Lord’s Day, Vol. 7 No. 18
He Sought To See Jesus
A man’s most precious mission in life is to find his Saviour. More than his course of study, choice of career or even life-partner, is the privilege of being connected with Source of his origin, Sustainer of his life and Saviour of his body and soul – Jesus Christ.
(1) Jesus Came to Save Sinners (v1-3)
KJV Luke 19:1And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
Zacchaeus was a chief tax-collector, a very rich man with a successful career, in a worldly sense. But there was something amiss in his life which he sought to find. That missing link in his heart concerning life and its ultimate beginning and end. He was living in Israel, the only nation entrusted with the oracles of God’s law which reveals that man is made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27; 2:7).
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them… Genesis 2:7And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
And that image of God in man was marred when man first sinned (Gen. 3:1-7) and as a result of man’s sin, sickness, pain, sorrow, finally physical death came upon man from generation to generation without recourse.
Jesus Christ is the Saviour, prophesised in the Old Testament Scriptures, who will solve man’s sin problem to give man eternal life.
1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
Jesus is God, the God-Man, fully God and fully man, the only Saviour of the world. I found my Saviour whilst in the university when He revealed Himself to me through His Word by the sharing of a kind man – John 1:1-5, 14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not…14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” There was no turning back when I decided to follow Jesus because it was the best decision of my life.
It was in Jericho that Zacchaeus met Jesus. There were many in the throng, Zacchaeus could not draw near to see Jesus due to his little stature. He was a small man, physically speaking, putting him at a disadvantage.
(2) A Sinner’s Desperate Move Paid Off (v4-6)
4And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
In desperation, he ran ahead of the crowd, climbed up into a sycamore tree so he was able to overcome his height disadvantage and to beat the crowd to see Jesus. It was an unprecedented, unusual way for a man to meet his God. But it was effectual.
5And 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.
It was worth the effort. How did Jesus know Zacchaeus, calling him by his name? It must have surprised the man. And Jesus seemed to know where Zacchaeus was staying, He asked to visit him at his home.
6And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
Notice, there is an urgency in Zacchaeus’ actions. He was a man whose heart, the Lord opened. There was great joy in his heart to receive his Saviour.
(3) Visiting an Unworthy Sinner (v7)
7And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
The crowd was unhappy when they heard that Jesus has gone to be a guest in Zacchaeus’ home. In their assessment, Zacchaeus was a bad person, a sinner. He enriched himself with the Roman rulers by cheating his own people, the Jews. What has the holy God to do with a filthy sinner? Surely, Jesus would visit a worthier person.
(4) A Sinner’s Repentance (v8)
8And 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.
Zacchaeus was a changed man after he met Jesus. He confessed that he was an unworthy sinner, repented of his sins and sought to make right for all the wrong that he had done. His wealth had often come through unjust means. When he was converted, he sought to obey God’s law, rectifying all his past misdeeds. He was willing to give away one half of all his wealth to the poor. He was willing to repay four times according to the Old Testament Law for what he had stolen and not returned.
(5) The Lost Sinner was Saved (v9)
9And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
The mission of Jesus, the Son of man, was to seek and save lost sinners. Zacchaeus was gloriously saved that day. Out of the throng, God had prepared the heart of this man to be saved from the woe of eternal death to the weal of eternal life. Zacchaeus was a son of Abraham, a part of God’s chosen nation yet unsaved. How was Zacchaeus saved? He sought Jesus!
And Romans 10:9-12tells us how we can appropriate salvation from Jesus, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. Amen.
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee