Luke 19:1-10 Climb

Luke 19:1-10 (Evangelical Heritage Version)

1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2A man named Zacchaeus was there. He was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3He was trying to see who Jesus was, but since he was short, he could not see because of the crowd. 4He ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus, because he was about to pass by that way. 5When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6He came down quickly and welcomed Jesus joyfully. 7When the people saw it, they were all grumbling because he went to be a guest of a sinful man.

8Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I am going to give half of my possessions to the poor. And if I have cheated anyone out of anything, I will pay back four times as much.”

9Jesus said to him, “Today, salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Climb

I.

He had never really cared what people thought of him. Perhaps in some ways that’s a healthy attitude; it keeps a person from swaying back and forth trying to make others like you.

In his case, however, there was a darker side to not caring; it allowed him to climb the ladder of success. People didn’t think all that highly of people in his profession. Maybe it was much like a member of congress today. The most recent statistics say that only 6% of people would rate the honesty and ethical standards of members of congress high or very high. That’s probably about where the rating of a tax collector would fall back then.

His name was Zacchaeus. In Hebrew, his name meant “innocent,” or “pure.” His reputation certainly didn’t live up to his name. Throughout his professional career, the short little man had been furiously shimmying his way up the ladder of success and wealth. Luke reports: “He was a chief tax collector, and he was rich” (Luke 19:2, EHV).

Zacchaeus had made it to the top of his ladder. He was living a comfortable lifestyle. Many people who are wealthy are unhappy. Somehow, deep down, they realize something is missing. Perhaps Zacchaeus was like that. Though he wondered what was missing, the solution eluded him.

There was no internet. There weren’t news programs on TV or radio. There wasn’t even a daily newspaper. Collecting news and information about the world around you happened only by word of mouth. The little tax collector had a steady stream of news and information coming his way in the conversations he had with merchants and traders as they entered his town and had to interact with the tax man.

That’s how Zacchaeus had come to hear a few things about Jesus. It was very interesting. Reports said that Jesus performed miracles. His teaching was said to be insightful—far superior to the typical rabbi. Zacchaeus may even have heard about the Twelve close followers of Jesus. Matthew had been a tax collector. Jesus had even been known to welcome “sinners” and meet with them and talk with them.

Now word reached Zacchaeus that Jesus was passing through Jericho, his home area. “He was trying to see who Jesus was, but since he was short, he could not see because of the crowd. 4He ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus, because he was about to pass by that way” (Luke 19:3-4, EHV).

Unless you’re a lumberjack or out in the woods hunting deer, climbing up a tree might not seem very dignified for a grown man. Zacchaeus was long past caring what people thought about him. He wanted to see the One he had heard so much about, and this might be his only opportunity.

II.

There’s nothing wrong with climbing the ladder of success, is there? It’s considered totally acceptable. Not the way Zacchaeus did it, of course. Most people are rightly repulsed when someone gets to the top by cheating others. If one can get to the top by providing something everyone needs, on the other hand, reaping the rewards and becoming rich isn’t frowned on as much.

Many people see salvation much the same as success. Climb the salvation ladder by becoming a better person. Climb the salvation ladder by trying really hard to do the things God wants you to do and avoiding the things God wants you to avoid. Climb the salvation ladder by looking at all the information presented in the Bible and choosing to follow Jesus. Maybe climb the salvation sycamore fig tree to get yourself noticed by Jesus.

III.

Salvation isn’t a ladder; or a sycamore fig tree. You can’t climb to get noticed by God, or to get approved by God. It wasn’t the fact that Zacchaeus climbed that fig tree that got Jesus to look up there and see him.

“When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today’” (Luke 19:5, EHV). This is a surprising turn of events. Without being told there was a man in a tree, Jesus knew he was there. Without being told his name, Jesus knew who Zacchaeus was. Jesus was looking for Zacchaeus.

Members of congress have people wanting to meet with them, despite a 6% approval rating. Maybe Zacchaeus initially thought Jesus might want to lobby him for favorable tax treatment or something like that.

Jesus wasn’t looking for a tax break. He wasn’t just looking for someone to like him so that he would get more social media attention.

With all his wealth and his life filled with comfortable things, Zacchaeus was still missing something. He was missing salvation. But salvation doesn’t come by a person climbing and reaching; it comes by Jesus’ seeking. Jesus was seeking the lost soul.

IV.

Luke doesn’t tell us about the stay at Zacchaeus’ house, other than that many were grumbling about the fact that Jesus went to be his guest. We don’t know how long the stay was, for example. But something profound must have happened.

Jewish law had something to say about those who had cheated others. It said: “People are to confess the wrong which they have done. They are to make full restitution for their guilt, then add one fifth of its value on top of that and give it to the person they have wronged” (Numbers 5:7, EHV).

Something had happened to Zacchaeus. He was a changed man. He wasn’t seeking salvation, he was responding to the salvation Jesus brought him. “Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I am going to give half of my possessions to the poor. And if I have cheated anyone out of anything, I will pay back four times as much” (Luke 19:8, EHV). Zacchaeus pledged to go well beyond what the law required of him. He promised to pay back four times what he had cheated, rather than just adding a fifth.

Jesus leaves no doubt that Zacchaeus was responding in faith, not trying to climb the salvation ladder. “9Jesus said to him, ‘Today, salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost’” (Luke 19:9-10, EHV).

Jesus looked for Zacchaeus and had found him. No longer was Zacchaeus lost; no longer was he embroiled in an endless quest to climb. He was given real success—Jesus gave him the forgiveness he needed and forgave all his sins.

Perhaps as you heard this account read earlier you asked yourself why this particular reading is the Gospel for a Thanksgiving service. Zacchaeus’ heart was completely changed by God in his grace and he wanted to give thanks.

That’s what our Thanksgiving worship is all about, too. We live in a prosperous society. None of us have the wealth of Elon Musk, but each of us can look at our lives and give thanks for the many physical blessings God has given us.

Far beyond that, we look at salvation. We didn’t have to climb some sycamore fig tree seeking to be saved. Jesus climbed the tree of the cross to purchase it for us. He looked at us in love and chose us to be his own and to bring us into his kingdom of grace. We are children of God and heirs of heaven. That is the greatest gift of all. That is the main reason we can give thanks at Thanksgiving. Amen.