“A LITTLE MAN MEETS A BIG GOD
Luke 19:1-10
There’s a story about a local fitness center, which was offering $1,000 to anyone who could demonstrate that they were stronger than the owner of the place. Here’s how it worked. This muscle man would squeeze a lemon until all the juice ran into a glass, and then hand the lemon to the next challenger. Anyone who could squeeze just one more drop of juice out would win the money. Many people tried over time…………….¬ other weightlifters, construction workers, even professional wrestlers, but nobody could do it. One day a short and skinny guy came in and signed up for the contest. After the laughter died down, the owner grabbed a lemon and squeezed away. Then he handed the wrinkled remains to the little man. The crowd’s laughter turned to silence as the man clenched his fist around the lemon and six drops fell into the glass. As the crowd cheered, the manager paid out the winning prize and asked the short guy what he did for a living. “Are you a lumberjack, a weightlifter, or what?” The man replied, “I work for the IRS.”
This morning we’re focusing on a high-ranking IRS man who cheated not on his return, but on everyone else’s. drop from He had figured out a way to skim some money off the top and squeeze the last people’s wallets. In Luke 19:1 we see, “Jesus is passing through Jericho on His final trip to Jerusalem.” He comes in contact with the little man Zaccheus, a wealthy government man from the top rung of the economic ladder. There are three things we see in this passage this morning
First:We See The Searching Sinner
It says in Luke 19:2-4, “Behold, there was a man called Zaccheus; and he was a chief tax gatherer, and he was rich. And he was trying to see who Jesus was, and he was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. And he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.” In verse two, we see that Zaccheus was a man of some prominence. His name in Hebrew means, “pure and righteous,” but he was not thought of as being anywhere close to righteous because of the job he had. As a tax collector, he worked for Rome and was considered a traitor by the Jewish people. The fact that he worked for the Roman IRS indicated to others that he was more interested in money than anything else.
Zack was more than just an IRS agent, however. He was a “chief” tax collector. He was in charge of all the agents and was able to take a “cut” of commission from those who collected taxes for him. He stood on top of the collection pyramid, stuffing his pockets with shekels before he sent the required taxes to Rome. If Rome charged a 5% tax, Zack may have collected 10% from the people. Jericho was a great place for Zack to be, as it was considered the ‘tax capital’ of Palestine. He was in charge of one of the three tax offices and was very wealthy. But he was a renegade in the eyes of the religious people. He would have been thought of as a high-level drug dealer today. In fact, in the minds of people, tax collectors were often linked with murderers, adulterers, robbers, and other “sinners.” Tax collectors were not new to Jesus. Early on in His ministry, Jesus had attracted, and worse yet, received them warmly. In Luke 5:30, Jesus was accused by the religious leaders for eating and drinking with “tax collectors and sinners.” These two terms were almost synonymous to the Pharisees. There was hardly a life form more offensive than these traitors.
In verse 3 we notice that while Zack is very wealthy and successful by the world’s standards, he knew something was missing. Even people today, if they are honest, will eventually admit that there’s more to life than just trying to make money and obtain possessions. Notice that it doesn’t say that Zack just wanted to see Jesus. No. He wanted to see who Jesus was. He wanted to figure out what it was that made Jesus different from everyone else. He was drawn to this man who had just given sight to the blind beggar on the outskirts of Jericho. Now this healer was walking through his town. He may not have fully understood what was going on in his heart, but Zack had a desperate need to get to Jesus. He probably couldn’t even explain what drew him to see who Jesus was.
Perhaps that’s how some of you feel this morning. You’re drawn to Jesus and want to know more about him. This week I went to my dentist and started quite a conversation with him about faith. He is definitely searching and seeking to find out more about who Jesus is. And I had the opportunity, which he opened up by the way, to tell him my story. That’s all you have to do. God opens the door and you just tell your story.
Zack had at least two problems that day. The first was that he was a short man. I picture him bouncing up and down on his toes trying to see above the taller guys in front of him. With all the crowds pressing in, there was no way for him to get close enough to Jesus. His second problem was spiritual ¬ his sins were keeping him from Jesus. Isaiah 59:2 says that “our iniquities have separated us from God.” Not only was Zack of short stature, he, like us, was not able to measure up to God’s standards. He came up far short in a spiritual sense of ever entering into a relationship with God. He was short on integrity and tall on sin. I love verse 4: “So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.” This guy was resourceful. He may have been short…..but wasn’t slow. He ran ahead of crowd looking for a way that he could see Jesus. This picture is a bit amusing, isn’t it? Rich men usually don’t run and it’s funny that he would climb a tree to see Jesus. But he did. He was determined to see Jesus and frankly didn’t care what others thought of his sprinting or his climbing. Zack did not allow anything, not the crowd or his condition, to stand between him and his desire to see the Lord Jesus. What about you? Do you care enough about the condition of your soul to pay whatever price is necessary to be right with God? Are you willing to turn from that little pet sin? Are you ready to walk away from the crowd in order to see Jesus? Are you ready to run to Him?
Second: We See The Seeking Savior
In Verse 5 we see while Zaccheus may have been searching, it was Jesus who was seeking him, “And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” Jesus took note of Zaccheus. He stopped, looked up, called him by name, and told him that He must come to His house. Again we see that while Jesus has set his face toward the Cross, he stops and ministers to a searching sinner. He knew right where Zack was because He knew all about him ¬ and He was filled with compassion toward him. This is how it always happens. Jesus makes the first move by coming to the dead sinner and offering life through Himself. We would never be able to come to Jesus unless He came to us first. He then gives Zack a two-fold command: “Come down immediately.” Get out of the tree, Zack. Right now. There’s always a sense of urgency about following Christ.
