There is hope for everyone, even crooked tax-collectors! We’ve all heard the story of Zacchaeus in Sunday School; it’s a favorite, and raises a smile or two.
Just a few days before the crucifixion, Jesus visits Jericho. It was an important center of commerce. King Herod had a palace there. Mark Antony once gave Jericho to Cleopatra as a present. Joshua and his trumpeters brought down its walls. Our Lord’s positive reception in Jericho reveals that the angry crowd in Jerusalem calling for His execution was the expression of a minority. Jesus was widely popular in Israel, evidenced by the large crowd in Jericho eager to see Him. They knew of His miracles and teachings.
Zacchaeus’ name means “righteous one” but he wasn’t living up to his name. He was working for Rome and was collecting more than was required to line his pockets. Older translations call him a “publican,” what we call tax collectors, and they were notorious for being corrupt in Bible times. Their job made them rich and despised. They were one of many reasons the Jewish people hated being an enemy-occupied, pagan-ruled country. The taxes collected went to Rome, except for the extra money the tax collectors pocketed. Jesus is a Savior who seeks the lost, verse 10, and Zacchaeus certainly qualified!
Had Zacchaeus not been so disliked, people might have let him stand where he could see Jesus; but they weren’t especially sensitive to his needs. He may have been a “big shot” but he was short of stature, and respect.
Putting dignity aside, he climbs a sycamore tree. He was already looked down on, so now they’d have to look up! He was willing to appear undignified. Jesus was looking for people with child-like faith, who put aside their pride to receive new life.
Before Zacchaeus caught sight of Jesus, Jesus fixed His eye on him. This is the only account of Jesus inviting Himself to someone’s house. He emphatically says “I must go to your home, verse 5. There’s a sense of urgency here. Zacchaeus wasn’t just the chief tax collector, but the chief sinner of Jericho.
Zacchaeus receives Jesus “joyfully,” verse 6, an indicator of his faith and need. What drove him to seek Jesus to the point of laying aside his dignity by climbing a tree? Zacchaeus was wealthy but spiritually bankrupt, and he knew it. He may well have been desperate. He likely had an increasingly strong sense of guilt over his disloyal and dishonest dealings. The first step to mercy is to see our misery.
The townspeople weren’t too happy about the honor bestowed on Zacchaeus, verse 7. They’d expect Jesus to dine with their Rabbi, but not the chief tax collector! They are right to call Zacchaeus a sinner; he is indeed, but not beyond the reach of God. In Luke 5:3 Jesus explains, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” The townspeople regarded Zacchaeus as unsavable, but Jesus did not give write off anyone. He does not accept the town’s assessment. He does not give up on people who remain open to God. No one could have known how this visit would forever change this diminutive man’s life…and theirs.
When I was an Army Chaplain, I often ate with the junior enlisted soldiers in the mess hall. Occasionally fellow-officers would complain, pointing out that I shouldn’t be fraternizing with the lower ranks. I explained that this was my job. It was Jesus’ job as well. He went where the need was. Jesus loved Zacchaeus too much to let sin define and destroy him.
We so crave fellowship with like-minded believers that we may be neglecting to make friendships with non-Christians. We can’t share our faith unless we develop relationships with people who need it. This isn’t always comfortable, but it is necessary. Our concern for others ought to give us a sense of urgency and overcome our discomfort and fear.
The Rich Young Ruler of the previous chapter was unwilling to forsake the idol he had made of wealth to follow Jesus, even though his riches were strangling his life. In striking contrast, Zacchaeus, just as wealthy (if not more), had a true change of heart, a new allegiance. He doesn’t wait to be asked; he spontaneously declares that he will both repent and provide restitution for his wrongs. Jesus says how hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God in the previous chapter, yet He adds that nothing is impossible with God. Here’s the proof.
Zacchaeus states his intent to be a new, different man, verse 8. Half his possessions will go to the poor and those he has wronged will receive restitution at four times the amount taken. Giving 20% of one’s wealth to the poor was considered generous; this was “over and above.” We can’t think our way to God…He comes to us. Faith is not an emotional or intellectual response but a gift that transforms our lives.
Jesus never said anything about giving. Making restitution was not a requirement for Zacchaeus’ salvation, but recognizing a wrong that needed fixing revealed a genuine faith. And this came from God. He convicts and convinces us and enables us to follow Him; without His provision, we get nowhere.
Jesus gladly calls Zacchaeus a true “son of Abraham,” verse 9. He was perceived as a traitor by the people of Jericho, a Jew in name only; yet by opening his heart to Jesus he proved to be a covenant son, a Jew willing to go where God led him. Zacchaeus set aside whatever might get in the way of following obediently. At the very moment when we give ourselves to God, God gives Himself to us. If Zacchaeus continued as tax collector, it was as the most honest tax collector in Israel. John the Baptist told tax collectors, “Don’t collect any more than you are required to, Luke 3:13. I doubt if many took his advice.
Jesus declares in verse 9 that “salvation” has come to Zacchaeus’ house. He became a new person. The gospel doesn’t simply rescue us from the past and for the future; it also rescues us in the present. Thomas Merton writes: “God is good, salvation is not hard; His love has made it easy!” There are no self-made Christians.
This appears to be a sudden, dramatic conversion. Not all are. Saint Augustine prayed, “O Lord, make me pure, but not yet.” C.S. Lewis had a gradual conversion, marked by soul-searching and intense conversations with his friends. He writes: “I know very well when, but hardly how, the final step was taken…it was like when a man, after a long sleep, still lying motionless in bed, becomes aware that he is now awake.” The final step was in, of all places, a motorcycle side-car on a trip with his brother Warnie to the zoo. Lewis said that when they set out on the trip he was not a Christian, but by the time they arrived to the zoo he was. Conversion is usually a process. A soldier came to my office wanting to receive Jesus as his Savior. I asked what led to this decision and he spoke of people who talked to him of Jesus, who likely figured their words hadn’t been effective. Zacchaeus was likely wrestling with who he was and his need for new life; why else would we go to such heights to see Jesus? Out of conviction, not curiosity.
We’re not saved by good works, but genuine faith leads to a new life. No one can be saved by works…and no one can be saved without producing works. Zacchaeus’ trust in Jesus led him to action, proving that his faith was genuine. Is Jesus calling to you? When He comes into a person’s life and gains authority there, the old life along with its priorities and idols is turned into new life and new direction. Gordon-Conwell Seminary professor David Wells writes, “When conversion leads to a love of God and His glory and a commitment to serve and honor Him in all that we do, then the conversion is genuine.”
Thanks be to God, we can change. We’re not prisoners of our past. Let’s pray…
Prayer: God who hears, You know all that’s in our hearts. You saw Zacchaeus hiding in a tree, desperately hoping to see You, and You saw the shame, regret and need of this unlikely convert. If You can embrace him, You can welcome us. You came to seek and save the lost. You love us too much to let sin define us and be the final word. Like Zacchaeus, we wish to be bold for Your Kingdom, to invest our lives for Your glory and praise. Amen.
