A Wee Little Man Meets a Great Big God
Easter Series: On the Way to the Cross, #2
Chuck Sligh
March 18, 2018
NOTE: A PowerPoint presentation is available for this sermon by request at chucksligh@hotmail.com.
This is a shorter adaptation of a sermon from an Easter series by Brian Bill found on SermonCentral.com.
TEXT: Please turn in your Bibles to Luke 19.
INTRODUCTION
If you grew up in church, the little ditty in this YouTube video will bring back memories. [Play the 1 minute, 10 second video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkd-QFD7vMA]
How many of you remember singing that in Sunday School or K.I.D.S. Church growing up? What is not mentioned in the kid’s song is that Zacchaeus was a tax collector.
Which reminds me: Have you filed your taxes yet? You have a little time yet before the April 15th deadline. But make sure you’re honest, or you won’t have a good conscience.
Here’s supposedly an actual letter that was received by the IRS a few years ago: “Enclosed you will find a check for $150. I cheated on my income tax return last year and have not been able to sleep ever since. If I still have trouble sleeping I will send you the rest.”
This morning we’re focusing on the equivalent of a regional office chief of the IRS, a man who did not cheat on his own taxes, but on everyone else’s.
We’re in a short series leading up to Easter titled, “On the Way to the Cross.” We saw that there is a “travel motif” that permeates the book of Luke from chapter 9 on until Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem just before His crucifixion. Repeatedly, Luke records incidences that he says happened, “as he set His face towards Jerusalem,” “on the way to Jerusalem,” and so forth.
As you’ll recall from last week’s sermon, when Jesus was approaching Jericho, he encountered a blind man named Bartimaeus, a poor beggar from the LOWEST economic class. Now, as we look at Luke 19, we see Jesus passing through Jericho on the final leg of His fateful trip to Jerusalem, where he encounters Zacchaeus, a very wealthy government tax man from the TOP RUNG of the economic ladder.
Like Bartimaeus, whom I nicknamed Bart last Sunday, Zacchaeus is another tough name to say repeatedly throughout a whole sermon, so I’ll nickname him Zack from here on out.
Notice three things about this story in Luke 19:
I. FIRST, WE SEE A SEARCHING SINNER – Verses 1-2 – “And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans [i.e., tax collectors], and he was rich.”
We see from these verses that Zack was a man of some prominence, but what is not mentioned, but which historical background tells us, is that he was deeply despised. Even today, tax collectors have a bad reputation—perhaps a rung lower than lawyers.
An Internet search came up with hundreds of pretty mean jokes about IRS agents, such as: What’s the difference between an IRS agent and a mosquito?—One is a blood-sucking parasite, and the other is an insect. Or, what do you call 25 IRS agents buried in cement?—Not enough cement. I’m sure you’d agree those are unfair characterizations of people doing their job in our government, but the point is that, even today, tax agents are feared and disliked.
Now, multiply this distrust and hatred a hundred times for Zack for three reasons:
First, as a tax collector, he worked for Rome and was therefore considered a traitor by the Jewish people.
The second is that tax collectors, in general, were allowed to squeeze more than what the government demanded: the more you could get, the more you made.
Third, verse 2 tells us that Zack was the “chief” tax collector, meaning he was the head supervisor of the local tax office.
This meant he got a commission off the money his other collectors brought in. He stood on top of the collection pyramid, stuffing his pockets with shekels before he sent the required taxes to Rome. This is why Luke tells us at the end of verse 2 that he was rich.
All this meant that Zack was correctly perceived as greedy, predatory and a traitor. He would have been thought of about as fondly as a high-level drug dealer today. This is reflected in several instances in the Gospels where the religious leaders complained that Jesus consorted with tax collectors and sinners. Sinners meant people like murderers, adulterers, robbers, etc.: So tax collectors were in a category by themselves, equivalent to ordinary sinners.
Now Zack may have become rich as a tax collector, but his riches did not meet the cry of his empty heart. – Look at verse 3 – “And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press [crowds], because he was little of stature.”
Even today, people understand that money and possessions do not make us happy. He had, no doubt, heard of Jesus and probably His healing of the blind beggar on the outskirts of Jericho would have spread through Jericho like wildfire. Now this renowned man of God was HERE, in Jericho, right where he lived! He may not have fully understood what was going on in his heart, but Zack had a desperate need to get to Jesus to see, as verse 3 says “who he was.”
I wonder if that’s how some of you are feeling this morning: You’re drawn to Jesus; intrigued by Him; and you want to know more about Him? All go through that experience before they place their faith in Jesus. They’re curious about Him and want to hear more about who He is.
Zack had at least two problems that day.
The first was PHYSICAL: he was a short man, which kept him from Jesus.