2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “…Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” Questions must have been swirling around by the crowd. How did Jesus know his name? Why that tree? Why did Jesus want this sinner to come down right away? Then there is the command: “I must stay at your house today.” Why the “must”? Pharisees/religious leaders believed they were sinners and you don’t spend time with them, especially in their homes. Notice that Jesus invited Himself to dinner! This pictures what Jesus’ ministry is all about…..to save sinners from their sins.
Third: We See The Spectacular Salvation
In Luke 19:6-10 we read, “He hurried and came down, and received Him gladly. When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Zaccheus didn’t waste any time getting out of the tree. Verse 6 tells us, “So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.” Jesus said, “jump” and Zack jumped. He came down right away and welcomed Jesus joyfully and with great excitement. He was overwhelmed with joy! The word “gladly” carries with it the idea of “jubilant exultation.” Joy is one of the key themes found in Luke’s gospel, being mentioned over 20 times in one form or another. I wonder what it will take for us to become more filled with glad and joyful praise? With all that God has done for us, we should be exuberant with joy! Yet too often our faces are fallen, our hearts are heavy, and our minds are muddled with cares and concerns.
Friends, let’s learn from this example ¬ when people encountered Jesus, they broke out into joyful praise! That should be reflected in our daily lives and when we gather together for corporate worship. Now, in contrast to Zack’s joy, we see in verse 7 that the entire crowd began to mutter. They were confused by Jesus talking to Zack and went ballistic trying to figure out why Jesus had invited himself to dinner at Zack’s place? It’s the same word used by the Israelites in the desert when they were complaining and grumbling to the Lord. How many times don’t we grumble the same way? We have these categories in our minds of people who are really ‘bad.’ We might be upset if Jesus were to drop in on them for a meal as well. It’s easy to think we are better than other people.
After the meal and conversation with Jesus, we see in verse 8 that Zaccheus was greatly impacted by the call on his life. Because of what he is about to say, I think we can safely conclude that Zack was converted during the meal. He knew he was a sinner and had come to the Savior for salvation. His conversion is clear because of the life-change we see. Zack pushes himself away from the table and says to Jesus, “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.” He did it then. He was totally sold out for Jesus. When Jesus meets someone there is a change. If you’ve never changed, it may be because you haven’t truly been saved.
William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, understood the importance of asking God to change him said this in a prayer, “Lord, I give you everything there is in this man, William Booth. Do with me what you will.” God loves to hear prayers like this. Zack’s public confession shows the sincerity of his repentance and was his way of living out Romans 10:10: “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” As part of his repentance, Zack wants to right his wrongs. He gives half of his possessions to the poor and will make restitution at four times for those he swindled. He becomes a ‘big man.’
Back then it was generous to give 20% and he gave 50%. He knew his behavior was of the worst kind and wanted to make things right. We sometimes think we’re generous if we give God 5% or 10% of our income. The mark of Zack’s transformation and conversion was his staggering generosity. He learned the truth quickly that it is impossible to serve both God and money. Before he met Jesus his money was everything to him. After his conversion, it took a back seat and became something to be given away. It was Albert Schweitzer who said, “If you own something that you cannot give away, then you don’t own it, it owns you.”
Now we come to verse 10: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” The mission of Jesus is very clear: He came to seek and save what was lost. Jesus is still on a search and save mission. He is seeking out people who need to be saved. If you’ve never been saved from your sins, you need to know that Jesus is pursuing you even if you are not pursuing Him. He wants to have a vibrant relationship with you. Right now, He’s outside the door of your life knocking. Can you hear Him? He knocks and then he waits for you to open the door. Revelation 3:20 says that, “…If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
When he knocks he speaks your name out loud. He knows everything about you and has been pursuing a relationship with you for a long time. He knows your pain, your dreams, and all the details of your life. He knows your failures and your sins. He has seen and felt them all. And, He’s been trying to get your attention. You may be hearing His voice right now in your heart. Just as He called out to Zaccheus so too he is calling out to you: “Come to me right now, for I must come into your life.”
In conclusion we see four stages that Zack went through, which have direct application to our lives. First…..Curious. He wanted to get to know who Jesus was. Second…Considered. He investigated the claims of Christ. Third………. Converted. The searching Savior saved him and forgave his sins. Fourth…… Changed. His life was radically redirected after his conversion. As I look back over my life I can see God brought me through all these four stages. They all just didn’t happen at one time, but took many, many years before I finally decided to give my life to Christ. And since that time I’ve seen him change my life. Some of those changes happen right away and other changes are still in process today.
What stage are you at this morning? Are you curious about who Jesus is? If so, don’t stop there. Investigate. Check Him out up close by reading the Bible. Consider His claims. Keep coming to church. As you do, your next step is to be converted. That’s why Jesus came. He came to convert you, He seeks to save you, and He longs to show you His love. And then, He will change your life in ways you can’t even imagine.
And so, the call has gone out. Is Jesus living within you or do you just let Him visit once in awhile? If He has taken up residence, have you been denying Him access to some of the rooms in your life? Jesus is calling your name right now. Will you respond? Will you abandon it all for the sake of the call? Will you allow yourself to be influenced by spiritual yearnings and put your faith in Christ? Are you too deeply embedded in the world to change course? Zaccheus was locked into a way of life that was pretty comfortable and yet Jesus changed him. And he can do the same for you.
