To Make A Long Story Short

TITLE: TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT

SCRIPTURE: ST. LUKE 19:1-10

On one particular day as Jesus was passing through Jericho, He met a man named Zacchaeus. This encounter is one of the most interesting narratives of the Gospels because of the tremendous application to the great majority of people.

• Scottish Pastor and scholar of biblical biographies, GEORGE MATHESON, described the paradox of this narrative as UNIQUELY COMMON

• Zacchaeus is spectacular because he is not like other characters who encountered Christ

• He was not called as the disciples were

• Nor was Zacchaeus suffering from some kind of affliction

• What makes Zacchaeus so special is that he was an average man

• Although he was very short or of little stature – he was just an average person

This is a fairly brief account found in our text, but it is packed with a whole lot of detail. We actually know more about Zacchaeus from these 10 short verses than we know about most of Jesus’ disciples from all four gospels.

• Most of us probably can not name all 12 disciples

• You probably can’t tell me a whole lot about Nathaniel or the other James or even the other Judas

• In fact, you might not even know that amongst Jesus’ disciples there were two named James and two named Judas

• But if you grew up in church you can probably tell me much about Zacchaeus

For starters, you probably know he was - short.

• We also know what he did for a living? - He was a Tax Collector

• But not just any old tax collector

• Zacchaeus was the Chief Tax Collector

• Zacchaeus was rather Wealthy

• He was not well liked by the people

• In fact, in VS. 7, they, the crowd come right out and call him a “Sinner”

Zacchaeus was short in stature. People recognized him by his size. Maybe you know some people who are identified by some physical characteristic. You make judgments about people because they are –

• Tall

• Pretty

• Have Black or blonde hair

• Bald

• Hard on the Eyes

• Fat

• Thin

• Rich

• Poor

The sad reality in our Western Culture is we often assign value to a person based on physical appearance. But Jesus does not call on Zacchaeus based upon any physical characteristic. He called Zacchaeus by name! There is a song that comes on the radio that I simply love. The artist is Tasha Cobbs Leonard entitled “You Know My Name.”

He knows my name

He knows my name

He knows my name

Yes He knows my name

And oh how He walks with me

Yes oh how He talks with me

And oh how He tells me

That I am His own

Jesus illustrated how we should relate to people and how God relates to us. God knows our name. The Bible says in NUMBERS 6:25 that God desires his face to shine upon you. A shining face is a beautiful description of someone who is happy to see you. I was home in NJ last month for my 40th High School Reunion. Our daughter, Nicole did not tell the children I was in NJ. When I drove up to their home and the grandchildren saw me, the look on their faces as they ran to hug me was priceless. This is what God is saying to us, that His face shines when He sees us!

In our text we find, Jesus “ENTERED JERICHO AND WAS PASSING THROUGH.” Jericho was a very wealthy and important town.

• William Barclay notes that -- It had a great palm forest and world-famous balsam groves which perfumed the air for miles around

• Its gardens of roses were known far and wide

• Men called it ‘The City of Palms.’

• Josephus called it ‘a Divine Region,’ ‘the fattest in Palestine’

• The Romans carried its dates and balsam to world-wide trade and fame

• Still another commentator says that “Herod the Great and his son Archelaus had made it even more beautiful

• A grand winter palace had been built there

• Some of the streets were lined with sycamore trees

• The climate was delightful

Jericho was one of the high density trading centers, there were routes going North - East - West - and South, it was a busy, busy place. It would be even more busy now, as the streets are full of pilgrims headed toward Jerusalem for Passover and for our Lord to become the Passover Lamb and their give his life for us.

But with the multitude of people coming to and leaving Jericho, the businesses thrived. In addition, for the Roman government, it was a lush center for taxation.