We all have people we don’t like. We all have people who have harmed or mistreated us in various ways. We must be very careful about how we speak and think about them. We must remember that Jesus calls us to love our enemies and pray for them (Matt 5:44). Christians are called to shine as lights in the world and we do that through our testimony of Christ. He has saved us and we live for Him. Our sermon today concerns an encounter Jesus had with a man named Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus is a Hebrew name meaning “clean or pure”, but he was a despised, corrupt tax collector who worked for the Roman Government. Today, we shall read about this life-changing encounter he had with Jesus to find out more about how Jesus “came to seek and to save that which was lost” (10).
Jesus Came to Seek the Lost (Even Those We Don’t Like)
Zacchaeus’ Infamy
As the children’s song goes: “Zacchaeus was a wee little man”, but that was not the reason the people of Jericho despised him. In verse 2 we read that “he was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.” Another way to understand the peoples’ animosity is that he had become rich at their expense. He was a corrupt tax collector. Tax collectors in those days were charged with getting tax money for the Roman government. They made their money by keeping whatever they got above and beyond the official tax. If someone owed Rome $10, Zacchaeus could demand $20 ($10 for Rome and $10 for home!) There was so much bitterness that in verse 7 the crowd showed their disdain for Zacchaeus by grumbling and calling him “a sinner.” Zacchaeus was despised as well because he was viewed as a traitor of the Jewish people by working for Rome.
Zacchaeus’ Interruption
In verse 1 we read that Jesus “entered and passed through Jericho.” Remember that Jesus, according to Luke 9:51, is on His way to Jerusalem: “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.” Luke 13:22 provides a good summary of Jesus’ travels: “He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.” Jerusalem is the destination and Jesus was simply passing through Jericho, but something happened in Jericho that made Jesus stop. As “Jesus came to [the tree], He looked up and saw him, and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house” (5). Zacchaeus was an interruption, but an important interruption.
Jesus’ Intentionality
Jesus intended to just pass through Jericho but decided to stop when He saw Zacchaeus in a sycamore tree. Pause for a moment and consider how strange of a sight this was. Here is a rich, grown man in a tree. It is intriguing to learn that in this particular culture it was considered shameful for a grown man to climb a tree. Yet here was the most infamous man in Jericho in a tree! In this encounter we observe Jesus’ intentionality to always be about His Father’s business. When Jesus saw Zacchaeus in the tree, He knew that this man needed Him. Jesus tells Zacchaeus, “today I must stay at your house” (5). Jesus did not see Zacchaeus as a problem that kept Him from His mission; Jesus saw Zacchaeus as part of His mission to “seek and to save the lost.”
Jesus Came to Save the Lost (Even Those Who Don’t Deserve It)
Zacchaeus’ Resolution
The fact that Zacchaeus would be willing to climb a tree and behave in such a shameful and undignified way indicates that there was more than just an intellectual curiosity about Jesus. Zacchaeus “sought to see who Jesus was” (3). Zacchaeus’ faith is demonstrated in that he wanted to see Jesus badly enough that he did not care what other people thought or what obstacles were in the way. When he could not get to Jesus because of the crowd “he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way” (4). Zacchaeus needed Jesus and was resolute in his mission; nothing was going to prevent him.
Zacchaeus’ Repentance
When Zacchaeus heard that Jesus wanted to stay at his house, “he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully” (6). He joyfully came down in a hurry because he considered Jesus’ request to be good news. Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus and now Jesus is coming to His house! Zacchaeus was joyful, but when the crowd saw what happened “they all complained, saying, ‘He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner’” (7). Zacchaeus understood the reason for the grumbling because he now understood that he was a sinner. Seizing the moment, Zacchaeus responded to this gracious act of Jesus by repenting of his sin. What is repentance? It is turning away from what is wrong and turning towards what is right. This turning away from is the result of changing one’s mind and agreeing with God that His way is best. True repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action. Zacchaeus changed his mind about money. He promised to give half his money to the poor and restore fourfold everyone he has defrauded. Zacchaeus turned away from defrauding others and turned towards restoring to others. He went from desiring to take money to giving away money. He demonstrated his repentance in his actions.
Jesus’ Revelation
Jesus heard Zacchaeus’ confession of repentance and He said, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (9-10). Zacchaeus has a life-changing encounter with Jesus and he is an example for us of what Jesus does when we become born again (John 3:3). Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost and that includes traitors to the Jewish nation. When Jesus declared that this is a son of Abraham, He shows that Zacchaeus is a descendant of Abraham who inherits the promise made to Abraham (Gen 12) that is realized through Jesus Christ (Gal 3:7). By following Jesus, this wicked man is redeemed and restored.
Jesus came to seek and to save the lost and this includes men like Zacchaeus: those we don’t like and those we don’t think deserve it. The crowd complained when Jesus went to Zacchaus’ house. Who is your Zacchaeus? We should be slow to anger. If we do get angry it should be because of the horrors of sin and we should ask God to quickly help us cast off our anger because anger is not an emotion we should let fester in us. Turn over your resentment to God. Let Him deal with them and pray for them to be saved and transformed (like Zacchaeus) by the mercy and grace of our Lord Jesus. “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever” (Psalm 136:1).
First Baptist Scott City, MO 
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