WWUTT 2467 Jesus Visits the House of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10)

Jesus Heals the Blind Man and Visits Zacchaeus

Jesus came to the house of a man named Zacchaeus, who was a tax collector. He had defrauded people, but Zacchaeus said, anything that I've taken from anybody I restore it fourfold. And Jesus said of him, today salvation has come to this house, justified by faith when we understand the text.

This is When We.

Understand the Text, a daily study of God's Word that we may be filled with the knowledge of His will. For questions and comments send us an email to whenweunderstandthetext at gmail .com. Here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe.

Thank.

You, Becky. In our study of the Gospel of Luke, we are on to chapter 19, starting this chapter with the famous account of Jesus in the house of Zacchaeus. I'm reading from Luke 19 verses 1 through 10.

Hear the word of the Lord. Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through, and behold there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich, and he was seeking to see who Jesus was.

But on account of the crowd, he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.

So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, he has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.

And Jesus said to him, today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. You know the old Sunday school song with this one, right?

Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he. And 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.

I grew up with that song. Maybe you did as well. Perhaps it was even going through your head as I was reading this account. It's a short story most known for, perhaps, Zacchaeus being a wee little man, but it should be most known for the fact that this man was justified by faith alone.

Let's consider that as we look at the narrative. To recap, remember that yesterday we finished up Luke 18, where Jesus was going to Jericho, and he passed by a blind man who was on the side of the road.

Here's Jesus passing by, calls out to him, and says, Lord, let me recover my sight. So Jesus says, recover your sight. Your faith has made you well, or literally your faith has saved you. And immediately he could see, and he followed Jesus, glorifying God, and all the people, when they saw it, they gave praise to God.

So this is that same journey. Now Jesus comes into Jericho, and I have to wonder if that blind man is part of that crowd that is with Jesus when Zacchaeus wants to see him passing by. Perhaps he's right there.

We start the chapter with Jesus in Jericho. He entered Jericho and was passing through. And remember, this is all a part of that narrative of Jesus going on his way to Jerusalem, where he is eventually going to be crucified and will rise again from the dead.

That is the trip that he is on. Jericho is on the way, but it's not an easy way. From Jericho to Jerusalem, you're actually ascending in elevation. I don't know if you remember back to Luke 10, where Jesus told the parable of the good Samaritan.

He said in his parable that there was a man who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. I can't remember if I said this back in Luke 10 or not, but Jericho was like 3 ,000 feet lower in elevation. It was below sea level, really.

And Jerusalem itself was about 2 ,500 feet above sea level. So it's a rocky journey. You're going through mountains and hills on the way down to Jericho. And here, where Jesus is visiting Jericho, he's going to actually have to go up from here.

So it's going to be a difficult journey, not the easiest route to get to Jerusalem, but by the providence of God. Here he is to heal this blind man on the side of the road, and here he is to visit the house of Zacchaeus.

So this is certainly the guidance of the Spirit that has brought Jesus to this place. As I had said yesterday, the Spirit always with Jesus throughout his earthly ministry. I also mentioned yesterday that Jericho was a significantly different city than the one that we read about in the book of Joshua.

It's still in that same location, but it wasn't built on top of the old Jericho, which the Lord had said no one would ever build on top of again. This city was built by Herod, and he made it a great fortress.

He had aqueducts that he had built around the city and had built a winter palace there. So he would go on vacation there in the wintertime. Because Jericho was so much lower in elevation, it had a more tropical climate.

A lot of good agriculture around that area as well. There was a hippodrome that was there, so you had chariot races and a lot of big games. So this was a favorite spot of Herod. It was kind of his home away from home.

So Zacchaeus is a well known tax collector there. In fact, Luke tells us he was a chief tax collector, so he's even in charge of all these other tax collectors. The defrauding that was going on by the tax collectors at that time, Zacchaeus would have overseen a lot of that.

Remember that I've mentioned to you about tax collectors is that they were Jews, and they worked for Rome. So the Jews thought of them as traitors. You're collecting taxes, even taking a little bit extra off the top.

