Creator? Even he, blessed be his name, causes the winds to
blow, the clouds to accumulate, and the rain to descend! He fertilizes the
earth, and daily prepares a magnificent table for his creatures. Why, then,
shall we hinder our kind host, Gamaliel, from following so glorious an
example?" —Hebrew Tales
An old woman in Glencroe, visited by William McGavin, was found seated in
bed, which, contrary to usual experience in the district, was scrupulously
clean. "You are an old servantof Christ, I understand;" said he.
"Servantof Christ!" she responded, "Na, na; I'm naething pit a puir sinner.
It's nine-and-forty years syne he pegantae serve me."
"Serve you; how?"
"Dae ye no ken that?" she replied. "In the hoose o' Christ the Maister serves
a' the guests. Did he no' himsel' say, I'm amang ye as ane that serveth'? When
he brocht me hame tae himsel' he then pegan tae serve me, an' he ha' served
me ere syne. Nane ere compleenedo' Christ pein' a pad servant!"
"Well, but I hope you are a servant for all that. In the state of glory his
servants serve him; and what is perfected there must begin here."
"That's a' fery true. I ken that I'm under his authority, pit somehoo I dinna
like tae think much aboot servin' Christ. It gi'es me nae comfort." —The
Sword and the Trowel
Why is it that so many professed Christians "feel above" undertaking humble
work for God and humanity? We have heard of a minister of Christ
complaining that his station was "beneath his talents!" As if the soul of a
beggar were beneath the genius of a Paul! Some are unwilling to enter a
mission-school, or to distribute tracts through a poor district, strangely
forgetting that their divine Master was himself a missionary. Have such never
learned that the towel wherewith Jesus wiped his disciples' feet outshone the
purple that wrapped Caesar's limbs? Do they not know that the post of honor

171. is the post of service?" My seat in the Sunday school is higher than my seat in
the Senate," saidaneminent Christian statesman. —Dr. Curler
Charles Hadden Spurgeon
19:1-10 The Conversionof Zacchaeus
Previous Next
Luke19:1-10 “Jesusentered Jericho and waspassing through. A man wasthere
by the nameof Zacchaeus; he wasa chief tax collector and waswealthy. He
wanted to see who Jesus was, butbeing a short man he could not, because of the
crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus
wascoming thatway. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to
him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I muststay at your house today.’ So
he camedown at once and welcomedhim gladly. All the peoplesaw this and
began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a “sinner”.’ButZacchaeus
stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I givehalf of my
possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybodyout of anything, Iwillpay
back four timesthe amount.’Jesussaid to him, ‘Todaysalvation hascome to
this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.For the Son of Man
cameto seek and to save whatwaslost.’”
“These . . . verses . . . describe . . . the . . . conversion. . . of . . . a . . . soul.”
With these plain and moving words J.C.Ryle begins his study of this incident.
Another story of Nicodemus, and also that of the Samaritan woman, and this
story of the greatchange that took place in the life of Zacchaeus should all be
familiar to every Christians. The Lord Jesus neverchanges. Whathe did for
Zacchaeus andNicodemus and the womanat the well he is able and willing to
do for anyone reading these words.
Introduction.
Just a couple of things, firstly a word concerning the link with the preceding
chapter. In chapter 18 Jesus has said that it is easierfor a camelto pass
through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of
God (v.25). And when the disciples respond with incredulity saying, “Who
then can be saved?” Jesustells them that what is impossible with men is
possible with God. In the story before us we have plain proof that this is so. It

