September 15, 2019

Luke 19:1-10 - The Salvation of Zacchaeus

 1 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.
 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.
 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.
 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him,[fn] and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”
 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.
 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”
 8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”
 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;
10 “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Main Topics/Questions

Please consider the following topics/questions as you listen to the sermon:
1. What are some interesting things the Bible has to say about Zacchaeus?
2. How does Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death." relate to Zacchaeus’ misdeeds and to the sins of us all?
3. What is Zacchaeus looking for? What does he need? How does that relate to us?
4. What are some interesting things about sycamore trees? What is the important reason that Zacchaeus climbed the tree?
5. What important lessons do we learn from Luke 19:5 and John 1:12-13?
6. How do these verses relate to Luke 19:5?

Acts 17:30-31 says,

30  Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,
31  because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.

Acts 3:19,

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,

Acts 2:38,

Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Mark 1:15 Jesus says,

 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

7. What is the timeline of the stories of Bartimaeus and Zacchaeus?
8. How does Luke 19:8-10 relate to the following verses?

Ephesians 2:8-10

 8  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
 9  not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

9. What are the requirements in Leviticus 6:5 and Numbers 5:7 and Exodus 22:1 about how much thieves are required to restore? What might we learn from what Zacchaeus chose to do?

Conclusion:
Soon Jesus will be in Jerusalem where He will suffer, die, and rise again, but before that happens Zacchaeus becomes the fulfillment of many things has Jesus taught earlier. Let me give you some examples: What does Zacchaeus’ name mean again? It means “pure” or “innocent.” What did Jesus say in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:8? Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.  Zacchaeus’ heart wasn’t pure at first, but it became pure through Christ’s forgiveness and He saw God just like all believers will see God after we take our last breath.

Here’s something else the Bible teaches us that is fulfilled in Zacchaeus: In Luke 19:9 Jesus says salvation has come to Zacchaeus because he is a son of Abraham. Now we know that all Jews (including Zacchaeus) are physically descended from Abraham, but near the beginning of our study of this book we read in Luke 3:8, "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones."

This teaching is further explained in Galatians 3:6-9,

6  just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."
7  Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.
8  And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed."
9  So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

According to Jesus whether or not you are physically descended from Abraham is irrelevant when it comes to salvation. What matters instead is you being a spiritual descendant of Abraham in that you have faith in God just like Abraham did, because only faith can save you. Salvation comes to Zacchaeus because he is a spiritual son of Abraham. Are you?
What else have we been taught that is fulfilled in Zacchaeus? Not long ago we studied Luke 18:16-17 which reads,

16  But Jesus called them to Him and said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.
17  Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."

Zacchaeus climbed a tree just to see Jesus. And as I said before climbing a tree was considered childish behavior back then especially for someone of Zacchaeus’ status. Yet Zacchaeus did it. He looks toward Jesus as a little child looks toward their parents and that’s exactly the level of faith and trust it takes in order to be saved.
But there’s one more thing Jesus taught that is fulfilled in Zacchaeus. Look at Luke 18:24-27,

24  And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!
25  For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
26  And those who heard it said, "Who then can be saved?"
27  But He said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."

The rich young synagogue ruler walked away from Jesus without salvation showing just how hard it is for the rich (as well as everyone else for that matter) to be saved. Indeed it is easier for a literal camel to go through the literal eye of a needle than for a rich person to find eternal life. And a camel going through the eye of needle alive is impossible, but things that are impossible for us are possible for the Almighty God who made us. The rich young synagogue ruler didn’t get saved, but by the almighty power of God the rich thief Zacchaeus does. And if Jesus Christ can forgive him, what makes you think that He can’t forgive you?
Jesus “has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” And if that doesn’t make you praise God I don’t know what will.

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Do you feel an emptiness in your life? Are you seeking answers but don't know where to look? Have you ever wondered if you are good enough? Please read the summary of the gospel message, "Four Things You Need to Know About God"

Please send an email to the Pastor if you have questions.