Luke 19:1-9 “And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. 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. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
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. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.”
Everyone loves the story about Zacchaeus; even little children love this story, probably because Zacchaeus is little and it is funny that he climbed a tree to see Jesus. There are some deep lessons to be learned from this story. First, Jesus cares about the little people, not the little in physical stature only, but those who are little in every way in the eyes of men. When a person counts less in the society of the monied and educated, you can be sure that he counts big with Jesus, for He died for all, rich and poor, educated and ignorant, popular and unpopular alike.
Second, Zacchaeus teaches us that we should be determined to see Jesus. Unless we see Jesus, we will never see the kingdom of God. We need to see who He is, what He has done for us, and that He loves us and desires to save us. Zacchaeus was willing to suffer ridicule and mockery by climbing a tree, but he knew that he must see Jesus.
Third, we learn from this story that Jesus was willing to be criticized for resorting with sinners in order to win them for heaven. Zacchaeus was a hated tax collector, collecting taxes for Rome, the military occupiers of Judea. He was considered to be among the most unpatriotic and the most pagan in Jewish society. But Jesus saw him as a soul for whom He came to die. So Jesus invited Himself to Zacchaeus’ home. The murmuring of the legalists did not deter Jesus from His mission.
Fourth, Zacchaeus’ works proved that he had been born again. Those who are truly saved will be changed in some important ways–spending time with the Lord, making restitution for past sins, and treating people in a righteous way. These were the changes that Zacchaeus experienced. Changes that you experience will be different, according to the way you have lived. “If any man be in Christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Corinthinans 5:17).