Jesus and Zacchaeus
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning. Welcome to CHCC. We are continuing our journey with Christ through the book of Luke and find ourselves taking a short stop in the city of Jericho. As Jesus is making his way to Jerusalem, Passion week now in sight and will be upon us shortly, our Savior finds Himself roughly 17 miles outside of the capital city of Israel in a city known as Jericho. You may recognize the name of this city from the Old Testament book of Joshua chapter 6 which records the fall of this great city by the hand of God and the Israelites who marched around the city for 7 days. Same city.
Today, Jericho claims to be the oldest city in the entire world still standing. Deuteronomy calls it “the city of palm trees.” And today, that remains true as it is a well established site of many date palms. And if you’ve never had dates, they are delicious. And oftentimes they will say they are from Israel, and many of those come from Jericho.
Now our passage contains a well known character in Scripture of small stature. And our character did in fact climb a tree, but it wasn’t a date palm—that would have been incredibly impressive.
But he does climb a tree! By now you probably realize the passage of our focus this morning is of Zacchaeus. And for those who are fans of The Chosen, we have a star casting for the role in the show!
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In case you weren’t sure, this is a joke from Babylon Bee. But DeVito is exactly who I picture when I think of Zacchaeus.
I think I’ve shared this before, but I recall reading about students of Pastor’s College started by the famed preacher, Charles Spurgeon. One of the fun aspects of this college during Spurgeon’s life was on Fridays the students would gather around a large oak tree in the front of Spurgeon’s estate to ask Mr. Spurgeon questions and deliver sermons on the spot, with Spurgeon giving them the passage to speak on.
On one occasion he called to a gentleman and gave him the exact passage we will be looking at this morning—Luke 19:1-10. The young man looked at the passage, then looked up to Mr. Spurgeon and said, “Zacchaeus was of little stature, so am I. Zacchaeus was up a tree, so am I. Zacchaeus came down, so will I.” And the student sat down as Spurgeon along with the other students applauded.
I am tempted to give the same message, but I’ve also had some time to contemplate this passage, prayerfully consider them, and exegete the Scriptures so as to give you a word this morning.
While this section is a little fun and one that we highlight in Sunday school as children, there is also some beautiful moments. The premise here being a hated man sought out and shown love by Jesus, brought into his home, and converted from the inside out.
There is also connection to our previous passages in Luke 18 about money that we will come to recognize. I absolutely love how the Spirit has guided Luke in his placement of passages in his gospel account and this one is no different.
So if you have your Bibles with you this morning, please turn with me to Luke 19, as we begin this new chapter in verse 1.
PRAY
He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And 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.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
MONEY IS (SOMEWHAT) IN FOCUS AGAIN
In verse 2 Luke makes mention of Zacchaeus. It gives us two descriptors of who he is. He is a chief tax collector and he was rich. The addition of “chief” in his occupational title is important here. There were three main regions inland. These were Capernaum, Jerusalem, and Jericho. The Big Three. And Zacchaeus was chief over one of these major regions. What is more, Jericho was a relatively wealthy region due to its dates and balsam groves.
As the chief tax collector, he would have other tax collectors under him working for him. As one pastor explained it, in a sense he was the kingpin of the Jericho Tax Cartel. So he likely wasn’t just rich. He was probably disgustingly rich. But this, of course, came with a cost. He was hated by his countrymen, he was forbidden to worship in the synagogues as well. So he may have been rich, but any friends he would have had would be other tax collectors.
There is a chance he was familiar with Matthew for this reason. If that is the case, perhaps this added to his curiosity of Jesus. If a tax collector can find himself among the disciples of this great rabbi, what does that mean for me?
Perhaps it was the quick word spreading of the recently healed blind man. Maybe Zacchaeus had known this man for some time—the local blind beggar—now healed and following and praising this Jesus. “I’ve got to see Him for myself! Who could do such a miraculous thing?”
Or maybe, like the blind beggar, there is a growing faith in his heart already from the things he has heard of Jesus prior to His entrance into the city. Whatever it may be, Zacchaeus is, according to verse 3, “seeking to see who Jesus was.”
The Greek word for “seeking” means “to make a careful or thorough effort to learn something” or “to strongly desire to do or have something.”
By that understanding, it is clear that Zacchaeus’ heart is truly searching for the Truth of Jesus. Unfortunately for him, he was having a tough time doing so with the large crowd. Any vertically challenged people here? It can be bear trying to get through crowds and see something you want to when you’re short. I remember going to the movies as a kid and I HATED when some 6’5” giant would decide to plop down in the seat directly in front of me.
And what is more, again, Zacchaeus was despised. You can be certain the crowd was doing no favors for him. So with no success combating the crowds, Zacchaeus decides to hike himself up a tree. He runs ahead on the path, getting clear of the large crowd and finds a sycamore tree right beside the road. These sycamore trees are different looking than the ones we have on this side of the world. They tend to have branches that grow low and wide—making them perfect climbing trees.
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What a beautiful tree. I would absolutely have loved a tree like that to climb as a kid. Who am I kidding. That is a tree I would climb today if I could. I also have an image of what they claim is the very tree Zacchaeus climbed still around today. Whether it is or not, it is a sycamore tree over 2,000 years old in the city of Jericho so I find it very interesting nonetheless.
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So here we have this small little man—likely wearing the finest linens his money could buy—making his way up this trunk of a nearby tree. Why would he potentially humiliate himself? Because he “was seeking to see who Jesus was.” Throw dignity out the window; he has to catch a glimpse of this man. But Zacchaeus got much more than he bargained for. A glimpse turn into an invitation and dinner. Out of the eye of the crowd, you can picture Zacchaeus hugging a branch and peeking around it above Jesus.
So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And 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.”
What I love about this moment is the fact that Jesus not only saw Zacchaeus, but He calls him by name. But perhaps for the first time in a very long time, his name isn’t used alongside contempt, anger, disgust, or hatred. Rather, it seems like Jesus wants to be around him!
And what is more, it isn’t a hesitant or reluctant invitation. Jesus says, “Hurry and come down for I MUST stay at your house today.” There is no other option and no other place I’d rather be, Zacchaeus than to spend the evening and share a meal with you.
This is no doubt a moment of divine providence and sovereign grace. And this is the same way Jesus feels about each and every one of you today. His desire is the same for all of us to draw near to Him. The author of Hebrews tells us:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
What we are about to witness here in our passage is a miraculous conversion. Keep in mind the previous teachings of Jesus in chapter 18. The camel is about to go through the eye of the needle. And immediately what a great response from Zacchaeus in verse 6.
So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.
The wording here suggests that Zacchaeus at this point may have already come to faith. John MacArthur explains:
Such a despicable sinner as a typical tax collector might have been distressed at the prospect of a visit from the perfect, sinless Son of God. But Zacchaeus’ heart was prepared.
While the tax collector was wealthy, as any who are wealthy may know—it is never enough. No matter how much you accumulate there will never be a joy there like the joy we find in Christ Jesus. Everything this world offers in the guise of happiness and satisfaction is fleeting, momentary. The shine eventually wears off. But not so with Jesus. The longer we walk in right relationship with Jesus the deeper and fuller our joy becomes. As Charles Spurgeon says,
Joy in God is the happiest of all joys.
Charles Spurgeon
Zacchaeus may have been wealthy but he was seeking more and he found it in Jesus. And when the invitation was given, he scurried down the tree as fast as he could to receive the Lord with a joy unlike any other.
But what about the bystanders? They weren’t nearly as joyful at this turn of events as Zacchaeus was.
And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
The irony here is that had Jesus invited himself into ANY ONE of their homes he would have been the guest of a man or woman who is a sinner. How easy it is to look upon the life of another and proclaim their sin. Far easier than to inwardly search and admit the sin of our own hearts.
But to the crowds and certainly to the Pharisees, the tax collectors were on a whole other level of “sinner.” These were the worst of the worst, and this Jesus of Nazareth is now a guest in the home of defilement.
And this isn’t the first time we see Jesus in the house of a tax collector, dining with such filth—according to the locals.
And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
The reality is, apart from Christ, every single one of us is dying of a spiritual terminal illness known as sin. The only way we are healed is through personal relationship with Jesus. Allow Him into the homes of our hearts and let us dine and fellowship with Him. It is there in the depths of our hearts and in the muck of our sin where we find our desperate need for a Savior. And it is here where He does His work in us. It is here were we learn to cry out, “Have mercy on me, a sinner!” And where Jesus says, “Your sins are forgiven, your faith has made you well.”
So while the others grumbled and moaned and complained about Jesus fellowshipping with Zacchaeus the hated tax collector. The reality is every one of them lived in a house of a sinner and each and every one of them needed Jesus to enter in.
Let us look now at the response of Zacchaeus in his home with Jesus in verse 8.
And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
Really quickly, let us jump back to the conversation between Jesus and the rich ruler in Luke 18.
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.
Zacchaeus’ heart has truly been changed as evidenced by not only his willingness to give of his wealth and possessions but his desire to make restitution with those he had defrauded.
He not only recognizes his sin, but seeks to make it right and his wealth holds no sway on his heart. Jesus tells us that we cannot serve God and money, and here—clearly—Zacchaeus is not serving money but desires to serve God and do right.
