“Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord…” (v 8) It takes incredible bravery to stand up and confess your sins – especially when your sins have gotten you everything you have ever wanted. Zacchaeus chose righteousness over appearances, honoring Christ over seeking honor. And the fascinating thing is that Jesus never said anything to Zacchaeus… Read More »

“the guest of a man who is a sinner” (v 7) You cannot control who your family is. You have no control over the personalities of your relatives. You do, however, control who your guests are. Zacchaeus chose whom he would keep company with, and he chose well. The funny thing is that the complaining… Read More »

“They all grumbled…” (v 7) Those outside of the house Jesus enters will always complain about those inside the house. We sometimes worry more about how we will be perceived by those outside than what really matters – what the Savior who has entered will think. You cannot think of criticism as a negative, as… Read More »

“So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.” (v 6) Once Jesus entered Zacchaeus’ world, Zacchaeus recognized how his journey to wealth and gain contrasted with Jesus’ journey of simplicity. Zacchaeus does not put it into so many words, but the rush of activity indicates a radical change. It was, however, a change… Read More »

“a guest of a man who is a sinner…” (v 7) There is no way to purchase a guest room for Jesus. Despite Zacchaeus’ wealth, the only way Jesus came to stay at Zacchaeus’ house was that Jesus invited himself. That does not, however, mean that Zacchaeus’ willingness to receive the Savior was diminished. He… Read More »

“So he hurried and came down…” (v 6) When Jesus invites himself to stay with Zacchaeus, he is definitive: I must stay at your house. Zacchaeus therefore has an opportunity to either accept the Savior’s call or not, but to reject Jesus’ request would be to directly deny the Savior’s will. Thankfully, he immediately responds… Read More »

“Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.” (v 1) Jericho was a very profitable place. The aristocracy had winter homes there, and it was a major crossroad for agriculture and trade. Zacchaeus lived right on the main road in town, probably close to the gates so he could collect taxes as the merchants came to… Read More »

“He was a chief tax collector and was rich.” (v 2) Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector. That’s actually the first thing Luke thinks of when he has to describe Zacchaeus. His entire life was defined by his occupation, because it was his occupation that made him what he was. Because of his job, Zacchaeus… Read More »

“…but on account of the crowd he could not…” (v 3) Crowds are not houses. In your house, you have control. In a crowd, you are just a part of a thing that isn’t yours at all. You don’t get to decide what the crowd does or where you get to stand. If you’re a… Read More »