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Luke Lesson 60 (2010)

TODAY, SALVATION HAS COME TO THIS HOUSE

Luke 19:1-10
Key Verse: 19:9-10

“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 what was lost.”

A friend of Alexander the Great was in financial crisis and sent a letter to him asking for ten talents. Ten talents was a huge amount of money for ordinary people. Instead of ten, Alexander had fifty talents delivered to his friend. When the friend returned saying that ten talents would be sufficient, Alexander replied, “Ten may be enough for you to take, but not for me to give.” The grace of God is far greater than the debt of all our sins. The gospel is the good news of great joy that Jesus had been preaching during his ministry. Yet, the gospel was not well accepted or understood by most of his followers. In today’s passage, when Jesus blessed a very notorious man in Jericho, named Zacchaeus, by inviting himself as a guest to his home, people complained about this, but Jesus said, “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 what was lost.” What Jesus said to Zacchaeus is really the key verse of Luke’s gospel. Let’s think about why today’s event is so important.

Look at verse 1. “Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.” According to Luke’s account, it was a few days before his death on the cross in Jerusalem when Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. The city Jericho is familiar because of the famous battle of Jericho in the book of Joshua. Old Jericho was destroyed by God and was never rebuilt. (Josh 6:26) The city of Jericho in Jesus’ time was actually New Jericho, which was right next to Old Jericho. Due to its geological location being the entrance to Jerusalem of Judea, New Jericho became one of the great financial and cultural centers in Palestine, where many priests and wealthy businessmen resided. Since New Jericho was also the hub of taxation in Palestine, many tax collectors also had their offices there.

Look at verse 2. “A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus, he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.” The name Zacchaeus might be an abbreviated version of Zechariah, meaning “righteous one” or “upright.” Apparently, his parents named him Zacchaeus, hoping that their son might live a righteous life before God like the Prophet Zechariah. Unfortunately, this man was not living up to his name. At that time, tax collectors were public officers, hired by the Roman government, to collect taxes from the people of Israel. People didn’t like tax collectors because tax collectors worked for their enemy government. Most tax collectors collected more taxes than they ought from people and became rich mainly through extortion. So people despised and hated them. If anyone was a tax collector, he could not avoid being labeled as a traitor or an incorrigible sinner. Zacchaeus was not just one of the tax collectors but a chief tax collector. Zacchaeus became richer than other tax collectors because he could collect commissions from them.

When I grew up, one of my neighbors worked for the IRS office in Seoul, Korea. I was a good friend to one of his sons. I used to envy him because he had more toys than I did and his house was the biggest one on our block, at least 3 times bigger than ours. But I often heard bad rumors about his dad and felt uncomfortable and didn’t know what was going on. In fact, I don’t think I ever saw his dad face to face even though he lived right next to our house for more than 15 years. Perhaps his dad tried to avoid his neighbors because of people’s gossip. I remember that the boy’s mom was very nice. Once he and I got into a fight and I happened to punch him so hard that his teeth broke. I ran away. But she was very kind and didn’t even rebuke me or accuse my parents. I thought it was a little unusual that she didn’t make a big deal out of it. When little David was in the first grade in Chicago, one guy constantly bullied him. When David told my wife about it, she told him, “David, be patient three times. But if that guy still bothers you, hit him on his stomach real hard when nobody sees you. Okay?” So David obeyed his mom. Of course, my wife was called into the school. But I wonder why my friend’s mom didn’t do what my wife did. I guess it was really hard for them to live in our neighborhood. Many years later, I heard the sad news that his dad had committed suicide.

Although Zacchaeus was wealthy and could buy anything he wanted, he wasn’t really happy. People sneered at him, criticized and gossiped about him behind his back. He and his family were not welcomed to the local synagogue. Of course, Zaachaeus knew that even though people accused him of being dishonest and greedy, they themselves were not clean or perfect. In fact, as a chief tax collector he knew that many people cheated on their income tax reports. So at some point, he didn’t care about what people said about him. Knowing that the religious leaders who condemned him were also hypocritical, he became cynical about them and any kind of established religions.