Zacchaeus quickly gives away 50% of his possessions to the poor. There is much to be said in Scripture about this generosity we see from Zacchaeus.
Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed,
for he shares his bread with the poor.
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,
and he will repay him for his deed.
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
This was the exact call Jesus gave to the rich ruler! Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow me.
What is more, Zacchaeus recognizes that his wealth has been built up essentially through theft of his people. He has defrauded others with higher than necessary taxes to line his pockets with money.
So what does he do? He says that anyone he has defrauded he will return to them fourfold what he has taken! If you are familiar with the Old Testament Law, Zacchaeus is going far above and beyond what is required.
or anything about which he has sworn falsely, he shall restore it in full and shall add a fifth to it, and give it to him to whom it belongs on the day he realizes his guilt.
The law simply required an added fifth to the return of stolen goods. For example, if a man stole or swindled someone of 5 sheep, he would be required to return five sheep plus one more (an added fifth), so six in total. What Zacchaeus is doing here is returning fourfold! So if he took what equated to $100 from someone through the tax system, he would return to them $400! As Darrell L. Bock explains:
Luke always portrays tax collectors favorably (3:12; 7:29; 15:1; 18:10). In return to Jesus’ openness to him, Zacchaeus makes the proper response. Having accepted Jesus’ initiative, Zacchaeus becomes generous with his resources, even seeking to make restitution for past wrongs. He is a rich man who gets through the eye of the needle.
Darrell L. Bock
Clearly Jesus has infiltrated this man’s heart and changed him from the inside out. There is a real possibility that Zacchaeus just parted with ALL of his wealth. As the chief tax collector he had swindled a lot of people—an ancient day Scrooge. That is a lot of fourfold returns on the table here. But that means nothing compared to what he has now! He has accepted the call, in a sense, that Jesus issued to the rich ruler. He has sold everything, distributed to the poor, and is following Jesus and he is doing so joyfully!
I love what R. Kent Hughes has to say about this:
Nonbelievers are quick to criticize the gospel as sentimental and unpractical. But if it is impractical, it is our fault, not the gospel’s. The demands of the gospel are intensely practical, and they include a reorientation to one’s material possessions. One’s grip on things is dramatically loosened.
Jesus’ teachings make it clear that while generosity is not a means to salvation and redemption, it is certainly evidence of redemption having taken place.
Next we read of Jesus’ beautiful response—a wonderful proclamation.
And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Here was a man who was written off by the rest of his people. He was worse than a sinner—a tax collector. And in a sense he was worse than just a tax collector—he was a chief tax collector. Perhaps the richest man in all of Jericho and also the most hated.
He was a man that people thought was beyond saving. But salvation came to his house because the Savior sought him out. And if you are here this morning and do not know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, he is seeking you out too.
In fact, God has been seeking man since the inception of sin! Remember in the garden after Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and they were made aware of their nakedness they hid themselves. And God sought them.
But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.
There have been countless men and women who have walked this earth who were written off by their peers; deemed hopeless, with a one-way ticket in their pockets to hell. But God.
As Saint Augustine said of God, “You follow close behind the fugitive and recall us to yourself in ways we cannot understand.”
There is no heart filled with sin too great that God in His tender mercy and forgiveness cannot overcome.
I love these words from C.S. Lewis:
The words compelle intrare, compel them to come in, have been so abused by wicked men that we shudder at them; but, properly understood, they plumb the depth of the Divine mercy. The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and His compulsion is our liberation.
This moment between Jesus and Zacchaeus at the sycamore tree was one authored by the divine pen of heaven. Zacchaeus may have thought he was hidden, but God saw him, called him, and saved him. He was caught, as one author said, because in his seeking he was sought.
And maybe that is you today. Perhaps you find yourself in your own sycamore tree of sorts. Perhaps seeking Jesus from a distance. Not too close, don’t want to be seen. But deep down, perhaps you do.
And maybe, right now he says to your heart, “I see you up there. Come down, for I must stay with you today!” And in that, he is saying, “I am seeking you. I desire your heart and your soul. I am the Son of Man, the Son of David, the Son of God. I died for you. Come down!”
And maybe you find yourself hesitant. “I would, but if only you knew my heart you wouldn’t want me.” But do not forget the promise God gives His people in the book of Ezekiel.
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
That is exactly what He does for each and every one of us as believers. He seeks us, He saves us, and He changes us from the inside out. Perhaps you recall the very moment Jesus changed your life forever. Perhaps for one of you here, today could be that day.
What a beautiful savior we have. He sees us, He seeks us, He desires us—even in the midst of all our filth—and saves us from our depravity. He is calling you down from that tree today. Will you come down?
PRAY
