Word of Salvation – Vol.38 No.08 – February 1993
Confronted By Jesus
Sermon by Rev. W. J. Bosker on Luke 19:1-10
Reading: Luke 18:31 – 19:10; 15:1-7
Dear congregation, brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ,
Luke, the historian, transports us into an unforgettable scene.
Jericho, the city of palm trees, has a delightful climate. Plentiful supplies of fresh water run from two springs.
Jericho is a good day’s walk from Jerusalem. It is situated at the junction of busy trade routes that lead north to Damascus, south to Egypt and west to the port cities of Joppa and Caesarea.
Jericho was famous for its tree-lined streets, rose gardens and balsam plantations which yielded a fragrant and soothing ointment noted for its healing properties.
Taxes were levied on traded goods and on the number of people living in a district. So Jericho was a tax man’s paradise and one of the three main tax centres in Israel.
The Roman government let out contracts for tax collecting. The highest bidder got the contract. He would subcontract the tax collections to a chief tax collector, who in turn would employ a number of collectors.
So the whole tax collection system was like a pyramid selling business. Each higher rung would skim off a handsome profit.
Zacchaeus, whose name literally means ‘the righteous one’, was a chief tax collector. He was effectively in charge of the entire tax district of Jericho and the area around it.
For the Jew, there couldn’t be a more despicable occupation. Fleecing your own countrymen to pay taxes to a foreign power. Using a commercially obtained licence to squeeze money from your fellow residents.
Can you see Zacchaeus in his counting house, counting all his money? What a rat! What a lousy way to earn a living!
As people walked past his residence you can hear them mumbling: ‘He bought that house with our money.’
Zacchaeus was building his own little kingdom. In our text he is confronted with the King of another kingdom.
Let’s also observe a couple of other points from the biblical context.
- Back in chapter 15 Jesus was again doing the unusual. He was criticised for mixing with those despised tax collectors and other ‘sinners’. So Jesus told three parables: The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin and The Lost Son. Do you see a connection between Zacchaeus and one of those parables? Yes – Zacchaeus is a lost sheep, isn’t he?
- Is it hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God? You bet it is! Jesus said it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. No wonder when the people heard this they said, ‘Who then can be saved?’ (18:26) To which Jesus replied: ‘What is impossible with men is possible with God.’
- Is it hard for a poor blind beggar to enter the kingdom of God? This is the opposite end of the spectrum, isn’t it?
A wise man once said:
‘Give me neither poverty nor riches,
But give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much
and disown you and say, Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonour the name of my God.’ (Prov.30:8,9).
What do we see in the verses immediately before our text?
A blind beggar pleads for mercy.
Christ gives him his sight.
The beggar belongs to the kingdom of God,
and God receives the glory! (18:31-34)
- We could say a lot more, but notice finally 18:31-34. Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem. What the Old Testament prophets said about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.
What will happen in Jerusalem?
Jesus will be mocked, insulted, flogged and killed.
On the third day He will rise again!
The disciples didn’t understand any of this at the time.
But we know what is happening, don’t we? Jesus is just over a week away from His death. He is already accomplishing what He came to do.
Luke is making the point which comes to its conclusion in verse 10 of our text.
‘For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.’
What is impossible with man is possible with God!
– Jesus is gathering the poor blind beggars.
– He is bringing home the despised rich tax collectors.
What does this suggest to you?
It means that no-one is beyond the reach of Jesus!
The blind beggar wasn’t. Zacchaeus wasn’t.
And neither are you!
That’s good news! The best news!
Let’s continue to examine our text.
Jesus had a reputation among the Jews for mixing with the dregs of society. A friend of tax collectors!
It didn’t take long for Zacchaeus to hear that Jesus had come to Jericho.
He wanted to see this Jesus. But he had a problem!
How can you see someone in a crowd when you cannot even see over the shoulders of the person in front of you?
You know what it is like. Standing on tip toes, trying to get a glimpse. The trouble is you can’t stay in that position for long!
So the man who knew how to make a quick dollar was resourceful enough to know how to see Jesus.
The tree-lined streets of Jericho were ideal. They suited Zacchaeus down to a tee. Low-lying branches coming from the trunk. Leaves like a mulberry tree, and fruit like a fig tree.
Ideal for climbing, especially if you’re short.
The leaf coverage of the tree was good for another purpose. You could see out of the tree, but a passer-by wouldn’t even know you were in it.
