Zacchaeus was eager to see Jesus, suggesting that his interest went deeper than mere curiosity. Good News Translation He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was a little man and could not see Jesus because of the crowd. The Perean ministry of Jesus is detailed in detail in Lukes Gospel, chapters 10 through 19. And any sin, big or small, separates us from God. The government then collects the tax money that you pay on the book. That is what happened to Zacchaeus when he decided to repent and follow Jesus. Luke 19:3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but could not see over The tax collector was overjoyed, but the rest of the throng was enraged that Jesus would chose such a deplorable individual to greet Him (Matthew 9:11). Zacchaeus was characterised by his career as the top tax collector in the city of Jericho, which was in addition to his tiny size. When we believe this, repent, and follow Him, just like Zacchaeus did, Jesus will transform our life and transform us into something new and wonderful! He was a tax collector. Why was Zacchaeus saved according to Jesus? In the name of Jesus, I pray. 2. Because Zacchaeus was a Jew did not mean that he was born saved. Application: Zacchaeus was curious about Jesus and wanted to see with his PHYSICAL eyes what all the commotion was about. Jesus reached the spot where Zacchaeus was. vv. None of these things were comprehended by the disciples, according to verse 34. They just eat, eat, eat all the time. The new has come! The Bible story of Zacchaeus, a leading tax-collector of Jericho, is discussed only in the Book of Luke. The reason Jesus came was to assume responsibility for the moral and spiritual flaws of the world and, via His crucifixion, to be punished as a result of those shortcomings. cedarministryng@gmail.com, +234 815 574 4752 Mt 12:33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. The Lord be with you. He could have used the crowd and his short stature as an excuse for not seeing Jesus but he didnt because he was determined to see Jesus. Anything they were able to raise in excess of that amount was considered their own profit. Nobody is saved because he was born in a Christian home; no one is saved from birth. Jesus went from Palestine to an area east of the Jordan River known as Perea, where he remained for about four months before his death on the cross. Ralph Earle pass by lightly because it is one that is relevant to us short people: The gospel is not simply for those who are tall, black, and good-looking, though. Zaccheus is declared to be a happy man, now he is turned from sin to God. That was Jesus' missionto seek and to save those who are lost (cf 15:5, 9, 24). In Mark 2:1-12, the four men who carried the paralytic to Jesus in Capernaum to be healed couldnt enter the house He was in because of the crowd. Zacchaeus in the Sycamore Tree by James Tissot. Say:When Zacchaeus heard Jesus tell him to come down from the tree, what did he do? (2023, April 5). Excited. Converted sinners will always live a life that is diametrically opposed to the life they previously led. In actuality, those who seek Jesus are sought after, seen, and saved by him because he seeks them out. Jesus stopped right under the tree where the little tax collector was perched did something really surprising. in the story is caused by the rejection of Zacchaeus by the Jewish I don't think Dr. Constable is necessarily wrong; but part of my asking the question was because I didn't find his commentary quite compelling. Giving was the result of that Salvation. It has been said that the penalty for anyone convicted for extortion or fraud under the Roman laws was fourfold restitution and that Zacchaeus pronounced this penalty on himself. The new has come! do it by the works of [h]the Law, or by hearing with faith? They feel the gospel is only for the poor and the low people in society. That was more than enough to make tax collectors unpopular, dont you think? Those who seek Jesus, in reality, are sought, seen, and saved by him. The vast majority of adults pay taxes on their earnings at work, on the items they buy, on their houses, and on their automobiles. There must have been something amazing about Jesus to make the tax collector scramble down from the branches as fast as he could! He tells Zacchaeus to come down from the tree because He wants to have dinner with him. Finally, little Zacchaeus the tax collector, could see what Jesus was up to. Image courtesy of Getty Images/Batke. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. We should publicly proclaim the Gospel to the worst and most vile of sinners, and we should declare to them, There is hope. The compassion of Christ for sinners, as well as His ability to change human hearts, are depicted in this passage, 2) No one is out of reach of Gods mercy and forgiveness. He continued on to Jerusalem because He understood that His death was required in order for us human beings to be rescued. There must have been something amazing about Jesus to make the tax collector scramble down from the branches as fast as he could! Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Readers Version, (NIrV). This would enable him to follow Jesus and become an active participant in Gods kingdom. Salvation came to Zacchaeus because by turning from his tax collecting, he turned from Rome and was reconciled back to the Jewish community. But we are told in Luke 19:7 how the CROWD felt about Jesus going to the home of a tax collector: They began to whisper among themselves. When Jesus says to any sinner follow Me, and that sinner decides to follow Him, God forgives their sin and gives them a new life. (to the begging I give), arranged as such, places in the emphatic position. Zacchaeus must have been shocked. faith. This action is interesting. Perhaps the most important part of this story, though, is Zacchaeus motivation. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and . So Jesus told the man to sell everything and give the money to the poor. Luke 19 - BibleGateway According to experts in Jerico, the image used today is a representation of the actual tree Zacchaeus climbed. Zavada, Jack. Everyone who believes in Christ is a new creation, according to the verse above. Yes! Take, for instance, the purchase of a book in a bookshop, where a specific amount of tax is applied to increase the price of the book. In the perspective of the Jews, Zacchaeus is the most evil of the evildoers since he is the head of the household. Was the generation that grumbled & rebelled merely refused entry into the Promised Land, or did they also lose their salvation? Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. As I've been thinking through this text lately, I think the beginning half of Luke 3, particularly verses 3-14 and especially verse 8 have far more weight. 10For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.. Zacchaeus also wanted to see Jesus but he had a challenge: the crowd because he was a short man. The rich young ruler became very sad and walked away from Jesus. What lessons can we learn from the encounter the only man the Bible describes as being short in stature had with Jesus? Website: www.cedarministry.org. The text explains to us that he was the chief tax collector meaning he was the head of the department. Jesus singled him out and invited himself to Zacchaeus' house for dinner, much to the grumbles of the crowd. His love is a never-ending invitation to repent and come to him. Your email address will not be published. As a result of the large number of people gathered around the Master, he was unable to go close enough to view Him because he was both undesirable in the crowd and of little stature in comparison. The tax collector, on the other hand, was eager to be selected! It would not be a stretch to say that Zacchaeus was seeking after the truth. Zacchaeus the Tax Collector. Guest of A Sinner - Story of Jesus and Zacchaeus (Luke 19:4) He climbed a tree What did Jesus want from Zacchus? Say: Zacchaeus was a man who worked for the Roman government collecting taxes. In Jesus time, Israel was under the control of the Roman empire. ("The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost. written in the book of the law, to perform them. 11Now that no one He went ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to have a better view of the landscape below. We all want to be aware of what is going on in our environment. - Luke 19:1-4. The Bible says Zacchaeus made haste and came down, and received Jesus joyfully (verse 6). - more unlikely, Do distinguished rich people climb trees in front of crowds of people?- NO, For Jesus there is a difference between descendants (sperma - greek word for descendants) and calling Abraham there father / being sons of Abraham. They also must have been uncomfortable with that. Meet Zacchaeus: Short, Dishonest Tax Collector Who Found Christ. Help me to accept Jesus as a friend of sinners and to spread the good news of his salvation to people I know and encounter along the way. ' I have to spend the day at your place. As a result, he came down immediately and welcomed him warmly (Luke 19:5-6). vv. Why did Zacchaeus repent? We are not informed whether or not he had defrauded anyone of anything; it is possible that he had not; but, we see him taking steps to ensure that others would perceive him in a different light at this moment and for the foreseeable future. But he wanted to see him. We, too, have total access to the whole truth of who God is because of Gods word, which we may read here. Nothing about the butterfly even resembles the creepy, crawly, greedy, munching caterpillar it used to be. As the Greek default tense the aorist is simply stating that this is, in fact, what happened, and no further assumptions may be made about this. Luke 19:1-7. The story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 shows that the rich also need Jesus. 