Making a U-Turn to Christ

Introduction: A U-Turn is a powerful move to change direction. It is a result of the sudden realization we are gong the wrong way. It is a desperate maneuver to put ourselves on the right path. That is what it’s like to Become a Child of God. It is a powerful change in our hearts. It is a shift in the course of a life headed in the wrong direction. It is a re-birth from death in sin, to life in salvation. Zacchaeus experienced this one day in Jericho; Luke 19:1-10 tells us his story (read the passage). Many have heard the story of Zacchaeus, it is rare that I hear someone speak of his story without the childhood song coming to mind “Zacchaeus was a wee little man, And a wee little man was he, He climbed up in a sycamore tree, For the Lord he wanted to see”. But when we take a good look at these ten verses, we come to realize that this moment in Zacchaeus’ life is a dramatic portrayal of the re-birth of a soul. Let’s break down this story.

Point #1: No one is too bad to be saved. (vv. 1-4)

Explanation: Luke starts out by telling us that Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and was rich. But why does he feel it is necessary to make this distinction? Luke is explaining to us the depth of sin Zacchaeus had been living in. Tax collectors were considered the worst of Jews. They were traitors to their people. The tax collectors would pay a fixed sum to the Roman government and, in turn, the Roman government would give them the right to collect from the citizens, or “reimburse” themselves. This led to a lot of abuse, as the Roman government had already received their due and so they cared little for the amounts or methods of the tax collector. They would arbitrarily assess and inflate taxes due and pocket the difference as their profit. They were extortionists and were often harsh on those who could not pay, fining them with heavy burdens of additional interest. Beyond this, Zacchaeus was a CHIEF tax collector; which meant he likely had direct ties to the Roman government and had access to Roman soldiers to exact especially cruel methods of punishment to those who refused to pay. If there was anyone in all of Israel who was not able to be saved, it was Zacchaeus. In fact, Jewish religious law stated that tax collectors were unredeemable. As chief tax collector, Zacchaeus was public enemy number one.

Illustration: Rene “Level” Martinez was once one of the most feared men in South Florida. He wreaked havoc on the streets of Miami as co-founder of Latin Syndicate, a notorious criminal gang. He broke into homes, stole guns, performed drive-by shootings, and got into fights. For level, crime was a normal way of life; including facing and escaping death numerous times. Growing up, his mother was into witchcraft and routinely sacrificed animals and performed pagan rituals over him. He says “…as a kid…I started seeing demons. They haunted me my whole life.” When Level turned 12, he decided to pursue a life of crime. As a preteen, he started breaking into people’s houses, stealing guns, and doing drive-by shootings. In 1990, Level started the Latin Syndicate. The gang grew to around 300 members but many of them were either killed or arrested due to the gang’s extremely violent nature. Soon after, Level became a father and decided he needed more. So, he added to his life MMA fighting and gangster rap. Eventually, he worked his way to the top by beating three-time world champion Ricardo Mayorga. He had achieved everything he sought after. He had power, money, and fame; but he still felt a void inside. In 2016, God reached into Level’s life and altered his course for eternity. He explains: “It’s like [God] showed me my whole life in a matter of like five seconds…I just got on my knees. I started crying out to God. And when He spoke to me, I knew that if I didn’t surrender, I felt like I was going to die”. Following that day, Level decided to dedicate his life to Christ and has made it his mission to share the Word of God with people who live the life he used to live.

Application: Zacchaeus and Level are men of the same type from different eras. In their stories, we have proof that all things are possible with God. We see the worst sin has to offer transformed into generous Christians. We should never be afraid to state that Christ is able to save, and that the vilest of sinners can experience the free grace of salvation if they will only come to Him. We should hold the gospel dearly for ourselves and offer it boldly to the wicked, telling them “There is hope. All that is required is for you to repent and believe!” Isaiah says in Isaiah 1:18 (NASB) “Though your sins are scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool”. The door of hope to sinner is opened wide when we walk through; let’s hold it open and invite others in.

Point #2: Christ’s Compassion and power. (vv. 5-7)

Explanation: We learn from these verses Christ’s free compassion toward sinners and his power to change hearts. Jesus stops and calls to Zacchaeus and offers to come into his life. The Lord’s complete knowledge of us is clearly shown here. Not only did Jesus know Zacchaeus by name, He knew that Zacchaeus’ heart was ready for Him. Verse 6 says that Zacchaeus received Jesus gladly. The Greek for received here means “to hospitably have as a guest” and gladly means “rejoicing exceedingly”. Luke uses this term, “chairōn”, nine times throughout his gospel to note the joy that accompanies faith and salvation. This is the moment Jesus sends the renewing grace of the Holy Spirit into Zacchaeus’ heart. This is the moment of Zacchaeus’ re-birth. His receiving of Jesus into his house is the outward expression of what is going on in his heart.