In verse 4 we read that Zacchaeus ran ahead of the crowd to such a tree. It’s the same word used for John outrunning Peter to see the tomb from which Christ had risen (John 20:4).
Zacchaeus was now positioned for the best possible view of Jesus. The resourceful tax collector had done it again!
What do you think was going on in Zacchaeus’ mind? Curiosity? Yes: Who was this Jesus, friend of tax collectors?
But he faced so many obstacles:
– His occupation wasn’t anything to brag about.
– Little respect in the community.
– Wealthy, but was he really happy?
– Even his physical shape and stature was a disadvantage.
There are probably lots of people who are curious about Jesus in our community. They wouldn’t mind seeing Jesus for themselves.
They too face lots of obstacles. You may have plenty of possessions, but are you really happy? Do people look down on your job? Don’t feel you have much respect? Your physical shape and size is a disadvantage?
Curious about Jesus, but not really interested in the Church
Could it be that they don’t see enough of Jesus in the Church?
What this text teaches us is this:
God is at work in the most unlikely people.
The Holy Spirit is active.
Silently working away, preparing hearts to receive the Lord Jesus Christ.
Zacchaeus, with all his quirks and bad reputation is being drawn by God even through his curiosity, to see Jesus.
The work of preparing hearts is God’s. It highlights His grace to the undeserving.
That becomes so obvious in verse 5.
Zacchaeus could see Jesus. He set his eyes on this Friend of tax collectors. His immediate ambition was fulfilled.
‘I’ve seen Him for myself.’ Zacchaeus thought.
Protected by the leafy branches, he saw the Man he’d been looking for.
But what’s happening now?
Instead of passing under the tree and continuing through Jericho, Jesus stops right beneath Zacchaeus!
He didn’t only stop. Jesus looked right up into the tree! His eyes looked into Zacchaeus’ surprised face.
Jesus called him by name!
‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately! I must stay at your house today.’
There’s only one way you can understand this command of Jesus. Christ personally confronted Zacchaeus with the claim of His Lordship.
Luke is talking about the kingdom of God. How it shows itself, how you enter it and who receives the praise.
The heart of a most unlikely subject had been prepared by the Holy Spirit.
Everybody else had written Zacchaeus off. They avoided him because he was a great sinner.
Scripture says that Jesus ‘looked up’.
A kind, inviting and gentle smile.
Eyes full of grace.
An image Zacchaeus could never forget!
At Christ’s command, the stumpy chief tax collector hurried down the tree and stood in front of Jesus.
God the Father was calling Zacchaeus into His kingdom. He had appointed His Son Jesus Christ to come past this tree for that very purpose.
Jesus confronted Zacchaeus with a royal invitation. The Holy Spirit, already at work in this tax collector caused him to jump for joy at Jesus’ words.
Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus not only into his home, but also into his heart.
A lost sheep had been found!
Zacchaeus may not have been fully aware of what was happening to him, but already in heaven there was great rejoicing over one sinner who came to repentance.
This passage is very instructive for us.
– the grace of God to the undeserving is highlighted.
– the initiative begins with God in preparing hearts to receive the gospel.
– Jesus the Good Shepherd looks for His sheep. He seeks us out.
– Jesus doesn’t only know you by name.
He also knows the condition of your heart.
Christ issues the royal claim of His Lordship.
How great to know that He takes the initiative!
When Christ extends the royal invitation, He also supplies the grace for us to accept.
That’s what we so clearly see in Zacchaeus. He welcomed Jesus with rejoicing. The grace gift of joy is the work of Christ’s Spirit.
May we never be reluctant to extend the royal invitation of Christ to others.
We let so many opportunities go by. We lack faith in God’s ability to back up His word with action. We are ashamed of what people might think of us.
How many hearts has God prepared to hear the message of Christ? Who is going to stake His royal claim if you don’t?
God has chosen to issue His royal invitation through people like us! We are simply His messengers.
The work of changing hearts is His. When will we wake up to this truth?
At Jesus’ invitation Zacchaeus’ problems weren’t yet over. Another hurdle presented itself.
As the two of them made their way to Zacchaeus’ house, the crowd also turned against Jesus.
They misunderstood Jesus. With blind, self-righteous jealousy they murmured like their forefathers in the desert.
‘Doesn’t Jesus know what He is doing?’