But one day he heard about someone, named Jesus of Nazareth. In fact, he heard that he had such strong power and authority that he could heal all kinds of diseases and drive out demons, and that Jesus was very kind to tax collectors. And he also heard that one of Jesus’ disciples was a former tax collector, named Levi. When he heard that Jesus was severely criticized by the Pharisees because of his close association with people with bad reputations, like himself, he thought that Jesus was a little different from the religious leaders of his time. In fact, many stories about Jesus had touched his heart. He became curious about him. He asked himself, “Who is this man? Is he the Messiah?” As he heard that Jesus was passing by, he was not only curious about him but also yearning to see this Jesus who had acted so sympathetically towards so many of his fellow tax collectors. (3) So he went out to the main street. But being a short man he could not see him. Yet, he was so eager to see him that he did not mind doing something that would make him look ridiculous to the public’s eyes. He ran ahead and climbed up the sycamore-fig tree to see Jesus, since he was coming that way. (4)

Look at verse 5. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and saw a notorious tax collector sitting on the branch. Perhaps people expected Jesus to rebuke the man, saying “How selfish you are! Look at yourself. Don’t you know that you are burdening the innocent tree with your heavy weight? You are so bad.” Jesus could have openly rebuked him in public, and people would have cheered, “Yeah!” Surprisingly enough, however, Jesus said to the man, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” What a surprise! As far as we know, there is no record that Zacchaeus and Jesus had met until this moment. But how did Jesus know Zacchaeus by name? Here, we learn that even though Zacchaeus didn’t know Jesus, Jesus already knew him by name because Jesus is God.

What do we mean when we say we know somebody? People thought that they knew him. They said, “We know exactly who this guy is.” But can we really say that we know someone? We can’t know anybody deep enough. We don’t even know ourselves. Only God can say that he knows us. In fact, Jesus already knew Zaachaeus by name because he is God. Jesus also knew that Zacchaeus was a notorious man in the town. Yet, Jesus didn’t have any inkling to criticize or condemn him. Instead, he invited himself to this notorious man’s house as if he were a dear friend to him. “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” In other words, he was saying “I came here to stay at your house!” I am sure Zacchaeus couldn’t believe what Jesus was saying because it was totally unexpected. He thought that it would be good enough for him to just get a glimpse of Jesus. But he not only saw Jesus, but also received the wonderful blessing to have Jesus in his house as a guest. He felt as if heaven came down to him. In fact, God came down to be with us – sinners. Jesus’ coming to Zacchaeus’ house reminds us of Zechariah who sang a song of praise, filled with the Holy Spirit, at the birth of his son, John. “Praise be the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.” (1:68) Zacchaeus couldn’t believe what was happening to him because it was too good to be true. Zacchaeus, a notorious sinner, experienced God’s presence. In fact, at this point Zacchaeus hadn’t repented any of his sins. Yet, Jesus fully accepted and embraced him just as he was, saying, “Welcome my child, I love you. How I long to see you and meet you.” Zacchaeus had never experienced this kind of acceptance, not even from his mother or father. Jewish religious leaders and rabbis were very critical of him and rejected him. I don’t know how he understood about God. Most likely, according to Judaism, even God would not accept him. Yet, Jesus welcomed him just as he was. It was a new revelation about God. God welcomes and accepts sinners! Look at verse 6. “So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.”

How did the people who saw it respond? Look at verse 7. “All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’” Jesus offended a lot of people, perhaps even some of his disciples. Jesus’ association with a notorious tax collector could have been interpreted as joining in or condoning his evil deeds. It was not a wise move if Jesus wanted to have a good reputation among the religious people in Israel at that time.

The orthodox Jews in Jesus’ time were very exclusive. They didn’t want to mingle or accept the Gentiles and law-breakers. Once, however, in Luke chapter 7:1-10, many Jewish elders came to Jesus regarding a Roman Centurion whose servant was sick and about to die. They asked Jesus to come and heal his servant. They pleaded earnestly with him, saying “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” So Jesus went with them. But according to their standards, Zacchaeus didn’t deserve Jesus’ mercy at all. Jesus knew how they felt about this notorious man and how they understood God based on their religious knowledge and legalism. He knew how offended they would be by his association and acceptance of him.