172. describes for us a notorious, corrupt tax-collectorbecoming a disciple of our
Lord. In other words, this chapter is describing how a camelpassedthrough
the eye of a needle!
Then there is also this, that of all the population of the bustling town of
Jericho all the disciples of Jesus who lived there would have judged that
Zacchaeus wouldhave been one of the very lastmen to have been converted.
Yet here is proof of Jesus’words that all things are possible to God. A mean,
dishonest, chief tax collectorbecomesa generous Christian. Let us think of
your superior at work, or the big boy in school, orthe student at university
who is the most anti-Christian, godless personyou’ve ever met. Is someone
like that coming to your mind right now? Then say now in your heart
something like this, “Lord have mercy on that person,” and then ask God to
work in providence and humble him or her and that God would bring a
Christian into that person’s life, maybe even you.
The door of hope revealedin the Gospelis very widely ajar. Let us leave it as
open as that, as we find it in the New Testament, to whomsoeverwould enter
through it. The Lord has opened the life gate that all may go in: let’s not
attempt to close it to a narrow crack. Fling it wide! We affirm with all our
might that Christ is “able to save to the uttermost.” There is never a person
whom Christ looks atand examines and then sighs, shaking his head, saying,
“He’s too far gone . . . she’s too hard . . . they’re too defiant for me to change.”
No one. The very chief of sinners is savedby him. The meanest, proudest,
most cruel and most vile offender has already receiveda pardon from Jesus.
Then for you and your acquaintances there is hope. Only repent and believe.
“Thoughyour sins be as scarletthey shall be as white as snow; though they be
red like crimson they shall be as wool” (Isa. 1:18.)That is the gospelof him
who transformed the life of Zacchaeus and made the money-grabber – for the
first time in his life – a happy man. There are no incurable casesunder the
Christian gospel. Jesus has come to give life to the one most evidently dead,
and in the incident recordedby Luke before us we find such encouragement.
So those were my words of introduction.
WHAT TRIVIAL WORDS AND ACTIONS CAN BE THE MEANS OF
SOMEONEBECOMING A CHRISTIAN.
We are back with the theme of the providence of God. I sometimes feel it is
more precious to me than it should be, that it challenges the cross work of
Jesus for first place in my life. In other words I feelthat I can speak more
warmly and passionatelyaboutprovidence – BIG WITH MYSTERY-than
about the dying love of Jesus. I hope that is not the case. Mayit not be the case
in any one of us! May the determination of us all be to speak first and

173. foremostof Jesus Christ and that he loved us and was crucified for us as the
Lamb of God, not our story but his.
But how precious the way God led us to know and follow him, and how
wonderful the ways he has led us until now, and will lead us all the way to our
heavenly home. The Lord Jesus enteredJericho and was on his way along a
certain path. It was an important town with many streets, but our Lord chose
one route, and it was on a certainday and it was at a specific time. We sing,
“My times are in thy hands.” Zacchaeus the businessman was in town that
same day, and he was nearby, and he was able to drop everything and go to
see the famous rabbi and healer, Jesus ofNazareth. Someone told him, maybe
a servant, explaining the buzz, and God had already planted in his heart a
desire to see Jesus.So he dropped everything in the tax office and off he went.
However, everyone else had the same idea, and there were crowds on the
sidewalk and he couldn’t see a thing because, we are told, “he was a short
man” (v.3), in facthe is the only person describedas being of short stature in
the whole Bible, Zacchaeus the little rich man.
Now I once heard a Bible scholarsaying that he believed our Lord was also a
short man, and the couple of reasons he gave for this, as I remember, were
that he could sleep on top of a pillow, in a boat, as if it were a mattress – only
a short man could do that – and then this incident before us. He said, if I
remember it correctly, “If Jesus had been a tall man then little Zacchaeus
would have been able to look overthe heads of those in front of him, and see
the head of Jesus above them all. But Jesus was also short and so Zacchaeus
had to get some elevationand go up higher in order to look down across and
over the heads of the people that came betweenhim and the Lord Jesus.”
So what this frustrated, wealthy tax-collectoractually did was to hitch his
flowing cloak up and run down the streetin the direction where Jesus and his
followers were heading. He went the way that Jesus was taking, and so must
you. Jesus makes his wayhere eachSunday and he meets with us and we
come here because we know that this is so. Jesus is coming this way and we
want him every Sunday. Zacchaeus actuallyclimbed a sycamore tree in
preparation for his arrival. Luke gives us that nice, precise detail that it was a
sycamore that he ascended(have you seenthat lasthouse near Llangurig as
you leave that little village and go for four miles or so and start to climb the
mountain on the way to Aberystwyth? The house is called “Six Sycamores.”
I’m sure you’ve noticed it; the sign is large and clearlywritten.). Zacchaeus
climbed into the branches of a sycamore tree, the sort of thing only small boys
do and they get told off for doing it! “Come down immediately!” Imagine
Aberystwyth University’s Principal climbing any tree in order to catcha

