I know you don't get to pick how you die, but it wouldn't be bad to be translated while you were singing a hymn like that. Luke 18. Our focus this evening is on Luke 19, verses 1 to 10, but I think it's important to set it in its larger context. So I'll read beginning in Luke 18 at verse 18.
Now a certain ruler asked him saying, good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? So Jesus said to him, why do you call me good? No one is good, but one, that is God. You know the commandments, do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother.
And he said, all these things I have kept from my youth. So when Jesus heard these things, he said to him, you still lack one thing, sell all that you have and distribute to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow me. But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, he said, How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!
For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. And those who heard it said, Who then can be saved? But he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Then Peter said, See, we have left all and followed you.
So he said to them, Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time and in the age to come eternal life. Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For he will be delivered to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge him and kill him, and the third day he will rise again.
But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken. Then it happened, as he was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road, begging. And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant.
So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. And those who went before warned him that he should be quiet. But he cried out all the more, Son of David, have mercy on me.
So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he had come near, he asked him, saying, What do you want me to do for you? He said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. Then Jesus said to him, Receive your sight.
Your faith has made you well. And immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God. Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to that place, he looked up and saw him and said to him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.
So he made haste and came down and received him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, he has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner. Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor. And if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.
And Jesus said to him, today's salvation has come to this house because he also is a son of Abraham. For the son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Amen. Well, let us pray.
Our gracious God and Holy Father, we thank you for the power of our blessed Savior, not only power and ability to save, but that mercy wherein he does save. We thank you that we have found that to be the case, that by your grace, we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. And may you encourage our weary hearts tonight as we once again witness the power of the Lord Jesus in the life of this man, Zacchaeus. And we pray, God in heaven, that you would reach down in mercy and draw sinners unto yourself.
We rejoice to see the mission of the Savior declared in such clarity. He's come to seek and to save that which was lost. And Lord God, we give praise to you because we live in a world filled with lost men and women. So may you indeed be pleased to bless the word as it goes forth.
Even tonight, God, again, forgive us for all of our sin and guide us by the Holy Spirit. And we pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen.
Introduction
Well, there is a connection between these two chapters. If you look back to chapter 18, Jesus sets forth the necessity of God's grace in the matter of salvation. And we see it in verse 27, the things which are impossible with men, are possible with God, and that on the heels of declaring how difficult, nigh almost impossible, for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. He illustrates that by giving the analogy of a camel trying to shimmy through the eye of a needle.
It would be that difficult for a rich man to enter into heaven. Of course, that evokes from the disciples the response in verse 26, those who heard it said, who then can be saved? On the heels of that, he says, the things which are impossible with men are possible with God. So lo and behold, we see that there is this statement concerning the difficulty for those who have riches And yet, in chapter 19, we see that this man Zacchaeus was rich.
So he's an illustration, or he's a demonstration of a camel going through the eye of a needle. The Lord God Most High is powerful. The Lord God Most High is sovereign. The Lord God Most High is able to save to the uttermost all who draw nigh unto him through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Mission of Christ
So I want to look at two things tonight in chapter 19, verses 1 to 10.
The Object of Mercy
First, the object of mercy, verses 1 to 4, and then secondly, the mission of Christ in verses 5 to 10. But let's look first at the object of mercy, and there's two things I want to see here. First, a description of his person, and then second, a demonstration of God's power.
Zacchaeus Described: Occupation and Wealth
But notice his occupation. Verse 1, then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector. Now, tax collector, I think, in probably every age and every generation, in every geographical locale, are not the sorts of persons that are high on your priority list for friendship.
Tax collectors are not typically looked upon as those favored ones in society that everybody flocks to because they want to have a close friendship with them. And in this particular context in the first century, tax collectors were especially hated by the Jews. That was for a variety of reasons. First, they collaborated with Gentiles, never a good thing for the Jews.
Secondly, they handled currency with pagan inscriptions and iconography. So they were those who basically trafficked in some sort of an idolatrous venture. Third, they took money from fellow Jews to give to an oppressing government. I mean, that right there would tell you there's no reason why you would want to befriend that particular individual.
