Desires

The Son of Man Comes To Seek & Save Sinners

11.2.25 [Luke 19:1-10] River of Life (21st Sunday after Pentecost)

Nobody thinks waiting in line is fun. But some lines are more fun than others. It’s more fun to wait in line and go through a security checkpoint when you’re going to the big game than to get on a flight for a meeting. It’s more fun to wait in line for a ride at Disney than it is at the DMV. What you’re waiting for changes your attitude dramatically. 

There is another thing everyone who’s waiting in line can agree on. No one likes a line-skipper. It’s an outrage. When we were little, we shouted: No cuts! and made a big fuss. As we’ve grown a little more mature, we respond to queue jumpers with exasperated gestures, rolling our eyes, and muttering under our breath. 

Today, in our Gospel from Luke 19, there’s a line. It’s a fun line, if there really is such a thing. Jesus was passing through the famous city of Jericho on his way to Jerusalem. Much like our Phoenix valley, Jericho was a bustling oasis of a city. It was the fragrant city of palm trees, dates, grapes, and olives. Jericho was an important hub for the economy, the Roman military, and the pilgrims on their way to the Holy City of Jerusalem. Jericho had a lot going on. 

But in Luke 19, all of Jericho was excited about a visitor. A crowd assembled along the road because they had heard that Jesus was approaching. On the road to Jericho, Jesus performed another great miracle—restoring the sight of two blind men. Jesus had already developed quite the reputation as a teacher & healer.  

Luke tells us that a man with a very different reputation was among those who Lk. 19:3 wanted to see who Jesus was. When the citizens of Jericho heard the name Zacchaeus, they all recoiled. Zacchaeus was a mean little money-grubbing tax collector. As a tax collector, Zacchaeus would have been an embarrassment to his mom, a disgrace to his dad, and a traitor to his people. 

But Zacchaeus wasn’t just a tax collector. He was Lk. 19:2 a chief tax collector. The head honcho of a team of heisters. Zacchaeus was the kingpin of the customs cartel. If anyone crossed him, he could call in thugs. He had ways of making his enemies pay. As the head of the snake, he lived a luxurious life off the backs of his neighbors. 

When Zacchaeus toddled your way, you knew it was bad news. He didn’t pay visits. When he visited, you paid dearly. When Zacchaeus stopped over, he was going to squeeze you dry. Zacchaeus didn’t do you any favors. He was the guy you didn’t want to owe. 

So it’s no surprise that no one wanted to do him a favor on that day. Luke tells us more about Zacchaeus than just what he did for a living. He was a Lk. 19:3 short man. So short that he Lk. 19:3 could not see over the crowd.  So this wealthy, chief tax collector did something unimaginable. With his little legs, he Lk. 19:4 ran ahead of the crowd and scuttled up Lk. 19:4 a sycamore fig tree. Clearly, there is import and urgency in seeing Jesus. But why?

Luke doesn’t reveal Zacchaeus’ inner motives. He tells us that Zacchaeus wanted to see who Jesus was. Maybe he had heard about the miracles. Perhaps he had heard about how Jesus called a tax collector, Matthew, to be his disciple.  Jesus had a reputation for drawing in societal outcasts. He was known as someone who broke bread with broken sinners. Maybe Zacchaeus was just curious. 

But Lk. 19:5 when Jesus reached that spot underneath his sycamore fig tree, Jesus looked up and saw a reviled man he knew well. Lk. 19:5 Zacchaeus, Jesus called him by name, hurry up & get down from that tree. I must stay at your house today.  

This infuriated the crowd more than watching someone cut the line. Why should Zacchaeus be so favored? He was a schmuck. A turncoat. A Rome-loving crony. Luke tells us that when the people saw what was happening, all of them began to mutter, grumble, and complain: Lk. 19:7 Jesus has gone to be the guest of a sinful man. 

That was how they saw Zacchaeus. He was a wretched rascal. He had made each of their lives more miserable in order to make his more comfortable. They knew his public sinful reputation. They knew it came at a personal cost to each of them. They were insulted that Jesus would pick this guy and give him special attention. 

Can you relate to the crowd’s outrage? There are people in this world who have sinned in well-known ways, like Zacchaeus. Our deep desire is to see them get what they’ve got coming. Maybe it’s someone who has lived a life of wickedness or at least has a lengthy rap sheet. They’ve preyed upon vulnerable people. They’ve stripped down small businesses to make a buck. They’ve lied, cheated, or stolen. They’ve bullied our kids. They’ve denied our claims. They’ve wrecked our communities. They are hateful, abusive, or even murderous. Wouldn’t you be upset if you saw Jesus skip over you to spend time with someone like that? 

