Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, knowing full well that this was His last trip to Israel’s capitol city. There have been thousands of people in similar situations – knowing they were on their last journey. People like Sidney Carlton in Dickens’ “Tail of two cities” heading toward the guillotine. That man deliberately chose to make that journey. Others have been soldiers, knowing full well that their lives would be lost in that day’s battle. But they willingly laid down their lives, in the hope that those following them would win the day. Some have been philosophers who permitted their lives to be taken in order to draw the attention and admiration of others towards their ideas. But Jesus was not a soldier, philosophical martyr or a fictitious character. The Son of God participated in the plan to be crucified in a few days, there in Jerusalem. Christ Jesus made that one-way trip in order to offer Himself up as a sacrifice to God for the sins of many. He specifically told His disciples this, trying to prepare them for the completion of God’s ordained plan. But for the most part, those disciples avoided facing the reality of what Jesus had been telling them.
At this point, in Luke 19, Jesus was just leaving the river city of Jericho. He had already been approached by the rich young ruler, asking what he had to do to inherit eternal life. But that man didn’t want to pay the price for salvation – salvation is free. And Christ had healed blind man “Bartimaeus,” giving him, not only physical sight, but spiritual sight. And now, as He began to leave the city, and to climb out of the Jericho valley into the mountains to the west, in the midst of a huge curious crowd there was the even more curious man named “Zacchaeus.”
To form the title this morning’s message, I’m combining the thoughts of verses 5 and 10. “Come down Zacchaeus for today ‘I’ must abide at thy house,” then later Jesus said, “This day is salvation come to this house.” In a great many circles of our society, the word “salvation” is uttered only in mockery. That mockery is a shame, because it is one of the most important words in the English language. It is not a particularly difficult word, nor is it uniquely religious. It simply means deliverance. Sometime is in the context of restored health – deliverance from disease. But most of the time when we find it used in the New Testament it is talking about spiritual deliverance. Zacchaeus was not sick, in poverty or in jail – he needed deliverance from the curse of his sins. And when the Lord Jesus used the word in verse 10 He clearly speaks, not about THE ACT of delivering Zacchaeus, but rather to the Person who delivered him. Scripture says of Christ Jesus, that God has made Him to be “wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption“ to the believer. Paul could have said there, “Christ has been made our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and salvation.”
Zacchaeus is a wonderful little true story coming out of the life of the Son of God. For those of you who think that you know all there is to know about this event, I urge you to listen, because you may hear things you’ve never heard before. For those who know that Jesus IS salvation and know Him AS salvation, the simple reading of this scripture should thrill your soul once again. And for those who have Zacchaeus’ curiosity, this might throw open the doorway to eternity.
The front door to Zacchaeus’ house opened with the door-latch of CURIOSITY.
This Zacchaeus was a Jew, who worked for the Roman government as one of their senor tax collectors. Why he had chosen this profession is anyone’s guess, but mime would have something to do with greed. Maybe it involved an inferiority problem, due to his tiny size. Perhaps he had been bullied as a child and becoming a Roman publican became a means of revenge. But even if that was true, I think that the root of his evil lifestyle was money. He probably started in one of the menial positions, but by this time he was “chief among the publicans.” As a Jew, he had a noble heritage and lineage which carried him back to venerable Abraham and Jacob. And remember – many Jews felt that simply being a child of Abraham automatically made them children of God – ie. children of God’s covenant with Abraham. That is the way many think today – by church membership they are automatically the friends of God. But neither is the case. In regard to Abraham, the man had two sons, one of a bond woman and one of a free woman. And most Jews, without realizing it, were the spiritual descendants of Hagar – not Sarah.
This particular Jew, with the noble heritage, was occupied in a very ignoble industry. It wasn’t merely the business of tax-collection which made him stink in the nostrils of his neighbors. It was the fact he was in an unequal yoke with the Romans, who were systematically enslaving Israel. Some vocations and jobs expose us to more temptation and sin than others do. A many occupations ought to be avoided by genuine Christians. In some cases, even general society says that Christians shouldn’t be working in these places. In many cases, the Word of God, the Christian’s rule book indicates that by working in these places we become partakers of our employers sins. “Come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord.” Zacchaeus was in one of those vocations.
By the way, I picture Zacchaeus’ house on a hill overlooking Jericho on the western side. All three of Synoptic Gospels suggest that Jesus “entered and passed through Jericho.” My guess would be that Zacchaeus’ custom’s booth had been on the road leaving the valley – perhaps in a narrow gap through which every traveler had to pass. If you’ll remember Jesus’ account of “the Good Samaritan,” “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.” This climb or descent into the Jordan Valley was perfect for highway men – and tax collectors. In my imagination, I see Zacchaeus’ first custom’s booth outside Jericho and his palatial home not far away on a ridge overlooking the city.
