This morning I am reading one of my favorite stories, the story of Zacchaeus. Yesterday I was so tired from a night of minimal sleep, that I ended up sleeping through my prayer time, which is actually just fine. I am convinced the Lord is able to speak to my spirit while I sleep, and has no problem with my falling asleep with Him on my mind.
So here is the story - Luke 19:1-10 NIV:
[1] "Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. [2] A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. [3] He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. [4] So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
[5] When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”
[6] So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. [7] All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
[8] But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
[9] Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. [10] For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
One of the things I like about this story is the realness of it all, there is no sense of anything even remotely made up. I can easily imagine the situation as it unfolded. Zacchaeus must have been an interesting man, as he was short, and also considered a traitor, for he worked for the Romans as a collector of taxes. He personally benefitted greatly from that arrangement, but his wealth came from the taxes he collected from the people around him. No wonder there was grumbling when Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus's house, he was probably one of the most hated men around, for they saw him get rich on what was once their money.
If I ever wondered if there was hope for the salvation of someone because of their character, Zacchaeus is a great example of the Lord's touch being able to completely transform someone in an instant. He was clearly an astute businessman, who knew how to survive and thrive in a negative environment. He was not a friend of the poor, for often the tax burden fell heavily on them, nor was he known for his charity, for he had amassed great wealth on the backs of those around him. He had to be ruthless in the profession of tax collecting, and being charitable would not have helped him in that regard. That he was selfish is a given.
So here is a man, probably hated by all, surrounded by people who only liked him for his money, and considered by all to be a traitor to the Romans. He meets Jesus after climbing down from the tree and before Jesus can even say anything else, he boldly proclaims how his heart has been changed, for he pledges half of his possessions to the poor! Adding to that he opens himself up to make restitution to anyone he cheated. This is huge, for his wealth was all he really had that made him somebody, it was likely where he derived his whole identity. Now he was readily giving it away! This is like the story of the Grinch who stole Christmas, whose heart and whole life was changed. Zacchaeus just had that kind of experience in meeting Jesus.
Jesus for His part confirms the change in Zacchaeus by calling him a true son of Abraham, which established him as a Jew, not a traitor. In addition to that, Jesus says that salvation came to him, and his house! He wasn't just talking about his restoration as a Jew, but the word is also used to mean the salvation that Jesus won on the cross, so likely the Lord is prophetically speaking about his eternal destiny.
Finally, in the Gospel of Luke, Zacchaeus is the second to last person mentioned who received salvation, the other being the criminal who was crucified wth Jesus. So, let us take encouragement that anyone can meet Jesus and be transformed in an instant, even those most lost, no matter how late it might seem. I am convinced that Jesus was specifically sent to Jericho by the Father to save Zacchaeus. He knew his name and where to look (up) to find him. The Lord said He must stay at his house that night, which sounds to me like He was on a mission from the Father. In fact, Jesus in his last sentence said He was sent to SEEK and SAVE the lost. Sounds exactly like Jesus was seeking out Zacchaeus.
This is a great story of salvation, of hearts being changed and of the specific purposes the Lord has for us all. All of us are known to the Lord, and where we are presently. He has a day of eternal destiny planned for each of us, even the most lost. Let us continue to pray for those who we know that are lost, even the most hardened, for at some point the Lord will seek them out and call their name.
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