6. (received) is an aorist verb which denotes an indefinite amount of time. Jesus welcomes those who wholeheartedly want to see Him. CHAPTER 19. Jesus died for the world. The disciples obeyed Him as Mark 16:20 says they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Zacchaeus story is recorded in Luke 19:1-10. He would have just wanted to have a glance at this Rabbi, Jesus, who is not as judgmental as Pharisees and the teachers of the Law. Zacchaeus in the Bible: Meaning and Importance of His Story Jesus chose to abide in the home of a tax collector (Luke 19:1-6), 3. We too are chosen to be types of Christ and God works in the details of our lives to make us look more like Jesus every day. Zacchaeus was a physically fit man who also happened to be extremely wealthy. A plastic butterfly (or picture). One of the factors contributing to their dreariness was that they had misconceptions about what the Messiah ought to look like. But the people of Jericho were not happy with Jesus because they were not happy with Zacchaeus life. However, not everyone was ecstatic on this particular occasion. Everyone wanted to hear Him teach about the kingdom of God. Think it was more than enough to make tax collectors unpopular, dont you believe it was? But here Jesus was, inviting Himself to a tax collectors house, acting like He was His friend. Both of Zacchaeuss views show a change of heart that has occurred in his life. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. Zacchaeus repented of his sins right there, in front of Jesus and the crowd. In Dr. Thomas Constable's commentary (click the "Constable's Notes" tab), he posits a fourth option: Jesus assessed Zaccheus promises as an evidence of saving faith. There was a guy named Zacchaeus present; he was a top tax collector and a wealthy individual. The fact that his sinners heart was entirely repentant will be the center of our discussion today. The baptismal service was attended by tax collectors as well. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. The narrative of Zacchaeus, which is only recorded in the Gospel of Luke, is more than just a charming childrens song; it is a morality tale. Under the Roman system, men bid on those positions, pledging to raise a certain amount of money. John the Baptist also emphasized the need for the Jews to bear fruits worthy of repentance and not say that Abraham was their father. Abraham, saying, All the nations will be blessed in you. 9So then His encounter with Jesus changed his life. Zacchaeus encountered Jesus because He went about preaching the gospel. Jesus' repeating of the noun "oikos-house/home" shows a connection between the two references. Ill wait till He passes by here again some other time. In delaying his departure, Zacchaeus would have lost out on an unforgettable adventure. But Zacchaeus could not be stopped by anything. And finally, he was a completely changed man after spending some time with Jesus. Copyright 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society / Used by permission of IBS-STL. Jesus Christ came to save sinners in the days of Zacchaeus and still today. Also, all Jews prided themselves on being the sons of Abraham. God has sparked this same longing in the hearts of people of all ages many times throughout history, and this is not a new phenomenon. I believe that the itinerant Jesus was going to do the same thing that he told the seventy sent out. When he worked as a major tax collector for the region around Jericho, Zacchaeus, a Jew, was an employee of the Roman Empire. Clement of Alexandria wrote that Zacchaeus became a companion of Peter and later the bishop of Caesarea, although there is no other reliable documentation to substantiate these claims. At the time of Jesus birth, Israel was under the dominion of the Roman government. Hold up the plastic caterpillar or picture of a caterpillar. Everyone has an equal opportunity to seek for Jesus, and there is no means of searching that is considered too insignificant. You will find the story also in Mark 10:17-22 and Luke 18:18-23. Other information concerning Zacchaeus, on the other hand, are less likely to be known by the children. Why did DOS-based Windows require HIMEM.SYS to boot? The size of this territory was never revealed in the narrative, but Jericho and its immediate vicinity were renowned for their wealth as an oasis city with fruit, fig, balsam-wood, and other produce. Many of us were taught this Scripture when we were children, and we were able to comprehend it when we were young. Zacchaeus was greedy like that, wasnt he? When Jesus traveled through Zacchaeus town of Jericho, He was on His way to Jerusalem, where He would celebrate the last supper with His disciples. His faith and works proved It is difficult, but not impossible, for a rich man to be saved, according to Jesus. Respond as Zacchaeus did. Zacchaeus had a similar appearance to a caterpillar before he met Jesus. Main Point: Anyone who believes in Christ is a new creation. He worked as a tax collector in the city of Jericho and learnt that Jesus, the prophet, would be travelling through the town. But that he also added what the law did not require by giving half of his goods to the poor. Refer back to the text above and Luke 3: 7-9 - John the baptist says bear fruits in keeping with repentance. Look, Lord! he said. Jesus desired for this young man to become one of His disciples, but He was well aware that the guy had made money into an idol in his own eyes. The very system Zacchaeus worked under encouraged corruption. Story from: Luke 19: 1-10 