174. glimpse of an evangelistwalking into town. That is the sort of extraordinary
picture you must bear in mind, an important wealthy businessmanrunning
and then climbing a tree. It indicates the high degree of hunger and eagerness
that God had placedin the heart of this avaricious man. A longing, a certain
occasion, anopportunity, a place, even a tree all came togetherin this man’s
heart just then, when he heard that Jesus was near. That is the providence of
God, his most holy, wise and powerful preserving and governing all his
creatures, and all their actions.
Doesn’tScripture recount apparently trivial coincidences thataffectedthe
lives and destinies of people? I am thinking of one in particular involving the
sisterof the apostle Paul. “Paul had a sister?” We only know that from Luke
mentioning her in Acts chapter 23 and verse 16, the only reference to her in
the Bible. But the focus is not on her but on her young son, Paul’s anonymous
nephew. Then the plot thickens . . . there had been a secretmeeting of 40 Jews
who made a vow that they wouldn’t eatuntil they’d murdered Paul. They told
the chief priests and elders of this oath that they had made and that the priests
were to help by sending for Paul the next day to interrogate him further, and
then as he arrived at their meeting the assassins wouldstrike, all forty of
them, armed with daggers. Secretlyoverhearing all this Paul’s sister’s son
took action. He reminds me of the boy calledJim in Robert Louis Stevenson’s
Treasure Island, hidden in the barrel listening to the plot of the pirates.
Perhaps Stevensongotit from Acts 23. So this nephew of the apostle heard
what they were planning to do to his dear uncle Paul, and off he went and told
the soldiers on duty, “I want to visit Paul. He’s my uncle.” What harm could a
child do? Yes, he was allowedinto the prison. He told Uncle Paul everything
about the plot. What did Paul do? “Then Paul calledone of the centurions and
said, ‘Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him’”
(Acts 23:17). Isn’t it exciting? The young man (not the ‘boy’) told the
commander and the commander rescuedPaultaking him off to Caesareathat
night at 9 o’clock guardedby 470 soldiers. That’s a bit of over-protectionisn’t
it? But that is how carefully God cares for his servants. So Paul’s life was
spared, and one result for us is that we have Romans chapter 8 which we now
are studying togethereachSunday night, all because a teenagerwas in the
right place at the right time and he loved Uncle Paul and his theologyand was
a brave, smart young man.
We’ve been studying the life of Josephand seenthe chain of coincidences that
came into his life when he as a teenagerwas senton an errand by his father,
down to his brothers, then off to slavery in Egypt very far from home, bought
by Potiphar, accusedby his horrible, ugly wife (because beautycomes from

175. our hearts), spending years in prison, interpreting the dreams of the butler
and the baker, and finally the forgetfulness of the butler was reversed,
Pharaohwas told of him and soonJosephwas exaltedto the highest position
in Egypt. How many links in that chain, how many little and large actions
stretching from “Son, go to your brothers for me” right down to the throne of
Egypt. It all beganwith a boy running an errand for his father and it ends
with the seedof Abraham being preserved during seven years of famine so
that Jesus Christ canbe born, the son of Abraham. God moves in a
mysterious way his wonders to perform.
Zacchaeus beganby being interestedto see Jesus. ThenZacchaeus was quite
anxious to see Jesus, andthen Zacchaeus was determined to see Jesus.
Nothing would prevent him from seeing Jesus, no inconvenience, no
embarrassmentand public humiliation. If it took running along a road in
public and climbing a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus he would do it.
Some of you don’t want your friends in schoolto know that on Sundays you
go to church. You would be embarrassedforthem to know this. You are a bit
ashamedof Jesus Christ, but Paul says he was not ashamedof the gospelof
Jesus Christ, because it’s the power of God unto salvation. Imagine being
ashamedof power! That is as foolishof being ashamedthat your carhas got
an engine (“yes . . . I’m afraid our Aston Martin does have an . . . engine . . .”),
or that your home has got a centralheating boiler, or that you’re ashamed
that as well as having bones and skin you admit you do have a few muscles.
Who’d be ashamedof being helped by mighty power? We are pretty feeble if
we don’t have powerand pretty silly to be ashamedof power, especiallythe
powerof God! Zacchaeus was farmore important than you or me and yet he
so longed to be near Jesus that he climbed a tree. Imagine your headmaster
climbing a tree in order to geta better look at a preacher!“Oohlook, there is
Mr. Richards the head, and he’s up the tree to have a better look at . . . Pastor
Thomas!”
How did we come to know the Lord? Many of us were favoured with parents
who lived holy loving lives and they worshipped God and taught us, but even
with that backgroundthere were strange coincidences.Maybe there was a
friend in church who spoke to us and said, without knowing it, some very
important things. There might have been a speakerwho seemedto aim all he
said at us. There was a camp we went to, a conference in Aberystwyth, a book
we picked up, a conversationwe listened to betweentwo Christians. It could
have been a very frightening dream we had. It could have been an illness we
contracted;we suddenly learned we had diabetes. One day a friend out of the
blue askedus would we like to go to church with him. One day we heard

