Out on a Limb

Text:  Luke 19:1-6  And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.

2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.

3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.

4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.

6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.

When someone is “out on a limb”, it sends a message of trouble; being in a dangerous or uncompromising position where one is not joined or supported by anyone else – you’re in a risky situation.  The reason being is the limb is subject to break.  But how far are you willing to go to get off of the limb?  Despite the risk, are you willing to step out of your comfort zone?  Are you willing to step out into the unfamiliar to reap the benefits of getting the fruit (freedom; safety)?  Despite fear of that limb breaking, are you willing to step out to the end – because that’s where the fruit is!

Zaccheus found himself out on a limb in three areas of his life:  (1) Physical identity; (2) Spiritual curiosity; (3) Supernatural destiny.

This text indicates that Jesus was passing through Jericho.  In other words, He had no business scheduled, no meetings to attend, no particular friends to visit.  I might say that Jesus has traveled through Jericho many times before, but this time it was just prior to His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, possibly a week before His crucifixion.

I’m convinced that Jesus never “just passes through” places for no reason.  His purpose on this occasion was to have an interaction with the town’s chief tax collector named Zacchaeus, who had become rich in his profession.  He didn’t collect taxes himself; he employed others to do the dirty work.  How many of you know any tax collectors personally?  Not many because the job is so automated today, but in Zaccheus’ day, tax collectors were well known.  They were contract workers for the Roman Government.  

Judea was in the grip of a foreign power, and the taxes Zaccheus collected went into the foreign treasury to pay the army that kept his fellow Jews in bondage.  The Jews hated him and viewed him as a “turncoat” and traitor.

Jericho was an excellent spot for a good tax man because people from Jerusalem to the East passed by it.  Zaccheus was good at what he did.  He was in charge of the agents and able to take a cut of commission from all who collected taxes under him.  If Rome charged five percent tax, he collected ten percent from the people.  He stood on top of the pyramid stuffing his pockets before sending required taxes to Rome.

It’s no different today.  The Government world is in an uproar; chaos is over the land.  Government officials are at one another’s throats; publicans are filled with the spirit of greed for money and control.  There was no regard for the middle man, much less fellow man.  They’re stepping on others trying to get to the top.  Zaccheus had made it - best job, wealthy, successful (morally) by world’s standards.  He was at the top of the ladder, but in God’s eye sight, Zaccheus was morally and spiritually bankrupt.  He had it all, so he thought, but he didn’t have the peace and satisfaction of knowing God.  

• Matthew 16:26  For what profit is it to a man if he gain the whole world and loses his own soul?  

Job security, financial security, social security is good, but without “eternal security”, what do you have?  Oh, Zaccheus was at the top!  But guess what?  He was one lonely and unhappy man.  Even though he had a lucrative profession, it wasn’t an easy one.

We have all described someone in general conversation by their physical status, meaning how you see them:  tall; short, fat; red; blonde; black hair; ugly; pretty; smart; etc.  The sad thing is, we assign value to a person based on what we see – their physical appearance.  In Zaccheus’ case, people recognized him by his short statute, wealth, and the position he held but really didn’t know the person.  Despite his size, his title, and position, there was more to this man than just being chief tax collector.  He faced some of the same problems of life as anyone else.

Jesus was about to shine a divine light on a short man with a tall problem.  He was hated by everyone and lived under constant stress working for the Roman Empire.  While others saw just a tax collector, jesus saw the man behind the professions.

• St. John 6:44  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Jesus makes the first move by coming to the sinner, offering life through Himself.  The hunter knows the game will not come to the house to be shot.  They must go out and seek.  Now Jesus is in Jericho, and the news has come to Zacchaeus’ ears but not his eyes.  Hearing that Jesus was in town, he was determined to see Him.  What motivated him?  Here’s a successful businessman, who had moved up in the world and earned the title as “chief”; wealthy; didn’t have any observable need but was curious about Jesus.  

Why the curiosity?  Luke 19:3 tells us that Zacchaeus wanted to see who Jesus was.  It’s evident he’d heard something about Him and wanted to know more.  All of us are fascinated to see famous people in person.  Also Zacchaeus had been told that one of Jesus’ inner circle of disciples was a tax collector, who was Matthew.  I guess he wanted to know why one in his own profession would be drawn to jesus.

Why the curiosity?  Let’s examine “spiritual curiosity”.

