We're going to read the first ten verses of this chapter as we talk about the IRS getting converted. Yes, that's enough to say amen about, isn't it? It says, And as he, Jesus, entered and was passing through Jericho, behold, there was a man called by the name of Zacchaeus. And he was a chief tax gatherer, and he was rich. That wasn't by accident.
And as he was trying to see who Jesus was, and he was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature, he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see him, for he was about to pass through that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house. And he hurried and came down and received him gladly.
And when they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, He's gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much. And Jesus said to him, Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is the son of Abraham, for the son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.
In this passage we see the Lord Jesus Christ dealing with Zacchaeus, the curious man. There are a number of points in our narrative I first want you to look at with me at the curiosity of Zacchaeus. He was a small man who had a big reputation, and it was not good. He was a man who was involved in a despised calling in that day. If it's tough to work for the IRS today, it was a hundred times tougher being a Roman publican. That's not a Republican, by the way, that is a publican.
And it means a tax collector. Often the tax collectors were Jews. The Romans felt it was to their advantage that they be Jewish. They were hired people, and it seems as though often there were contracts made with these publicans, so that a certain amount of money was to be raised from their territory. And anything they raised above that amount for the Roman government was theirs to keep.
So that's why I say it was not by accident that it says here that he was not only a tax gatherer, but he was rich. And then there may have been kind of a pyramid involved in this because he was a chief tax collector. He was a man who had other tax gatherers working under him, and it is not unlikely at all that he got a cut from each one of them. And so here's a man who was raking it in. Undoubtedly he had been excommunicated by his fellow Jewish citizens because of his work for the Romans.
He was not the kind of person that you would be seen with if you were a respectable Jew. He was not the kind of person you would want your daughter to date. You wouldn't want to be near this person in public. He was despised. But this little man had a very deep sense of curiosity about him when it came to Jesus. He had heard of Jesus somewhere, and as the crowd was gathering when Jesus was coming into Jericho, he was trying to see over the crowd, and he could not.
And so he ran ahead of the parade. He found a sycamore tree. And if you visit Jericho today, they'll show you the sycamore tree that he climbed up in. And you can put your tongue on the side of your cheek there and believe it if you want to. But he went to a sycamore tree and climbed up in that thing so that he could see the parade, so that he could see Jesus as he passed by. He seemed to be oblivious to the crowd.
And you know, really it's a good thing that he was, because this is the last time that Jesus was in Jericho to this day. Jesus has not been back in Jericho as he was in that day, as recorded here in Luke chapter 19. He was on his way to Jerusalem where he would suffer and die. So here is a man who had a big curiosity, and that's what drove him to find out about Jesus.
You know, there are some people who come to our church, not because they're necessarily really interested in us, but just because they're curious. You want to think about that? Great. I don't care why they're here. Let them come. If their motives aren't really to find out about our church, to become a part of it, if they're just curious to see what's going on, even if they're curious so they can criticize more intelligently, which is helpful for some of them, I don't care. Let them come.
If they come out of curiosity, if they come out of sincerity, whatever their motive for being here, let's welcome people. I hope that just as Jesus gave people something to be curious about in that day, so in the ministry of our church we can do the same. I pray that God will do something here in our midst so that people are curious about it, so that there isn't an easy explanation as to what's taking place, and so that they might be pricked in some way to come.
It says in Acts 2 regarding the early church on that day of Pentecost that the people heard something was going on. It says there in verse 6, now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together. That is, something unusual was taking place, and out of curiosity the multitudes came, and it was an opportunity for the disciples to preach, the apostles to preach to the people.
So likewise, may God the Holy Spirit be doing something so real, so genuine, so deep in our midst that people will be provoked to come, even out of curiosity, to find out what God is doing. And may we welcome any who come, whatever their motive may be. I would have you notice, secondly, the command of the Lord. In the first place it was a personal command. He said, Zacchaeus, hurry up and come down. Now who had introduced Jesus to this man? No one, of course.
Isn't it interesting that as the Savior was passing along with this multitude around him, his attention was drawn to the man in the tree? I don't suppose that that was too unusual to you. They didn't have grandstands in those days. I don't suppose it was too unusual for someone to be in a tree. And not only was this man in the tree when Jesus looked up there, Jesus also called him by name. It was a personal command. He said, Zacchaeus, hurry up and come down.
Jesus knew his name, much the same way as Jesus saw Nathaniel sitting under the tree even before Nathaniel had heard a word about Jesus. The Lord Jesus Christ knew this man. It reminds me, doesn't it, of John chapter 10 when Jesus said, I know my sheep. They hear my voice. They follow me. I wonder how Jesus said his name. Normally when people said Zacchaeus, it was kind of a spit at the same time.
