Jesus saw him, called to him and invited Himself to His house. Although he had achieved financial success, he felt that something was lacking from his life; and that'something' had everything to do with Jesus. Jesus must have known He was a sinner, therefore, He went to His house to save him. Why are players required to record the moves in World Championship Classical games? Your email address will not be published. Zechariah is identified immediately away by Luke, who first informs us that he was the top tax collector in his region. Then he would be able to follow Jesus and be part of the kingdom of God. Because Jesus is God, He knew all there was to know about the man in the treehis name, his job, even the number of hairs on his head! How do you think Zacchaeus felt when Jesus said He wanted to stay at the little tax collectors house? Jesus and Zacchaeus returned to their house the very day. Conclusion, Jesus = salvation. In addition, Zacchaeus became not only a member of the genuine band of disciples who followed Jesus, but he also became a spiritual son of Abraham via his relationship with Jesus. This is the Great Commission. But he can't see above the crowds or get through them. Further the text says he wanted to see Jesus but couldn't because of the great crowd, so his response was to climb the tree. When it comes to God, things that are impossible with people are feasible. Zacchaeus encountered Jesus because He went about preaching the gospel. The good news is that, according to John the Baptist, these tax collectors may put things right by just being honest in their conduct. Christ is come to his house, and where Christ comes he brings salvation with him. Suppose a wealthy young ruler approached Jesus and inquired about the one thing he needed do in order to be granted eternal life. Salvation had come to that house because Zaccheus had exercised saving Go into the world and preach the gospel. 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. They just eat, eat, eat all the time. It is because of this concern that Jesus declares salvation upon him and his family. But God was also working in Zacchaeus heart to enable him to see with SPIRITUAL eyes. For example, when you buy a book at the bookstore, a certain amount of tax is added to the price of the book. . The tax collector, on the other hand, was eager to be selected! Zacchaeus had heard so much about the Messiah that he was impatient to have a glimpse of the man himself. We may spend our days in the trees, both literally and symbolically. Jodi has over 20 years experience teaching children in large and small group settings. He could have allowed his ego or peoples hatred for him to prevent him from going to see Jesus. Our lecture has various practical applications, which are as follows: The reality of the matter is that opportunities to get back on track with God do not always present themselves day after day and year after year. The blood of Jesus will take care of every sin. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. When we believe that, repent, and follow Himjust like Zacchaeus didJesus will change our lives and make us new and beautiful! He has devised a strategy to remain with the man who is despised by everyone. Everyone has an equal opportunity to seek for Jesus, and there is no means of searching that is considered too insignificant. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house (Luke 19:5 NKJV). He already knows who we are and what kind of state our house is in, which is a comfort. He was a truth seeker who was on a mission. In effect his sin blinded him. People were swarming about Jesus, and Zacchaeus, like the rest of us, was curious about what was going on around him. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree. But the kids are probably less likely to know other facts about Zacchaeus. His spiritual eyes were opened, and he came to know Jesus as the Messiah, his Savior, as a result of his trust. cedarministryintl@yahoo.com As a result, he raced ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus, who was on his way that way. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. God wants us to perceive Jesus in the same light as he does. Main Point: Anyone who believes in Christ is a new creation. Required fields are marked *. Jesus also wanted Zacchaeus to invite all his "non-believing" friends to join the . The text explains to us that he was the chief tax collector meaning he was the head of the department. He said, Look, Lord! Jesus wanted this young man to be His follower, but He also knew that the man had turned his money into an idol. Again I believe, for Jesus, this is an outward expression of an inward reality. It is even harder for the rich to enter Gods kingdom! (Luke 18:24-25), This worried the disciples. Also, all Jews prided themselves on being the sons of Abraham. His love is a constant call to repent and come to him. Despite the fact that the two men had never met before, Jesus was well-versed in Zacchaeuss life. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 3. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. 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. This would have made it quite easy for Zacchaeus to follow through on his desire to see Jesus. Make haste, come down from wherever you are, and receive Jesus joyfully into your heart. People in Israel didnt like this at all. This is the day of salvation, come to this house, he declared (verse 9). He cherished his wealth as much as, if not more than, he cherished God! Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God. They almost certainly did not want this type of man interfering with their opportunity to see Jesus, and they were probably annoyed that he was even present. Final conclusion of Zacchaeus first action: By Zacchaeus actions we see his heart's motivation and by Jesus response we see Zacchaeus hearts motivation. Perhaps the most important part of this story, though, is Zacchaeus motivation. 