Zacchaeus: A Lesson on Urgent Salvation from Jesus

Most of us know the story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector—you might even be humming the catchy children’s song as you read this. That song taught us as children the basics of the encounter between the wee little man and Jesus, even shocking some of us at the length he went to see the passing rabbi. That song might be the only reason you know anything about a sycamore tree.

If all you know about Zacchaeus is based on what you heard as a child and that sweet song, then I challenge you today to go a bit deeper. Luke contains several interactions between Jesus and unlikely people, from a leper and a paralytic, to another tax collector named Levi or Mathew, to a Roman centurion, a demon-possessed man, a Pharisee, and a rich ruler. He tells us, in the nineteenth chapter of his gospel, of this final life-changing encounter just before Jesus nears the city of Jerusalem for the final time before His crucifixion.

Seek Him before it’s too late

Perhaps that is one reason this story is so important. Jesus’s time on this earth was growing short. There would be no more chances to hear Him speak or see him doing miracles. If Zacchaeus was going to catch a glimpse of this man called the Messiah, it would need to be that day.

When Jesus looked up into that tree, one of the things He said to the tax collector reveals the urgency of that divine appointment:

When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down because today it is necessary for me to stay at your house.” (Luke 19:5 CSB, emphasis added)

Jesus told Zacchaeus to hurry. There was no time to waste. Jesus had an even bigger divine appointment to meet—the triumphal entry and all that would bring—but He still made time for this man, one in a long line of outcasts He had already met and changed forever.

We’ll get into the other aspects of the story shortly, but I want to bring this point to a close with another word from Jesus. This takes place at the end of the story, after he’s enjoyed a nice meal at Zacchaeus’s home and heard the man’s confession of life-changing repentance and belief.

“Today salvation has come to this house,” Jesus told him, “because he too is a son of Abraham. (Luke 19:9, emphasis added)

Salvation would come to Zacchaeus that same day, because when he encountered Jesus, he hurried out of that tree to host the rabbi in His home. That tax collector not only opened his home but his heart to the One who could restore him as a true son of Abraham—a man of faith in the Messiah.

Zacchaeus hurried and did all that Jesus asked of him in the moment, because otherwise, it would have been too late.

His desire for salvation overcame every barrier

If you’ve watched the TV series, The Chosen, as I have, you know from their portrayal of Matthew what it might look like for a tax collector to risk in coming to Christ. It is commonly understood that both were Jewish men who took the job of working for the oppressive Roman government, extracting taxes from their own people. Though enviable as a lucrative occupation, they would have been despised and rejected by their Jewish families and the community at large.

What would have kept Zacchaeus from wanting to see Jesus? The first verse in this chapter tells us.

He entered Jericho and was passing through. There was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. (Luke 19:1)

He was a chief among tax collectors

Zacchaeus was the boss. He supervised the other tax collectors in the area. He was most likely very good at his job and had risen in the ranks over the years. His loyalty to the job and to Rome would have expedited this move and increased responsibility. Seeking Jesus might have been bad for his reputation among his colleagues and Roman bosses. Despite this, he sought out Jesus.

He was a tax collector

Whether he was a chief or not, the simple fact that he worked as a tax collector should have knocked him out of the running as a Christ-follower. Knowing the hatred of his people, he figures that Jesus won’t want anything to do with him. What would a Jewish rabbi, miracle-worker, or prophet want to do with a man who’s turned his back on his own people and faith? Still, Zacchaeus sought out Jesus.

He was rich

Word of Jesus’s teaching had spread throughout the land of Israel by this time, and perhaps Zacchaeus had even heard the words of Jesus after answering the question of the rich young ruler about how to inherit eternal life.

Seeing that he became sad, Jesus said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard this asked, “Then who can be saved?” He replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” (Luke 18:24-27)

Would his wealth keep him from eternal life, as it seemed to for that young man? Would the impossible become possible for him? Zacchaeus knew he was wealthy, and yet, he sought after Jesus.

He was short

We’re back to our children’s song about the wee little man, but this is truly a problem for Zacchaeus. Here’s how Luke describes the matter:

He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was not able because of the crowd, since he was a short man. (Luke 19:3)

Having overcome these other three potential hindrances to seeking Jesus, this one was perhaps unexpected by a man of his economic “stature.” He was plumb short, and the crowd was going to prevent him from seeing the rabbi after all. It’s like watching the Christmas parade go by and missing Santa Claus and candy at the end. Just as children often get help by sitting on the shoulders of their fathers, Zacchaeus found a way out. He might be short, but a sycamore tree would be just the trick to help him see Jesus.

Jesus stopped, because He knew Zacchaeus’s heart

Luke is clear that Jesus was just passing through Jericho. He was on his way to Jerusalem. He had an appointment to keep. His disciples were probably as shocked as Zacchaeus was when Jesus stopped at that tree and looked up, speaking directly to the odd man. Catching sight of his clothes, the disciples would know immediately who he was, because tax collectors wore clothes to match their rank in society and would not have conformed to Jewish law in attire. Still, Jesus stopped here and spoke to a man His own disciples would have nothing to do with—except that hopefully by now, having had their own former tax collector in their number, they would have smiled instead.

Let’s hope that’s true, at any rate. As their Master called for Zacchaeus to hurry down, the disciples, along with others in the crowd, may have wondered why this man? Why talk to him? Why tell him you’re eating at his house that day? What’s so special about this guy?

What they didn’t know was that while hundreds in the crowd may have wanted to catch a glimpse of Jesus, Jesus knew what this one man had overcome to see Him. He knew the heart of this chief tax collector was ready to change, radically change; and if there’s one thing Jesus liked to do, it was to bring glory to the Father by bringing radically changed people into His Kingdom. And that’s what He did!

What is keeping you from seeking Jesus? I pray you learn from the life of Zacchaeus that nothing in your life can hinder salvation coming to your house today! All it takes is a willing heart.

Grace and Peace

If you missed the last Wednesday Wisdom, click HERE, or check out these posts on seeking Jesus: A Blooming Rose, Learning from the Past, Five, No, I’m the Worst, Learning from the Past, Thirty-Six, and Keepsakes Worth Keeping.