They're adding to the taxes that they were supposed to be collecting so that they could take something for themselves and make themselves rich. And Zacchaeus is exactly that kind of guy. Luke even tells us there was a man named Zacchaeus.

He was a chief tax collector and was rich. How did he get rich? Defrauding people. Ripping them off. Verse 3, he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not because he was small in stature.

Maybe he was a short man. Maybe he was a dwarf. We don't know for sure, but he was not able to see over the crowd. And so he runs on ahead, climbs up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about, Jesus was about to pass that way.

Jesus, of course, very famous, has this whole crowd around him. Even the blind man, when Jesus was passing by, knew of him and was calling out to him. Zacchaeus wants to see the Savior. This is Jesus' first visit to Jericho.

So he's climbing up in a tree, almost like a person is trying to get the best vantage point in the midst of a parade. And he's looking to see Jesus, who is passing by. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.

The Savior, who searches hearts and minds and knows what is in the heart of every person, knew exactly who Zacchaeus was and called him out by name and said that I'm coming to your house. And what was Zacchaeus' response to this?

He hurried and came down and received him joyfully. But when the people saw it, and it's kind of vague here, the way that it's worded in English anyway, in Luke 19 7, when they saw it, they all grumbled.

So it doesn't say who they are, but we would most likely assume them to have been the Pharisees, the scribes and the Pharisees, Jesus' opponents, of course. We've seen previously in Luke's gospel how they would hate that Jesus would spend time with tax collectors and sinners.

So here he is again, associating with the riffraff, you know, not even poor people, not even the destitute or the outcast or the people that had to be outside the city, like the blind beggar was. This man is rich, he is loaded, and he is very well-to-do and connected with the upper echelon of the people in society.

He rubs shoulders with Romans. So it's the Pharisees hate him, of course. And remember what I've said previously about the Pharisees. The Pharisees are actually beloved by the people. We tend to have a picture of the Pharisees as being the oppressors.

And Jesus is the sheriff that comes into town. And he's going to pass a new law and order, you know, he's going to kick out the Pharisees who are burdening people with their laws. And here Jesus comes with a message of grace.

And that tends to be the the view that we have of the relationship with the Pharisees and the people. But the people actually liked the Pharisees, they were the religious leaders. So when it comes to how I can have a right relationship with God, how can I know that God's favor is upon me, I'm going to do whatever the Pharisees tell me to do.

We still have Pharisees in our world today. Roman Catholic priests are the the top tier Pharisees of today. Also, the priests of Eastern Orthodoxy be the same sort of thing. They impose all of these laws and religious rules on people.

They'll tell folks, you got to say this many our fathers and this many Hail Mary's, you have to go to confession, you need to do this, you need to acknowledge that Mary is the Queen of Heaven, all these rules that are not in the Bible anywhere.

And they will impose these things on people and they burden the people with these rules, with these laws that God did not even command. But how do people generally see Roman Catholic priests? I mean, even when you watch, you see them as characters in movies or in TV shows, they're generally presented favorably.

I mean, sometimes not, sometimes they're bad guys, and they can be a villain of a story. But a lot of times Roman Catholicism is portrayed favorably. It's the Protestant preachers that are almost always the bad guys in some of these shows and movies.

I can't even remember the last time a Protestant preacher was a good guy in a movie. So by the public's standpoint, from the public viewpoint, Roman Catholic priests are still perceived favorably, despite even all the scandal and the sexual abuse, scandals and things like that have been going on in Roman Catholic churches all over the world, not even just in the United States.

Despite all of that, and the reputation that that has developed for the Roman Catholic Church, they're still perceived favorably. When the new Pope was crowned, wasn't really crowned, but you know what I mean?

When the new Pope was chosen earlier this year, it was a worldwide media event. Everyone is watching to see who the next Holy Father is going to be. I put that in air quotes, not really a Holy Father.

But there's this perception that he gets us closer to God. My priest gets me closer to God. So even though the Roman Catholic Church is apostate, the gospel is hidden, they impose all these rules which cannot save you.