And they were often greedy and corrupt themselves. In fact, Zacchaeus admits as much in verse eight. He's willing to demonstrate his faith and repentance through the good works of returning money to those that he had taken it from. In other portions of the Gospels or Gospel records, they are linked with sinners, they are linked with heathen Gentiles, they are linked with harlots, they are linked with extortioners, unjust and adulterous men.
In fact, you can go back to Luke 18 and you'll see that. We have that story that Jesus told about the Pharisee and about the publican. And in verse 9 it says, He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others. Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. So the tax collector in this society was the benchmark for wretch. It was the worst of the worst. He was a bad guy.
He was a notorious sinner. He was the sort of person that you didn't wanna be around. And so as Jesus passes through Jericho, we are introduced to this man who by occupation is a tax collector. But notice his economic standing.
This chief tax collector gig had fetched him great reward. Notice in verse two at the very end, and he was rich. Luke expects you to remember that statement earlier about how hard it is for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. But when Christ facilitates, he can make that camel go right through the eye of a needle.
So he is a chief tax collector. He's a rich man. And then notice it tells us something about his physical stature. He was short.
He was a wee little fellow. He had to shimmy up into the sycamore tree just to get a view of Jesus. Why does Luke include that? I don't know, but it's certainly a curious detail and one that causes a bit of reflection in the sense of even short dudes can come to the Savior.
There's no impossibility there.
Zacchaeus Described: Spiritual State
And then notice as well his spiritual state. And this is key to the narrative. Verses 7 to 8, 7 and 8, and verse 10 tell us that he was a lost sinner before God. So in verse 7, notice what the crowd grumbles.
He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner. After having saving dealings with our Lord, confessing him as Lord in faith, Zacchaeus at verse 8 says, Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor, and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold. And then in verse 10, Jesus defines his mission as to come and to seek and to save that which was lost. So Zacchaeus' spiritual stature was the case or was the fact that he was a sinner before a holy God.
And it's intriguing, in certain places in the Gospels, you'll see where the Gospel author links together narrative that shines light on each other. So we got that rich young ruler that comes to the Lord Jesus, and he says, what good thing must I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus preaches the law to him. He's not telling him that if you do all these things perfectly, you can enter in.
Well, he is, but he knows that this man is a sinner. He's preaching the law to him to show him his sin. This man says and boasts, all these I've kept from my youth. What one thing do I lack?
So what does Christ do? He preaches the 10th commandment to him. He tells him, go, sell everything you have, take the money, give it to the poor, and follow me. That's the law.
That humbled the man, but it didn't humble him to the place where he would confess faith in Christ. He was sorrowful because he was rich. And on the heels of that, Christ makes the declaration on how hard it is for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. But it's not an impossibility, because with God, all things are possible.
You see the same sort of thing in Matthew chapter 9, in that lowering of the paralytic into the midst of the crowd. And Jesus said, son, your sins are forgiven you. And the religious leaders are scratching their heads saying, who does this man think he is? Only God alone can forgive sins.
So Jesus says, which is easier, to say to the man, your sins are forgiven, or to say to the man, rise up, take your mat and walk? Well, it's easier to say your sins are forgiven because we don't know. It's more difficult, at least in terms of the physical eye, to say, take up your mat and walk. Well, Jesus then says, take up your mat and walk.
That demonstrates what he says, that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. Now on the heels of that, we have the calling of Matthew, another tax collector, another wretch. So if we ask the question, what kind of sinners does the Lord save? We can answer big sinners, gross sinners, bad sinners, wretched sinners, because with God, all things are possible.
So Zacchaeus is an illustration or rather a parallel to a camel going through the eye of a needle. So with all this in mind, let's turn now to the mission of Christ and the invitation given in verses 5 to 8, and then the mission stated in verses 9 to 10.
The Invitation: Christ's Condescension
Notice the invitation proper. So verse 4 tells us about his short stature. He ran ahead, climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was going to pass that way. Now notice in verse 5, And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him and said to him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down for today I must stay at your house.
That's not ordinarily how we understand an invitation. Christ invites himself over to Zacchaeus' house. Christ says, I must come to your house today. It demonstrates a few things about the Savior.
First, his condescension. He comes to the place where Zacchaeus is, and he stops and he looks up. We have a previous instance in Jericho with a man, Bartimaeus. Christ is walking through a very crowded city, and blind Bartimaeus says, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
We know the response of the crowd. It's kind of like the response of the crowd that we find with reference to Zacchaeus. They try to silence Bartimaeus. Oh, he's too busy.
