“Encounters with Jesus: A Tax Collector”
Introduction:
Whenever the President and his motorcade drive through a town people line the streets to see him drive by. People come from miles away just to wave to the president. I remember seeing videos of John Kennedy before his assassination. People lined the streets for miles just to see the president of the United States.
I imagine the scene was very similar when Jesus walked through the city of Jericho a week before his death. The streets were lined with people who wanted to see Jesus. During this time in his life Jesus was extremely popular. Remember after he walked through Jericho and headed up to Jerusalem, was what is called the triumphal entry.
Among the crowds in Jericho to see Jesus was a tax collector by the name of Zacchaeus. He simply wanted to see Jesus. This encounter that Jesus had with Zacchaeus was one of the greatest encounters that is recorded in scriptures. We learn here how Jesus loves people so much and wants more than anything to have a relationship with all people.
Many of you probably remember from years ago the story of Zacchaeus and may remember singing about this man.
Zacchaeus was a wee little man,
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.
When Jesus saw Zacchaeus he was headed to Jerusalem to face his death. I love how Jesus dealt with this little IRS agent. He spoke with such love and compassion, saying he must go to his house today. The amazing thing about that story is that Jesus knew who Zacchaeus was. He knew his name, he knew everything about us. Jesus in the same way knows us each individually. I do not know how it is possible for Him to know everyone’s name, what we all have done, and what we all think, but he does. I believe that is because Jesus cares for us each as individuals, he wants us all to come to know him and to be his disciples.
Zacchaeus went out of his way to see Jesus, what would you do thought o see Jesus?
Text: Luke 19:1-10
I. The Desire
Zacchaeus had a great desire to see Jesus. He wanted more than anything else to see who this Jesus was. I am sure that he had heard a lot about Jesus and wanted to see him for himself. He did not simply want to see what Jesus looked like, he didn’t just want to get a glance at him, he wanted to see why Jesus was so different from everyone else. Perhaps he expected to see Jesus wearing gold and diamonds and a kingly robe. Perhaps he expected to see a mighty warrior or fighter, but he didn’t see all that. When he saw Jesus though he knew he was different. Why? Because of the love and the compassion that was clear in his eyes, by the authority in which he spoke. He had such a great desire to just see Jesus that he climbed up into a tree.
How much desire do you have to see Jesus? What would you do to see him? We live in a time in which we do not have the promise to see Jesus personally face to face while we live here on Earth. We will not see Jesus walking down the street, but we can still see Jesus in many ways today.
First of all, we have the promise to see Jesus is we have been obedient to him. All those that are Christians have a hope that will not disappoint. We will see Jesus one day. How much desire do you have to see him?
There is a promise in scripture that whoever seek him will find. We can all see Jesus, the door has been opened for all of us to come to Christ, but there are many obstacles in our lives that may hinder us from one day seeing Jesus. We are not going to see Jesus pass down the road, we are not going to be able to see him here on this Earth unless he comes again, but we can see him when we get to Heaven if we are in Christ. Who would not want to see Jesus, who would not go out of their way to see him face to face, and we can one day see him face to face.
I have always heard it said, “Where there is a will there is a way”; I really believe that is true to a certain extent. If you have a desire to see Jesus than you can see him. There is nothing that hinders you from coming right now to obey him. I believe when a person has a desire to follow after Jesus and to see him, they can, but we must remember that Satan is at work and many obstacles may come into our way. Zacchaeus had a great desire to see Jesus, but did you ever consider the obstacles that he had to overcome in order to see Jesus.
a. His Job
There’s a story about a local fitness center, which was offering $1,000 to anyone who could demonstrate that they were stronger than the owner of the place. Here’s how it worked. This muscle man would squeeze a lemon until all the juice ran into a glass, and then hand the lemon to the next challenger. Anyone who could squeeze just one more drop of juice out would win the money.
Many people tried over time other weightlifters, construction workers, even professional wrestlers, but nobody could do it.
One day a short and skinny guy came in and signed up for the contest. After the laughter died down, the owner grabbed a lemon and squeezed away. Then he handed the wrinkled remains to the little man.
The crowd’s laughter turned to silence as the man clenched his fist around the lemon and six drops fell into the glass. As the crowd cheered, the manager paid out the winning prize and asked the short guy what he did for a living. “Are you a lumberjack, a weightlifter, or what?”
The man replied, “I work for the IRS.”
I imagine that being a tax collector was not easy spiritually. Tax collectors during that time would collect what was required and then some which would be their commission. It would have been hard to be a tax collector and a disciple of Jesus because of the immorality associated with the job.
Perhaps some people are like that today. Perhaps some people’s jobs are an obstacle for them to get to Jesus.
Luke 18:29-30
Zacchaeus did not let his job remain an obstacle for him to see Jesus. It is possible for us today to be a Christian and still go to work Monday through Friday. Just because the people at work do certain things does not mean that we have to. We are Christians and we are to set the example not follow. Do not let your jobs prevent you from seeing Jesus. Where there is a will there is a way. I do not know what that may mean to everyone here, but I do know that our relationship with Jesus is more important than any job, and no job is worth preventing us from coming to the Lord or His house.
b. His Money
We learn that Zacchaeus was a wealthy man. As approached Jericho he had just finished speaking with a rich man and told him of the obstacles a rich person has in being his disciple.