Yet the people have a positive view of the of the Roman Catholic Church. And it would be the same sort of a thing with the Pharisees. Even though the Pharisees had the law, even though they taught the people the way of Moses, and Jesus even said, you know, if you remember back to Matthew 23, whatever the Pharisees tell you, do, because they sit in the seat of Moses.

Now, Jesus meant that only in so far as they're actually proclaiming the Word of God, according to what was written down by Moses. Don't do what they do, he said, you listen to what they say, but you don't do what they do.

So they were still teachers, they still had the law, it's not like people had the law of Moses in their homes, so that they could go home and read their Bibles, they, they had to go to the synagogue in order to hear the Pharisees or the scribes or whoever else proclaimed to them the Word of God, the Pharisees were well connected with the people.

And so the people probably sympathize with the Pharisees here in verse seven, when the Pharisees grumble and say that Jesus has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner. The people don't like the tax collectors.

They rob from us, they take my money. So yeah, what is Jesus doing with the tax collectors? Why? Why doesn't he rebuke that guy? Why doesn't he call him out for the evil wicked scum that he is? So there's probably several people that are there with the Pharisees.

So when they saw it, they all grumbled. It's not just the Pharisees, but maybe even other people that are standing there with him. The whole crowd is with Jesus. There may have been people among that crowd.

They had been following Jesus for a while. But now when they see Jesus going into the house of Zacchaeus, they're going, well, hang on a second, this isn't what I signed up for. We hadn't been doing this before.

Now suddenly, Jesus is going to the house of a tax collector. But of course, we know why. And this ties into the line that comes up in verse 10, Jesus saying, the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

This is why he goes into the house of Zacchaeus. Not because he's approving of Zacchaeus's behavior and the way that he would defraud people. When we say that Jesus hung out with tax collectors and sinners, it's not that he hung out with them to give approval to their sinful practices, but because the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

And Zacchaeus is certainly lost. So are the Pharisees, but they don't know they're lost. They think they're found. Remember what Jesus said previously in Luke 5 31, those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

And the Pharisees think they're well, so they're not looking for somebody to heal them. But here Zacchaeus receives the Lord joyfully, brings him into his house, and there in his home he stands up. Stands up from dinner or whatever they're doing, they're eating, and he says to the Lord, behold Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor.

And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold. Now this account with Zacchaeus, this is also set in contrast with what other story. We read this one not that long ago. It's the account of the rich ruler, just in the previous chapter.

It was just a few verses before. The rich ruler who says, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And when Jesus tells him to sell all that he has, give it to the poor, and then come follow me, and you will have treasure in heaven.

Then the rich ruler walks away sad, for he had many great possessions. He trusted in his stuff rather than in the Word of Christ. He would not give up his things. Here is Zacchaeus, who is by all accounts a pagan.

I mean, he's a Jewish man by heritage, but he's associated himself with the Romans. He doesn't even follow with his Jewish heritage, and the people see him as being a traitor and in league with the pagans, with those heathens, and yet it's Zacchaeus who stands up.

On his own, Jesus has not even said to him, if you want to have eternal life, you need to sell all that you have, give it to the poor, and then come follow me. Zacchaeus doesn't even give everything that he has away to the poor.

He just says to the Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold, which is not going to leave him with much. But also, this thing of Zacchaeus restoring it fourfold, this goes back to the law.

Exodus 22 .1, if a man steals an ox or a sheep and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. So if somebody has cost someone else his sheep, he's supposed to restore it fourfold.

And here is Zacchaeus, who is better at keeping the law than even the Pharisees are, when he says, whatever I have defrauded of anyone, I'm going to restore it fourfold. And again, that's not going to leave him with much, as he's giving away half his goods to the poor, and whatever I've defrauded, I'm gonna restore it fourfold, according to the law.

I'm gonna honor God. I'm gonna love people. And Jesus said to him, today, salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. And remember what is said of sons of Abraham, it is those who are of faith who are the children of Abraham.