He doesn't have time for somebody like you. So what does Bartimaeus do? All the louder he cries, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. So Jesus stops in the midst of the crowd, wanders over to Bartimaeus and says, what would you have me to do?
And Bartimaeus says, Lord, I want to see. Well, the same sort of instance is here. He's around a lot of people. He's passing through a city.
Zacchaeus has to go up into the sycamore tree just to get a view of the situation because he's such a short man. And yet Jesus stops at that tree. It demonstrates his condescension. It demonstrates his mercy and grace.
It demonstrates the reality that he is what the Bible promises him to be. As well, notice that he knows Zacchaeus' name. He calls him specifically by name. Now, perhaps somebody whispered it into his ear, or perhaps as the divine son of God, he invokes that and says, Zacchaeus.
He addresses him purposefully relative to the situation. And then he mentions, or then he says, make haste and come down for today. I must stay at your house. Again, this underscores his Grace, make haste and come down for today I must stay at your house.
Gil makes the observation, the dangerous estate and condition of a sinner requires haste. Let's not bypass that too quickly. Make haste and come down. You don't have tomorrow for sure.
You don't have another year for sure. You don't have another 10 years for sure. I mean, you might, but that's known only to God. The time to deal with God is now.
It is time to make haste and to deal with our blessed Savior. Christ doesn't say, I want you to sit up there and ponder things. I want you to reflect upon things. I want you to wonder about things.
I want you to survey things. I want you to prepare yourself for a descent down. No, he says, make haste and come down. There is an urgency and a necessity in terms of gospel preaching.
There is a todayness about salvation. Today, or now, is the acceptable time. Today is the day of salvation. Do not resist this.
Do not reject this. Do not oppose this. And then notice when he says, I must stay at your house. I think the backdrop, you might be able to guess this, is covenant.
The fact that he refers to him as a son of Abraham in verse eight also reflects covenant. God purposed to save a great multitude that no man can number from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. And even very sinful men, even very wretched men, even chief tax collectors who were very rich. Notice he must stay at your house.
The Son of God does not have options in terms of, well, I could possibly go to Bill's house for lunch. No, I must stay at your house. Why? Because Zacchaeus is coming to salvation.
Zacchaeus is going to believe. Zacchaeus is going to confess faith in Jesus Christ, and there is a must-ness about this situation. Matthew Poole says Zacchaeus is the first man we read of to whose house Christ, not asked, but invited himself, and in it did more for Zacchaeus. He didn't ask Zacchaeus, but rather invited himself, and in it did more for Zacchaeus than he expected.
Oh, the freeness and riches of divine grace, which seeketh not a worthy object, but makes the object worthy, and therefore loveth it. So Christ comes to deal mercifully with this man.
Zacchaeus Responds: Haste, Joy, and Confession
Now notice the response of Zacchaeus. This is in verses 6 and 8. Verse 7, we'll deal with the crowd in just a moment, but notice in verses 6 and 8 how Zacchaeus responds to this. Now, why do you think he shimmied up that tree in the first place?
Preparationism, he's getting ready for the big salvation. He's setting himself in the right spot at the right time. It was curiosity. Brethren, you can't drive down the freeway without some haphazard or accident on the side of the road.
Everybody has to slow down, don't they? It's the nature of man. I complain about others doing it, and yet I find myself slowing down because I have to see what's over there. You've got a small town that's filled with people and a very famous figure is walking through.
Zacchaeus got up that morning, probably heard that Jesus was coming, saw the press of the crowd and figured he'd go up to that sycamore tree and just spy the situation for his own curiosity sake. This isn't sort of a preparing for grace. This wasn't some sort of a prelude to his salvation. He was a curious man.
But then notice he comes down the tree in response to Christ. Verse 6, he made haste and came down. Now that's so infrequent in real life that we should camp on it for just a moment. How often do preachers preach and say, come to the Savior?
And yet, not everybody comes to the Savior. In fact, preachers might say, make haste and come to the Savior right away. And yet, persons don't make haste and come to the Savior right away. Zacchaeus actually did.
