Zacchaeus

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Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 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.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:1-10)

1. Desperation

   1. Twin stories: Despite the fact that they’re basically back to back, I never, until now, saw the connection between the passage that we discussed last week, the rich, young ruler, and the passage that we’re discussing this week, Zacchaeus. Compare the two.

      1. Similarities

         1. Both rich, young men

            1. You may be disappointed to hear that Zacchaeus wasn’t necessarily short.

               1. The words used there could mean young.

               2. Or the words could refer to Jesus.

               3. Can’t pass up an opportunity to mess with people’s 6’3” Jesus.

            2. Either way, they were both rich men.

         2. Both really wanted to see Jesus

            1. We know that the rich, young ruler was wanting to learn from Jesus the secret to eternal life, that is, to the good life.

            2. We’re not sure what Zacchaeus was looking for. He probably wasn’t either, but he was certainly motivated.

               1. The NIV says, “He wanted to see Jesus.”

               2. The language is much stronger than that; it leaves the impression of a quest.

      2. Yet, the outcomes are completely different. One walks away sad, having been unable to gain the object of his pursuit. The other was filled with joy, and experienced the salvation, the life, that Jesus came to bring. What’s the difference between the two? Desperation.

   2. Important vs. essential: there was a difference in the way that the two approached Jesus.

      1. The rich, young ruler.

         1. I’m not saying that the rich, young ruler was dispassionate, that he was simply interested in having an academic discussion with Jesus.

         2. He is obviously emotionally invested in the conversation (he walks away sad)

         3. However, the fact that he was willing to walk away from Jesus shows us that he had placed Jesus firmly into the “important” category.

      2. Zacchaeus

         1. To understand the key difference between the two men, we have to know bit of backstory:

            1. Tax collector

               1. Romans taxed extensively

               2. Collaborator with the Romans

               3. Paid by taking a cut off the top (backed up by Roman legionnaires).

            2. Chief tax collector: he made money off a network of tax collectors (pyramid scheme)

            3. Jericho: an important trading hub (making Zacchaeus a very wealthy man)

            4. Everyone saw this rich man around town and knew that his money was actually theirs.

         2. What does all this mean for our story?

            1. It means that everyone hated Zacchaeus

               1. He was filthy rich

               2. He was a traitor

               3. He was a crook

               4. We see as much from their response to Jesus; and to the fact that they wouldn’t let him anywhere near Jesus. For the rich, young ruler, the crowds probably parted; for Zacchaeus, they congealed.

            2. It means Zacchaeus was unclean: treated as a Gentile

               1. Excommunicated from the religious life

               2. Socially ostracized: he couldn’t remember the last time anyone had eaten a meal with him.

            3. It means he was desperate.

               1. He was cut off from his community

               2. He was cut off from God (excommunicated)

               3. He was cut off from himself (shame)

      3. Herein lies the difference between the rich, young ruler and Zacchaeus: for the rich, young ruler, seeing Jesus was important. For Zacchaeus, it was essential. He was desperate. The rich, young ruler was hopeful (maybe Jesus can help me; if not, I’ll be ok). He had one or two things He was hoping Jesus could give him some advice on. Zacchaeus was desperate (if Jesus doesn’t help me, I’m sunk).

      4. His desperation led him to a bold indignity. He wasn’t about to let anything get in the way of seeing Jesus.

   3. Jesus has no interest in being a part of your life, even an important part. He makes this much clear. He is the living water, He is the bread of life, He is life. He is vital or He is nothing.

2. Love: what happens when we bring our desperation to Jesus?

   1. You realize that it was not you looking for Jesus, but that Jesus looking for you.

      1. For Him, you are essential, you are vital. “I must eat at your house.” It’s the “must” that draws our attention.

      2. This is why He came, “to seek and save the lost.”

         1. This doesn’t mean that some people are lost and some are not.

         2. It means that some know they’re lost and others don’t (there’s got to be a good analogy here). This is the fundamental difference between the rich, young ruler and Zacchaeus.

            1. One thought he was basically there, one or two minor tweaks.

            2. The other realized that he was in a fog about to go over a cliff, completely lost.

   2. Jesus meets you at your place of deepest need.

      1. All Jesus does is invite Himself to dinner.

         1. Just happened that Zacchaeus had room at the table.

         2. Do we have room at our tables?

      2. Jesus is brilliant, though, because this simple statement gets immediately to the heart of Zacchaeus’ deepest need.

         1. His separation from others

         2. His separation from God (a holy man eating with him)

         3. His separation from self (if Jesus thinks you’re worthy of His company, who are you to say otherwise?)

3. Freedom: what happens when desperation and love meet?

   1. This is the reason Zacchaeus flips out and begins giving away everything.

   2. This is radical sacrifice, radical freedom.

      1. This is not tithing, nor law; he is not simply being religious.

      2. This is not generosity; this is far too reckless to be labeled generosity. This would seriously hamper Zacchaeus’ lifestyle, if not ruin him.

      3. This is the reaction of someone who understands what they’ve found. (“Whom have I in heaven but you…” Psalm 73)

      4. This is the reaction of someone who intends to continue to follow Jesus. He wants to be nimble, ready to move, not chained to the dirt.

4. Response

   1. Get desperate. Suffer. This can happen in one of two ways

      1. Unintentionally: this what happens when life goes sideways.

      2. Intentionally: you can choose to cultivate desperation by the way in which you live your life.

         1. Spiritual disciplines

            1. Fasting

            2. Simplicity

            3. Silence and solitude

         2. Radical generosity

            1. Money

            2. Time

            3. Place (home)

            4. Talent

         3. Radical love

            1. Costly relationships

            2. Forgiveness

   2. Take a risk

      1. Do whatever He tells you to do.

      2. Don’t worry about the cost: the reward is greater.

   3. Receive love

      1. Realize that Jesus has been pursuing you all along, that you are why He came.

      2. Let Him meet you at your place of deepest need and fill your empty hands.

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