”Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”“
Luke 19:1-10 NLT
The mission of Christ is to seek and save the lost (v.10). Jesus sought after Zacchaeus, who was lost in his greed. Zacchaeus had climbed a tree to see above the crowd; he wanted to see Jesus. Christ stopped at the tree and told Zacchaeus that He HAD to eat with him. Zacchaeus accepted the invitation, accepted Jesus into his home, and eventually gave up much of his ill-gotten wealth. He gave four times what he had cheated from others and gave away half of his wealth to the poor. Zacchaeus was probably left with very little money after this, but he had found true wealth and integrity by knowing Jesus. Jesus declared that this was salvation—not just accepting the invitation, but responding to it with bold action.
Jesus was also very clear that everyone who follows Him is invited to join in His mission. This requires big trust and bold action. Zacchaeus wasn’t the only one who needed to change. The attitude and words of the people (verse 7) show they were also lost. Tragically, too many Christians follow the example of the people—looking down on sinners rather than joining Jesus in seeking them. We do not need to be Jesus; our job is to help people see Jesus. We need to be like the TREE—allowing people to “climb” up over the crowd to see Jesus. He is the Savior. We are the tree. May we boldly join in His mission to seek and save the lost—and experience the joy of watching Him bring salvation to those lost in selfishness.
What did Jesus mean by saying “salvation” had come to Zacchaeus’s house? How has following Jesus changed the way you gain and give money? How can you be like the tree in this story—helping people to see beyond the crowd so they can encounter Christ?