Zacchaeus actually responded to Christ. Zacchaeus actually made haste and came to the Savior. Matthew Poole makes this observation. He says, curiosity carried Zacchaeus up, but love to Christ bringeth him down.
Amen. That is a perceptive and beautiful statement. And then notice he receives Christ joyfully. So verse 6, he made haste and came down and received him joyfully.
Now brethren, there's more going on than just a house guest. There's more going on than just Zacchaeus, you know, phoning ahead to his wife and, you know, set another placemat or place setting because I've got a guest coming over for supper. He received him joyfully as now a saved man. Christ, in calling him, has the power to enable compliance.
It's the effectual call of God upon Zacchaeus, and I think Gil gets this right. He says, he received him joyfully, not only into his house, but into his arms and heart. Christ was a welcome guest to him as he is to every sensible sinner who by faith receives him as the Father's free gift, as the alone Savior and Redeemer. as the great mediator in all of his offices, a prophet, priest, and king, and in every relation and character he bears, and embraces his doctrines, and submits to his ordinances, and that with the greatest joy, as there is reason for it, since with him he receives the free and full forgiveness of his sins, a justifying righteousness, an abundance of grace, and a right unto and meekness for heaven. No, I don't want to leave this point that quick either in the sense of he received him joyfully.
Brethren, it is easy to get discouraged in life and to forget the joy of our salvation. We have to consciously reflect upon these things. We have to think on that pearl of great price. We have to think on that bridegroom who's altogether lovely and chief among 10,000.
When we received him initially, it was with great joy. Perhaps you remember your baptism and the time you went into the water. And there was that joy, there was that thanksgiving, there was that public confession that He is mine and I am His. And then you get in the pilgrim way and there's a lot of trouble, there's a lot of difficulty, stuff you didn't always bargain for.
You thought now as a Christian everything should be great. You're a child of the King. The King's child never has any difficulties. The King's child never has any hardships.
Well, God the King has his children go through such things so that they, like the Savior, will learn obedience through suffering. It's God's way with his children. He's a good God. It's like with us and parenting.
You let your kid eat some dirt to build up his immune system. You let your kid, you know, fall down once in a while so that he's not, you know, an antsy boy. You do those sorts of things so that he has got a strength and a resolve about him. But with reference to God, we go through these hardships, and we go through these trials, and we go through these difficulties, and we forget to be happy.
And that's a crime, brethren. We received Him joyfully initially. We ought to look to Him joyfully each and every day. We ought to reflect upon the reality that the blessed Christ said to us in one form or another, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.
Zacchaeus makes haste, he comes down, and he receives him joyfully. It is a most blessed thing. Now notice as well, he confesses Jesus as Lord. Look down at verse eight.
Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor. He addresses him as Lord. He confesses him as Lord. Brethren, 1 Corinthians chapter 12 tells us nobody can confess Jesus as Lord except by the Spirit.
This man is saved. This man confesses Jesus as Lord. And now notice, he manifests faith and repentance through the work of giving back. Verse 8, Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor, and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore for full.
He owns his sin, and he deals with his sins. He owns his sins, and he deals with his sins, and he repents of those things. Our confession says, good works done in obedience to God's commandments are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith. They demonstrate that there has been this change.
They demonstrate that there is this confession of faith. The Geneva Bible says the example of true repentance is known by the effect. How do we know that somebody has believed and repented? Because the effect is there.
The same sins are not indulged in anymore. He's not gonna go extort people. He's not gonna go take from people. He's not gonna keep that ill-gotten gain.
Rather, he is going to give half of his goods to the poor. And if he has taken anything from anyone by false accusation, he's gonna restore it fourfold. And then ultimately, what happens in terms of his salvation? He enjoys communion with God.
The Lord Jesus Christ goes to be a guest at his house and he eats with him. But it wasn't just that meal. He is now a believer. He's now a Christian.
He's now a man of God. He's now one that has been bought with a price and he wants to follow and serve the master who gave his life for him. And then
The Crowd's Complaint
notice, we skipped over, let's look at the response of the crowd in verse 7. When they, that's the crowd, saw it, they all complained, saying, He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner. This isn't new in Luke's gospel. Turn back to Luke chapter 5.
