Wanting to See the Light
The 19th Chapter of Luke in verses 1-10 talk about a man named Zacchaeus who lived in Jericho. Zacchaeus—who, being short—climbed a Sycamore tree that he might be able to see Jesus walk by. Zacchaeus was being crowded out, but found a way that he could behold the King of Kings.
Zacchaeus was not very well liked in his community. For he was a publican—and a chief publican at that. Publicans collected taxes, were detested by the Jews, and were excommunicated. It didn’t help Zacchaeus’ public image that he was also rich, so he certainly had a public relations issue within his own community.
In 1 Samual 16, we learn that “… the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’”
This wonderful narrative in Luke shows how the Lord Jesus Christ discerns spiritual beauty from ugliness in a person—despite what the cultural mores of a community may be. So, when the Savior walked through the crowd in Jericho who had come out to see Him, He looked up and saw Zacchaeus looking down at Him from the tree. Jesus then said: “Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.”
The scripture continues: “And he (Zacchaeus) made haste, and came down, and received Him joyfully.”
That last sentence sheds light onto the kind of man Zacchaeus was: Zacchaeus didn’t come down out of the tree nonchalantly or stubbornly, but he made haste! He was excited to meet the Lord, and when he met the Lord, he received Him joyfully!
Spiritual Preparation
Zacchaeus didn’t have to be convinced that Jesus is the Christ—the promised Messiah. He didn’t have to see the Lord perform a miracle before his very eyes. He was already spiritually prepared to meet the Lord, and the Lord knew this and used the situation to teach the crowd a lesson. In verse 4, it says that Zacchaeus ran to secure his spot beforehand so that he would not miss his opportunity to see the Lord!
This sentence speaks for itself about what was in his heart as he prepared to see the Messiah. Contrast this with the crowd who later murmured that Jesus was spending time with a sinner.
After Zacchaeus came down from the Sycamore tree, the crowd mentality revealed itself: “And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying: That He (Jesus) was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.” (Luke 19:7)
A Faithful and Charitable Heart
Verse eight describes not only Zacchaeus’ response to the Lord’s directive, but it also reveals some important qualities about this man who was anxious to meet the Lord:
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.
The last phrase, “I restore him fourfold” indicates that Zacchaeus not only was familiar with the Law of Moses, but that he was striving to live it in his daily life. This Law was given to prepare Israel to turn to God, and to receive the Messiah when He came to deliver the Higher Law–the gospel of Jesus Christ. Zacchaeus was apparently living the Law of Moses; therefore, he was prepared to meet the Messiah.
And not only did Zacchaeus give to the poor, but he gave HALF of his goods to them. Albeit, Zacchaeus was rich. But being rich in and of itself is not a sin. Even in today’s cultures, being rich is often perceived as being evil. It is not. It is the love of riches that is a sin! Not the possession of them. Zacchaeus did not love his riches. If he did, he would not have given them away.
Spiritual Growth: A Matter of What and Whom We Love
Remember the rich man who approached the Lord and asked, “Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “Thou knows the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honor thy father and mother.”
The rich man answered that he observed these from the time of his youth. However, Jesus–discerned the weak link in this man’s “spiritual chain” and said:
“One thing thou lackest: Go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and take up the cross, and follow me.” But the rich man “was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.” (Mark 10:17-22)
In those days, riches often meant property. Jesus discerned that this rich man loved his possessions and the riches they represented more than he loved the poor and the needy–in other words: more than the rich man’s fellow human beings.
It’s About What We Do with What We Have
I’ve heard some students of the scriptures say, “But we don’t know if the rich man had a change of heart later on and repented.” No, we don’t know. But we do know that at the time of his encounter with the Savior, he did have a love of his riches, which the Lord discerned and invited him to repent of. If he later looked within himself, called out to God in prayer for strength to give up his love of riches and do what the Lord challenged him to do, took action, then he can thank the Lord for directing him to the proper path where he could be free of his spiritual vice.
With regard to riches, the Lord acknowledged that there is a tendency for rich people to fall into the trap of loving their riches, but this does not have to be the case. A wise steward over riches can do many wonderful things–even relieve suffering and the want in others who are less fortunate. In this case, Zacchaeus gets Five Stars! He used his riches to bless the lives of others!
Of course, the Lord knew all this, as He chose to make His abode with Zacchaeus and perhaps teach the crowd a spiritual lesson—such as to judge righteous judgement (Don’t misjudge people, or Don’t be judgmental.). The bottom spiritual line is that finances and our own state of spirituality do not run on the same continuum: A rich person can be righteous, and a poor person can be wicked.
The story of the little man named Zacchaeus with a big faith speaks to the heart of each follower of Jesus Christ. In studying this passage, here are some questions we can all ponder on our path to meet the Lord:
- Are we striving to live the gospel as far as we know and understand it, as Zacchaeus did?
- Are we preparing to meet the Lord? If yes, how so?
- Do we study the Word of God to sufficiently become familiar with the qualities Jesus Christ possesses? Would we recognize Jesus Christ if we met Him in a crowd by how He interacted with the people?
- What are the desires of our hearts?
- Do we love the Lord Jesus Christ?
- What are we doing to meet the Lord Jesus Christ as Zacchaeus did?
May your journey in seeking the Lord Jesus Christ help you feel closer to Him.
God bless,
-Tom Ligi, Publisher