Luke 19:9: " And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house."
Jesus is the conqueror of death.
That which He did during His earthly ministry, He continues to do through His church
and through individual followers.
Christ came to change things!
Jesus sought to change the heart and mind of people by giving them new insights concerning
the nature and character of God.
Jesus sought to change the structures of society by bringing about great changes within individuals.
Jesus came to Jericho when Calvary was only one week away.
In our scripture passage we see that Jesus demonstrated deep concern for a man that was
hated and despised by the people of the city.
Instead of seeking popular applause, Jesus sought out the most hated man in town
and demonstrated concern for him in order that there would be changes in his heart and life,
and that which would bring many changes within the city of Jericho.
The example that Jesus gave to us here should be our pattern today.
Jesus invited himself.
" Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; four today I must abide at thy house."
This was a very personal statement from Jesus.
This was an opportunity for Jesus to provide a personal ministry to Zacchaeus.
This was probably the only opportunity Zacchaeus would ever have to have a personal visit
with Jesus Christ.
Jesus was on His way toward Jerusalem.
This was His last visit to Jericho.
Jesus took advantage of an opportunity of which was urgent and necessary that Zacchaeus
would respond immediately and decisively to the opportunity that Jesus would give to him.
Jesus came in love for Zacchaeus.
The source of love comes from the heart of God rather than in the loveliness of those
who are the objects of His affection.
We must personalize and individualize the truth of John 3:16 for God deals with people
on the basis of His own love rather than their loveliness.
Because of God's love, Jesus came to Zacchaeus, who was hated and despised.
Jesus came to Zacchaeus because of His love for others.
God loved the family of Zacchaeus.
If Zacchaeus would change his heart and his life, a family would be blessed and could
come to have a life of true happiness and usefulness.
Jesus loved the neighbors of Zacchaeus.
God would have Zacchaeus to be a channel of love and that he might be a blessing to his neighbors.
Jesus loved the enemies of Zacchaeus.
God wanted to change Zacchaeus so that those enemies could be changed into friends.
Jesus continues to seek the Zacchaeuses of our day.
God does not avoid a person because of his life being unlovely.
God's redemptive activity is motivated by a divine love rather than by something lovely in man.
God wants to use everyone of us who are His children so that He may bring redemption
and the joy of sonship into the hearts and lives of those who are the outcasts of society.
A seeking Saviour found a seeking sinner. (Luke 19:3-6)
A sinner does not consciously and deliberately seek God.
Instead of choosing to cooperate with God, man rebels against God and trusts in himself,
and loves himself, and asserts himself.
The Bible declares that man being in sin is dead.
He is cut off from God.
Man does not seek God consciously or deliberately.
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable;
there is none that doeth good, no, not one." (Romans 3: 10-12, KJV)
Sinners who are away from God are actually seeking what only God can give.
Deep within the heart of ever person there is a " God-shaped vacuum" that only God can fill.
There are many who seek to fill this void with the security that wealth can bring
or that popularity or that success or that prominence can bring.
Many others seek to fill this void by trying to satisfy all their appetites of their humanity.
Zacchaeus was rich, but he wasn't happy.
Zacchaeus had put riches above patriotism.
Zacchaeus had put riches above his religion.
Zacchaeus had put the desire for riches above popular approval.
Although his stomach was satisfied, his heart was hungry for acceptance by God
and acceptance from his fellowman.
Zacchaeus was loved by Jesus even though he was unlovable.
He was unloved in this city.
He might have been unloved even in his own home for the only thing that he had
to offer them was material things.
Probably, he didn't see anything within himself that was lovable.
Zacchaeus had been looking for life in the wrong way and in the wrong place.
It was most fortunate for Zacchaeus that Jesus came to Jericho.
Jesus came to change things.
Jesus did not come to pronounce a blessing on the status quo.
He came to produce revolutionary changes that would transform and enrich life.
Jesus wants to change the attitude of those who consider themselves to be very religious.
"And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man
that is a sinner." (Luke 19:7)
Jesus exposed Himself to the hostility of the people within the city of Jericho as well as
those of His own disciples when He expressed friendship toward the publican Zacchaeus.
Zacchaeus was an outcast because of his relationship with the army of occupation.
He was unwelcome in any of the religious and civic activities in his city, but he was not
outside the love of God.
Are we guilty of abandoning many segments of our society because we consider them
to be outside the circle of God's love.
If that is true, we must reexamine the pattern that Jesus followed, and we must identify
with His example.
Jesus helped Zacchaeus to make some drastic changes in his way of life.
We can only imagine the things that were discussed during the meal and during the visit
that followed while Jesus was in the home of Zacchaeus.
We do know of some of the results of that visit.
Jesus enabled Zacchaeus to replace the greed in his heart with graciousness and generosity.
"And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods
I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation,
I restore him fourfold." (Luke 19:8a)
Jesus enabled Zacchaeus to see that true happiness and peace does not come
as a result of a greed that is only concerned with material things.
Jesus enabled Zacchaeus to change his entire philosophy of life.
Jesus enabled Zacchaeus to replace his selfishness with a new and selflessness
and a new conduct. (Luke 19:8b)
It took a profound change in the mind and life of Zacchaeus to bring about such important
and needed changes his daily life.
It is evident that Zacchaeus decided that the Kingdom of God and His righteousness
would be first in his life.
Because of Jesus Zacchaeus had a new purpose for his life.
Christ Jesus continues to change things today.
Jesus will not come into your heart merely to occupy it as a silent uninvolved spectator.
Jesus will change your heart and mind.
He will be more than a Saviour to save you from the penalty of sin.
He will be the Lord and Master of your life.
He will be your Teacher to give you authentic and vital truth about God in the way
that you should live your life.
He will be your Friend and Counselor.
Jesus will bring changes to your home life.
He will help you to be a better husband.
He will help you to be a better wife.
He will help you to be better parents for your children.
He will help you as a young person to relate properly and lovingly to your parents.
Jesus will bring changes within the city and the nation as He becomes the guiding,
controlling factor in every life.
Jesus will bring about changes within the church.
Christ wants to abide within the church and to use the church which means that
you and I are to be instruments through which He would bless our community and our world.
When Christ walked down the street of Jericho and saw Zacchaeus on the limb
of a a sycamore tree, many great things were getting ready to happen.
Zacchaeus discovered several things.
He sees me!
He knows me!
He loves me!
He can have me!
If every person would be in their right mind, they would receive Jesus without delay.
We must rejoice in Him!
We must respond to Him!
Jesus will continue to bring about change in everyone and through everyone
who will receive Him into their hearts.
When that happens Jesus will come to dwell within the heart of that person just as
He came that day in His visit in the home of Zacchaeus.