Luke chapter 5, the call of Matthew or Levi. Matthew 5, verse 27, after these things, he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office. This is Matthew, two names like James, Peter. And he said to him, follow me.
So he left all, rose up and followed him. Then Levi gave him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against his disciples saying, why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?
Same sort of response there at the tree of Zacchaeus. Turn over to Luke chapter 15. Luke chapter 15, a similar response to the ministry of our Lord. Luke 15, beginning in verse 1, Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.
And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, This man received sinners, and eats with them, so he spoke this parable to them, saying," So going back to Luke chapter 19, this ought not to surprise us. This ought not to make us say, wow, I cannot believe that somebody wasn't happy that a sinner was saved. Brethren, this is kind of the default setting of man. When good things happen to others, we don't always rejoice.
Paul has to command that in Romans chapter 12. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Why would he have to command that? Because it's not the default setting.
It's not natural to the sons of Adam. It's not the case that we're so happy for others because they have benefited or been blessed by God Almighty. Calvin says, it is thus the world disregards the offer of the grace of God, but complains bitterly when it is conveyed to others. On the one hand, they complain about it.
On the one hand, they reject it and resist it. And on the other hand, they complain about it when others receive it. So there's this idea out there that, you know, that guy doesn't deserve it. None of us deserve it.
Nobody deserves the grace of God. That's why it's grace. If you look at the newsletter underneath the crossword puzzle, our brother says something to the effect that if you complete all these puzzles, you will earn a free gift. Praise God, grace isn't that way.
You don't earn grace. You don't earn the gift of salvation. It's not a payment for services rendered. It is rather grace.
We are dead in our trespasses and sins, and God conveys eternal life upon us. We didn't deserve it. He didn't owe us. We aren't worthy recipients.
Rather, he just gives it to us. And so these people complain. They all complain saying, He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.
The Mission Stated: Seek and Save the Lost
And that brings us to the statement of his mission in verses nine and 10. And there's a few things here. Notice first the salvation of Zacchaeus. Verse nine, Jesus said to him, today salvation has come to this house.
Now the Lord did not come to Zacchaeus to exhort him to be a better Zacchaeus. He didn't come to rein in his, you know, degeneracy by saying, you know, don't extort people anymore. He came to save him. It wasn't just a bit of moral persuasion, it wasn't just a bit of education, it wasn't a bit of further instruction on how Zacchaeus wants to live his life, but he wants to save, he comes to save Zacchaeus.
And when we ask the question, what does he save Zacchaeus from? He saves him from his sins, Matthew 1.21. You shall call his name Jesus, for it is he who will save his people from their sins. He saves him from the penalty of the law, Galatians 3.13.
God made Christ to be a curse for us, to receive in himself all that we deserve in terms of our violation of God's law. And he saves him from the wrath of God, Romans 3.25-26. God set forth his son as a propitiation through his blood. So Zacchaeus is the man that God saves, or Christ saves, on that day.
Today, salvation has come to this house. And then notice, again, that covenant, because he also is a son of Abraham. Interesting language. In our studies in John's gospel, specifically there in chapter 8, the religious leaders boast that they are sons of Abraham.
We have Abraham as our father, and Jesus disavows them of that notion. They go one step further. They say, we were not born of fornication, but God is our father. Again, Jesus disavows them of that notion and says that you are of your father, the devil.
And so with reference to this particular statement, Zacchaeus, This rich chief tax collector, this despised man, this low life in society, this person that nobody liked is a son of Abraham. While the religious leaders, while the ones that were polished, while the ones that were teachers, while the ones that were the respectable in society, were nevertheless not sons of Abraham, but rather sons of the devil. So the Lord Christ is indicating here that God has his purpose and plan, and this man is connected to Abraham. And then notice, the mission is set forth very clearly in verse 10.
If anybody ever asks you, why did Jesus come into this world? Luke 19.10 is a great place to go. It is a clear explanation of the mission of the Son of Man. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.
There is divine initiative. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. He wasn't invited. We didn't beg for this.
We didn't ask for this. But there is divine initiative. When you trace the scripture and you see man in sin, you will see that it's God who comes after him. When Adam and Eve sin, they run from God.
God comes after them. When the tower builders at Babel build that tower to rise up into the heavens, God confounds their lips. And on the heels of that, He comes to Abraham and says that, out of you, I will make a great name. Out of you, I will make a great nation.