• Ecclesiastes 3:10  I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

God has set enmity in our hearts.  He has placed in the soul of every human being a desire to connect to the Creator.  Some fight it; some ignore it; some deny it.  But I don’t care how you look at it, human beings are spiritual beings, and no amount of success or possessions can satisfy the deepest longing of the soul to know God.

Zacchaeus was in touch with his humanity.  He was morally lost, intellectually lost, socially lost, hated by his profession, short in stature, and tall in sin.  He was a renegade in the eyes of religious people.  He was thought about as much as a high level drug dealer is today.  In fact, in the mind of people, tax collectors were on the same level as murderers, adulterers, and other sinners.  It didn’t matter to Zacchaeus; he wanted to see Jesus.  He wanted to figure out what made Jesus different from everyone else.  He was drawn to this man.  At this point, he hasn’t a clue of what’s going on in his heart - the desperate need and the urgency that he had to get to Jesus.

Perhaps that’s how some of you are feeling right now.  You’re drawn to Jesus; you’re intrigued by who He is; and you want to get to know Him.  One thing I want to point out about Jesus is that He has an amazing way to turn your curiosity into an encounter.  Does anybody know what I’m talking about?  Have you ever been sitting in church minding your business and trying to remain anonymous, and suddenly it seems like the message is directed solely at you?  But you know that Mr/Mrs Preacher doesn’t know you, but the Holy Ghost does!  I’m a witness; I’m guilty!  That was my encounter!  I felt a choking sensation and don’t even remember getting up out of my seat, but when I came to myself, I was standing in front of the pulpit with my arms outstretched, crying out to God!  I have never been the same because of God’s drawing power!  I found I needed Jesus just like Zacchaeus needed Jesus - and so does the lost and dying world!

SPIRITUAL DESTINY - fate; hidden power believed to control what will happen in the future.  It’s more that an end result or just achieving a goal.  It’s a driving force that shapes and defines your life.

Now the crowd has gathered.  When the President of the United States comes to a city, the crowd is thick and lays in wait to see him.  Can you see the spot Zacchaeus is in?  First of all, he’s short in stature.  Can’t you just see him mingling in that crowd, bouncing up and down on his toes trying to see past the taller folks in front of him?  With that crowd pressing in, there was no way for him to get close to Jesus.  In a crowd like that, sure there were some unhappy taxpayers who would use this opportunity to nudge, kick, push, or accidentally elbow this little old tax collector.  He was risking his safety to possibly end up black and blue to see Jesus.

Luke 19:4 tells us that he ran ahead of the crowd and climbed a tree.  He was short alright but not short on resources.  In that day, it was undignified for a rich man to run; secondly, it’s amazing he chose a tree to climb in order to see Jesus, being a man of much wealth.  But against all odds, “Zach” wasn’t going to let the crowd, his reputation, wealth, or being a little man stop him from seeing Jesus.

I ask you.  Do you care enough about the condition of your soul to pay the price to be right with God?  Are you willing to turn from that pet sin?  Are you ready to run ahead of the crowd in order to see Jesus?  Are you ready to run to Him?  Are you ready to climb a tree?  Are you ready to step “out on a limb”?

This wasn’t just any tree.  It was a sycomore-fig mulberry tree.  It grows by the side of the road.  It was easy to climb.  It had short trunks with wide lateral branches forking out in all directions.  This was just the right tree for a little short man to climb.  The sycomore tree connoted that which pertained to the world of “material things” (that which society measures you up with); Judaism or the “religious system” which has no substance.  Religion has the form of Godliness (tall steeples, glittering lights, stained glass windows) but denying the power thereof.  (2 Timothy 3:5)

Remember the tree in Matthew 21:19 - the fig tree; the one that was full of leaves; the one Jesus cursed.  It looked good to Him from a distance, pretty and green, but under close examination, there was no fruit, no substance.  Zacchaeus was illustrating Matthew 5:8:

• Matthew 5:8   Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Zacchaeus’ name means pure; righteous.  He was a god-man from the beginning.

• 1 Corinthians 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

This lets us know that “the spiritual” is not first but “the natural” is.  Zacchaeus was living out of his human side.  He wasn’t in touch with his spirituality until he met Jesus.

That “sycomore-fig mulberry tree” was a tree of no value, and it bore fruit that was fed to pigs.  In that culture, it was considered humiliating to climb that tree.  But Zacchaeus had to crucify his flesh.  The tree also was a representation of “the cross”.  Zacchaeus was willing to step out on a limb.  He climbed to the top of the tree.

