Little Man, Big Change

“Little Man, Big Change”

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Back when I was a kid, Zacchaeus would have been called a shrimp. Today he would be referred to as a person who is “vertically challenged”. Luke tells us he was, V:3-“little of stature”.

The story of the wee little man climbing up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus is easy to picture, and rather humorous.

Zacchaeus was a wee little man

And a wee little man was he.

He climbed way up in a sycamore tree,

For the Lord he wanted to see.…

The story of Zacchaeus occupies a very serious place in the gospel of Luke. This is Jesus last personal encounter before his arrival in Jerusalem and the events that led to his death on the cross.

The final verse in Zacchaeus’s story, contains a summary statement of Jesus purpose on earth.

V:10-Read.

The salvation of Zacchaeus illustrates the purpose for which Jesus came into the world.

Jesus was a great teacher-those who heard him speak said, no man ever spoke like this man. But Jesus did not come into the world simply to be a great teacher.

Jesus was a great healer, and miracle worker.

But Jesus did not come in the world simply to do miracles, and heal sick bodies.

Jesus came into the world to seek and to save that which was lost!

Jesus is only about 10 days from the cross, where he would give his life as a sacrifice to save the lost. This is Jesus last time to go through Jericho, he is on his way to Jerusalem, where he would be betrayed and then crucified. When Jesus enters Jericho he opens the eyes of the blind man who was sitting by the roadside begging. Then Jesus enters into Jericho, and is passing through Jericho, there’s a great crowd of people following Jesus. The Pharisees are there looking on, V:7, they are trying to find something to accused Jesus of, to have him arrested, and put to death.

Word had gotten out in the city of Jericho that Jesus of Nazareth’s, the miracle worker was passing through town. People were flocking to see him, hoping to see a miracle.

In V:2, we are introduced to a man named Zacchaeus, he is the reason that Jesus is passing through Jericho. We are told that Zacchaeus was a tax collector, and that he was rich. There were three cities where taxes were collected, Capernaum, Jerusalem, and Jericho.

Jericho would be the city that you would want to be a tax collector in. Jericho, beautiful vacation resort, much like our modern day Miami. There were lots of flowers, they were known for their roses, and balsam plantations, and palm trees. The winner home of Herod was in Jericho, many rich and famous people lived in this city.

As chief tax-collector Zacchaeus was head of a tax-farming corporation with collectors who extorted the people, then paid him before he paid the Romans. He was the kingpin of the Jericho tax cartel and had the scruples of a modern-day crack dealer. He was filthy rich in the fullest sense of the term.

Zacchaeus was despised and hated by all the people in the city of Jericho, he was an outlaw, thief, and a traitor to his people. He is the last person you would expect Jesus to go after; but he is exactly the kind of person that Jesus goes after.

Zacchaeus hears that Jesus is traveling through Jericho, he knows that the crowd hates him, and would never give him a front row spot to see Jesus. He knows he’s too short to see over the crowd, so we runs down the road in front of the crowd, and climbs up into a sycamore tree so he can see Jesus when he passes under the tree. And sure enough, when Jesus passes under the tree he calls Zacchaeus down, and his life is forever changed.

I want us to notice several elements in Zacchaeus’s salvation that is true of every person who is saved.

Element #1, he had:

1. A Great Desire, and Acted on it.

V:3-“He sought to see Jesus who he was”

Why? Why did Zacchaeus want to see Jesus?

Maybe he was just curious, many people wanted to see Jesus during his earthly ministry, out of simple curiosity. Great crowds attracted them, the sensation of miracles, the food, the great teaching.

Maybe he had heard of the conversion of Levi the tax collector, Matthew as we call him, who was now one of Jesus’ followers. Maybe he had even known Levi. Palestine was a small place, and tax collectors would have naturally hung out together. Jesus was known as a friend of “tax collectors and sinners.” Jesus had a soft spot for people like Zacchaeus.

Maybe, you are here today out of curiosity, you came to church because someone you care about invited you; but my prayer is that like Zacchaeus met the Lord Jesus, you will meet the Lord Jesus today.

The fact that Zacchaeus, sought, ran, climbed, indicates he had a deep desire to meet Jesus. In his heart he knew he needed to meet this man, this man had the answer to the longing of his heart.

He had riches, but they had not satisfied him.

He had position, but it had not given him peace.

Zacchaeus was drawn by his dissatisfaction.

Zacchaeus was weary of being hated by his people. The contempt of the people left him desolate and alone. Zacchaeus was curious, and he was concerned, he was a man that was lost and needed to be saved. Every person outside of Jesus Christ is lost, needs to be saved. To be lost, means you’re in the wrong place-if you lose your car keys, or your cell phone, it is not where you can use it, it is out of place; it is lost. The rightful place for every person is in a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. To be lost is to not be out of place, unsaved.