We see the promise of God all throughout the Old Testament concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. We see it in Galatians 4.4, in the fullness of time. God sent forth His Son. Brethren, it is divine initiative.
It's not our initiative. It doesn't depend upon Him who wills or upon Him who runs, but on God who shows mercy. So we find that very clearly in this instance. And Jesus says that the son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.
He didn't come to start a revolution. He didn't come just to start a new religion. He didn't come to just pass on a bit more information or give a new commandment. He came to save his people from their sins.
And Zacchaeus was a blessed recipient on that day of the mercy of God most high and a very clear explanation or illustration rather of a camel passing through the eye of the needle into the very kingdom of heaven itself.
Application and Conclusion
Well, in conclusion, we have the object of mercy. The emphasis in scripture is clear. Jesus came to call sinners to repentance. There was nothing in Zacchaeus.
It wasn't that Zacchaeus was a better version of the other Jerichoites. It wasn't that Zacchaeus was somehow on his, you know, on the way, on the path, on the right track. He was curious. That's what led him up into the tree.
It was grace that brought him down from the tree. We see that Zacchaeus is a picture of a sinner. It's not just, you know, garden variety sinners that God saves, though he does save garden variety sinners. He saves the really bad sinners.
And that should be good news to all sinners because God in his mercy and grace is about saving sinners. In God's purpose and plan, this man Zacchaeus was in fact a son of Abraham, one chosen by God from before the foundation of the world that would meet Jesus in Jericho while he's in a sycamore tree and come to a saving knowledge of our blessed Redeemer. As well, we see the glory of Christ. Jesus says back in chapter 18, specifically at verse 27, the things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. You might know somebody and think, oh no, there's no way that person could be saved. Perhaps a person said that about Zacchaeus. Perhaps they thought there's no way that man will ever come to God.
That man will never get religion. That man will never be set aright. That man will never know salvation. And yet, with God, all things are possible, and we see it fleshed out in the very passage that we're considering.
As well, the Lord Jesus describes His mission, to seek and to save, not, again, form a new religion or set a new example. And what we find illustrated here is what we see in 1 Corinthians 6. You can turn there. 1 Corinthians 6, specifically verses 9 to 11. 1 Corinthians 6, verse 9, Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived.
Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Timothy 1.15, the Apostle Paul says, this is a faithful saying, worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world, sinners, to save. So Zacchaeus is a wonderful illustration of that.
And then finally, in terms of the gospel of Christ, there is a similarity here between Zacchaeus and between Matthew. We looked at Matthew in Luke chapter 5. There is a similarity. Christ there answers the grumbling Pharisees and scribes when they complain that he eats with sinners.
He says, of course, the physician goes to the sick. The physician doesn't go to the healthy. You don't, you know, start a business as a doctor and, you know, spend all your effort and time on the healthy. You go to the sick.
As well, he says, this was what was prophesied concerning me in the prophet Hosea. I require mercy over sacrifice. And then that specific illustration of why he came to call the sinner to repentance, and he does that here specifically with Zacchaeus as well. Gil says, such who come to Christ must quit all their exalted thoughts of themselves, of their riches, fullness, and self-sufficiency, and come to him as poor and needy.
For such only he fills with his good things, and of their health and soundness, and come to him, the great physician, as sick and diseased, and of their purity and goodness, holiness and righteousness, and come to him as sinners. But it must be mighty grace to cast down imaginations and high things, that exalt themselves against Christ, and the knowledge of him, and to humble a proud sinner, and bring him to the feet of Jesus.
Lord's Supper
Well, as we gather tonight for the supper, we rejoice in the one who said, the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. We once were lost, we're now found. We were dead, and now we live. We were blind, and now we see.
So let us eat this bread and drink this cup, and in this proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Our Father in heaven, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your grace. We thank You for Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Redeemer, our Lord, our friend and conqueror. And we thank you for this ordinance that reminds us, rehearses for us, that death at Calvary on behalf of sinners, that broken body, that shed blood.
We give praise to you that we have been blessed and included in this wonderful covenant, and that we now, by faith in Jesus, are sons of Abraham. We rejoice in your lovingkindness and in your goodness, and we pray now through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.