Because they hated this man, this Jewish renegade, this one who had turned coat and worked now for the Romans, he was an absolutely despised individual. I don't believe Jesus said his name that way. I believe that there was love and grace, understanding as Jesus spoke to him. And then notice that the command of the Lord was also pressing. He says to him, hurry and come down. Hurry, hurry, hurry. My friend, when God speaks, that is the time to act, isn't it?
Isaiah 55-6 says, seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is near. This was a pressing command from Jesus. Hurry, Zacchaeus. Get down here. And then notice it was pointed. There was a point to it. Zacchaeus, hurry, come down. I believe that this was more than a physical come down, but it was also, in a sense, a spiritual command. He was saying to this man, Zacchaeus, you rich man, you well-known in this community and hated. You, come down.
To others, Jesus said, come near. To others, he said, rise up. But to Zacchaeus, he said, come down. I think the point is this, that all sinners meet him on the same level. Someone has said the ground at the foot of the cross is level. That is where Jesus called Zacchaeus to come to him. And notice that it was a purposeful command. Jesus saw in Zacchaeus an urgent need. The urgent need of a sinner who needed and would accept mercy.
He would not have known that by looking at the outward shell of this man, for I'm sure he seemed very hardened because he was not well-liked. He probably had a complex about that. To look at him, Zacchaeus probably appeared to be the kind of a person who did not need anything and wanted nothing. And yet Jesus knew that he was a sinner who needed and also would accept mercy. And that was revealed immediately, wasn't it?
And Jesus saw as well that here was a man who was a person who would illustrate the sovereignty of his choice. For you see, here was not a good man. Here was a bad man, a real bad man. He was a man who cheated. He was a man who defrauded others. And it was he that Jesus called. The character of this man as it would be renewed would magnify the grace of God, showing once again that God's grace is that which is undeserved by us.
There is a similar statement to what Jesus says in verse 10, the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost earlier here in the Gospel of Luke. Go back to chapter 5. Interestingly, it's in connection with the call of another publican. Luke 5. Well, let's start in verse 27. And after that he went out and noticed a tax gatherer named Levi sitting in the tax office. And he said to him, follow me. And he left everything behind and rose and began to follow him.
And Levi gave a big reception for him in his house. And there was a great crowd of tax gatherers and other people who were reclining at the table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at his disciples saying, why do you eat and drink with tax gatherers and sinners? And Jesus answered and said to them, it is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.
Those who think they are righteous place themselves beyond salvation. For you see, to be saved one must realize his need, his sin. I thought it was quite interesting the comment that one of the gentlemen on the panel made on the television program earlier this month. He remarked about the survey of religious people in Minnesota. And apparently a third of those who were surveyed indicated that they did not believe in sin.
And this Lutheran theologian, as a matter of fact, said that it amazed him that that was the case. He couldn't imagine what Jesus Christ could mean to people like that. Because you see my friend, if you are not a sinner you don't need a savior. There were religious people in that day, Pharisees and others, who did not see their need of a savior. Jesus said, I didn't come to call the righteous, quote unquote, but I have come to call those who are sinners.
That's the kind of a person Zacchaeus knew that he was. I want you to notice thirdly the condemnation of the crowd. It says that when the crowd saw Zacchaeus come down and receiving Jesus and heading toward his home, that they all began to grumble. That makes me think that these must surely have been Baptist Jews. And I can say that being a Baptist. You'll notice they said the same thing with Levi. They grumbled about it. They said, what in the world is going on here?
He's supposed to be a prophet. He's supposed to be a preacher. And look who he's running around with. I heard this week about a man who is preaching to several thousand people every Sunday morning down the Chicago area. I don't even know his name, but he apparently has a unique ministry. He tells his people on Sunday morning not to come unless they have an unsaved person or family with them. Their worship service is held on Wednesday nights in that particular ministry.
And interestingly, this fellow prepares his sermon all week and then he goes to the local pub to preach it on Saturday night. He has a table there that's reserved for him. And the people who are in the bar sit around the table and pick a sermon apart as he preaches it. And after that experience on Saturday night, he feels he's ready to preach it Sunday morning to the crowds. Oh my. Oh dear. Look where that man goes on Saturday night. Now frankly, that's not me.
I don't intend to reserve a table down here wherever. I don't even know where they are. But there's a man who in his particular style of ministry feels that that is appropriate. I'm not going to condemn him for that. Indeed, what he is doing there on Saturday nights may be doing more good than what he does on Sunday morning. I don't know. He's certainly reaching some interesting people and allowing them the opportunity to criticize what he wants to say or at least to make comments on it.