Illustration: I would like you to humor me with an exercise, please. You will need to get a partner for this. Now have your partner stand close to and facing a wall. You go and stand 10 feet behind them. Now, call for your partner to turn around and come to you. What happened? Did they turn around and start walking your way? I know you’re thinking “Well, of course they did! I told them to do that, what’s your point?” Stay with me though. Set it up one more time as before. Now realize that the wall represents sin and you represent Jesus. Now call to your friend. Do you REALLY see what happened? They faithfully answered Jesus’ call AND turned their back to sin in repentance; their focus shifted from death in sin to life in Jesus, SIMULTANEOUSLY.

Application: When Jesus calls us, we must come to him in faith and receive him in repentance. As we just illustrated, both are dependent on each other. There is no faith without repentance. Those who express faith but have not repented are the ones who are standing facing the wall and saying “I love you Lord, I do these things for you Lord” but they have not received Jesus into their lives. Their love of sin is still the ruler of their hearts. Jesus explains in Matthew 7:22-23 (NASB Strong’s) “22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” But when we truly repent in faith and receive Jesus into our lives, what Jesus offers us is incomprehensible; Love, Mercy, Salvation, Joy; none of which we deserve. Notice what Jesus does not tell Zacchaeus “You are a scoundrel and how dare you cheat people like this? You probably have stolen money on you right now. Why don’t you throw that down here first? Then why don’t you go to the synagogue and ray some prayers. Then come see me. Also, I need to talk to you about your account and history of extortion.” No, He says “Zacchaeus, come here, I want to change your life.” No accusation, no blame, no auditing; just pure love and mercy. When Jesus comes into our life, He shows us the grace of God. Not everyone is happy about this, in verse 7, the crowd turns to condemnation and accusation of Zacchaeus; but this doesn’t halt his joy. Don’t let anything stop you from intimacy with Jesus. People won’t understand and you may be ridiculed, but what does that really matter compared to having the God Of All Creation active in your life?

Point #3: Believers will always bear the fruits of salvation. (vv. 8-10)

Explanation: Lastly, we learn that believers will always show evidence of their salvation (read verses 8-10). There is an unmistakable proof in Zacchaeus’ speech that he is a new man with a new heart. Raised from death to life, Zacchaeus could not wait to show the world how he had changed and give evidence for the Lord he now served. He publicly wanted people to know that Jesus had changed his life. Jesus’ statement “Today salvation has come to this house” is not a statement that Zacchaeus’ good deeds had now earned him salvation. Rather, Jesus is announcing, to the glory of God, that Zacchaeus’ change and good deeds are a result of the salvation he had already received. Jesus is explaining to the crowd that one who was lost has been found by the Savior and Zacchaeus is now in relationship with the Lord.

Illustration: Mother Teresa lived a difficult life of service. Her missions routinely took her to places of extreme poverty and sickness, such as Calcutta, India; and even war-zones, such as Beirut. Her mission statement was to help the poorest among the poor, in her own words “the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone". But she didn’t just help them; she lived with them, she lived like them. She served this way, not because she was trying to earn salvation, but because she was overjoyed with the salvation she had already received. When Jesus changed her heart, she learned to love what Jesus loves. She explains “As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus”.

Application: If you think my point is that we must go on missions and live in poverty to truly repent for our sins; you have missed it completely. My point is the motivation behind the service. This is how we can tell the repentant from the unrepentant. Motivation reveals the true state of the heart. Those who serve with an attitude of repayment, accolades, and bragging rights; “That person owes me now” “I can’t believe I helped them out and now that I need help they wouldn’t go out of their way for me” “I can’t believe they didn’t even say thank you” “I don’t do service because people are so ungrateful” “I serve more than anyone else in church, look at all the money and charity I bring in”. These people are not serving from a heart of Jesus. Paul explains this to us in Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB Strong’s) “8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” The heart of Jesus serves as evidence to the glory of God alone. Jesus calls everyone of His children to serve. Some may be called to be missionaries or preachers, others may be called to do charity work in the community, and still others may be called to just hand the homeless a few dollars and say, “Jesus loves you”. But each of us have a call to service, the key is we should say “How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?”. The repentant don’t complain about self-denial, the burden of service, or that someone else is getting all the attention; our hearts are joyful to be able to show the world the true glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through the change in our lives.

Conclusion: The story of Zacchaeus should always be in the mind of Christians. The Lord Jesus never changes. What he did for this man, he is able and willing to do for anyone else. If Zacchaeus were here today, he would tell us this: “No one is too bad to be saved, I was the worst of sinners, but the Lord still came into my life and showed me mercy. And when you receive Jesus, you will experience a joy that you never knew existed, your life and choices become guided by His goodness and your heart is filled with His love.” Faithfully answer Jesus in repentance, and you will begin to do things that you never thought you would, and your goodness and deeds will be a testament of your salvation and His glory. This is what it means to Become a Child of God and, when we keep Zacchaeus’ story in mind, we understand what salvation means to us and what it could mean to others it they Make a U-Turn for Jesus.