The conversion of Zaccheus teaches us that Jesus was seeking us before we ever sought Him, and that salvation truly is of His free and sovereign grace.
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Jesus Seeks And Saves Zaccheus
Luke 19:1-10
This morning we come to one of the most well-known and best loved stories in the gospel accounts. If you went to church as a child, no doubt you learned about Zaccheus. In fact, I bet most of you can sing the song “Zaccheus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he. He climbed into a Sycamore tree, the Lord one day to see.” I’ll spare you the rest of the song. However, there is something very precious about this story to us.
You will recall that in Luke 18, we met another man – the rich young ruler. Zaccheus and this rich ruler had something in common. They were both rich. When Jesus called the rich ruler to sell everything and give it away to the poor and follow Him, he went away very sad, because he wasn’t willing to give up all his possessions. The disciples thought for sure that if anyone would be saved, surely it was this rich ruler, because they saw riches as a sign of God’s blessing and favor upon an individual. However, Jesus responded by telling them that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. In other words, it is impossible. The disciples, in astonishment, asked, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus came back with that immortal reply, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.” Dr. Luke, is going to give us a living example of Jesus’ words. He is going to introduce us to a rich man that entered the kingdom of God. Yes, it was impossible, if left up to him. But not for God. With God all things are possible, and Luke proves that by showing how Zaccheus became a trophy of God’s sovereign grace!
Jesus is traveling to Jerusalem, where He knows He will suffer and die, and then rise from the dead three days later. He has repeatedly told His disciples this, but they just can’t understand. They have it stuck in their minds that Jesus will set up His kingdom in Jerusalem, and rule over all the nations of the world as a political Savior. It is only a few days before Jesus’ death, and He is only 15 miles outside of Jerusalem. He is passing through Jericho, along with hundreds of other Jewish pilgrims who are traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover.
As we work our way through this story, I want you to see Zaccheus’ Curiosity, Call, and Conversion.
1. The Curiosity of Zaccheus (19:1-4)
Verse 1. “He entered Jericho and was passing through.” Try to imagine the scene. The streets of Jericho are unusually crowded, with pilgrims making their way through the city on their way to Jerusalem. However, when Jesus enters the city streets, the streets are choked with people. His disciples are with Him, and a large crowd of people are there. They all knew that Jesus was headed to Jerusalem for the Passover, and they must have been wondering if this was the time He would establish the kingdom. There was a buzz, an excitement in the air.
Verse 2. “And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich.” Zaccheus is a Hebrew name, which proves that he was Jew. His name means “clean” or “pure.” His parents had high hopes for their little baby when they gave him the name Zaccheus. However, he let them down big time, because Zaccheus was anything but clean and pure. He was a chief tax collector. That means that not only did he collect taxes himself, but he had many tax collectors working under him. These men that worked for Zaccheus, had to give him a cut of the taxes that they collected. I think it’s safe to say that there would have been no one more hated in all of Jericho than Zaccheus. You see, tax collectors bought a tax collection franchise from the Roman government. Of course the Jews hated the Romans, because they were under their dominion. It was bad enough that they had to pay taxes to this foreign government, but it was even worse that a fellow Jew was taking their taxes for the Romans. It would be sort of like if ISIS conquered the USA and inflicted heavy taxes upon the American people, and some Americans decided that they would go to work for ISIS by collecting taxes from the Americans for ISIS. They were looked upon as traitors. Rather than fighting the hated Roman regime, they were helping them, and getting rich in the process!
What’s worse, is that they were notoriously unscrupulous and dishonest. You see, the common person did not know how much tax he owed. If a Jewish man owed $1,000 in taxes to the Romans, a tax collector might tell him that he owed $1,500. Then he would give the $1,000 to the Roman government, and pocket the extra $500 for himself. When the tax collectors came to John the Baptist to be baptized, they asked him what they should do to show their repentance. John answered, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to” (Luke 3:13). We know that Zaccheus had become rich by extortion, because in verse 8 he says that “if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” That “if” was really a “since.” It was beyond question that Zaccheus had become rich by deception and extortion. Can you imagine the bitter feelings the people of Jericho must have had toward Zaccheus as they saw his fine clothes, his large home, his servants, and chariots? They know that all of that came by defrauding them!