On this particular day Zacchaeus was overcome with curiosity about Christ. That was probably all it was. He most likely was not very religious, certainly not godly. He was curious. If there were 500 people there that day, there could have been dozens of sources for their interest. I won’t try to make a list, but I will say that they were of two major varieties. The vast majority were there out of natural, fleshly, common reasons. Like the day the Oldfields stood in the sun for 30 minutes hoping to catch a glimpse of Queen Elizabeth. Christ was famous; it was said that he had performed miracles; and the chief priests hated him. But some said that he was the promised Messiah. There was a natural gravitational pull, emanating from Christ, which drew the crowds toward Him. But we don’t read of anyone of Jericho reaching out in faith to touch him. There was no push from the Holy Spirit, compelling the crowds to call on Christ for salvation.
But I believe that Zacchaeus’ curiosity was different from the rest. The circumstances suggest that he was pushed by the Spirit, although he didn’t understand it at the time. From before the foundation of the world, Jehovah had ordained the meeting of this sinner and the Saviour. At the time, Zacchaeus might have had no explanation other than “he sought to see Jesus, who he was.” But the Lord had much, much more in His eternal and holy mind. And I believe that God used Zacchaeus’ natural curiosity to carry the man into the deeper more important variety.
The road out of Jericho that day was lined and crowded with hundreds of curious on-lookers. In fact, there were so many people that by the time Zacchaeus got down from his house, he knew he could never get through the crowd. Not only was he smaller than everyone else, but he was not popular. If he attempted to push people aside, he knew that he’d be roughly treated. He knew that if he was going to see the Lord, he was going to have to go a little bit farther than most. Fortunately, the valley where Jericho is located has been filled with trees for many centuries. The city itself has been nick-named, the “City of Palm Trees.” There were all manner of fruit and nut trees – some growing naturally and others in groves.
The Bible speaks of “sycamine” trees and “sycomores.” Over the last 2,000 years on different continents those names have been applied to different species. But the trees themselves are still there in the Valley of Jordan, so identifying them is not a problem. The “sycamine” is now better known as the black mulberry tree. This “sycomore.” is the ficus sycomorus – a poor man’s fig tree – with small, round fruit. Amos, the prophet confessed himself to be “a herdsman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit.” This tree loved the heat and humidity of this part of Israel and grew as high as 50 feet, with huge branches carried upwards on enormous trunks. It is probable that on this day there were many people perched in sycomores along the roadway, seeking to catch a glimpse of Christ.
Despite what is said about cats, curiosity can be a very good thing. It is something which Christians need to strive to create – in others and in themselves. People should be curious about our church, and they will be if we are excited about it. People should be curious about our Saviour, and they will be if we are excited about Him. People should be curious about the Bible, and they will be if we carry one and read it in public. But just like that crowd outside of Jericho, the ignorance of people about Christ is absolutely astounding. But what is more astounding is the fact that Christian people seem to be satisfied with this. Part of our work of evangelism should be the creation of curiosity which affords the Holy Spirit some tools with which to work.
Out of Zacchaeus’ curiosity arose a marvelous OPPORTUNITY.
From his perch, 30 or 40 feet in the air, he could see the Lord and His entourage approaching. The little tax collector wasn’t expecting anything more than just a 5 minute look at the famous man. But when Jesus came to the place where he had ordained that tree to grow so many decades earlier… He looked up, and out of all the crowd which surrounded him, He said, “Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.” “Hurry up and come down from there, because I’m going to spend the rest of the day at your house.”
There is so very much contained in this. For example, the child of God should recognize that here is the infinite Son of God. There is no evidence that Jesus had ever met this man before – in fact the opposite seems to be true. The context suggests they had never met or spoken before. Christ spent very little time in Jericho, only passing through a few times on His way to and from Jerusalem. And sometimes Jesus didn’t even come this way, rather taking the unusual route through Samaria. There is no human explanation for His recognition of Zacchaeus or for His knowledge of the man’s name. Out of all the homes in and around Jericho, there was no reason for Him to select that home in which to rest. But the Saviour graciously and omnisciently chose to bless this strange little sinner. And it reminds us that the meeting between Christ and the sinner which results in salvation, is initiated by God, not by that sinner.
In exactly the same way, Christ knows you, your name, and all of your sins and needs this morning. Perhaps you have been here a hundred times before, but I believe that the Holy Spirit of Christ has once again brought you to this building this morning. It is no accident that Jesus is passing under your perch today.
Something else we see here is that Christ cared nothing about the honor and admiration of the crowd. Despite what the famous evangelist and the hungry pastor may think or want, the Lord is not as interested in the large crowds as many may think. If Christ had wanted to win the admiration of the masses, He would most certainly have avoided the Publican and his house. Everyone hated those Roman puppets, except perhaps a few of the other Roman puppets. But the Lord Jesus cared more about that one man than He did about the many hundreds of Jericho. “Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.”