Zacchaeus had a great desire to see Jesus, to meet Jesus. Do you have a desire to meet Jesus? Do you have a sense of your guilt and lost-ness before God?

Not only did Zacchaeus want to see Jesus, Jesus wanted to see Zacchaeus! Zacchaeus was seeking Jesus, because Jesus was seeking Zacchaeus. The Bible makes it clear that no man will come to God except first of all God begin to draw that man.

-“No man can come to me, except the father draw him”.

The fact is, we do not understand, or acknowledge that we even have a need for salvation until the Holy Spirit of God convicts us, reveals our need to us.

Zacchaeus, was being constrained by the Holy Spirit to meet Jesus! Jesus had come to Jericho to seek and to save that which was lost; Zacchaeus.

Zacchaeus had a great desire, and acted on it.

Is there someone here today you have a desire to come to know Jesus Christ? Then I beg you to act on it today!

Element #2, he had:

2. A Great Obstacle, and Overcame it.

V:3-4-Read.

Zacchaeus, wanted to see Jesus, but he could not because he was short, and couldn’t see over the crowd. The people were not about to help him out. The crowd probably enjoyed boxing the little man out. “Sorry about the elbow, Zacchaeus, you’re hard to see. Oh, that’s your foot?”

History tells us he may have been a little over 4 feet tall. He wanted to see Jesus, but here was this big crowd, and he couldn’t see Jesus. He could’ve simply said, well, I guess it’s not meant to be; I’ll catch Jesus the next time he comes to town. But that is not what he does.

He ran down the street and climbed up into a tree; so he could see over the crowd. The bottom line is he did not let people keep him from Jesus.

I can picture him running from one side of the crowd to the other, but he could not get through; he could not see, so he made his way ahead of the crowd to climb a tree.

There are people under the sound of my voice, who are letting people keep them from coming to Jesus. There are some hypocrites in the church, folks who really don’t know Jesus, or love, or serve Jesus, their lives are not genuine. They professed to know Jesus with their mouth, but their life’s say loud and clear have never been saved.

Listen friend, I would rather climb up into a tree to get to Jesus, and climb over every hypocrite in this world, to get to Jesus; then to die and go to hell with all the hypocrites. Some of you here, blame your parents, your wife, your husband, some preacher, deacon for why you are not a Christian. When you stand before God; you will answer for yourself, not for someone else. Take a cue from Zacchaeus, and overcome any obstacle, or person that is keeping you from putting your faith in Jesus Christ!

I do not know what is keeping you from given your heart to Jesus; the devil will place something in your mind to keep you from Jesus. Satan, who is a liar and a deceiver will tell you; you don’t need Jesus, you can wait a while before you receive Jesus, or what will people say if you come to Jesus.

The day I came to Jesus in faith, the world, the flesh and the devil tried to make me think that I had to live the Christian life, before I became a Christian. That is backwards; you come to Jesus in repentance and faith, and then Jesus will empower you to live the Christian life.

Jesus had told about the young rich ruler back in , who refused to trust in Jesus, because he was trusting in himself and his riches. Jesus said, -Read.

Zacchaeus, did not allow his riches, status, keep him from running down the street, and climbing a sycamore tree to see Jesus.

The only obstacle that is keeping you from Jesus is your sin; your unbelief; do like Zacchaeus and come to Jesus.

Element #3, he had:

3. A Great Call, and Answered it.

V:5-Read.

The picture of this little sitting alone in that tree, in order to get a glimpse of Jesus, is very touching. He certainly did not want the crowd to know he was up-there. He had his dignity! He would get a private view of Jesus.

The crowd would pass, and he would remain unseen, and unknown.

But that was not Jesus plan: V:5-6-Read.

As the song goes:

And as the Lord passed by that day,

He looked up in the tree.

And he said, “Zacchaeus, you come down!

For I’m going to your house today,

For I’m going to your house today.”

Can you picture him sitting on that limb with his feet hanging down? He’s looking, looking at the people in the crowd, then at the disciples, and he’s looking to see Jesus. The crowd is moving down the road, crowded all around Jesus; and then he sees Jesus! For the very first time, he sees Jesus, the son of God.

He probably thinks to himself; there He is, I’ve heard so much about him, I’ve heard that he loves tax collectors, I’ve heard He loves sinners, He loves lost people, people whose lives are messed up in the wrong place; just like me; Zacchaeus is thinking.

