The Seeker Became the Found
The Gospel for the Outcast • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Sermon Series: The Gospel for the Outcast - The Gospel According to Luke
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
Another story unique to the Gospel of Luke. The story of a man named Zaccheus.
In this story, Zacchaeus sought Jesus. He definitely has heard about Him and wanted to see him.
What is His state of mind?
We only know from this passage that he was was a tax collector, and he was rich,
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.
Riches can fill the hands, but never the heart.
In the King James Version, Zaccheus is called a publican - not Republican. In the Roman world, publicans collected taxes and additional fees to pad their already-extravagant salaries.
Nobody liked Zaccheus because of two reasons:
He was a tax collector, Nobody likes the IRS. I haven’t heard anyone happy about filing their tax return when they owe the government something (if it’s a refund… talk) More so, he was a chief tax collector. He owned a tax collection franchise in Jericho.
Secondly, He was considered a traitor to the nation because he collected money for the Romans, so he was abetting the enemy and enriching himself through a corrupt system of taxation.
For sure, Zaccheus had no friends among the Jews, and was hated by the people - he was an outcast. He was rich but he had no friends, he was hated, and he was empty.
I came across a poem by poet named Randy McClave.
What Money Can’t Buy: (excerpts)
Randy L. McClave
Money can buy a bed
But never the sleep,
Money can buy a clock
But never ever the time,
Money can buy a book
But never knowledge,
Money can buy a position
But never buy any respect,
Money can buy an acquaintance
But never a true friendship,
Money can buy a house
But, it can never buy a home,
Money can buy medication
But, it can never buy good health,
It can never buy true salvation
It only gives one, temporary wealth.
So Zaccheus was seeking for an answer…
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.
Another thing about Zaccheus, he was rich, he was hated, he was empty, and he was also short.
Not politically correct,, in the old days there was even a children’s song about him — Zaccheus was a wee little man…
Because he was short, and the crowds were all around Jesus, he climbed up a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus.
Picture of a Sycamore tree here.
I can imagine the crowd murmuring, look at that man Zaccheus trying to see Jesus, how disgusting!
I believe, he climbed up the sycamore tree, not only to see Jesus, but in his emptiness and lack of meaning in life, He wanted an encounter with God.
He wanted to be seen by Jesus!
2. An empty heart always reaches for the One who can fill it.
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.
Cultural - Jesus invited Himself to this house (talk of culture in the East and the west)
The emptiness of Zaccheus’ heart is not only because He didn’t have a relationship with God. His kind of sin has kept Him away from God, hated by people and filled with guilt. Remember that He became rich off the backs of people and taking money from them through an oppressive system.
You see his joyful reaction when Jesus saw him. The joy of being seen by Jesus. THE LORD SEES YOU TODAY!
People around Zaccheus despised him as a filthy sinner, and they were right in judging so.
7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”
3. The world will always be the first to condemn a sinner.
The crowds did not only condemn Zaccheus, they also judged Jesus!
They actually complained.. “He mingled with a sinner.” In Luke 7 we remember when a sinful woman served Jesus and anointed His feet with fragrant oil - The Pharisee thought “If this man were truly a prophet…”
or what about when Jesus called the other tax collector Matthew in Matthew 9 and sat with tax collectors and sinners, the Pharisees asked the disciples “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Why is it relevant? Because while the world will always be the first to condemn a sinner, Jesus seems to be the last to do so.
In John 9 The Lord told the adulteress, neither do I condemn you, but go and sin no more.
So Jesus came to Zaccheus’ house and we see a complete transformation.
4. A true encounter with Jesus always leads to transformation.
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.”
After spending a day with Jesus, Zaccheus was turned into a completely different person.
He repented - I know because he took action.
He is giving away 50% of all his wealth.
True repentance leads to restitution. In Leviticus 6 if someone stole something and is found guilty, he must return what he had stolen and add 1/5 more.
But Zaccheus goes above and beyond what the law requires, he will restore four fold or four times. The law requires he returns 120% of what he took but he is giving back —- 400 percent.
In today’s language, Zaccheus would have said: “If I scammed anyone, I will return four times.” Scammers (talk) -
Only Jesus can bring such a change in someone’s heart!
Why is he doing this? Yes, restitution and recompense comes with repentance. Zaccheus has become right before God, now he needs to make himself right before others.
Picture of The cross - vertical (make yourself right with God) — horizontal (make yourself right with others).
There is a more compelling reason. He received Jesus and now He has Him.
There is nothing that the world can offer that compares to the Lord Jesus.
All of his riches are worth nothing compared to having Jesus. If you have Jesus, you have everything.
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.”
5. The seeker became the found, and salvation came home.
The Lord is telling everyone that salvation is available to everyone, regardless of someone’s past sins or social status. Son of Abraham - the Gospel first came to the Jews, but it has also come to the Gentiles.
We know of Christ’s Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20)
We know of Christ’s Vision (Matthew 24:14)
Now, we hear one of Christ’s Mission Statement:
Luke 19:10
10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
It is important to notice Jesus’ use of the title the “Son of Man” is a claim to be the Messianic figure in Daniel 7. Likewise it is also Jesus identifying Himself with humanity.
He actively looks for those who are lost and brings salvation to them. This is not a passive mission but one filled with intentional pursuit and rescue.
Maybe you are like Zaccheus today, you fill your life with all the artificial things of the world, but deep inside you are empty. And in so many ways, you are lost and disconnected to God. From what Jesus said, you are exactly why He came. I will pray for you.
But it doesn’t stop there.
I wonder…Zaccheus was named in this story for some reason. I can only guess that he probably became a prominent Christian. Some early church tradition claim that he may have accompanied Peter on his travels and he may have become the first bishop of Caesaria. (stress)
We are not sure but this is what really matters about the story of wee little man Zaccheus:
The true stature of a man is not measured by his height. At the end of his story, Zaccheus towered far above the rest. Because he made the right choice and gave his life to Christ.
Zaccheus was found by God, so that he in turn can be used to seek and save others who are also lost. That is God’s purpose for you.