176. something on the radio. One day we discoveredin an old box there were some
cassettesand when we played them they were of a man preaching and we
listened and afterwards everything was different. One day we saw a text on a
board outside a church. One day on a holiday we were far from home and we
climbed to the top of a mountain and we started to think about our souls and
knowing God and saying a prayer to him. Whateverit was, behind it all there
was the hand of God. One of you climbed a mountain, and one of you climbed
the steps of Alfred Place, and Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree, and Jesus
saw you in the place you had climbed to and everything changed.
These are days of small things for the Christian faith, yes, but they are not
days of absolutely nothing at all. We wouldn’t be sitting here like this under
the Bible’s message ifthey were nothing days. How rarely are things of no
consequence atall. How infrequently we can say, “That was nothing . . . it was
trivial.” It has changedour lives, the word, the action, the glance, the sight.
The tiny ways in which God works to bring people into contactwith Jesus
Christ are wonderful and mysterious. Only you are realising that something
different is happening in your life. No one else knows the significance ofit. It’s
just a beginning. Sitting in a Christian Union meeting at University for the
first time, going to church for the first time and then returning, So we are gald
to read of Zacchaeus and a new curiosity in his heart, even though he had
very little knowledge ofJesus. So much came from that and thus we are
always hopeful and longing. We meet someone and we talk to them and we
wonder whether that personwill start thinking about Godand their own
souls? Of course when they start attending he or she is a little baby in
understanding. That doesn’tmatter at all. I have never met a mother who said
to me, “I must apologize that she’s is only 6 weeks old!” No one apologizes for
that! It is better to be a living baby than be stillborn. It is better to begin your
life than never to begin it. It is better to hear the gospelout of curiosity than
not hear it at all.
We know one thing for certain, that Zacchaeus was not going to stay in that
tree for very long. It was a means to an end and no one knew the full
consequencesofclimbing that tree. But if you take a greatrisk like that,
climbing the steps of a church, then who knows what will be the result? We do
know a little about people who’ve never been into a church on a Sunday all
through their lives that they feelit’s an enormous problem entering a place of
worship. Will they be askedto do something? Will they have to saywho they
are, out loud, or be askedto sing by themselves, and be embarrassed?
Horrors! That’s why some churches try to keepthe back seats available for
families with children and for visitors so that they feel they cancome and go

177. as they wish. What a chain of providences have brought you from where you
first started to follow the Lord all the way to where you are today.
HOW KINDLY WILL THE LORD JESUS ENCOURAGE THOSE TAKING
SOME STEPS TO SEE HIM.
When blind Bartimaeus wantedto make contactwith our Lord then Jesus
stoodstill at his shouts and sent some men to bring the blind man to him.
When Zacchaeus was there in the tree looking down and Jesus reachedthe
spot there was no shouts from up in the tree. He might have hoped he was
camouflagedthere, but we are told that first Jesus lookedup and gazed at the
tax-collector, and then he spoke to him calling him by name! He knew his
name! “Zacchaeus, come downimmediately. I must stay at your house today”
(v.5). He calls his own sheepby name, “Lazarus, come forth . . . Mary!”
Nearly every little boy and girl in the U.K. who once went to church knows
this story, and they also know the chorus about it, “Zacchaeus was a very little
man and a very little man was he,” and they sing out the last words of Jesus to
Zacchaeus like this, “I am coming to your house for tea.” Theydon’t sing
those words in America. They sing, “I am coming to your house today” which
I guess is a bit more accurate!
What do we have here? Jesus taking the initiative to enter this man’s life.
Zacchaeus isn’t saying anything to Jesus. He’s not shouting out, “Jesus, sonof
David, have mercy on me.” He is as mute as the leaves on the tree. What is he
doing? Gazing down at Jesus. He is not looking at the crowds and noticing
what the little boys or the pickpockets are doing. He surveys the Lord Christ
silently. But he had no need to say anything because we know that Jesus knew
what was going on in his heart, as he knows whatis going on in your heart
and in mine now and always. Everything is naked and open before the eyes of
him with whom we have to do. So the Saviour said the most perfect words to
begin the greatchange in Zacchaeus’life: “Zacchaeus, come down
immediately. I must stay at your house today” (v.5). The journey up the tree
has been effective. “You thought you were going to see me, but in fact you
went there in order for me to pick you out and tell you what was going to
happen. Now you can come down, right now, no delays at all, because I have
much more to sayto you, and your home is the place for all that, not with you
stuck up the sycamore.” So the new relationship beganthen and there when
Zacchaeus did exactly what Jesus told him to do. “He came down at once”
(v.6); from that moment on he did what Jesus told him to do. Once we know
and understand the will of God for us then we do it. There is nothing left to do
but worship and adore. Zacchaeus “welcomedhim gladly” (v.6). Everywhere
Jesus wenthe was invited into people’s homes. There are feasts;there is joy