I picture him bouncing up and down on his toes like Tigger in the Winnie the Pooh books, trying to see above the taller people in front of him. With such huge crowds, there was no way for him to get close enough to Jesus.
His second problem was SPIRITUAL: his sins were keeping him from Jesus.
Isaiah 59:2 says that “our iniquities have separated us from God.”
Not only was Zack short, but he, like us, did not measure up to God’s standards. He fell far short of ever being able to enter into a relationship with God. He was short on righteousness and tall on sin.
I love verse 4: “And he ran ahead [KJV = “before”], and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.”
This guy was resourceful. Back in my basketball days in my high school in Okinawa, we had a lot of Japanese, Chinese, Indians and Filipinos. One of our players was a short Japanese guard about a foot shorter than me. I teased him about his height and he replied, “I may be short…but I’m not slow.” Yep.—I could easily block his shots…but only if I could catch up with him!
Zack was short, but he wasn’t slow! He ran ahead of the crowd, looking for a way that he could see Jesus.
This story is unusual for a couple of reasons, and it explains something about Zack:
First, it was considered undignified for a rich or dignified man to run. – But he was running with as fast as he could to get to where he could see Jesus.
Second, it’s unimaginable that a rich man would shimmy up a tree to see Jesus.
Sycamore trees often grew by the road side and had branches that grew out horizontally from the trunk, which would give Zack a good view of Jesus. He probably he snagged his cloak on the branches, but it didn’t slow him down one bit.
What this tells us is that he was determined to see Jesus and really didn’t care what anybody thought about it. Zack refused to allow ANYTHING—not the crowd nor his station in life, to stand between him and his desire to see the Lord Jesus.
What about you?—Do you care enough about the condition of your soul to pay whatever price is necessary to be right with God? Are you willing to turn from that little pet sin? Are you ready to walk away from the crowd in order to see Jesus? Are you ready to run to Him?
II. SECOND, NOTICE WITH ME THE SEEKING SAVIOR. – Verse 5 – “And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.”
You see, while Zack may have been searching, it was really Jesus who was seeking him! Among the great crowd of people, Jesus took special note of Zack. He stopped, looked up, called Zack by name and told him He must come to His house TODAY! Again, we see that while Jesus has set his face toward the cross, he stops and ministers to a searching sinner. He knew right where Zack was because He knew all about him, and He was filled with compassion toward this greedy, selfish, traitorous sinner.
This is how it ALWAYS happens. Jesus makes the first move by coming to a spiritually dead sinner and offering life through Himself. The truth is, none of us would be able to come to Jesus unless He came to us first!
Jesus then gives Zack a two-fold instruction:
First, He said, “Zacchaeus, hurry up and come down!”
There’s always a sense of urgency about following Christ. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “…behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation.”
Can you imagine what must have been going through the minds of those who were walking with Jesus that day? How did Jesus know his name? Why did Jesus stop under that particular tree? Why did Jesus want a notorious sinner to come down right away?
The second part of Jesus’ instruction was this: “I must stay at your house today”
Why the necessity of going to Zacchaeus’s house?—Why the “must”? As we saw earlier, Pharisees and religious leaders believed that because Zack was a chief tax collector he was among the worst of sinners. They would NEVER step foot into the home of such a person, and certainly would not EAT with such a sinner.
But not only is Jesus willing, did you notice that here Jesus invited Himself to dinner?—something He never did anywhere else in the Gospels. Jesus MUST stay at his house because it pictures what His ministry is all about—He came to save sinners from their sins.
III. NOTICE THIRD, A SPECTACULAR SALVATION
Zack didn’t waste any time getting out of that tree. Verse 6 says, “And [Zachaeus] made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.”
Jesus said, “jump” and Zack jumped! He came down immediately and welcomed Jesus with great joy and enthusiasm. And he got way more than he asked for: he just wanted to get a closer look at the Savior but now the Savior was coming to dinner! And he was overwhelmed with joy!
The word “gladly” carries with it the idea of “jubilant exultation.” This is similar to Bart’s response in Luke 18:43 which says that Bart praised God. Next week we’ll see that the disciples break out into joyful praise when Jesus enters Jerusalem (Luke 19:37).
I wonder what it will take for us to become more filled with glad and joyful praise? With all that God has done for us, we should be OVERFLOWING with joy! Yet too often our faces are fallen, our hearts are heavy and our minds are burdened with life’s cares and concerns. Listen, when searching hearts encountered Jesus, they broke out into joyful praise! That should be reflected in our daily lives and when we gather for worship.
