Zacchaeus' transformation.

Imagine a person providing armed robbers with help during their raid on his family house and right in the presence of his family members, over and over. Imagine this same person enriching himself in the process. Imagine what his family members would think of him. This was the life of a tax collector when Judea was under Roman occupation. The job of the Jewish TCs was to exact tax from their brothers (fellow Jews) to give to the Romans who had invaded their land. Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector, the worst of them all in the eyes of the Jews. Other tax collectors reported to him. He and his kind were so despised that they had their own "sinner" category, remember "the tax collectors and sinners..."

Zacchaeus heard that Christ was passing through Jericho and wanted desperately to see Him. There was a huge crowd in his way and he was a short man, so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Christ. What he did not know was that our Saviour already had plans for him, a most despised sinner! Christ called him by name: Luke 19:5 -

"And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." Let's break this down-

"Zacchaeus" : Christ called Zacchaeus by name. Our salvation and relationship with Christ is personal, not through a go-between prophet or church daddy. It is personal.

"make haste" : Our salvation is a matter of urgency for Christ. He desires it.

"and come down" : It is humbling for us. Zacchaeus was short. He wanted to see the Lord so he climbed the sycamore tree: this is a picture of self-effort. Remember Hebrews 12:14-

"Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God;"

But Zacchaeus could not pursue peace with all people even if he tried; his people despised him. He was a sinner. He fell short. Of ourselves, we all fall short of the glory of God. All have sinned. We try to keep the Ten Commandments by our own efforts and choose to do good over evil in order to be godly; in order to be like God. Remember who ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (a picture of the law) because she was told that she would "be like God." Eve. But even the good part of the tree kills. 

The letter (law) kills. The devil positions law-keeping in order to attain godliness as the "right thing to do" thus deceiving many and getting them to come under condemnation. The law condemns all who try to keep it.

Christ calls us to come down from our high horse of self-righteousness aka whatever it is that we do or do not do by our own efforts in order to give ourselves a better chance of seeing the Lord and in order to be saved (righteousness by works of the law)

"for today I must stay at your house" : Our Saviour WANTED to stay at the house of this great, thieving sinner that was despised by all, as He still does with sinners today! Christ did not tell Zacchaeus to first go and do restitution, fast or keep the law before He blessed him with His presence where there is fullness of joy. Christ called him down to save him from his sins, including the very things that made Zacchaeus a pariah. This is not an "office" or formal kind of relationship. It is social. It is family. It is love. And look what happened to Zacchaeus the thieving tax collector after Christ came into his home (without first asking him to return the money he stole!): Luke 19:8-

"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.”

Four times as much as had been unjustly taken was the amount that was required in the Jewish law when a sheep had been stolen, and a man was convicted of the theft by trial at law (Exodus 22:1.) But Christ's visit to Zacchaeus caused him to do this and more - give half of his possessions to the poor!

Believers, this is grace- undeserved, unmerited favour. We don't get "good" to get Christ. We get Christ to get good! We are in Christ first and then He makes us righteous. With Christ, we don't live right to get saved; we get saved to live right and "produce a harvest of good deeds for God." See Romans 7:4.

With Christ we don't give to get; we get to give. The law is fulfilled in us but not by us. Seek first the kingdom of God (righteousnesses, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit) and His righteousness (not yours from law-keeping!) and all these things (including the grace to stop sinning and live right) will be added unto you.

Zacchaeus name in Hebrew (Zaccai) translates into "pure of the Lord." "Righteous." Believers, Christ healed many people but referred to them as "woman" "daughter" and so on. Christ calling Zacchaeus by name was not a flippant thing at all. His word will not return to Him void. He called Zacchaeus "Righteous" in Zacchaeus' impure state. Zacchaeus answered Him (came down from his sycamore tree of self-help) and became a changed man - freed from his sin and doing exploits! Romans 5:19 tells us-

"For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous."

In Christ, God sees you as and calls you "Righteous," even though you still have sins that you are dealing with. Imagine Zacchaeus refusing to go to receive Salvation (Yeshua, the name of our Lord in Hebrew) until he first stopped all the bad things he was doing. While this is very important, if we could, we won't need our Saviour who came to save His people from their sins (Matt.1:21.) Peter tried not to sin by using his own effort but denied Christ...three times. Remember James 2:10. Stumble at one point of the law and you're guilty of all. You can't say "I will do my best and Jesus will see that I have tried and do the rest." You have to come down from the tree of self-help and see that you have no righteousness of your own in order to to have a relationship with Him.

Today, in Christ, because of His gift of righteousness to us, God calls us "Righteous" apart from works. Like Paul in Philippians 3:7-11, let's count all of our achievements and good works done to be godly as rubbish, "...that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection,..."

What else can we learn from Zacchaeus encounter with our Saviour Jesus Christ? Zacchaeus was a sinner who wanted to see the Lord. He was desperately seeking Christ. We often think that all sinners have no care and want to wallow in sin but many are looking for the Way out. They go to church looking for Salvation (which is only by grace through faith) but are fed the law which is not of faith. So they go back feeling worse off and condemned because "without faith, it is impossible to please God..." This is why many people, especially young people, don't like going to church.

Luke 19:2 tells us Zacchaeus was a rich man yet he was desperately seeking Jesus, unlike the prodigal son who returned home because of his circumstances. Many people say it is lack of money that makes people seek God. It is not just lack or poverty that leads to having a desire to see our Saviour. God Himself gives us a heart to seek Christ. Remember John 6:44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him;..."

Remember the holier than thou people in the crowd who thought Zacchaeus had no business getting close to our Saviour because he was a sinner- "7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” They are like those who tell you today to clean yourselves with your own filthy rags righteousnesses from works of the law in order to be right with God. These ones do not know that they are filthy. They do not know there is a log in their eye. By God's grace, don't pay attention to such. Like Zacchaeus, come down from that tree of self-righteousness and receive God's gift of righteousness in Christ.

See verse 9: "And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

When Salvation (Yeshua) calls you and you receive Him into your house, you will be free from sin. Your family too will be saved by Him. Don't wait to get clean (using the filthy rags of your own righteousnesses) before you accept His invitation to save, bless and deliver you "For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands...." Romans 3:20. Now is the time for your salvation. Make haste to receive Him as you are, with your sins and all. He will make you clean.

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.

Believe Right and you will Live Right.