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. This would enable him to follow Jesus and become an active participant in Gods kingdom. Jesus saw him, and out of all the people in the crowd, wanted to stay/remain (greek - meno - abide, continue, lasting, live) with him in his house. Luke 19:7 says, But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner (NKJV). He had a birds-eye perspective of everything that was going on. We scan social media on a regular basis to see what has been going on. Now he could enter the He is known primarily for his faith in climbing a sycamore tree to see Jesus, and also his generosity in giving half of all he possessed. We have forsaken all and followed thee, he declared (verse 28). This passage shows a man who Jesus said, I havent seen such great faith in all Israel but then in context to the centurion and his faith, many from east and west (other nations) will recline at the table of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out. First, Zacchaeus became a son of Abraham. He was a chief tax collector and was very rich. rev2023.5.1.43405. Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International. How difficult it is for affluent people to join Gods kingdom! Jesus exclaimed to His disciples after they had finished their meal. The two men had never met before, yet Jesus knew everything about Zacchaeus. You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Jesus was passing through Jericho one day, but because Zacchaeus was a man of short stature, he could not see over the crowd. Jesus calls out to him. Tax collectors were seen as the most heinous of offenders by the majority of the general public. Jesus brought salvation and hope to Zacchaeus (Luke 19:7-10), 4. I will pay back four times the amount I took., Jesus said to Zacchaeus, Today salvation has come to your house. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. It was the heavy cost of discipleship that Dietrich Bonhoeffer spoke about in his book, The Cost of Discipleship, that Zacchaeus had to bear. Did Jesus recover the lost tribes of Israel? Similarly, we could have been tempted to write him off as well. Anything they were able to raise in excess of that amount was considered their own profit. The high and the low, the rich and the poor need Jesus. Jesus wanted to find Zacchaeus. Gillman takes this to mean that Zacchaeus accepted Jesus invitation to invite him into Zacchaeus home and that makes contextual sense. He defrauded his fellow countrymen by taking advantage of their helplessness in the face of danger. Excited. Replying to His critics, He said that He, the Son of Man, had come to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). Zacchaeus is a man who wants to see Jesus but because of his short . May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. But the people of Jericho were not happy with Jesus because they were not happy with Zacchaeus life. The city was also a primary toll station for transit between Arabia and Judea. 7Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer. After enjoying and living a godless life on earth, he was in torments in Hades while Lazarus who suffered while on earth was in comfort after death. Weve always assumed it was a sycamore tree, and we still consider it to be one now. At the home of Zacchaeus, Jesus told the parable of the ten servants. Say: Zacchaeus was a man who worked for the Roman government collecting taxes. Youll be pleased you took the time to read this. Salvation is by And Making reparation will help me maintain my moral integrity as a believer. ' I have to spend the day at your place. As a result, he came down immediately and welcomed him warmly (Luke 19:5-6). 2023 Proven Way The trunk was close enough for me to embrace and work my way up, and when I eventually reached a limb, I was able to pull myself up and sit on it. 8-9 An initial reading may leave one with the option to take the present tense verb (I give away) as an iterative present which would indicate that this was a customary action. The old is gone! Confused. He ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to get a better view. it is written, Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things According to Biblical traditions, the tree Zacchaeus climbed was a sycamore-fig tree, and the two trees are not the same kind of tree. Zacchaeus is not mentioned again in the Bible after that episode, but we can assume his repentant spirit and his acceptance of Christ did, indeed, lead to his salvation and the salvation of his whole household. He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Zacchaeus was an inquisitive young man who was eager to learn more about Jesus and resolved to meet him in his natural habitat. Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Readers Version, (NIrV). To view Jesus, Zacchaeus had to climb a tree, which he couldnt do since he was too short. (Luke 19:5) For Zacchus to receive Jesus into his house How did the crowd react to Jesus' request of Zacchus? They surely didn't want this type of man interrupting their chance to see Jesus and were likely frustrated. As he stood alone, the Pharisee prayed: I thank God that I am not like other peoplerobbers, evildoers, adulterersor even like this tax collector, the Bible says (Luke 18:11). So again, I conclude, like I said earlier, Jesus believed that it was paramount in the heart of Zacchaeus to see Him, since Zacchaeus was willing to do whatever it took, even if it meant his pride, affluency, and reputation, just to get a glimpse of Him. (All emphasis theirsthey bold words quoted from the text.). The text doesn't specifically say what we can we deduce from this action but lets consider a few things. - 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. According to experts in Jerico, the image used today is a representation of the actual tree Zacchaeus climbed. In the perspective of the Jews, Zacchaeus is the most evil of the evildoers since he is the head of the household. In Jesus time, Israel was under the control of the Roman empire. But he was a short man. Application: According to Psalm 139:13, You formed the innermost portions of my existence. It was you who put me back together in my mothers body. That day, Zacchaeus actually transformed into a new man. But that he also added what the law did not require by giving half of his goods to the poor. She has also spent many years mentoring Middle School and High School girls. Zacchaeus, on the other hand, was profoundly transformed as a result of his experience with Jesus. In Ephesus, because of the ministry of Paul, many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. List of Zacchaeus actions that I believe expose his heart in the text: "he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see Him". In that case, thank You for knowing everything about my life; certainly, I can tell You everything about myself.
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