Tax collectors were hated by their Jewish countrymen. They were not allowed to testify in court. They were not allowed to give money in the temple treasuries. They were shunned and ostracized. A good Jewish man would never allow a tax collector under his roof, or eat a meal with him. That’s why the scribes and Pharisees were scandalized when Jesus received sinners and ate with them. In Matthew 18, Jesus tells His disciples what they are to do if someone sins in the church. Jesus says that one individual must confront him to try to bring him to repentance. If that doesn’t work, the one individual is to bring one or two with him to try again to bring the sinning person to repentance. If that doesn’t work, the whole church is to try to persuade this person to repent. If that doesn’t work, Jesus says he is to be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. What did He mean? You are to shun him, and refuse to associate with him, in order to put him to shame for his sin and bring him to repentance. So, do you get the picture? Jesus and this very large throng of people are moving through the streets of Jericho, and in the midst was the worst man in Jericho – Zaccheus
Verse 3. “Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature.” The average Jewish man in the first century was only 5’1” tall, and weighed about 110 pounds! So, Zaccheus must have been under 5 feet tall. He was trying to see Jesus. No doubt, he had heard about Jesus. Everyone in Palestine had heard about Jesus, the miracle worker, healer and preacher. Wherever He went, enormous crowds followed Him. He was immensely popular, especially with the common man. Because Jesus was so well known and popular in his day, Zaccheus really wanted to see Him.
Verse 4. “So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.” Zaccheus must have been very frustrated. Here he is, a short little man, and there is a huge crowd lining the streets as Jesus made his way through Jericho. Zaccheus can’t see a thing. So, he gets a brilliant idea. He will just run on ahead, and climb into a tree. The kind of tree he chose to climb was a good choice. The sycamore tree has a very wide trunk, with lots of low branches, making it very easy to climb, even for an adult.
Now, why did Zaccheus want to see Jesus? No doubt his curiosity about this popular miracle worker must have been the prime motivation. But perhaps there was something deeper going on. In spite of all his wealth, perhaps he was realizing that it couldn’t bring him the happiness he had hoped. There was still an emptiness in his life, and a nagging conscience that would not go away. He may have heard that Jesus had chosen a tax collector to be one of His disciples, and that He received and ate with people like him. Could this Jesus help him to find the shalom (peace) that his heart was hungering for?
2. The Call of Zaccheus (19:5)
Verse 5 says, “When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” There are three words in this verse that we must notice carefully.
“Zaccheus”. Now, remember, Zaccheus and Jesus had never met. Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was. At this point, he didn’t know who Jesus was. Imagine this situation. This rich corrupt tax collector is sitting in the branches of a sycamore tree, watching the procession file past him so that he can see who Jesus is. And all of a sudden, when Jesus gets right under him, He looks up and says “Zaccheus.” What a shock! That would be enough for Zaccheus to fall out of the tree! He must have been wondering, “How does He know my name?!” Of course, Jesus knows all about Zaccheus. His name was written in the Book of Life from all eternity. He was one of those the Father had given Him from before the foundation of the world. Jesus said in John 10:14, “I am the Good Shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me.” My Friends, if you are saved, that means that God has known you from all eternity. Romans 8:29 says “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.”
Must. Notice that Jesus does not ask Zaccheus’ permission to come to his house. He basically invites Himself over. Oh, my friends, do not overlook that word in our text. Jesus said, “Today I MUST stay at your house.” The word “must” carries the idea of Divine necessity. In other words, Jesus was saying this has to happen. I have to stay at your house today. Now, why did Jesus have to stay at Zaccheus’ home? I believe it was because God had chosen Zaccheus for salvation from before the foundation of the world. It was God’s sovereign and eternal purpose to save Zaccheus. This is Ephesians 1:11, “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.” We have the same thing in John 4:4, where it says that Jesus had to pass through Samaria. Now, Jesus didn’t have to pass through Samaria. He could have done what most other Jews did – pass over to the east side of the Jordan River, and go up to Galilee that way. However, He had to pass through Samaria, because there was going to be a woman at a well there that must be saved, and a whole village of people there that God had determined to save. When God has decreed a thing, it must take place. There is a Divine necessity that it happen.
Today. God had not only determined that Zaccheus would be saved, but when he would be saved. Jesus knew Zaccheus’ name before they were introduced. He understood that there was a Divine necessity for Him to come and stay at his house. But thirdly, He knew that He had to come “today.” All of this teaches that not only did Jesus foreknew Zaccheus, and not only had God predestined Zaccheus unto life, but God had even determined the day that Zaccheus would be converted. Ephesians 1:11 says “we have been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.” All things. That’s why the framers of the Westminster Confession of Faith wrote, “God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass.” That would include all of the events leading up to, and the very moment of your conversion. In God’s plan, nothing was left to chance. All was ordained by His loving hands. Psalm 110:3 says, “Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power.” When will God’s people volunteer freely? In the day of God’s power. There is a day of God’s power that works so effectually in us that we volunteer to serve Him freely.
My friend, think back to the weeks and days leading up to your conversion. Remember the events that transpired that brought you to faith in Christ. Remember that person who shared the gospel with you. Remember that person that gave you a Bible. Remember those convictions of sin in your heart. Remember that desire to find forgiveness and eternal life. All of those things that took place in your life were not by accident. God had ordained, not only to save you, but to bring you to salvation through certain people and situations in your life. God was completely in charge of everything that was going on in your life, because He had a purpose of grace to fulfill in your life. Praise His name!