178. and conversation;there is counseland straight talk. When men felt unworthy
of asking so greata person as Christ into their homes then Jesus did what he
does here, he invited himself. “I am coming to your house for tea!”
He stands at the door and knocks.If any man welcomes him gladly then he
will come in and eatwith him. You are appreciating that Jesus didn’t say to
this man, “I’d love to come to your home, but you’ve been a bit of a rotter,
and it would give a bad impression if I visited you like that. You grow in grace
first of all, and after you’ve changedyour life and sortedthings out, paid your
debt to society, given your goods to the poor, then I will deign to visit you.”
No. Let’s not wait in the vain hope that we can make our lives fit and worthy
to be entered. Jesus doesn’tsay that. Here is a man seeking for him, and that
is enough for our Lord because no man naturally seeksfor Jesus. Here is a
man drawn to Jesus, andno man comes to Jesus exceptthe Fatherhas drawn
him. It is enough for Jesus that this man is up a tree in order to gaze at him.
That’s enough. It’s enoughtoday that you are here and that the Jesus who is
more full of grace than you of sin canread your heart. He is saying to you
now, “I intend to come to you. I intend to stay with you. I intend to speak to
you. I intend to be your friend and teacherand Saviour and protectorfor ever
more.”
Zacchaeus didn’t have any opportunity to tidy up his house, for example, take
down the Greek murals, and remove the statues of women, and the pagan
idols from the hallway. He had no opportunity to cleanit all up first. Just as
he and his house were, without a single plea but that Jesus had chosento come
to his house, so Jesus came that day. If ever there was a man who was sought
and savedwithout ever having done anything to deserve it, that man was
Zacchaeus. Youopen the door of your life to Christ today, just as you are. If
you wait until you papered and spring-cleanedand changedaround your
whole home first then you will never ask him into your home at all. It is grace
that invaded this house and so it did not have to be worthy of the guest,
because graceis the triumph of God’s love over our non-deserving. All the
fitness he requires is to see your need of him but only his loved ones who have
trusted in him understand this.
The world doesn’t understand it. The world says, “You are taking a terrible
risk. Do you know what this man has done? Don’t you know what an evil man
he has been? If you don’t know then you can’t be God, and if you do know
and still go aheadand eat with him then you are not a holy, holy, holy God. So
the people saw Jesus and his friends entering Zacchaeus’house and the people
who consideredthemselves the real sons of Abraham said, “We wouldn’t go in
there. We wouldn’t be seendead having anything to do with that man.” The

179. people were very disappointed at the lack of discernment in Jesus. They
muttered, “He has gone to be the guestof a ‘sinner.’” (v.7). They would have
been horrified to think that two thousand years later millions and millions of
people know just one man from Jericho of their generation – Zacchaeus!He
was exactlythe kind of man everyone despised, not only a tax-collectorbut a
chief tax collector. He made money on the side and he made money from the
tax-collectors working under him. As his house added another wing, and
steambaths, and largerstables, and more slaves, as his food became richer
and his family’s clothes more fashionable then how the people hated him the
more. He had no right to that money. He was public enemy number one. What
was Jesus doing buttering up to that quisling, taking goodJewishmoney and
giving it to imperialist Rome and pocketing mostof it for himself? They were
just like the older brother disgustedthat the father had takensuch a risk in
allowing his rebel wasterof a sonwho had spent all his money in the distant
country on wine, women and song, to come brazenly back into his life again.
They don’t understand the powerof grace to save, and grace to change, and
grace to keepsinners who come to the Lord Jesus.
A TRANSFORMATION TOOKPLACE IN THIS MAN’S LIFE.
Some time later that day Zacchaeus stoodup and he turned to Jesus, but now
he addressedhim as his Lord: “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my
possessionsto the poor, and if I have cheatedanybody out of anything, I will
pay back four times the amount” (v.8). I must turn this in the first obvious
and challenging way, by wayof pointing out that these words indicated the
reality of the change that had takenplace in his life. His bank balance was
greatly affected. He gave awaymillions of denari. The rich young ruler had
been exhorted to sell all his possessionsand give the money receivedto the
poor but he loved his possessions too much. No one askedZacchaeus to give
awaya penny but he has a new attitude to people immediately. It all came
from a new love for Jesus Christ. Now he is loving his poor neighbour as his
rich self. Half of everything to the poor and then fourfold to all those he had
cheated. That far exceededthe law of Moses’demands. He did not wait until
the end and then left the poor large sums of money in his will, enjoying what
he had until then, No!At that moment he gave half of what he had away.
Extraordinary! What a sacrifice!There was reality here. When a wealthy
man gives money awayand an extortioner makes confessionand restitution
then this is a new man. He does it. He doesn’t tell the other tax-collectors to do
it. He doesn’t organize a new movement of making wealthy men give their
money to the poor. He says, “Igive , , , I will pay back.” He has freely received

