TEXT:
LUKE chapter 19 (Show Christ – Son of Man / Divine-human Savior)
Vs 1 And Jesus
entered and passed through Jericho. Vs 2 And,
behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the
publicans, and he was rich. Vs 3 And he
sought to see Jesus, who he was; and could not for the press, because he was
little of stature.
Vs 4 And he
ran before and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass
that way. Vs 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 today I must abide at thy house. Vs 6 And he
made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
SUBTOPIC:
“FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD”
The phrase “out on a
limb”, 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 the limb? Despite the
risk, are you willing to step out of your comfort zone? Are you willing
to step out into unfamiliarity to reap the benefits of getting the fruit
(freedom; comfort zone, safe ground)? Despite fear of that limb breaking,
are you willing to step out to the end – because that’s where the fruit is!
The text opens with Jesus entering and passing through
Jericho. In other words, He had no business scheduled, no meetings to
attend, no 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 (purpose for His
coming).
I’m convinced that Jesus
never “just passes through” places for no reason for He was still
seeking to save the lost (vs 10). Jesus’ 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 during 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 oversaw the agents and was 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 middleman, 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 eyesight, 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 gains 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. Zaccheus found
himself out on a limb and I would like to point out three areas of his life he
had to face to reach his destiny:
PHYSICAL IDENTITY
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.
Listen to what “the LORD”
told Samuel when sent to Jesse’s house to anoint the new king.
1st Samuel 16:
6-7, Samuel looked on Eliab saying, “Surely, the Lord’s anointed is before
Him.” But the LORD said unto Samuel, look not on his countenance, or the height
of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD sees not as man sees:
for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.
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 profession.
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 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 circles 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.
The “Good News” is that no matter what has happened in our past, Jesus
walks into the dusty streets of our own lives this very day. We need to be in
position to see Him and respond to His loving invitations. Zaccheaus’ curiosity
was putting him in the right position to walk into his destiny. Secondly, he
faced …
SPIRITUAL
DESTINY
Defined – predestinate is the future of an individual, hidden power believed to control
what will happen in the future. It’s more than an end result or just
achieving a goal. It’s a driving force that shapes and defines one’s
life.
Jeremiah
29: 11 “For I know the plans I have for you”.
The life of the believer is a part of God’s perfect plan. 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. or Miss 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 - and so does the lost and
dying world!
Luke 19:3, the
crowd has gathered, imagine 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, 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, I’m 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. Thirdly, he
faced …
SUPERNATURAL
DESTINY
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 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.
Understand,
faith is the very beginning of everything that really matters spiritually.
Hebrews 11:6 states, “without it you can’t please God.” This was nothing
but faith in action because Paul stated in Romans 12:3 to a group of believers “God
hath dealt to every man the “measure of faith”. The faith that prevents one
from thinking of themselves more highly than they ought to, prevents pride and
encourages “sober judgment.” It is faith that produces action.
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 to see Jesus? Are you ready to run to
Him? Are you ready to step “out on a limb? Are you willing to
climb a tree?
This
wasn’t just any tree. It was a sycamore-fig mulberry tree that grows by
the side of the road. It was easy to climb. It had short trunks
with wide lateral branches forked out in all directions. This was just
the right tree for a little short man to climb. The sycamore tree denotes
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. (2nd Timothy 3:5)
Remember,
the tree in Matthew 21:19 - the fig tree; the one that was full
of leaves, was deceptive, since fig leaves indicates it has ripe fruit; It
looked good to Jesus from a distance, pretty and green, but under close
examination, there was no fruit, no substance. Jesus cursed it because it had
not borne any fruit.
So,
Zacchaeus was illustrating Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart:
for they shall see God.
His name
means pure; righteous. He was a “god man” from the
beginning, because “the spiritual” is not first but “the
natural.” 1st Corinthians 15:46 “Howbeit that
was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that
which is spiritual. Zacchaeus was living out of
his human side. He wasn’t in touch with his spirituality until he desired
to see Jesus.
That
“sycamore-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. The fact that He was 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. This was faith
demonstrating the need to see Jesus at any cost, despite what others thought or
what obstacles were in the way. But Zacchaeus had to crucify his
flesh.
The
tree represented the “Tree of the Cross” the tree that lifts us up to
supernatural heights, to Christ Himself. Did not Jesus hang on the cross for
the whole world to see! Zacchaeus was willing to step out on a limb.
He climbed to the top of the tree. At the top, the tree created a clear
line of vision for Christ to see him. At the top, it helped him to rise above
the crowd and put him in the right position for the invitation that would
follow.
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 must 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.
1st
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 6:6 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. Vs 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Zacchaeus
no longer allowed himself to be conformed by the world system.
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
trusts 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 today 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 looking 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 goes into the mouth
defiles a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defiles 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 saves 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”.
- 2nd
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, for so much 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
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