Luke 19:1-4 “Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.”
Zacchaeus, surely, we could’ve made a better song to encapsulate what we know about his life from the Bible?!?! Instead, we opted for this: “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. And as the Savior passed that way 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!” (Enjoy that being stuck in your head all day. Free of charge.)
The entire life of Zacchaeus as we know him, wrapped up in a silly and cute children’s tune. However, if we dig a little deeper and go beyond what is simply stated about Zacchaeus, we get a glimpse of a real-life encounter that evidenced for us a manifestation of God’s grace. Zacchaeus was wealthy. He is not described as an ordinary tax-collector but as a chief tax collector. The head honcho. CEO and CFO of the tax collecting bureau. “Jericho must have been a good spot for a tax man. An important trade-route from Jerusalem to the East passed by it, and it was the center of a good deal of local wealth, as, for example, from the famous balsam groves that abounded. It is no surprise that Zacchaeus was rich.”1 In a wealthy area, a chief tax-collector like Zacchaeus built his wealth off the backs of the rich and poor. Not because they owed those taxes, but because tax-collectors up-charged everyone to keep the excess for themselves. Zacchaeus was no different. Not only was Zacchaeus a rich man, but his wealth was built upon immoral practices. If we turn back a page in our Bibles, we will see another account that would make us think we can predict the ending of Zacchaeus’ story after reading these first four verses... In Luke 18 we read of another encounter Jesus has with a rich man who asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus responds: “Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” The encounter continues… “When the man heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” If this encounter is fresh in our minds as we begin the story of Zacchaeus only a few verses later, we may assume the worst for the short fella! But, because of the grace of God, a seeking Zacchaeus was sought out by the Savior of the World. Like a camel stepping through the eye of a needle, Zacchaeus climbs that tree, responds to Jesus, and submits in repentance to him who had been seeking to save this impossibly lost man all along. Proving to us that, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Know this: Nobody is beyond the sovereign and gracious pursuit that God displays toward sinners like us. If God has sought out and saved sinners like us, surely, he can seek and save your lost friend, brother, father, sister, mother, aunt, uncle, child, neighbor, co-worker, etc. May we pray for those in our “circle” that are lost. Pray that their resistant hearts would turn to responsive hearts. Pray that they would begin to seek, and pray that they cannot out-run the relentless pursuit of God and his grace.
Zacchaeus, surely, we could’ve made a better song to encapsulate what we know about his life from the Bible?!?! Instead, we opted for this: “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. And as the Savior passed that way 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!” (Enjoy that being stuck in your head all day. Free of charge.)
The entire life of Zacchaeus as we know him, wrapped up in a silly and cute children’s tune. However, if we dig a little deeper and go beyond what is simply stated about Zacchaeus, we get a glimpse of a real-life encounter that evidenced for us a manifestation of God’s grace. Zacchaeus was wealthy. He is not described as an ordinary tax-collector but as a chief tax collector. The head honcho. CEO and CFO of the tax collecting bureau. “Jericho must have been a good spot for a tax man. An important trade-route from Jerusalem to the East passed by it, and it was the center of a good deal of local wealth, as, for example, from the famous balsam groves that abounded. It is no surprise that Zacchaeus was rich.”1 In a wealthy area, a chief tax-collector like Zacchaeus built his wealth off the backs of the rich and poor. Not because they owed those taxes, but because tax-collectors up-charged everyone to keep the excess for themselves. Zacchaeus was no different. Not only was Zacchaeus a rich man, but his wealth was built upon immoral practices. If we turn back a page in our Bibles, we will see another account that would make us think we can predict the ending of Zacchaeus’ story after reading these first four verses... In Luke 18 we read of another encounter Jesus has with a rich man who asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus responds: “Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” The encounter continues… “When the man heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” If this encounter is fresh in our minds as we begin the story of Zacchaeus only a few verses later, we may assume the worst for the short fella! But, because of the grace of God, a seeking Zacchaeus was sought out by the Savior of the World. Like a camel stepping through the eye of a needle, Zacchaeus climbs that tree, responds to Jesus, and submits in repentance to him who had been seeking to save this impossibly lost man all along. Proving to us that, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Know this: Nobody is beyond the sovereign and gracious pursuit that God displays toward sinners like us. If God has sought out and saved sinners like us, surely, he can seek and save your lost friend, brother, father, sister, mother, aunt, uncle, child, neighbor, co-worker, etc. May we pray for those in our “circle” that are lost. Pray that their resistant hearts would turn to responsive hearts. Pray that they would begin to seek, and pray that they cannot out-run the relentless pursuit of God and his grace.