Look that blind Bartimaeus!! Jesus has opened his eyes! I heard he opens the ears of the deaf, he cleanses lepers, and he raises the dead. Oh, maybe he can do something for a thieving tax collector like me. I want you to know this morning, Jesus can do something for you! Doesn’t matter who you are, what your need is, or your background, he is able to meet your deepest need, save your soul, and change your life!

The crowd passes under the sycamore tree, and then Jesus stops; when Jesus stopped under the sycamore-tree, Zacchaeus would have naturally tensed up. And then Jesus looked up in that tree and sees Zacchaeus. And Jesus says to Zacchaeus, hurry, come down, I’m going to your house today.

Jesus did not say; you little thieving tax collector, you have been robbing people blind, I hope you fall out of that tree and break your neck. No!

Jesus, did not say that to Zacchaeus, and he does not say that to us. If we got justice that’s what he would say to every one of us; we all deserve to go to hell, every one of us are lost, evil, wicked sinners.

Jesus looked up and that tree and called Zacchaeus by name, a sign of respect and grace. Jesus saw Nathaniel under a fig tree, and he saw Zacchaeus up a sycamore tree; and Jesus sees you whatever tree you’re in this morning, you cannot hide from the Lord Jesus.

This call was:

· A Divine Call.

Jesus came to the place, Jesus looked up, and Jesus called him. There are those who talk about the general call, and the effectual call; but all I see in the Bible is the gospel call. The gospel is preached that Jesus died for your sins on the cross, and rose from the grave.

The Holy Spirit makes it real to your heart, calling you; and then you are responsible to respond in faith. This morning, Jesus is not walking the Jericho Road; he is walking in this place, calling through the preaching of the gospel, and speaking to your heart by the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus, by his spirit is calling you to receive him by faith; he loves you, he died for you, receive him into your heart in childlike faith.

It is God, who is calling you.

· A Personal Call.

V:5-“Zacchaeus…

Jesus called him by name, you don’t get saved as a group, or as a family. Salvation is a personal, individual matter; between you and Jesus. Your salvation is personal, but it is not to be private; you are to tell people that you have met Jesus! You cannot be saved for someone else, nor them for you. You’ll go to hell, or heaven as an individual.

The Lord Jesus by his spirit calls people clearly, and distinctly by their name. In your heart he makes you know that he is the Savior, and that you are a sinner; and that you need him to save you.

· An Urgent Call.

V:5-“Make haste…

Jesus says to Zacchaeus, hurry up, get down, I must stay at your house. This was a divine appointment, set up by the Lord Jesus, for Zacchaeus salvation.

Zacchaeus was to hurry down because Jesus is going through Jericho, he would never pass through Jericho again; he was going up to Jerusalem, and in 10 days he would be crucified on a Roman cross. This was Zacchaeus’s last opportunity to meet Jesus! Zacchaeus did not know that, we do because we can look back and see. Friend, you don’t know what tomorrow holds!

The call of the Holy Spirit in your heart to be saved is not something to put off, put off, put off, it is urgent beyond words! The Bible makes it clear that today is a day of salvation.

-“Now is the accepted time; behold, today is the day of salvation”.

It is urgent that you give your heart to Jesus while he is calling you! Because you may never have another opportunity; or he may never call you again.

Don’t take it lightly; it is the most important decision in your life!

If God is calling you; do not say no!

· A Humbling Call.

V:5-“Come down…

Right in front of all those people Jesus tells Zacchaeus to come down. Pride keeps us from humbling our heart, turning from our

self-dependency and coming to Jesus.

When Zacchaeus climbed up into that tree, in that culture he was paying a great price if he got discovered. And he was paying a great price, when he humbled himself and came down out of that tree. Climbing a tree is something a child would do.

He lost his dignity in order to see Jesus, that’s the way it still is and it always will be. You have to swallow your pride, you have to humble yourself before God. For some of you that means, humbling yourself and climbing out of that church pew, and walking down this isle, and publicly given your heart to Jesus Christ. You will never be saved until you come down out of the tree of pride.

-“God resists the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

Don’t let your pride keep you from coming to Jesus!

· A Loving Call.

V:5-“Zacchaeus… today, I must abide at your house”

The Lord Jesus in grace and love, stopped under that tree, looked up, and call Zacchaeus by name.

Jesus said to him, I want to go home with you today. No one had ever loved Zacchaeus like that! No one loves you like the Lord Jesus does; when he calls you… respond to him, he loves you. The call of grace, is a call of love not condemnation. The reason Jesus went through Jericho, was to save Bartimaeus on the way into the city, and Zacchaeus on the way out of the city.

V:10-Read.

Zacchaeus, had a great call, and answered it.