We have that in Galatians 3 .7. So just because a person is a descendant of Abraham by heritage, doesn't mean that they are actually children of Abraham, but those who do the will of the Father in heaven.

And Zacchaeus is showing himself to be a true child of Abraham, which Jesus declares. Now, as I said in the beginning, Zacchaeus is justified by faith alone, not by works. How can I say that when Zacchaeus has just said that he's gonna give away all of his stuff, and then Jesus declares of him that salvation has come to this house?

Because Jesus says that of Zacchaeus before the man has done anything at all. He has not actually given half of his goods to the poor. He has not restored anything fourfold. He's just said that he is going to, but yet Jesus knowing his heart.

Remember again, Jesus even knew this was Zacchaeus, and I must come and eat at your house today. Jesus knows the man's heart, that it is genuine, and he is confessing with his mouth what has changed in his heart, so that Jesus affirms, today salvation has come to this house.

It was not by Zacchaeus's works. And I've heard this account thrown at me before. Zacchaeus gave away all that he had, and by his works, Jesus declared him saved. No, he didn't do anything at all. All he did was say that he was going to, but the Lord knew the genuineness of his confession, and so because of his faith, because he believed, like the blind man believed and was healed, like the rich young ruler would not believe, and so was not justified.

Here is Zacchaeus, who believes in the Lord who is in his house, and Jesus says of him, today salvation has come to this house. The Lord is with him in his house, dining and eating with him, fellowshipping with Zacchaeus.

Salvation has come to this house. Since he also, once again affirming the genuineness of who he is, he is also a son of Abraham, for the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. It's almost like Jesus is saying here, mission accomplished.

I came to Jericho to save this man, and he saved. This is who I came to Jericho to save. The blind man by the side of the road who wanted to see, and Jesus restored his sight. His eyes were opened by his faith.

Zacchaeus, who welcomed Jesus into his home, and by his faith, and his faith alone, he was justified. Oh, of course, he did good works. Yeah, right after that, he fulfills the word that he said that he would do.

We understand that from Luke 19, because Jesus said today salvation has come to this house. We know that Zacchaeus did it. He gave away half his goods, and whatever he had defrauded, he restored fourfold.

He did those things. His works demonstrated the genuineness of his confession, but he did those works because of his salvation, not to earn it. Those works didn't make him save. They were because he is saved.

Jesus came to his house and saved this man, because the son of man came to seek and to save the lost. For you and I, my friends, we are justified by faith alone. We are declared innocent and forgiven our sins.

Just as Jesus forgives this man's sins, he holds nothing against him. Salvation has come to this house. That's what that means. Whatever he had done in the past, the slate was wiped clean. You know that had to make the Pharisees angry as well.

How can you justify this wicked tax collector? It's not like the Pharisees and those people that would have been on their side would have been standing around going, oh wow, wasn't that just a neat moment?

I'm glad we were here to see that. No, they were angry. They would have been furious with Jesus declaring this man saved. But my friends, it's the only way we're saved. We are saved by grace through faith and not by works, as said in Ephesians 2, 8 and 9.

But if you are saved, you will do good works. You will show yourself as a worker approved. You will turn from your sin. You will desire to walk in the righteousness that Christ has clothed you in, if you are truly in fellowship with the Savior.

So today, whatever sins may be convicting your heart, confess them to God. Do not walk in them today any longer. Not because walking in righteousness saves you, but you walk in righteousness because you've been saved by the Savior who loves us, who sought us out and saved us, once lost and now I'm found, was blind but now I see, as we sing in amazing grace.

And we've seen that in these last two accounts, haven't we? The blind man who sees, the lost man who was saved. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your love for us. We could do nothing to save ourselves, not even by our works.

Yet you came to us. You sought us out. You saved us by your grace and your mercy. And so Lord, forgive us our sins and help us to walk in the way that is right, after our Savior who has called us to himself.

We put off any works of the flesh, anything that is contrary to the Spirit. May we be convicted of heart over that and we desire to walk in the Spirit and not in the works of the flesh. Forgive us and lead us in paths of righteousness for your name's sake.

It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

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