‘Sharing the same roof with such a sinner!’
The word Luke uses for ‘being a guest’ or ‘finding lodging’ is similar to the word he uses to describe where Jesus was born (vs7; cf 2:7).
The Lord Jesus is used to staying in strange places. When there was no room in the inn, the manger was His resting place. Now a sinner’s mansion is the place where the sinless Son of Man rests His head.
When Zacchaeus heard the crowd’s grumbling, he sensed that the crowd was now also against Jesus.
Zacchaeus knew it was because of him that the crowd murmured against Jesus.
The reaction we see in this tax collector is proof of his conversion! Zacchaeus sides with Jesus because he sees his own unworthiness.
When we truly see Christ, we see ourselves.
The Spirit who works faith in our hearts, also works repentance. Zacchaeus doesn’t need to be told about sin. With eyes focused on Jesus, he sees himself in a mirror.
Repentance and the joy of sins forgiven is the mark of a child of God.
A converted sinner will always give evidence of his conversion. That is what we see in verse 8.
There is an intended contrast between Zacchaeus and the rich young ruler.
Zacchaeus confesses that he has defrauded people.
‘If I have cheated anybody,’ is a statement of fact, not an attempted cover-up.
His genuine sincerity is shown by how he rights his wrongs. To understand this we need to look at the Old Testament.
– The Old testament laws stated that if you deceive or cheat someone you must return what was stolen or taken by extortion and add 1/5th (20%) on top of it (Lev. 6:1f).
– If you stole an ox, donkey or sheep and it is found alive in your possession, the law required you to pay back double (Ex.22:4).
– If you stole a sheep and slaughtered it, or sold it to another person, the law required you to pay back four times what you stole (Ex.22:1)
Zacchaeus didn’t take the easy way out. He didn’t seek minimum restitution.
He judged himself harshly as a sign of true repentance. In addition to a fourfold restitution, he pledged to give half of all he owned to the poor.
Knowing Zacchaeus’ sincerity he would do this after he paid back what he owed, otherwise he would be giving away what was not his.
Zacchaeus, the public robber now becomes the helper of the poor.
The rich young ruler was not willing to part with his riches. He thought he’d led a good life. The grace of God was not operating in his life.
Zacchaeus does what only God’s grace allows him to do.
Jesus then confirms the spiritual status of this reborn tax collector.
“Today salvation (full and free) has come to this house, because this man, too, is a (true) son of Abraham’ (v9).
Up to this time, the Lord Jesus has not said very much. The Holy Spirit usually works in silence!
Man likes to make a lot of noise and draw attention to himself. How unlike Christ we are in our evangelism and witnessing.
Quietly, the power of God is at work. Jesus doesn’t hammer people into the ground, rubbing in their sin.
When we are confronted with the real Jesus, the Jesus of mercy and compassion, the Jesus who goes out seeking and saving the lost sheep, we see ourselves as we really are.
We cannot do the work of salvation ourselves. We must simply confront people with Jesus and His claim over their lives.
As Christ’s people, we must represent Jesus to others. Our speech, attitudes, lifestyle and compassion must be Christ-like, if we claim to follow Him.
That’s why Jesus stood out in His day. That’s why the people listened to Him gladly.
He didn’t speak and act like the church leaders of His day, drawing attention to themselves.
Neither should we.
Lovingly confront people with the claims of Christ! Declare His kingship! Call people to repentance and faith!
Tell them that Jesus wants to come to their house today.
But do it like a father looking for his lost son. Do it like a shepherd looking for the sheep that is bewildered and has lost its way.
Luke tells us that as Jesus entered Jericho a blind beggar received his sight and entered into the kingdom of God.
As Jesus was passing through Jericho a rich and despised tax collector was also called to enter the kingdom of God.
When Jesus passed through Jericho He went on to Jerusalem.
There He was crucified on a rugged cross. In Him our sins were nailed to the tree. The shepherd lay down His life for the sheep.
On the third day He rose again from the dead. Victory over death is His.
Confront people with Christ. Just as Jesus confronted Zacchaeus!
No-one is beyond His reach.
Leave the result to our gracious God. He knows what He is doing. He can soften the hardest heart.
Remember the bottom line of this passage!
The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.
It’s not your work. It’s His. So that He may have the glory.
The wonder of His grace is that Jesus has entrusted you to be His royal messenger!
AMEN