He hears the call of Jesus…

Look how he responds, V:6-Read.

Zacchaeus came down that tree so fast, twigs and leaves went flying all over the place. Someone said, Zacchaeus came down the sycamore tree so fast, that it has been slick ever since.

Please notice, Jesus called Zacchaeus, and Zacchaeus responded. Jesus, did not climb up into the sycamore tree, and jerk Zacchaeus off of the limb.

It is Zacchaeus who got out of the tree, and received Jesus joyfully. First he welcomed him into his home, and then he welcomed him into his heart Savior and Lord.

Element #4, he had:

4. A Great Change, and Showed it.

V:7-9.

The scene changes in these verses; we leave the sycamore tree, and go to Zacchaeus’s house.

The people are murmuring, complaining, they cannot believe that Jesus would go and be a guest in the home of a man who was a notorious sinner like Zacchaeus. I picture in my mind, Jesus, and this half-pint king-pin of the Jericho tax Mafia headed to Zacchaeus house. It would be the custom of the day for Jesus and his disciples to spend the night in his home.

I’m sure that Zacchaeus had a beautiful home, probably overlooking the Dead Sea, he had servants, and the best of food. Can you imagine what Mr. Zacchaeus said to Mrs. Zacchaeus, and all the little Zacchaeus’s? He comes in the door, and says to his family, this is Jesus. I met him on the Jericho Road, kids, I had to climb up into a sycamore tree to see him. He called my name, he called me down; and he wanted to come to our house. Jesus wasn’t interested in what Zacchaeus had; he had been walking on streets of gold 34 years before this. Jesus was interested in Zacchaeus and his family being saved. Jesus will go home with you today, if you will receive him!

It doesn’t matter where you live, doesn’t matter the circumstances, or the condition of your family.

The loving, gracious Lord Jesus will go to your house, and your family will never be the same!

We don’t know the conversation that happened in Zacchaeus home; but we see the great change that took place in Zacchaeus’s life, because he received Jesus.

Do you remember when you carried the Lord Jesus home with you? Remember when Jesus came into your life, how everything was different, everyone and everything became more precious when Jesus came into your life.

Zacchaeus had a great change, and showed it!

The great change in Zacchaeus his life is seen in: V:8-Read.

He calls Jesus Lord publicly; this is more than a title of respect, it is a confession of faith; Zacchaeus was surrendering to Jesus as his Lord.

Zacchaeus is standing before all the people he had ripped off, and he is publicly telling everyone that Jesus is now his master, boss; and he is a servant, follower, disciple of Jesus Christ the Lord.

Jesus has changed Zacchaeus’s heart! He no longer sees Jesus just as a great teacher or miracle worker: he understands that Jesus is Lord!

Zacchaeus didn’t try to put his life in order, before he came to Jesus; he came to Jesus just as he was, and Jesus began to put his life in order.

The Jericho mobster has been saved!

-“For the scripture says, whoever believes on him shall not be ashamed.

Another evidence of Zacchaeus’s salvation; was his change of attitude toward money.

V:8-“The half of my goods I give to the poor…

How do we know his attitude toward his money has changed? Because his actions toward his money have changed. His attitude toward the poor and his attitude toward the people he wronged is changed.

He gives 50% of his money away to the poor, that very day. And he goes beyond what the law commands concerning restitution.

Here is a man who made his living ripping people off, and now he is giving his money to the poor, and making restoration; this is transformation! He had met the Lord Jesus, he had found in Jesus the treasure he had been searching far; and now money was not his master, Jesus was!

Anybody who has come to grips with how Jesus Christ gave 100 percent, for your salvation, will not have a problem giving 10% of your money to his work in this world through your church.

Meeting Jesus will change your relationship with your money. Jesus says, “I want you to at least give 10 percent.” Why? I want you to continually know something of what I did. I want you to lower your lifestyle in sacrifice for my work in this world.

The way a man uses his money is one of the best indicators of their spiritual condition!

Zacchaeus who was a small man, but he had deep pockets and he gave generously.

V:9-Read. The church does not do the ministry of confirmation, Jesus does. Jesus declared that Zacchaeus had become a part of the family of God, he had been saved. Were told it is the Holy Spirit that bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. I don’t assure myself, my parents don’t assure me, my wife doesn’t assure me, it is the word of God and the Holy Spirit that assures me of my salvation.

The salvation of this rich man, tells us that with God all things are possible!

Jesus is still doing his work of salvation today, he is seeking the lost by the work of the Holy Spirit, by the preaching of the gospel. If Jesus stops under your tree, calls your name, respond to him today. Make haste, hurry, and come to Jesus before it is too late! He will change your life, and you will never be the same!