The “head” is the top of the body.  That’s where the crucifixion takes place.  That’s why Jesus was crucified at Golgotha meaning place of the skull.  (Matthew 27:33)  The “skull” houses your mind.  That’s where man’s mind is; mortal man; the carnal mind; the one that’s an enemy to God has to die.  We must put on Christ’s mind so that He can destroy the “mind of man” or that which is driven by his “humanity” instead of his “divinity”!!

Please get this revelation.  It was “the Head” that went to the Cross and died.

• Colossians 1:18   And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

But he rose from the dead!  When the “Head” died, the body died with Him!  When the “Head” rose, the body rose with Him!

• Romans 8:11   But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken (make alive) your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

It was destined for Zacchaeus to climb that tree.  Why?  To allow the Christ mind to be expressed within himself.

• Philippians 2:5  Let (allow) this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.
• 1 Corinthians 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.

Do you have His mind?  It’s only by His Spirit that we can begin to know His thoughts and have insight into His plans.

Paul wrote in Romans:

• Romans 6:6-7  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Zacchaeus no longer allowed the world to confirm him.

• Romans 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

After Zacchaeus’ encounter with Christ, he became transformed because his mind was renewed, which enabled him to present his body a living sacrifice unto God, which was his reasonable service.

• Romans 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

I’m sure when Zacchaeus started his governmental official role as chief tax collector, his motive wasn’t to oppress the people - not the “spirit man”, the second man (whose name meant pure, righteous, clean, justice) but the “human side”, the first man (as publican, sinner).  He became filled with greed and injustice and was withholding and striving to accumulate wealth.  We see how “greed and injustice” overtook “justice”, and Zacchaeus’ view of getting wealth over-shadowed his view of God, truth, and honesty - until dishonesty and deception determined what he did and how he did it.

• Proverbs 11:28  He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.

The only remedy for short-sightedness, selfishness, and greed is obedience to God’s command.  While Zacchaeus was out searching, it was really Jesus who was seeking him.

• Luke 19:5  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.

Zacchaeus saw that Jesus saw Him.  Do you know that God sees us exactly as we are?  You can put on a front for others to see, but God sees and knows your heart (motives, intentions).  He’s lookin at your heart today.  He sees you and me even in all our mess - backbiting, fighting over positions, arguing if women should preach/teach the gospel.  The “big one” is “should women pastor?”.  Religious people are arguing over what to wear - whether it’s jewelry, pants, or make-up.  Why worry over outer appearances?  It’s what’s on the inside of you that you should be concerned about.

• Matthew 15:11  Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
• Jeremiah 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

It makes no difference how rich you are or how intelligent and well-educated you are.  You must come to Jesus with an open and repented heart.

• Psalm 34:18  The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

It all starts in your mind.  Therefore we must change the way we think and start thinking with God’s mind.  For He is an “All Knowing, and “All seeing” God!  He knows everything about you and me.  Zacchaeus found out that Jesus loved him while the rest of the world or society wanted nothing to do with him.  To them, he was a loathsome cheat.  But to Jesus, he was a sinner who needed to be loved.

• Romans 5:8   But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

At the Savior’s word, old Zacchaeus quickly climbed down that tree!  He climbed up that tree “an old man” with an “old attitude”, but he came down a “brand new man” with a “brand new attitude” to receive God’s kingdom.  Zacchaeus came down from “religion to relationship” with god.  He came down “from darkness” (the materialistic world”) to “the kingdom of light”.

• 2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Zacchaeus went in mastered by passion to get, and he came out swept by compassion to give.  He gave up his riches and gave back to whom he’d stolen.

• Luke 19:9  And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

Zach got saved!  He had a major heart transplant!  It wasn’t purchased with money.  He didn’t hesitate nor did he resist his Master’s call.  Guess what?  He did not change jobs.  He was a “tax collector” before he met Christ, and he continued collecting taxes after he met Christ.  His job was the same, but his destiny was different.  He now used his job as an opportunity to give glory to God!!!

Zacchaeus’ destiny included his salvation, his vocation, and his determination.  He overcame obstacles (physical limitations; being short; criticism by peers; crowds blocked his access to Jesus), and with all of that, his longing desire drove him into the Presence of Christ, and oh, what an encounter!!

To you, I encourage you - “follow his example”!  To reach the fruit of a tree, you must go out on a limb!  And do not allow anything to prevent you from receiving all that God desires for your life!  The salvation Zacchaeus received is still available today!!

~ Evangelist Brenda Hansley