Well, you see, the people who looked at Jesus heading down towards Achea's house felt like some who would criticize that preacher in Chicago. I want to tell you something. You listen to men. You listen to the crowd, my friend, and you'll never be saved. If you're sitting here tonight and you've never trusted Jesus Christ because you're afraid of what other people are going to say about you, I want to tell you something. You'll probably go to hell.
If you wait until the crowd says it's okay to get saved, I'll guarantee you you'll go to hell because the crowd will never say, go do it. Likewise, if you're a Christian and you'll say, well, I'll live for God, but I want everybody to say it's okay first, then you'll never live for God. Because the crowd will never tell you to do that. You'll never accomplish anything worthwhile in life if you listen to the crowd around you. This crowd was self-righteous. It was angry.
It condemned Jesus. It condemned Zacchaeus. But that is where the work of God was being done. Don't listen to the crowd. Don't expect to be a popular person if you're going to take a stand for Christ. You won't be popular with men, but you will be with God. Notice as well the confession of Zacchaeus. Isn't it interesting? It says that he hurried and came down and received him.
And along the way, apparently as they were heading toward his home where Jesus was to be a guest, Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, and now here is his confession, Behold, Lord. Isn't that interesting? Who told him he was Lord? You see, Zacchaeus knew that.
And when it says that he came down and received him gladly in verse 6, it seems to me that there may well be more than just a personal reception of a host, but here is one who truly received him in the sense of John 1.12, where it says, But as many as received him, Jesus Christ, to them he gave the power to become the sons of God, the children of God, even to those who believe on his name. Think of what Zacchaeus did when he climbed up in that tree.
It was going to be rather obvious he was up there. You can't very well hide when you're up in a tree. And he was a man who was well known in the city, and obviously a man who had reason to be proud and a little arrogant. But he put all of those feelings aside to climb up in the tree out of his curiosity as to who Jesus was. And then Jesus invited him, or indeed commanded him to come down, and he came down immediately and received him.
I believe that Zacchaeus was saved that day, indeed in verse 9 Jesus says, Today salvation has come to this house. Why? Because he says he's the son of Abraham. That may mean that he was the son of Abraham physically, and Jesus made it clear earlier in his ministry as recorded in Matthew 15.24 that he had come to the house of Israel. That was where his ministry was. It was not until after his death, resurrection, and ascension that it went beyond the house of Israel.
More than just a few exceptions. The focus of his earthly ministry was the house of Israel. Zacchaeus was a Jew, if not a renegade of course, but a Jew, and in that sense he was the son of Abraham. But I believe there's more involved here. For in Galatians 3 verses 6 and 7 it says, Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they who are of faith, the same are the sons of Abraham. So Zacchaeus was the son of Abraham in two ways.
He was also a son of Abraham by faith. Now I'm not a Jew by birth. I am Irish. I'm glad I'm Irish. And it's a good thing I am because I always will be. I'm not a Jew by birth. But you know something, I'm a Jew in one sense in spirit. In that I am a son of Abraham because I am in faith in Jesus Christ as is Abraham. He looked ahead, says the Old Testament, and saw the Messiah way off down the corridor of time and he rejoiced at what he saw. He believed by faith. Are you a son of Abraham tonight?
Are you one who is in faith? Have you trusted Christ? Notice that Zacchaeus made this immediate open and public confession. It wasn't something he tried to hide. He wasn't a secret service Christian. He says, Lord, half of my possessions I'll give to the poor. Now he wasn't saved because he said that. He was saved because he had received by faith the Lord. But as a proof of his faith, we have this record of his confession. He said, half of everything I own I give to the poor.
Not only that, he says, if I have defrauded anyone of anything, and the chances of that are about 100 percent, I will give back four times as much. Now he could have gotten away with giving back 20 percent over what he had cheated. He could have gotten away with that. But instead he goes back to the law in Exodus 22.1 where it talks about thievery. And he approaches his financial, shall we say, dealings as thievery. And he says, I will give back four times as much as I have stolen from anyone.
Here's a good indication this man was genuinely converted because his billfold was converted at the same time. We sit today in a beautiful auditorium in a lovely building. And I know that Northwestern College is so grateful for the lady who largely made this possible. What happened to her? Well, what? Is it 15 years ago now? I've forgotten the exact date. She was driving down the highway, so as I hear this story, and was listening to KTIS, and came to trust Christ as her Savior.
And in the process of time, she was so overwhelmed with gratitude for the ministry of the college that she made it possible for this building to be built. You see, her billfold got saved with her. It's funny, there are some Christians it never happens to. Here's a man who not only gave half of his goods to the poor, but he is a man who made restitution. You know, that's important. I believe that's proper.