What did the Lord mean by the words “I must,” and what did Zacchaeus interpret them to mean? Why must Jesus go to the publican’s house? Perhaps in this case our curiosity might be dangerous – the answer is probably hidden in the depths of the eternal heart. Why must Christ go to this house rather than another man’s house? It is probably related to salvation, but was it Zacchaeus, or the servant who served the meal? Or? And by the way, the word “abide” indicates, that it wasn’t just to have lunch. Christ wasn’t simply inviting himself over for a meal. He was going to “abide” or “stay” for the rest of the day – and it was a must.
Almost as miraculous as Jesus’ self-invitation, His call, that day, was Zacchaeus’ reply. That Publican almost dropped out of the tree, he came down so quickly. It would certainly have been difficult for him to entertain the Saviour from the emergency room. Immediately Zacchaeus lead Jesus and His disciples towards his somewhat expensive home. No, he wasn’t expecting company. Zacchaeus didn’t have time to send word home to his wife or to the servants to clean house. But the presence Christ in this case does not demand housekeeping. The Lord doesn’t want sinners to hypocritically pretend something which they aren’t. Sure He wants us to quit our sin, but in our initial meeting of the Lord, He wants us to honestly admit the fact that we are sinners, totally undeserving of His presence. The Saviour doesn’t ask you to quit your sin before He will bless you with the visit of His salvation. He will give you a repentant heart, which means a willingness to do what He commands, but there is nothing you can successfully do to prepare for Him.
Zacchaeus came off that tree like an acorn in a windstorm, and politely lead Jesus home. What they talked about through the rest of the evening is for the most part unrevealed to us.
But I assure you that what was discussed became the doorway to ETERNITY for Zacchaeus.
On that beautiful early Spring day, Zacchaeus became a child of God. Humanly speaking, he became a Christian by repenting of his sins and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. To put it another way, he acknowledged and turned from his sin, trusting Christ Jesus to deliver him. Christ said, “This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.” Nearly everyone in the crowd that day was a child of Abraham, who was the grandfather of Jacob, who was the father of the 12 tribes of Israel, from whom came all the children of Israel. So it doesn’t make any sense for Jesus to say that salvation came to Zacchaeus’ house BECAUSE he was a son of Abraham. But when we put that statement into the light that Paul sheds upon the subject, it all becomes plain. In the Books of Romans and Galatians Paul teaches us about Abraham. He tells us, that like everyone else in this world, Abraham had nothing to boast about before God. But Abraham had something that few people in his generation had – HE BELIEVED GOD. It wasn’t that he believed in God, but he trusted the promise of God. And that faith was counted or assigned to Abraham for righteousness. Abraham was justified – declared righteous and forgiven of sin – when he put his trust in Jehovah. And anyone in this world, who, like Abraham, turns from sin to trust God, will likewise be justified. Every believer in Christ, the God-sent Saviour, in a sense comes from the same family as Abraham. Zacchaeus, a physical descendent of Abraham, by faith that afternoon became a SON of Abraham.
At what moment was Zacchaeus delivered from his sin and declared to be a son of God? It may have been at the moment he heard Jesus call his name, and he started down the tree. Salvation from sin is not a matter of doing things, and being in the right place. Salvation from sin is not the result of the sinner’s prayer, or joining the disciples of Christ. From the human perspective, it is a proper response to the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. I heard a sermon 40 years ago about this man, and I still remember the outline. Zacchaeus said, “He knows me. He wants me. He can have me.” That in essence is what salvation from sin, forgiveness of sin, is all about. The Christian life, including salvation, is initiated by God, not by the sinner. And the Saviour knows about our sin, but He forgives sin never-the-less. He may whisper, or He may shout, but only those who hear, “Sinner, make haste and come down” will become true children of God.
The rest of things we see in this paragraph are merely proofs of Zacchaeus’ salvation – not their cause. Zacchaeus received Christ into his home, into his heart and into his life. “The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God.” The natural man is dead and trespasses and sins and can accept Christ only as God enables him. The way in which Zacchaeus said “Yes,” to Christ could only be uttered by a new creature in Christ. Zacchaeus received Christ with great joy – he “received him joyfully.” Ordinarily the sinners of this world are repelled and appalled, by Christ. Isaiah says that by nature, we find nothing of beauty or joy in Him. “There is no beauty in Christ that we should desire Him.” That is, until He becomes our Savior. At that point Jesus becomes our all in all; more beautiful than the Rose of Sharon. Zacchaeus displayed his repentance and sorrow over sin by vowing to repay anyone who claimed that he had been defrauded. By God’s miraculous grace He was made sorry for the crimes he had committed against God and men. That is a necessary indication of true salvation. If there is no sorrow and hatred for sin, then God has not worked His miracle of grace. You are still in your sin, and still facing eternal judgment, if you do not hate the sins for which Christ died. Zacchaeus became a new creature in Christ, a changed man.
Now notice verse 10 – “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” The Son of God was born – he became incarnate – for the specific purpose of seeking and saving people like Zacchaeus. His work didn’t end when they crucified Him; in a sense it actually had just begun. Christ is still is the soul saving business, and He still gives life to spirits dead in sin. Are you at all like Zacchaeus?