Luke 18:9-14
“I want to see Jesus!”
By: Rev. Kenneth Sauer,
Pastor of Parkview United Methodist Church,
Newport News, VA
www.parkview-umc.org
Zacchaeus was a chief among tax collectors, and I’m sure his parents never would have dreamed that he would turn out the way he did.
You know why?
Because his name means “Pure.”
He was given that name as a baby.
His mother and father looked down upon him and thought he was the most precious little fellow in the world…so they named him “Pure.”
When he grew up, I would imagine that there was a lot of fun in Jericho when he was called by his name.
They would say, “Hello, Pure.”
“What a name for a tax collector!”
See, one dark night Zacchaus had a decision to make—whether or not he would sell out to Rome.
As a tax collector he would have to pay Rome a certain amount for his territory…and then, of course, he would get rich by charging people for more taxes than they really owed.
This would mean that Zacchaeus would collect taxes from a widow who wouldn’t have enough to pay…and therefore put her out of her house…
…yes, he would have to rob, cheat and steal from many persons.
He would also have to give up his religion.
He would no longer have access to the Temple…
…and he would be hated…
…but he would be rich.
So, Zacchaeus chose to be rich.
How many folks are like Zacchaeus today?
How many folks have made the decision to sell their very souls for the world’s wealth…
…only to find that all the money in the world does not satisfy their needs?
So here we have Zacchaeus…
…he is rich, but lonely and hated…
…he is wealthy, but spiritually impoverished…
…and he knows it.
Remember the first thing Jesus said during the Sermon on the Mount?
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
J.B. Phillips, a man who translated the New Testament into Modern English, puts it this way:
“Happy are those who understand their spiritual poverty. They have already entered the Kingdom of Reality.”
So Zachaeus, the tax collector understands that his life is not complete…something is missing…something VERY BIG and VERY IMPORTANT IS MISSING!
Do any of us feel as if something VERY BIG AND VERY IMPORTANT IS MISSING in our lives this morning?
If so, you may be like Zacchaeus, a person in search of God.
No doubt Zacchaeus had heard about Jesus, and he had probably heard what people were saying everywhere about Jesus: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Let’s hope and pray that the same is said about us!
So when Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was passing through Jericho, he wanted to see Jesus!…
…and he wanted to see Jesus so badly that he “ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him…”
I’ve been told that a sycamore tree has a slick bark, and it is always a long way to the first limb.
So this is a difficult tree to climb.
Therefore, Zacchaeus sweated it out but he finally got up the tree and settled down on a limb among the leaves.
He probably thought that he was secluded there—like he had his own private box for a parade.
And so he waited for Jesus, and sure enough Jesus came by…
…and much to Zacchaeus’ surprise…Jesus knew Zacchaeus was in that tree.
As a matter of fact, Jesus knew everything there is to know about Zacchaeus.
He knew that he was one of the lost sheep.
He knew that he was not living the kind of life that God had created him to live.
And He knew that Zacchaeus was an outcaste, a lonely and hated man…
…in search of something which would make him feel like a real human being again.
Remember another thing that Jesus said during His Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
So Jesus reaches the spot where this spiritually impoverished man is hiding in a sycamore tree…knowing that this man is hungering and thirsting for righteousness.
Jesus said to him: “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”
And what did Zacchaeus do?
“he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.”
And that is all he had to do.
Jesus did not force Himself into Zacchaeus’ home, but He certainly did ask him for a welcome.
And this is what Jesus is doing for all of us: “Here I am!” Jesus declares in Revelation Chapter 3, “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
I would imagine that nothing could have been farther from Zachaeus’ mind than that this Jesus from Galilee would choose to stay at his house!
I mean, in the crowd there must have been hundreds upon hundreds of upstanding citizens.
Out of all the priests of the Temple, out of all the well-to-do and respected citizens—Jesus chose to dine at the home of the most hated, and reviled member of this community…hmmm…
…let’s remember that, when we are trying to decide whether or not we should invite so and so to come to church or not…due to their lack of morals, and dirty deeds.
Of course, “All the people saw this and began to mutter” about Jesus: “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’”
But isn’t that what Jesus is all about?
Isn’t that the only reason He came to earth, and to the Cross…
…to become the guest of sinners?
Praise God, that we have a Savior Who wants to come and dine with us—Who is more than willing to overlook our sins and shortcomings—Who came not to judge the world but to save it!!!
How unlike Jesus are we when we pass judgment upon other sinners…thinking one sin is greater than another!!!
How much are we like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day when we look down on others—thinking we are the righteous ones---when all have sinned and have fallen short of God’s glory?
We should be humbled to the dust by our Christian faith.
And if we are not, then we had better re-examine our faith.
We should never ‘judge’ others.
Instead, we should walk this earth, so humbled by the love of Christ for sinners such as we, that we have only love for our fellow human beings—no matter what ‘sin’ they may be committing.
We are all in the same boat…
…are we not?
But there is something that none of us will ever be without Christ dining in our hearts and lives…
…that is, sinners, saved by grace…
…the lost, who Christ has found!
So Jesus goes to Zachaeus’ house, and there is a lapse of time—how much, we are not told.
Jesus had dinner with Zachaeus, but Jesus didn’t stay the night.
They shut the door and the crowd milled around outside and gossiped, but no one knew what went on inside.
Finally the door opened, and there stood Zacchaeus!
Something had happened to this man!!!
He admitted that he had been robbing the poor and promised to give half of his goods to the poor and to restore fourfold to those whom he had falsely taxed.
Something had happened inside Zacchaeus, and he was a new man!!!
What Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 5 was true for Zacchaeus—“if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
Is this true for us as well?
Zacchaeus’ parents had named him: “Pure.”
But somewhere along the way, Zacchaeus had made some horrible choices.
But one day, Zacchaeus was given that great privilege to make the most important choice of all…and he made the right one…he made the choice to repent, accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior, and turn from his old ways of life—Zacchaeus was born again!!!
Lloyd C. Douglas wrote this about what might have occurred inside Zachaeus’ house:
“Zachaeus,” said the carpenter gently, “what did you see that made you desire this peace?”
“Good Master—I saw—mirrored in your eyes—the face of the Zacchaeus I was meant to be!”
Have we seen—mirrored in Christ’s eyes—the face of the person God meant for us to be?
Jesus said to Zacchaeus: “Today salvation has come to this house…For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
Jesus is still entering and passing through the Jericho’s of this world…places like Newport News, Hampton, Smithfield…you name it!
And Jesus wants to have dinner with those who do not know Him.
Shall we tell others about this fact, so that they too may have the opportunity to run to see him?
And how about us?
Has Jesus entered your home…your heart?
He’s knocking.
Have you let Him in?