Others have personally harmed us. Their words & actions scarred us. They’ve betrayed us. Cheated on us. Destroyed our reputations. Lied to us. Turned their backs on us when we needed them most. They’ve taken the life of someone we loved. Isn’t it hard to accept that Jesus came to bring comfort to people who’ve treated us like that? 

We may not admit these feelings out loud, but they’re in there. We don’t think and react all together differently than the Jericho crowd. 

But God does. In fact, God has always reached out to those who were rebellious and wretched. Jesus explains his approach toward people in those poignant words at the end of our text. Lk. 19:10 The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Not the lovely. 

Throughout his life on earth, this was what rankled people most. Jesus broke bread with broken sinners. He was not afraid to be seen eating with prostitutes and tax collectors. It’s not that he liked their parties better—he also accepted dinner invitations from the proper folks and the Pharisees. It’s not that Jesus had a greater stomach for sin or wickedness, either. He never shied away from calling someone to repentance. He always called a spade a spade.

But Jesus saw in these societal outcasts people who had come to think of themselves as beyond God’s saving. And they weren’t the only ones. Their neighbors and enemies assumed the same. 

But Jesus knew that they were no different. Sinners are sinners are sinners. In these meals, Jesus was communicating something to the whole world. Rom. 3:23 All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That’s true of you and me. Our sins may never become public record like Zacchaeus. People may not mutter under their breath when they see us pass by. We may be squeaky clean and have lots of people who will testify that we’re great people. None of that holds up in God’s divine courtroom. 

God knows us better than they do. Better than we know ourselves. He knows the corruption of our hearts. He knows our selfish and prideful thoughts. He knows how deceitful and duplicitous we can be. He knows how we take advantage of strangers and big companies and tell ourselves they won’t even miss it or that they had it coming. He knows how we envy people we call our friends & secretly celebrate their setbacks. He knows about all the grudges we nurse and more. He knows, at our core, we love ourselves most. 

All our sins are laid bare before God. And each of them comes at a cost to him. They’re personal affronts to him. Yet, Rom. 5:10 while we were still God’s enemies, God sent his Son to redeem us through his death. Jesus came into this world to seek and save lost sinners like Zacchaeus, the chief of sinners down the street, and you & me. 

When God descends to dwell among sinners, when he seeks us and announces the sweet good news of his work of salvation, we are changed. That’s what happened to Zacchaeus. You see, it wasn’t just that Jesus had to stay at Zacchaeus’ house for a meal. The Son of Man had to go to the cross and die. He had to offer his life as a ransom for many. He had to die and rise again on the third day. He had to save sinners through his perfect sacrifice. And God did. And God’s actions, his seeking and saving, have changed sinners like us and Zacchaeus. 

Zacchaeus knew what the people were muttering about him. He knew how they grumbled against God and his mercy toward Zacchaeus. But that mercy that they despised was the mercy that radically changed Zacchaeus. 

It was after spending time with the kindness and mercy of God’s own Son, that Zacchaeus transformed his standard of living and his way of treating people. He does what the Law commanded, paying back anyone he cheated four times what he took. But he went beyond that in also giving half of his possessions to the poor. 

Now, anyone with a sharp financial mind immediately recognizes the order of his operations. This is what tax preparers specialize in. Zacchaeus does not say that he will make restitution first and then donate to the poor. He donates and then offers restitution. If Zacchaeus was worth a million dollars and had cheated to obtain 10% of his wealth, he would be giving away half a million dollars and making $400k of restitution! After one meal with Jesus, he would have divested 90% of his net worth! Imagine how that would have changed how the people of Jericho thought of him. Almost overnight, there would be a line at the door of his home! People would want to see Zacchaeus. Now, when little Zacchaeus toddled your way, you’d be excited. Does he consider me poor? Is he making restitution for some past exploit? 

The best part is that his motives were purified by the Son of Man. Jesus did not demand that Zacchaeus do any of this. He simply showed him mercy. He came looking for Zacchaeus, to be the guest of a sinner, and saved him through his sacrificial death. God has done the same for you and me. He does not demand that we give away half our net worth. He does not insist that we chase down anyone we have cheated. He has shown us mercy. He has paid our sin debt. He has saved us and now empowers us to reflect that mercy in our daily lives. Amen.