LUKE 19:1-10 "WHY ZACCHAEUS CLIMBED THE TREE"
A) Zacchaeus was a very rich man.
* This is the only time the title "chief" is used with a tax collector.
* This probably means that he was the head of the local taxation office.
* Therefore, Zacchaeus would be responsible to the Roman government for the employment and
management of the local tax collectors and their moneys!
B) He had all the pleasures and comforts of life which money could buy!
* He was a man who would find it difficult to enter the kingdom of heaven.
* Let’s go back to the time of Zacchaeus’ conversion and see some people he had met.
(1) IMAGINE ZACCHAEUS (ZACH) IS OUT COLLECTING TAXES!
* He comes to a blind man’s house, his name is Bartimaeus - Mark 10:46-52
A) Zach demands the taxes he owes, but Bartimaeus doesn’t have it!
* You see, I am just a poor old blind man. * Zach could care less!
* So Zacchaeus gives him 30 days to come up with the money for taxes!
(2) ZACCHAEUS GOES TO THE NEXT HOUSE, A LADY COMES TO THE DOOR!
* Zach demands the taxes they owe. * The lady begins to explain to Zach,
A) "Sir, my husband is a demon possessed man!"
* He is known as the Maniac of Gadara - Mark 5:1-20
* He dwells in the tombs - He runs crazy, screaming and hollering!
B) She begs him to give her more time to get the money!
* So, reluctantly, he gives her 30 days to come up with the money to pay taxes!
(3) ZACCHAEUS GOES TO THE NEXT HOUSE, A WREATH IS ON THE DOOR!
* A lady comes to the door, she is the widow of Nain - Luke 7:11-15
A) Zach demands the taxes that she owes!
* She explains to him that her son has died, and all the burial expense has wiped her out!
* She begs him to give her more time & Zach says, "I’ll be back in 30 days!"
(4) THE 30 DAYS PASS ... ZACCHAEUS GOES BACK TO THE FIRST HOUSE!
* He knocks on the door and a bright-eyed man answers the door.
A) Old Zach can’t believe it! * This man looked a whole lot different than before!
* Zach says, "I don’t understand, I thought you were blind!"
* Bartimaeus tells him how he met Jesus and Jesus healed him!
B) He says, "I sold my seeing eye dog and here’s the money I owe you for taxes!"
* Zach walks away scratching his head wondering what kind of man this Jesus is!
(5) ZACCHAEUS GOES TO THE SECOND HOUSE AND KNOCKS ON THE DOOR!
* And a big, nice dressed man answers the door!
A) Zach says, "I’m Zach the tax collector, and you are?"
* He said, "I’m the Maniac of Gadara, my wife told me you came by."
B) "I met Jesus a few weeks ago and He saved me and cleaned me up!"
* "Now I have a job making good money, and here’s the money we owe for taxes!"
* Old Zach can’t believe what he’s hearing! * "Who is this Jesus?" he asked himself!
(6) ZACCHAEUS GOES TO THE THIRD HOUSE AND KNOCKS ON THE DOOR!
* A young man answers the door! * Zach introduces himself and asks, "Who are you?"
A) The young man says, "Well sir, it’s a long story, I’ll let my mother tell you!"
* He goes gets his mother and she says, "You’re not gonna believe it!"
* She said, "They were carrying my son in a casket to the graveyard."
B) "And as they were almost at the grave site, there was this man, his name was Jesus."
* "He touched the casket and said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise!"
* "Next thing I know, my son sat straight up in the casket and began to talk!"
C) "Zach, death met deity and when death met deity, there was a resurrection!"
* "It scared the undertaker so bad, He gave me all my money back for the funeral, and here is
the money I owe you for taxes!"
(7) NOW, ZACCHAEUS HAS COLLECTED ALL THE TAX MONEY!
* He is amazed by what he has seen and heard! * He asks himself:
A) "A blind man is seeing now, how is that possible?"
* "And that Maniac of Gadara, I do remember hearing about that man before."
* "And that boy that was raised from the dead, that’s almost unbelievable!"
B) Jesus was passing through Jericho and Zach heard about it!
* And Zacchaeus, being a short man, could not see for the crowd - v.3
* Old Zach hung in there in his attempt to see Jesus and he had to humble himself to do it!
C) Imagine Zacchaeus, a man of position and wealth, running through that crowd!
* And not only running, but climbing a tree just to see an important person pass by!
* He wanted to see Jesus so badly, he forgot everyone around him and humbled himself
and climbed a tree! * He was determined to see this man he had heard so much about!
D) And nothing was going to stop him! * He had a stirring in his heart for some time now!
* Perhaps he had heard reports about Jesus calling another tax collector named Matthew to
be one of His disciples!
* Zacchaeus had started believing the reports he had heard!
E) So there he goes, up the tree, waiting for Jesus to pass by!
* As Jesus made His way through town, He stopped at this tree and looked up!
* Jesus knew where he was at and knew his name, and that got his attention!
F) He said, "Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house."
* Zacchaeus obeyed, he made haste and came down and received Him joyfully!
* Zach repented and changed his whole life, he completely turned around from his old life!
G) He gave half his goods to the poor and gave back to those whom he had cheated!
* He gave back four times what he had taken! * Imagine the list he had .......
* And that is why Zacchaeus climbed the tree, to meet Jesus!
CLOSE
A) Would to God all men would have that desire to meet Christ!
* v.10 says, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."
* Jesus is the one who seeks and saves the lost!
B) He’s the One who sought old Zach out!
* Zacchaeus put himself in a position to see Jesus, Jesus did the speaking to Zacchaeus’
heart, asking Zacchaeus to receive Him!
* Only after Zacchaeus received Jesus did Jesus save him!
C) Let me encourage you to receive Christ as Zach did!
* Come to Jesus!