But why did he offend them by accepting such a terrible sinner? It’s because that is what the grace of God is all about. The grace of God is God’s special favor freely given to undeserving people. In other words, the grace of God is God’s favor freely given to sinners, not the righteous. Jesus said the legalistic Pharisees in Luke 5:31, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Jesus came to this world to welcome sinners. Why not the righteous? It’s because there were no righteous people in the world. But there are people who think that they are righteous due to their spiritual blindness. Because of their blindness, they cannot see the beauty of Jesus, the grace of God’s forgiveness of sins. Ephesians 2:8-9 reads ,”For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Here, we must also be careful not to be confused about the grace of God. The grace of God is never meant to compromise with any kind of sins. At a busy airport a man drove up in a fancy red sports car and let his wife out to go meet someone. The police officer came by and insisted he move on and not park there. The driver didn’t move so the policeman got out his ticket pad and said, “It will cost you ninety dollars to park here.” Then the man in the car rolled down his window and said, “I’m just waiting for my wife to come out. Can’t I have a little grace?” The policeman responded, “I don’t know anything about grace. I just know about the law.” Actually the man in the car didn’t know anything about grace either. To wink at wrongdoing is not grace. Jesus shed his blood and died on the cross in order to pay the ultimate cost for our sins. Romans 8:1-4 reads “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.” We sinners are saved by God’s grace so that we may live a righteous life not by the law of sin and death but by God’s grace and the law of the Spirit of life.

We see it in the example of Zacchaeus’ new life in verse 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.’” Here, we see what true repentance really means. Zacchaeus humbly admitted his wrongdoings before God and people and showed his sincere desire and determination to live a new life of repentance all the days of his life. His repentance was evident because he no longer put money ahead of God and people and was willing to share even half of all his possessions with his poor neighbors. He probably used his wealth to build housing for the poor, maybe schools and hospitals. He would not only stop extorting money from others but also begin to correct any wrongs he had committed in the past by paying back four times the amount. I bet this was not easy at all. But here, we see how seriously he took the grace of God given to him.

Jesus was so pleased by his faith and said in verses 9-10. Look at verses 9 and 10. “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 what was lost.’” Here, Jesus confirmed that Zacchaeus’ new life of repentance was a model of a Christian and a disciple – the life of repentance and sharing and serving. Recently, a highly respected Buddhist monk in Korea died. When I read the article about his life and death written by a Christian reporter, I was moved by his purity, humility and his giving spirit. During his lifetime, he wrote many inspiring books, which became best sellers in Korea and through which he earned a lot of money. But he didn’t indulge in a luxurious living. The core of his teaching was “Have no possession of yours. But give and share.” He lived a very simple life until he died and left all his wealth for the education of young Buddhist monks. This one man’s influence is so inspiring to many people who live in the materialistic atmosphere in Korea. We received the grace of forgiveness of sins through Jesus who suffered and died for us. And the question is how we respond to this grace. God’s grace is not to cover our wrong doings. God’s grace is not to make us rich, famous or even comfortable. It is to live a life of sincere repentance and live like our Lord Jesus Christ who humbly served and gave himself as a ransom for many.

Jesus once said to his disciples that they should not give dogs what is sacred or throw their pearls to pigs. (Matthew 7:6) What are the pearls we should not throw to pigs and the sacred things that shouldn’t be given to dogs? They are the gospel, the knowledge of truth, that is, God’s grace of forgiveness of sins. And who are the pigs and dogs? The Jews considered the Gentiles as pigs and dogs. But that’s not what Jesus meant. They are those who despise or take light of God’s grace. When we take God’s grace lightly and continue to live in sin, we are like spiritual pigs. In fact, Hebrews 10:26-29 warns us about it. “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sacrificed him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?”

One of the greatest mistakes that we as Christians are making today, I learn here, is that we take God’s grace too lightly by failing to live like Jesus. We are called not only to receive the gospel but also to live the gospel. The best principle of spiritual revival is set by Jesus’ example as mentioned in John 12:24, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” We have numerous saints who lived lives worthy of God’s grace in history. The list seems endless. Although none of them were perfect, they struggled to live a life always by the grace of God. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:9-10, “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” Paul also said, “I die every day.” (1 Cor 15:31) To receive the gospel is one thing and to live the gospel is another. The grace of God is great and freely given to us as a gift. But it’s not easy to live up to God’s grace. It requires constant struggle of repentance, serving and sharing. May we live a life worthy of God’s grace through sincere repentance, serving and giving, like Zacchaeus did, so that we may also be told by Jesus, “You, too, are the true children of Abraham.”