LUKE 19:5 - 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
WHO WAS ZACCHEUS?
Zaccheus was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. In Biblical times, tax collectors were considered by Jews to be traitors and extortionist who stole from the people. The Romans subcontracted the task of collecting taxes for a particular area to the highest bidder. They would be the chief tax collector who hired tax collectors to collect taxes in their local area. They often charged fraudulent charges, over charged and brought false charges in order to extort money from the people. Because they were essentially employed by the Roman government, they had the Roman army at their disposal. They collected as much taxes as they could and over charged were only required to pay the government the agreed upon amount based on their winning bid. They were hated by both the Romans and their own people. Matthew was also a tax collector, although he was not a chief tax collector as Zaccheus was.
As a chief tax collector, Zaccheus was a rich man but also hated with a passion by his own people for being a traitor working for the Romans and because of the notorious corruption the name of tax collectors carried.
THE STORY –
Jesus is traveling back to Jerusalem and approaching Jericho
HOW WAS HIS LIFE TRANSFORMED AFTER ENCOUNTERING JESUS?
V8 - But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
The Bible tells us that once we come into Christ, our old ways are a thing of the past. 2 Corinthians 5:17 - 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Zaccheus was a changed man. In those days, tax collectors were known as the worst of all sinners and were considered unclean. For such a man to have such a change of heart and pay back four times the amount for the wrong he has done takes a life transforming event.
In addition to Zaccheus, we can assume that the people of Jericho
WHAT LESSONS CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS ENCOUNTER?
· Zaccheus wanted to see who Jesus was for himself.
· You go to extreme measures to meet someone you’re interested in.
· When it comes to meeting Jesus, it doesn’t matter how wealthy of a man or woman you are. You have to humble yourself.
· When you’re serious about meeting Jesus, even a rowdy crowd won’t stop you until you accomplish that goald (see woman with issue of blood in Luke 8:43).
· When you meet Jesus, people talk about you and Jesus (Luke 19:7).
· Jesus didn’t come to save those who are already with Him, He can to save those who needed Him.
· People always remember people for their past sins and not see any potential for them to have a change of heart.
FINAL WORD – WHAT CAN WE APPLY IN OUR OWN WALK FROM THIS ENCOUNTER?
Life comes with many difficult obstacle courses that are hard to deal with alone. However, there are some things in life worth pursuing even if it will not be well received by the masses. As a tax collector who had a burning desire to meet Jesus, Zaccheus didn’t care what people would think of him and how they would judge him. Here he was a wealthy man, running and climbing on a tree to get a glimpse of Jesus. He undoubtedly heard about Jesus turning water into wine and the other miracles Jesus performed. But he was not satisfied with just hearing about what Jesus could do. He wanted to experience Jesus himself. His heart to seek Jesus brought him something the riches of collecting tax could not buy him – eternal life.
As we read and hear of testimonies of how meeting with Jesus has changed lives, let us all have a heart to seek Jesus to see what He’s all about. And just as He did with Zaccheus because he wanted to see Him, He’ll pay us a personal visit that will change us for life.
Next Week: Nicodemus (John 3:1-21)
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