180. a pardon from the Lord and freely he will give. He can’t begin to show who he
belongs to and whom he serves soonenough.
It is not enough for you to talk the talk, to say that you are a Christian. You
must walk as Zacchaeus walked. OurLord Jesus one said, “These people
follow me with their lips but their hearts are far from me.” He also warned us
of false professing Christians, and he said that by their lack of fruit we’d
know such men. No one gathers grapes off thorn trees. But here is a man who
has robbed other people and now he has been convictedof his sin and he pays
back to men what he owes them four times over! His faith in this merciful
Christ has purified his heart.
Let me turn this change of life this way. There have been times in the past
when I have lookedat such passagesand I have thought of the people I have
hurt, and I’ve wondered how they are doing today, and whether the way I
treated them had a permanently damaging effect on their lives, and what
should I do. I cansee their faces. Peoplehave come to me, and with the
greatestreluctance andguilt they have told me of incidents in the past, and
shameful things that they have done, and what they should do. I find such
time very difficult. You come, and you ask for advice, and you will discover
my inadequacies and ignorance and uncertainty, but I will say to you that you
have the same merciful and loving heavenly Father as I have, and he will
guide you into what you should do. A lawyer who had been a womanizer and
then became a Christian now reads my sermons on line eachweek and he uses
them in leading weeklyBible studies. He told me of the women he had hurt
and how guilty he is of having behaved like that, and that he gotin touch with
one or two of them againand apologizedsincerelyto them, telling him how
ashamedhe was, and how appreciative and curious they were that he had
done this. That was the right thing to do for him.
I don’t know whether you should be going back years and years and doing
that with everyone you have hurt. Is it a barrier betweenyou now? Do you
have difficulty in talking with them in this congregation?If so you ought to
try to seek reconciliationand also to make restitution if that is necessary, but
whether you should set out to try to discoverthe whereabouts of people you
have not seenfor years, and don’t know where they live and are likely never
to see again, then I am dubious of the value of that, unless there are major
crimes and large sums of money involved. Ask our Fatherto help you to know
what to do. Take your guilt to God and tell him about it. He is a wonderful
Counsellor, and just in telling him what you’ve done, and talking it overin his
presence you’ll get help. Zacchaeus stayedin the community and he dealt with

181. the people living there concerning what he had done wrong with them. He
paid them back generously.
Finally the Lord Jesus Christ speaks to this man words of rich assurance. He
says, “Todaysalvationhas come to this house, because this man, too, is a son
of Abraham. For the Sonof Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (vv.
9&10). This was Jesus’answerto the murmurers who complained that of the
company whose homes he entered, with whom he dined. That is why he came
into the world. Yesterday this man was as damned as damned could be.
Yesterday this man was as lost as lost could be. Today he is saved. Salvation
was outside his house yesterday, but today it has arrived and is everywhere in
his home where he was headand master. It is in his pocketand in his wallet
and in his bank balance. This man has salvationwritten over everything he
does and it was all because one day Jesus determined to go to Jericho and
meet with him. This is why he came into the world; “Forthe Son of Man came
to seek and to save what was lost” (v.10). He soughtZacchaeus and he found
him in a sycamore tree and he saved him, for God sentnot his Son into the
world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved,
and that is the reasonhe has brought you here today. He has been looking for
you and here he has found you. His purpose in speaking to you this day is that
you might be saved. This man was the realson of Abraham, not his critics. He
heard the word of the Lord just like the old patriarch and he believed it, and
his faith was reckonedunto him for righteousness.
12th February 2012 GEOFF THOMAS