It is not enough that we confess our sins against other people, but if restitution is needed, we need to make restitution, to go back to people and make it right. Zacchaeus would not have a conscience that offended, that was offended, because of his dealings with people before he was saved. You know, it could be there's somebody here tonight, I don't know.
Maybe you've been saved, you've trusted Christ as Savior, but in the back of your mind, you remember someone that you have cheated, you've defrauded in the past. And that has been nagging at you and has been a guilt problem for perhaps years. I want to challenge you to do something. You go back to that person that you've defrauded, and you make it right. You offer to do whatever is necessary to set it right. God will bless you for that. Your conscience then will be void of offense.
Now it seems to me that in this text there is a challenge to us. We see the Lord Jesus Christ involved in personal soul winning here. Notice that he met this curious man head on, a man who was a stranger in one sense, but a man who was one of his sheep, and he called him by name. Jesus took no regard of what people thought about what he was going to do. I want to tell you, if you are concerned about what people think of you before you witness, you'll never get around to witnessing.
Jesus took no regard for the multitudes who were crowded around him. He did not care what the self-righteous religious people would say. He spoke to Zacchaeus and dealt with him about his soul. He made a personal appeal to Zacchaeus, commanding him with love and grace to come to him. Zacchaeus responded. Notice that Jesus concludes by saying, the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. To seek involves time. So does winning someone to Christ.
There are a few times when we approach somebody cold turkey, that is, for the very first time and we witness to them and they trust the Savior. Occasionally that will happen. Normally when it does happen, we still are not the first to talk to them. Someone else has been planting the seed along the way and we just happen to be the one to be there at the right time to reap.
Normally when we are used of God to reach somebody for Jesus Christ, it's because we have taken time to seek them, to go out after them, to build that relationship with them, to prove ourselves to them as friends, as trusted people. And because of that bridge then, they will receive what we have to say. Who are you seeking? Who are you seeking? Jesus said, I've come to seek and to save that which is lost. Are you? Some of you may need to consider being involved in D.E.
As I said this morning, you don't know how to begin. There's one place to learn. You need to let us know today if you want to be involved in that. Stop by the information desk afterward. There's something else interesting here and a challenge to me and that is that Jesus did all of this within the context it seems of Zacchaeus' home. But that is where he went to be a guest. How good it is for us to use our homes as a means of contact with people. What a natural thing to do.
One other thing that I learned here and a challenge to me is that we should never consider anyone impossible to reach for Jesus Christ. Now most people would probably look at a man like Zacchaeus and say there is a guy who will never trust the Lord. He is so hardened in his sin. He is so despised. He's such a standoffish person. He's so mean and wicked. He'll never trust the Lord. We should never consider someone that way.
Back in chapter 18 verse 27, and really in the context again of salvation, Jesus says this, the things impossible with men are possible with God. It may be that as you look at your family member or at that neighbor or that person at work you say, wow, I don't see how that person can ever be saved. My friend, don't be small in faith. Keep praying. Keep working. Keep seeking. Keep building that relationship. Keep sharing a word here and there as you have opportunity and see what God will do.
With you it is impossible. You can't win them to the Savior, but he can win them to himself. Be his tool. Be his instrument. Jesus Christ is heaven's greatest soul winner. He dealt with all kinds of people, including a man like Zacchaeus, a curious man.
I hope that we will be faithful as was he, that we too might be one of heaven's soul winners upon the earth, dealing with all kinds of people, whatever their motive may be for seeking us out, whatever their motive may be for coming here to church, whatever their motive may be for asking us a question, that we seek them, that we immediately go to them with the gospel. Jesus Christ said, I've come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Are you interested in the same things that Jesus is interested in? He's interested in people. He's interested in people being saved. That's why he came. And my friend, that's why we're here. Let's be involved. Heavenly Father, I pray that we may be reflective of our Savior and seek those who need to be saved.
I pray, Father, that we will be willing to seek out the unpopular, even make it a point to go to them as Jesus did with Zacchaeus, as he did with the woman at the well, and on other occasions, to seek out those that are rejected even by society, that they might hear the gospel and perhaps trust the Savior, receive him. Lord, we thank you that you're a friend of sinners. That means you're a friend, a friend of people like us, for we too were sinners. You sought us out and brought us to yourself.
Like a shepherd with sheep, you called us by name and we responded, thank you so much. Our shepherd, for calling us to be a part of your flock. Father, if tonight there is someone here who does not know the Lord Jesus Christ and who for one reason or another is putting it off, I pray that that one tonight will trust him and be saved. And I pray this in Jesus' name and for his sake, who came to seek and to save the lost. Amen. We're going to sing a chorus.
The conclusion is found on page 262 in your hymnal.