Luke 18:24-25
Money would have been a hindrance for Zacchaeus to be a disciple of Jesus. It is a hindrance to people today. I do not believe that there is anything wrong with having money. We need money to pay the bills, and to make it through life, but when money becomes a priority in our life than it has become a false idol. Money today is an obstacle for people to come to Jesus. Is any amount of money though worth forfeiting our salvation? Jesus said, “What good is it a man to gain the whole world yet forfeit his soul?” Where there is a will there is a way. Will you let money be an obstacle for you being a disciple of Jesus?
c. His Size
Zacchaeus would have been prevented from seeing Jesus because of his size. The text tells us that he was a short fellow. He was probably even shorter than I am. He would have had a hard time seeing Jesus because he was small. The point I am making here is that our physical appearance should not be an obstacle for us to follow Jesus. Jesus calls all people. He wants all people to be saved. Red and yellow black and white, short and tall, thin and fat, ugly and pretty, smart and dumb, Jesus wants us all to follow after him, and praise God we are all equal at the foot of the cross. Do not let your physical appearance hinder you from seeing Jesus.
d. The Crowd
There was a great crowd present when Jesus came into Jericho and they were all there to see Jesus. I can imagine the streets being lined as Jesus cam by. I can imagine people fighting to see Jesus. Zacchaeus would not have had a chance battling to see Jesus and that is why he climbed up in a tree.
I believe sometimes the crowds hinder us from seeing Jesus. Remember our hope for seeing Jesus is in eternal life, not here, but I still believe the crowds hinder us from seeing Jesus. Perhaps the crowds you hang around drag you down and because you to stumble, my advice would be to do as Zacchaeus did, he ran ahead of the crowds. Do not let bad company corrupt you or drag you down to Hell with them. Bad company corrupts good character. Find friends who will encourage you and boost you up so that it will be easier to see Jesus. Will you let the crowds hinder you from seeing Jesus?
Jesus wants us all to be his disciples and to follow after him, but there are many obstacles along the way. What will you let get in your way of seeing Jesus? Will you follow after him and be his disciples.
How much do you desire to see Jesus?
If you see you will find, God rewards those who believe he exists and that he rewards those who diligently seek him. Thos who believe and are baptized will see Jesus face to face.
II. The Repentance and Commitment
Luke 19:8
Obviously in the tax collector’s past he had made some mistakes, he had cheated some people wrongly. When he encountered Jesus he was convicted by his lifestyle and wanted to be right in the eyes of God. He knew he had sinned and when he came into the presence of the Savior he felt guilt and shame for his wrongdoings. He promised to make all things right and to pay back four times what he had cheated and give one half to the poor. He repented for his past sins and made a commitment to the Lord Jesus.
We all just like Zacchaeus have sinned at some point in our lives. Perhaps you have never cheated people out of money and you have never stolen, but at some point you have sinned. We all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory and when we shoes to sin we loose our innocence and we are separated from God. Jesus though restores that relationship and makes all things right. It is not enough though for us just to feel guilty about what we have done. It is not enough that we just feel sorry that we have sinned, we must change.
One thing I love about Zacchaeus is that he had the humility to admit he was wrong and to change. He changed so drastically. He went from one extreme to the other. He made a commitment to be faithful to the Lord.
Perhaps today there is some commitment that you need to make. Perhaps you need to commit your life to Jesus. Perhaps you need to make a commitment to stop doing something or to start doing something.
Each one of us though who has accepted Christ and been baptized in him has made a commitment to live faithfully to him for the rest of our lives. I know that when I went into the watery grave of baptism, my old self died there and I came up a new creation, and that I came up committed to serving Jesus.
Have you made a commitment to serve him? Perhaps today you have backed away from your commitment and want to renew that commitment.
After the tax collector encountered Jesus he was changed and he was committed to living faithfully. Will you too commit your life to God and serve him, totally committed as one of his disciples?
III. The Salvation
After Zacchaeus committed his life to Jesus, Jesus said that salvation had come to his house. Salvation is offered to us as well this very day. We and our whole families can come into a relationship with Jesus. It is an awesome thing that we can have the promise of seeing Jesus. Zacchaeus did what he could to see Jesus and he got much more than just a view, but he got a relationship with the savior.
I do not believe that was the last time that little Zacchaeus saw Jesus. I believe that Zacchaeus being a Jew went into Jerusalem for the Passover and for Pentecost. I imagine Zacchaeus fighting another crowd in Jerusalem, wanting to take a look at what was working people up so much. I picture Zacchaeus hearing people shouting, “Give us Barabbas” and “Crucify”. I am sure he was wondering what was going on. He probably could not see about the crowds. Perhaps he finally made his way to be able to see and then he saw Jesus there again. What a contrast. What a change in the way in which he saw Jesus. He had just seen Jesus come into Jericho and stay at his house and pronounce salvation to his household, then seeing Jesus arrested about to be executed. Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus. Perhaps he saw Jesus after he had rise from the dead as well. The maybe he saw Jesus one more time. Maybe after years of faithful service to Jesus he saw Jesus after he had died, but this time still different than he had ever seen his savior. He saw him as reigning king and Lord. Zacchaeus lived a life wanting to continually see Jesus, and I believe that many people saw Jesus through the way in which he lived after he obeyed Jesus. What will you do to see Jesus? You do not have to climb a sycamore tree to see Jesus. You do not have to make a trip to Jerusalem to see Him. If you believe with all your heart, if you confess that Jesus is Lord, and repent of your sins, and be baptized and live faithfully until you die then you will see Jesus again.
Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus and we know that he had many obstacles, but where there is a will there is a way and we know that he did see Jesus.
Phillip preached about Jesus in Acts 8 to the Ethiopian Eunuch, and the eunuch said, “What hinders me from being baptized?” Phillip responded, “If you believe with all your heart you may”.
What hinders you today? What obstacles must you tear down? How badly do you want to see Jesus? The option is ours, either we see Jesus or we do not when we die. If we do not see him then we are apart from him in Hell, if we do we are in Heaven. Do you want to see Jesus today?
