I’m Coming Down (Zacchaeus)

Scripture:

Luke 19:1–2 “1 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.”

Luke 19:3–4 “3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.”

Luke 19:5–6 “5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.”

Luke 19:7–8 “7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” 8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.””

Luke 19:9–10 “9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.””

Introduction:

Thoughts:

Zacchaeus was a tax collector concerned about living for himself.

Jesus encountered 2 people. Luke 18:18-23 and Luke 19:1-10. But only one person’s heart was prepared to receive the gospel. God is not a respector of person’s. He is a discerner of hearts.

I. WHAT ZACCHAEUS’ LIFE TEACHES US.

1. Sometimes you have to ELEVATE your perspective to find Jesus. That means you will have to SEPARATE yourself from the crowd.

Luke 19:3–4 “3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.”

Lesson: You can miss Jesus trying to fit in with everyone else.

2. Sometimes to find God you have to divorce yourself from opinions and validations of others.

Luke 19:7 “7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.””

Zacchaeus was a despised person in society. He had a higher position than Matthew the tax collector. He was chief. Therefore He was richer than Matthew the tax collector. He was a real thief. For him to have to climb a tree among the crowd with his highly recognizable status would remove the last bit of dignity he may have had left.

Lesson: Don’t miss heaven worrying about what everyone else thinks about you following Jesus.

3. When you really find God, radical change and commitment follow.

Zacchaeus did not care what it cost him to be right with God. He was only required to give back 20% and the amount. He chose to give 4 times the amount. When you are truly following God, you are not interested in the bare minimum. You are willing to do whatever it takes and well more than required.

Lesson: If you are trying to bargain about what you worldly ways you can keep and still follow him, You are probably not saved. Complete and total surrender to Christ is required.

Galatians 2:20 “20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Luke 9:62 NKJV

62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

2 Corinthians 13:5 NKJV

5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.

Jesus is looking for genuinely repentant hearts and these things will result in definite change.

4. God Accepts Rejects

Matthew 11:28–29 “28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Many of us are apprehensive about diving deeper into fellowship with God because of the barrier of guilt.

The guilt of our past lies to us and says there is no way that a Holy God would want anything to do with a dirty me.

But Jesus looks on our weary and mistake ridden life and gives one simple Command… “Come”

We serve a God who is Available and Accessible

Isaiah 53:3–5 “3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”

Romans 8:1 “1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

It is hard for some of us to hear this and almost impossible for us to believe this. But …The God of the universe want a relationship with you.

Declaration of Faith:

“The God of the universe wants a relationship with me!”

RELATIONSHIP is much deeper than acquaintence. And acquaintance is someone you possess a social awareness of. They are not necessarily welcome to cross the thresholds of your intimate spaces.

Revelation 3:20 “20 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.”

4. Zacchaeus Come Down

Luke 19:5–6 “5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.”

Bonus Content:

Point: Everyone is not allowed in the extra room in the back:

That’s where we throw all of our undealt with items. It’s easier and quicker than doing the hard work of cleaning. We learn to throw in the backroom. So we can look like we have it all together to everyone else.

2. The person who knows us is not fooled by that behavior. Because they love us, they will encourage us to be clean rather than just look clean.

To dine with someone was a personal event. God is saying “I want to be welcome in your personal space.”

God wants to fellowship with the REAL you.

He wants to be invited where our insecurities are

He wants to be take up the space where our fears live

Every door marked “DO NOT ENTER” he wants access to.

Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 19

19:10 to seek and to save Recalls Isaiah’s imagery of restoration (cited by Jesus in Luke 4:18–19), as well as the divine initiative to seek the lost (portrayed in the parables of ch. 15).

Luke (Jesus Brings Salvation to Zacchaeus’s Home / 19:1–10 / 180)

TAKING THE INITIATIVE

Jesus took the first step in reaching out to Zacchaeus. He cut through the exclusivity of the Jews and approached this outsider. Often the first step in making a friend is the most difficult one. Take the initiative.

• Avoid prejudgments based on appearance or social status.

• Learn something about the other person before you approach.

• Let your overture be open and your demeanor engaging. Don’t demand friendship; offer it.

• Spend time. Listen attentively and share something personal.