Now, in contrast to Zack’s joy, look at the crowd’s reaction in verse 7 –“And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.” If the crowd was confused as to why Jesus was even TALKING to Zack, they go ballistic when they realize Jesus invites himself to dinner at Zack’s place. Notice it wasn’t just some of the crowd, or just the religious leaders; our text says that it was ALL of them —maybe even including the disciples themselves The word translated murmured means a low grumble and indicates that they were complaining and finding fault with what Jesus was doing.
We might want to get down on the crowd for their response, but I wonder how many times we respond in a similar way? You see, we have categories in our minds of people who are really “bad.” You too might get upset if you heard that I dropped in on a drug dealer or a prostitute for a meal. It’s so easy for us to think that we’re better than others—that our sin somehow smells better than other people’s.—But it doesn’t.
Verse 8 tells us the result of this meal: “And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.”
Zack was CONVERTED during the meal, because verse 9 says, “And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house….”
Zack knew he was a sinner but had come to the Savior for salvation. Zack’s reaction reveals the remarkable change that conversion had had on him. Jesus had changed his life and now he wanted to demonstrate the reality of that change. Whenever Jesus meets us, there is a always change in our lives. If you’ve never changed, it may be because you haven’t truly been saved.
Zack’s public confession shows the sincerity of his repentance and was his way of living out Romans 10:10-11: “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”
As part of his repentance, Zack wanted to right his wrongs. Biblical repentance always goes hand-in-hand with restitution because conversion is a radical, life-changing event. He’s now a different man, so he declares that he will give half of his possessions to the poor and will make restitution at four times the amount he swindled.
Both of these responses exceeded the cultural and religious expectations of the day.
1) It was considered extravagant to give 20% of your money away—he gave 50%!
2) When he made restitution of four times, he was following the standard required in the Jewish law when a man was convicted of stealing a sheep (Exodus 22:1). But if such a person confessed to the crime himself ,without being found out, he was only required to restore what was stolen, and add 20% (Numbers 5:6-7). Zack’s response shows that he was willing to make restitution as if it had been proved against him in a court of law. He knew that his behavior was of the worst kind and was eager to make things right no matter the cost.
We sometimes think we’re generous if we give God 10% of our income. The mark of Zack’s transformation and conversion was his staggering generosity. He suddenly realized the truth that it is impossible to serve both God and money. Before he met Jesus, his money was EVERYTHING to him; after his conversion, it took a back seat and became something to be given away.
Now we come to verse 10: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
The mission of Jesus is very clear: He came to seek and save those who are lost. And you know what?—Jesus is STILL on a search and save mission! He’s seeking out people who need to be saved. If you’ve never come to Christ and had your sins forgiven, Jesus is pursuing you…even if you’re not pursuing Him. He wants to have a vibrant relationship with you.
Right now, He’s outside the door of your life knocking. Can you hear Him? He’s knocking and he’s waiting for you to open the door.
Revelation 3:20 says, “…If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
When He knocks, He’s speaking to you personally. He knows everything about you. He knows your pain, your dreams and all the details of your life. He knows your failures and your sins. And He’s been trying to get your attention. Just as He called out to Zaccheaus, so too He is calling out to you: “Come to me right now, for I must come into your life.”
CONCLUSION
I see four stages that Zack went through, which have direct application to our lives today:
1) He was CURIOUS. He wanted to get to know who Jesus was.
2) He CONSIDERED. He investigated who Christ really was and could do in His life.
3) He was CONVERTED. The searching Savior saved him and forgave his sins.
4) He was CHANGED. His life was radically redirected after his conversion.
What stage are you at this morning?
1) Are you CURIOUS about who Jesus is?
2) Have you seriously considered Jesus’ claims: Investigate who He is; check Him out by reading the Bible; keep coming to church; pray for God to reveal TRUTH to you.
3) Your next step is to be CONVERTED—that is, to put your faith in Jesus Christ! That’s why Jesus came. He came to convert you; He seeks to save you; He longs to show you His love.
4) And then, He will CHANGE your life in ways you can’t even imagine.
Jesus is calling your name right now. Will you respond? Will you abandon it all for the sake of the call?
Illus. – Kenneth Clark, known for his TV series Civilization, admitted in his autobiography that while visiting a beautiful church he had an overwhelming religious experience. This is what he wrote: “My whole being was irradiated by a kind of heavenly joy far more intense than anything I had ever known before.”
But, as he described it, the “gloom of grace,” created a problem for him. If he allowed himself to be influenced by his spiritual yearnings, he knew he would have to change and his family would think he had lost his mind.
And so he concluded, “I was too deeply embedded in the world to change course.”
As far as I know, he died without putting his faith in Christ, and is lost eternally!
Are you too deeply embedded in the world to change course? Zack was locked into a way of life that was comfortable and yet Jesus changed him. And He can do the same for you. Answer the seeking Savior’s call to come to Him and be saved.
