Salvation Comes to the House of Zacchaeus

One of the simple signs that shows a person’s heart has been transformed by God’s grace is rejoicing in the salvation of the most despised sinners. We see this in Jesus’ encounter with the despised tax collector, Zacchaeus. When Jesus eats with Zacchaeus, the crowds grumble, exposing their ungrateful and judgmental hearts. But Zacchaeus’ heart is transformed, and shows itself in his generosity and desire to make restitution. Let’s walk through this encounter with the Thru the Bible Commentary as our guide.

Jesus Enters Jericho and Home of Zacchaeus

Remember that at the time of this incident, the Lord Jesus Christ is on His way to Jerusalem to die on the cross. On His way, He goes through Jericho.

And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.” Luke 19:1

Luke tells us that Jesus had been over in Samaritan country. When He left Samaria, He headed toward Jerusalem. He seems to be off the beaten path—but is He? He goes to Jericho because there is a sinner there. In fact, there are two or three sinners in Jericho. The Lord is going after them. If you miss the movement here, you will miss the entire message of this passage.

Jericho was the city that God had given into the hand of Joshua. A curse was placed on whoever would rebuild it. The man who rebuilt it in the days of Ahab reaped the curse in all its fulness. In Jesus’ day it was like a resort area, the Las Vegas of that time. Many people spent their vacations there. Here the publicans lived. The publicans were like the modern Mafia. They were tax gatherers and were despised.

We are told that Jesus “entered and passed through Jericho.” He also entered and passed through this world. He did not come to earth to stay but to die. I entered this world to live, and I would like to live a long time. But Jesus’ only purpose in coming to earth was to die for the sins of the world. This tremendous movement is mirrored in the fact that He entered and passed through Jericho. Do not miss that.

The Conversion of Zacchaeus

And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.” Luke 19:2

We learn three things about this man in verse two. The Spirit of God has a way—with one flourish of the pen—of telling us all we need to know about a person.

1. The first thing we learn about this man is that his name is Zacchaeus.

When I found out that his name meant “pure,” I began to laugh, and my wife came into my study to find out what was so funny. Imagine a publican who was pure! His parents name him that as a baby. His father and mother looked down at him and thought he was the most precious little fellow in the world. When he grew up, I think there was a lot of fun in Jericho when people used his name. They would say, “Hello, Pure.” What a name for a tax gatherer!

2. Zacchaeus was a chief among publicans.

His parents never dreamed he would turn out this way. One dark night he had to decide whether or not he would sell out to Rome. As a publican he would have to pay Rome a stated amount for a certain territory in which he would gather taxes. Then, of course, he would gather more taxes than he paid Rome, which made him rich. Zacchaeus was the leader among the publicans. He had given up his religion and had no more access to the temple. He was probably the publican who stood afar off, and smote his breast, as he said, “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13). Zacchaeus wanted a mercy seat to which he could come as a poor sinner. He wanted to come back to God.

3. Zacchaeus was rich.

He made his profession pay. He did not conduct his business half-heartedly. If he went to collect taxes from a widow who could not pay, he would put her out of the house. If a man could not pay enough, he would take out a mortgage on the place. He had robbed many people. Although he had once made a decision to become a publican, he found out that all the wealth in the world would not satisfy his heart. He wished he could go back and start over. He had gone down a one-way street and he knew of no way to get back to the mercy seat. Zacchaeus wanted mercy, and our Lord knew that. The Lord went to Jericho for the purpose of helping this man. He wanted to take Zacchaeus with Him, not to Jerusalem, but to the cross for salvation.

And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.” Luke 19:3

A friend of mine who is a seminary professor is puzzled about whether there was one blind man or two blind men in Jericho. (His problem is that Matthew tells of two blind men who were healed in Jericho, while Luke speaks of only one.) I kiddingly told him once that there were two blind men and that I could prove it from the Bible. The second blind man was Zacchaeus because the Bible says, “He could not see for the press.” Zacchaeus was a small man. He had eyes but they were too close to the ground. He did what I used to do every New Year’s day at the Rose Parade. I would climb up a ladder and look over the heads of everyone in front of me at the parade. Zacchaeus was not able to find a ladder; so he climbed up into a sycamore tree.

And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.” Luke 19:4

When I was in Jericho, I took a good look at a sycamore tree. It has a slick bark, and it is always a long way to the first limb. This is a difficult tree to climb, and I think this little man had a hard time climbing a tree like this. Zacchaeus sweated it out but finally got up the tree and settled down on a limb among the leaves. He thought he was secluded there, and he had a private box for the parade. He waited. Sure enough, Jesus came by. Our Lord knew he was there. Jesus was passing through Jericho to reach him.

And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, make haste, and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy house.” Luke 19:5

When our Lord looked up into that sycamore tree and saw Zacchaeus, I think He laughed. It is true that the text does not say that He did, but it is difficult to read this account without seeing the humor in it. The Lord looked into that tree as if to say, “Well, Zacchaeus, you wanted to see Me. You really worked hard to get up into that tree. Now make haste and come down.” Make haste? This poor fellow had spent half a day getting up into the tree! But it did not take long for him to get down. It is always easier to come down than to go up.

Our Lord said to him, “I must abide at thy house.” Our Lord did not stop at the mayor’s house; He did not stop at the home of a Pharisee; He did not stop at the home of any prominent person. He was going home with a publican!

And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.” Luke 19:6–7

Zacchaeus was having fun now. For him it was a joyful occasion, but “they” murmured. Who are “they”? They are the gossiping crowd. They were saying, “Can you imagine that He is going to dinner at the house of a man who is a sinner?”

There was a lapse of time—how much, we don’t know. Jesus had dinner with Zacchaeus, but He did not stay all 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.

And he stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.” Luke 19:8

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. He was acting according to the Mosaic Law (see Exod. 22). Something had happened inside Zacchaeus, and he was a new man.

We are not given an account of the conversation between Zacchaeus and our Lord. For some reason the Holy Spirit did not give us an account of what transpired between these two men. However, when our Lord talked to men He usually spoke of two things: (1) man’s need and (2) God’s ability to meet that need. He did not have to tell Zacchaeus that he was a sinner. Zacchaeus knew he was a sinner, and so did everyone else. The Lord told him there was a remedy for sin. He said, “I am going to Jerusalem to die on the cross so that there will be a mercy seat for you, Zacchaeus.”

And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.” Luke 19:9

Zacchaeus was shut out from the mercy seat in the temple when he became a publican. That mercy seat pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ and to His blood that He shed for us on the cross. The Lord wanted this hated man to know that He was going to Jerusalem to die, and His death would provide for him a mercy seat. This publican made a decision for Christ and became a new man.

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10

Note that Zacchaeus did not come to the door and say, “I want to give my testimony: Jesus saves and keeps and satisfies.” Rather he said, “Half my goods I will give to the poor, and I will make right the things that have been wrong.” By this I know he has been converted. And, friend, this is the only way the world will know that you are converted. They do not know it by testimony; they know it only by what they see in your life. If it were not for his changed life, I would never know that this old publican got converted.

The experience of Zacchaeus is a good illustration of what James says: “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18). Zacchaeus showed his faith by his works. He did not talk about his faith; he demonstrated it. The world is not listening for something today; it is looking for something. Zacchaeus had what the world is looking for. Jesus had dinner with him and his life changed.

Jesus is still entering and passing through your town wherever it is, and He wants to have dinner with those who do not know Him. He wants to talk about your soul and salvation. What about it? Has He passed through your home? Has He knocked on your heart’s door? Have you let Him in?

Thru the Bible Commentary – Simple and Thorough Commentary

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