3. The Conversion of Zaccheus
Verse 6. “And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly.” Jesus told him to hurry and come down, and he hurried and came down. Jesus’ call was answered. George Whitefield in his sermon, “The Conversion of Zaccheus” says, “With this outward call, there went an efficacious power from God, which sweetly over-ruled his natural will.” As we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, there are two kinds of calls in the Bible – the general call and the effectual call. The general call is God’s gospel call that goes out to everyone who hears the gospel. The effectual call is God’s call that comes in such power that it brings the person into a state of grace. So, how do you know if God has effectually called you? You do exactly what Zaccheus did. You obey the call! Have you obeyed the gospel call? Have you repented of sin and trusted in Christ? Are you following Him? If so, the reason you did that was because God called you by His grace.
Verse 7. “When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” You and I can scarcely imagine how scandalous it appeared for Jesus to go to the home of Zaccheus. Here, He is breaking all social protocol! Instead of going to the home of any of the fine, upstanding citizens of Jericho, Jesus had deliberately chosen the worst man in the town! Now, remember, that good Jews had nothing to do with tax collectors. They wouldn’t befriend them. They wouldn’t socialize with them, and certainly they would never go to their home. But Jesus did exactly that! So, what does this tell you about our Lord? He had no fear of man. He wasn’t moved by someone having a low opinion of Him. Rather, he was motivated by the glory of God and love for sinners and outcasts.
Verse 8-9. “Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much. And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.” Now, we see several things going on in Zaccheus’ life. Conversion includes three things that we see in Zaccheus’ life.
Faith. Now, Luke doesn’t give us very many details in this story. For example, what happened to bring Zaccheus to such a radical decision to give away ½ of his possessions to the poor? I believe by the time we arrive at verse 8, Zaccheus has been in the presence of Christ for some time. I imagine that Jesus is at his home now. Likely, Jesus has been speaking divine truth to Zaccheus. Zaccheus saw His holy life, heard His gracious words, and something broke within Him. The Spirit of God was working powerfully in his heart, and he became convinced that Jesus was Lord. Notice what he says, “Behold Lord…” I believe that everything that follows flows out of that confession – “Jesus is Lord!” That is exactly what blind Bartimaeus came to understand as well. When Jesus asked him “What do you want Me to do for you?” He replied, “Lord, I want to regain my sight!” Both of these men confessed Christ as Lord. Faith was welling up in Zaccheus’ heart, and now he gives vent to his new faith. Romans 10:9 says, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you shall be saved.”
So, is that the only reason I believe that He had a true faith in Christ? No, not at all. Look at verse 9. As soon as Zaccheus made his confession in verse 8, what did Jesus say about him in verse 9? “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.” Now what did Jesus mean by that? Wasn’t Zaccheus already a son of Abraham? He was Jewish by birth. His Hebrew name clues us in to the fact that he was a son of Abraham physically. Yes, but Jesus wasn’t talking about him being a son of Abraham physically. He was speaking about Zaccheus being a son of Abraham spiritually. Paul says in Galatians 3:6-7, “Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.” In Romans 4:11 Paul says that Abraham is the father of all who believe. When Jesus said that Zaccheus is a son of Abraham, He was saying that Zaccheus was a true believer! He had placed his faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
Repentance. This truth comes out at the end of verse 8, “and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” Note that little word “if” should rather be understood as “since.” There was no doubt that Zaccheus had defrauded a lot of people in Jericho! How many? Probably hundreds, if not thousands! That’s how he had become rich. He had been ripping the people off. But something has radically changed in his heart, hasn’t it? Now, all of a sudden, Zaccheus is concerned about making things right with the people that he has deceived and cheated. And, he’s not just concerned about giving them back what he had stolen. He is going to give back to them four times as much as he took! This is amazing!
Now the Law had something to say about making restitution to people that you had wronged. Listen to Numbers 5:5-7, “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, ‘When a man or woman commits any of the sins of mankind, acting unfaithfully against the Lord, and that person is guilty, then he shall confess his sins which he has committed, and he shall make restitution in full for his wrong and add to it one-fifth of it, and give it to him whom he has wronged.” Now, this passage of the Law fits Zaccheus’ case exactly. He had committted the sins of mankind, and acted unfaithfully against the Lord and was guilty. He now began to confess his sins which he had committed, and wanted to make restitution. So what did the Law demand for restitution? One fifth or 20% added to the original amount the person had stolen. What does Zaccheus decide to give? Not 20% but 400%! Zaccheus is not trying to figure out how little he can give and get by with. No, his heart is broken over his past life of sin, and he’s no longer thinking about himself. He’s thinking about the Lord he has sinned against, and the people that he has sinned against. And so, he just goes over the top, and gives four times as much back as he had stolen! Zaccheus is demonstrating true repentance. This same thing was depicted in the film “War Room” that we watched together a week ago. The husband was stealing medicine samples, and then selling them to make extra money on the side. He was eventually fired for some other reason. However, later he humbled himself before the Lord and repented. After he had given his life to Christ, he called up his former boss, and confessed to stealing from his company and committed to paying back the $19,000 that he had stolen. What is an evidence that a person has really repented? He will make restitution. Maybe there are some things that you have done before you came to Christ, that you need to make restitution for. Do it!
