Sinners? Luke 19:1-10

Do you have someone you would give anything to meet? A celebrity or athlete you love? Think about the things that draw you to them. Would you be surprised if, upon meeting them, they invited you to lunch?

Today we will see this exact scenario play out in the story of Zacchaeus.

Desperate

Luke 19:1-4

1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

Being a chief tax collector, Zacchaeus would have been a prominent official in the region. He also would have been extremely hated. Jews viewed tax collectors as traitors. They usually became extremely wealthy by cheating their fellow Jews, while serving their Roman overlords.

Zacchaeus had heard of Jesus, and wanted to see Him. Apparently he wasn’t the only one, because a large crowd had gathered to see Jesus as well.

Jesus was making His final journey to Jerusalem, before being crucified. As we’ve been reading, he’s made several stops along the way. Each of these stops served a purpose. He was trying to reach as many as possible along the way, but He was also trying to prepare His disciples for when He was no longer with them.

Jesus comes to the town of Jericho and draws a large crowd.

How would you describe Zacchaeus’s actions in seeking Jesus? What would cause us to seek Jesus with the same desperation?

If we look at the modern church as the crowd surrounding Jesus, do we sometimes create the same barriers to people coming in? Should we make it so hard that outsiders have to climb a sycamore tree to get in?

Friended

Luke 19:5-7

5When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”6So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

7All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

Jesus is supposed to be our model for living. Here we see him neglect the devout followers with Him to minister directly to what the others called a sinner. We as a church need to be willing to do the same. We definitely don’t need to be the grumbling crowd when someone who doesn’t seem to “belong” walks through our doors.

Jesus’s actions here show that He is available to all, no matter what their past or present.

Think about the things in your own life Jesus has had to forgive and accept.

Repentant

Luke 19:8-10

8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

9Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Zacchaeus demonstrates true repentance here. He puts the world aside, knowing now what is truly important. His repentance showed action. He immediately sacrificed half of his possessions to the poor. He then declares that he will pay back 4 times the amount of anything he stole.

Another important thing Zacchaeus does is declare that Jesus is Lord. It is his acknowledgment through faith that grants him salvation. The fruit of his faith is the repentance. Because as James says, faith without works is dead.

Jesus says that salvation has come to “this house.” Zacchaeus’s faith wouldn’t have brought salvation to anyone else in his household directly, but it’s possible that his immediate actions would have had a profound affect on those around him, possibly bringing them salvation as well.

What can we do to show our repentance and draw others to faith through this demonstration?