WHEN JESUS COMES HOME?
We have tracked Jesus' historic final journey
toward Jerusalem for several weeks. Along the way, on several Cross Roads, He
healed people and talked about the coming of the Kingdom of God. He laid out
criteria and hindrances to entering the Kingdom of God.
We saw several unusual things happening on different
Cross Roads. A sinner went home justified by God over a self-righteous
religious person. A rich man came close to entering God's Kingdom but was left
sad and disappointed because he couldn't give up his wealth.
As He came near Jericho, a blind beggar sat beside the
road. Desperate and wanting his eyesight restored, he cried to Jesus, "Son
of David, have mercy on me." Jesus didn't see that as an interruption but
an opportunity to show his power, so he stopped and restored the beggar's
eyesight. After that, Jesus entered the town of Jericho and made his way
through the town. Let's see who he will meet, what he will do now, and how
people will respond.
I.
Nothing can stop you when you are desperate to see Jesus.
Vs.2-3, "There was a man there named
Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very
rich." Vs.3. "He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short
to see over the crowd." What do we know about Zacchaeus from these two
verses?
We know his name, his status, and his stature. First,
his name, ironically, means innocent or pure. But that was not how the people
of Jericho perceived and treated him as such. They must have laughed whenever
they heard his name because he didn't behave as his name suggested.
Secondly, his status as a wealthy chief tax collector
made him a social outcast or excommunicated, as that was how the tax collectors
were treated by their fellow Jews. Third, his stature, "he was too
short." His fellow students at a Jewish school must have ridiculed and
bullied him. He must not have been picked up to play sports, as that would
happen for short people like myself. You would know how it hurts when that
happens to you.
Several things may be going against Zacchaeus, but one
thing we must admire him for, he "tried to get a look at Jesus." The
verb tried in the original language could be read as "he had
been trying to see Jesus," which indicates it is not the first time but on
several occasions.
In Luke 15:1, "Tax collectors and other notorious
sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach." Could Zacchaeus have been
one of them? His desire to see Jesus could only materialize after then because
he was too short. Albert Einstein said, "where there is a will, there is a
way." Zacchaeus strongly desired to see Jesus, and nothing would stop him.
He found a way!
Vs. 4, "So he ran ahead and climbed
a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way."
Can you imagine what an embarrassing and undignified sight that must have been?
This wealthy chief tax collector, despised by his townspeople, runs through
Jericho's dusty roads. He only wanted to see Jesus. He ran ahead of the crowds
and climbed a sycamore-fig tree, hiding in it, waiting to have a glimpse of
Jesus, but what did he get instead?
II.
When your heart opens, Jesus will come straight to you.
Vs.5, "When Jesus came by, he looked up at
Zacchaeus and called him by name. "Zacchaeus!" he said. "Quick,
come down! I must be a guest in your home today." Just imagine the
euphoria that was going on in the streets of Jericho. Jesus had just restored a
beggar's eyesight on the town's outskirts. The crowds and the healed beggar
were praising God for this extraordinary miracle. That jubilant procession came
to a sudden halt under a tree.
Jesus was about to perform a much greater miracle than
restoring the eyesight of a beggar. He was going to heal the broken heart of a
rejected person and restore his dignity. It looked like more than Zacchaeus
wanted to see Jesus; Jesus was eager to meet him.
He came precisely where Zacchaeus was hiding in the
tree. He looked up at him and called him by name. Zacchaeus! He said, "Quick,
come down! I must be a guest in your home today." Can you see what was
going on here? The creator of the universe, the great teacher who taught with
such authority than the regular scholars and teachers, the one who performed
extraordinary miracles, wanted to be a guest in the home of a notorious sinner?
That was what the Pharisees called Zacchaeus. But for Zacchaeus
hearing his name coming from the mouth of Jesus and his gesture of wanting to
be a guest in his house was more than he could handle. No one wanted to be his
friend in the town, let alone visit him in his home.
III.
When Jesus comes home?
What happened under the Sycamore-fig tree was very
unusual. Jesus stated, "Quick, come down! I must be a guest at your home
today." It was not a request from Jesus; instead, worded as a command.
This is the only place in all the gospels where Jesus invited himself to be
someone's guest. How did Zacchaeus respond to that command?
The text reads, "He took Jesus to his house in
great excitement and Joy." Zacchaeus, such a notorious sinner as a typical
tax collector, might have been distressed at the prospect of a visit from the
perfect, sinless Son of God. But his heart was prepared to receive Jesus at his
home.
But
the Pharisee's hearts were further hardened by this kind act of Jesus toward a
lost sinner.
When Jesus comes home, what happens?
Business would be different from usual. Everything changes for the good. Vs.8, "Meanwhile,
Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, "I will give half my wealth to
the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them
back four times as much!" What was happening in the heart and home of a
notorious sinner?
Remember, in the earlier story, the
rich man was shown a pathway to inherit eternal life but couldn't walk in it
because he was very wealthy and couldn't part with possessions. Whereas here,
Zacchaeus came under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, standing before the
Lord, and declared, "I will give half of my wealth to the poor."That
shows his conversion was genuine.
He went further; he made restitution for defrauding
people. He said, "Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I
will give them back four times as much! The law required fourfold restitution
only when an animal was stolen and killed (Ex 22:1).
His saying quickly that he would give back four times
as much to those he may have cheated on their taxes tells us that Zacchaeus
judged his own crime severely. Zacchaeus was willing to pay the restitution and
let go of half of his possessions because he had just found incomprehensible
spiritual riches. He stands in contrast with the rich man in Lk 18:18-24.
After hearing those proclamations, Jesus pronounced,
"Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to
be a true son of Abraham." By those words, Jesus saved Zacchaeus, made him
right with God, forgave his sins, and restored his dignity in the Jewish
community as the true son of Abraham. What does Zacchaeus' story have to do
with us today?
In one way, Zacchaeus' story is the story of all of
us. We all have sinned and lost our way home to God. We may have experienced
rejection, ridicule, and loneliness. Some may have defrauded and cheated
others. Whatever the extent of our sins, there may be hope for us.
God's heart always goes after sinners and those who
refuse to accept Him. As a loving father, He never gives up on his prodigal sons
and daughters. This compassionate and forgiving posture of God is clearly
explained in Isaiah 65:1-2. "The Lord says, "I was ready to respond,
but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for
me. I said, 'Here I am, here I am!' to a nation that did not call on my name. All
day long, I opened my arms to a rebellious people. But they follow their own
evil paths and their own crooked schemes."
After saving Zacchaeus, Jesus reaffirms what He came
to accomplish: to seek and save those who are lost. If you admit you are lost,
you can be found by Jesus. He will come to you. When Jesus comes home (to your
heart), you will be saved and never be the same again.