A Changed Heart. This comes out so forcefully in verse 8. What had characterized Zaccheus’ life up until now? Greed and covetousness. His greed had made him willing to betray his own people and work for the Romans. His greed had made him willing to lie, and steal and cheat people. His greed had made him willing to be rejected and shunned by his own countrymen. Greed was his god. But now everything has changed. This guy who has lived for riches his whole life, is paying back people he had cheated at 400%, and is giving half of all his possessions away to the poor. The affections of his heart had been radically changed. He’s saying, “I don’t care about money any more. I don’t care about riches and possessions. What I care about is following Christ!” Think about it. If he gave half of his possessions away to the poor, and then out of the remaining half, he gave back four times as much as he had taken to everyone he defrauded, how much do you think he is going to have left? Probably not much, if anything. In chapter 18 Jesus says that it is impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, left to himself. But here in chapter 19 we see God making it possible for a rich man to enter the kingdom. What we are are unable to do, in and of ourselves, God can accomplish. God can change the heart of anyone, and make him into a new person. That’s exactly what He did for Zaccheus.
My friends, true conversion will include all three of these elements: faith, repentance, and a changed heart. Notice also, that Zaccheus’ conversion took place after Christ called him. You see, God’s effectual call issues in a converted life. The effectual call is what God does. Conversion is what we do. However, we can never do what we ought to do, until God does what only He can do.
Conclusion
Notice the conclusion in verse 10, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
- Let Me Address Those Who Are Lost. Why did Jesus Christ come into this world? Why did the Father send Him here? Why was He willing to receive the kinds of people that everyone else would have shunned? Because He came to seek and to save that which was lost. Zaccheus thought he was seeking Jesus, didn’t he? However, the whole time, Jesus was seeking Zaccheus. The only reason Zaccheus was seeking Jesus, was because Jesus was already seeking Zaccheus. Are you saved? Are you a true Christian? If your answer is “No”, let me ask you another question, “Are you lost?” “Well, of course I’m not lost. I may not be perfect, but I’m not a sinner! I’m better than most people!” If that is your attitude, I’m afraid you can’t be saved. Jesus only seeks and saves lost As long as you are not lost, He can’t save you! The very first thing you must do, is admit that you are lost, and that you need Him to save you. And guess what, He delights to save sinners! I imagine that Jesus had a huge grin on his face when He said that today salvation has come to this house. If you will confess your sin, humble yourself before the Lord, and cry out to Him for mercy, He will save you.
- Let Me Address Those Who Are Saved. If you are saved, guess what? It is because Jesus sought you, and then saved you. It wasn’t because you sought Jesus. Our seeking of Jesus is only a response to His seeking of us. He is always prior to us. He always takes the initiative. We were too far gone in sin and depravity to seek Him. If you are saved, it is because of His sovereign grace. Someone has said that on the gates of heaven as you enter it says, “Whoever believes has eternal life.” However, after you believe and enter heaven, if you look back on the same gates you will see another sign, “Chosen in Christ from before the foundation of the world.”
There’s also one more thing we need to see from our text this morning. Notice the heartbeat of Jesus Christ. What was His program? What was His passion? What did He give His life to? It was to seek and to save the lost. If we are truly His, we will have that same passion. What mattered to Christ, will matter to His church. Jesus’ mission in the world, will become our mission in the world. In other words, we must never get comfortable and complacent just meeting with one another, and enjoying each other’s fellowship, and forget about a lost and dying world. The reason God left us in this world after He saved us, is because He has called us to complete the mission Jesus began. We are to make disciples of all the nations. So, I’m going to challenge you. If your involvement here at The Bridge is only about coming on Sundays, or a mid-week bible study, that’s not enough. We should not only love the Lord and the church. We should also love the Lost. A healthy disciple’s life is oriented in 3 ways: Up – to the Lord; In to the Church; and Out to the Lost. Begin praying that God would link you up with someone who needs Jesus. Begin spending time with them. Share your story. Share the gospel with them. Ask if you can do a Bible study with them. We have already developed all the materials you will need to lead a lost person to faith, and then teach them to obey what Jesus commanded. The hard work has been done. I challenge you to carve out time in your week to engage with lost people. Seek them, and pray that God would save them!
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