In the name of Jesus, Amen. When we listen to the Shepherd calling us by name and respond to Him, our lives will be changed too! Much to his astonishment, the Lord called Zacchaeus by name, telling him to come down from the tree. Jesus wanted to spend time with Zacchaeus, and Zacchaeus was more than happy to become Jesus friend. Zacchaeus also wanted to see Jesus but he had a challenge: the crowd because he was a short man. A new creation resulted from the small tax collectors meeting with the Son of God on that particular day. He didnt come to heal the healthy but the sick. He tried pushing his way to the front of the crowd, but that didnt work. After reaching the tree, Jesus raised his eyes to find a man dressed elegantly seated among the branches. The timeline in this story becomes a bit ambiguous. Perhaps he even inquired as to if he might climb up on someones shoulders! Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International. As a response, Jesus informed the gathering of disciples that He would be making an even greater sacrifice shortly. 5So then, In contrast, when we genuinely comprehend that Jesus is the Son of God who died in order for our sins to be forgiven and for us to be granted eternal life, we are seeing with spiritual eyes! 10For the Son of Man has come to seek and to rescue those who have gone astray.. suffer so many things in vainif indeed it was in vain? He serves as the worship pastor at Calvary Longmont in Colorado, and on his weekends, he and his family go hiking and exploring in the Rocky Mountains. That a result, I always pictured Zacchaeus climbing the sycamore tree in the same manner as I did. Everybody, including the high and the rich, needs Jesus Christ. He knew he had done wrong. He says in John 6:37 all that the Father gives Him will come to Him, and the one who comes to Him, He will by no means cast out. As a result, the rich young ruler grew depressed and decided to leave Jesus. 1-4 Since Zacchaeus is small he is overwhelmed by the crowd in his attempts to see Jesus. He cheated his fellow citizens, taking advantage of their powerlessness. The Bible records different life-changing encounters that people had with Jesus. Did Zacchaeus say "I [already] give," or "I will give" half his possessions to the poor (Luke 19:8). The text doesn't specifically say what we can we deduce from this action but lets consider a few things. And Jesus wants everyone to believe in Him so they can be new creations, too! Although he was Abrahams son, he still needed salvation. But when we truly understand that Jesus is the Son of God who died so that our sins can be forgiven and we can have eternal life, then we are seeing with our spiritual eyes! luke - Why was Zacchaeus saved according to Jesus? - Biblical Why did Jesus go to Zacchaeus' home? - eBible Every one of us must remember that Gods salvation is available to everyone, not just to those who are deemed to be members of the religious elite. is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, The righteous man The books were worth fifty thousand pieces of silver (Acts 19:18-19). Is a downhill scooter lighter than a downhill MTB with same performance? As a side-note the name Zacchaeus means pure. How difficult it is for affluent people to join Gods kingdom! Jesus exclaimed to His disciples after they had finished their meal. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Jesus told Zacchaeus that salvation would come to his house that day. He could have allowed his ego or peoples hatred for him to prevent him from going to see Jesus. International Standard Version He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he couldn't do so due to the crowd, since he was a short man. At Jesus' call to him, Zacchaeus promised to give half his money to the poor and repay fourfold anyone he had cheated. In Ephesus, because of the ministry of Paul, many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Behold, we have abandoned all and followed thee, he declared (verse 28). Upon seeing this, everyone began to murmur, He has gone to be the guest of a sinner, which was followed by further murmuring. You are a member of Abrahams family line. Zavada, Jack. Im going to have to remain at your place today. As a result, Zacchaeus rushed down to meet Him and embraced Him warmly. By Zacchaeus accepting / receiving Jesus into the place he lives, is expressing the fact that Zacchaeus has nothing to hide and in fact gladly receives Jesus into the most intimate place of his life. You put me together inside my mothers body. He not only saw Jesus, Jesus saw him. He thought he wanted to see Jesus by strategically positioning himself on the tree where Jesus was going to pass. Zacchaeus obstacle was the crowd because of his short stature. For further information, please see the following: Christ still has a special interest in sinners who would repent, guaranteeing them the blessings of everlasting life in their entirety. Jesus notices Zacchaeus in the tree and calls him down to join him. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will make good on my promise to reimburse them.
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