The Conversion of Zacchaeus

The Conversion of Zacchaeus

    The account of Luke 19:1-10 has been a favorite children's Bible story for many years to hear about a short man who was despised because of the job he held.  As a father myself I have had this outlook about this man as well.  I asked a few of my children what story in the Bible that intrigued them and this was one of the responses I was given.  I started looking into each of the stories that intrigued them and I found a very interesting insight about this little man.

   Luke 19

 "And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.  And, behold there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.  And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.  And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he  was to pass that way.  And 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.  And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.  And when they saw it, they all murmured saying, that he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.  And 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.  And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, for so much as he also is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."

    We read that Jesus was making His way to Jerusalem but passed through Jericho.  We are not told that he stayed in the city over night so we can safely know that he didn't stay more than part of the day.  There was a jew who worked for the Roman government collecting taxes, Zacchaeus.   This occupation put Zacchaeus is in very bad place with the community of which he lived.  We are told that he was chief among the publicans as well as a rich man.  If being publican wasn't bad enough he was known as being chief among the publicans and not only that he was a rich publican; meaning he would tax over the amount that was prescribed by the Roman government and gave what he was to collect to the Romans and pocketed the rest.  He heard that Jesus was coming though the area and something in him caused interest to see Jesus.  It could be that he has heard of Jesus as a great teacher or that he has healed people of disease or even casting out demons, we are not told; whatever the reason he heard Jesus was to pass by that way and he wanted to see him.  Another fact that we know of Zacchaeus is that he was short, so short that he needed to get in a position that would put him higher than everyone else, so he climbed a sycamore tree.

    Here in the telling of Zacchaeus we are told that when Jesus passed under where he was, Jesus stopped and told Zacchaeus to come down for he was to abide at his house.  The original word for abide, in the Greek is μεῖναι, men'-ai, to remain, abide in reference to a place to sojourn, tarry, not to depart to continue, to be present to be held, kept, continually.  Jesus was going to abide with him.  Jesus abides with us in this way when we are saved, however, this is Zacchaeus' account, so we are going to learn of Zacchaeus' conversion.  When "they", those that had followed Jesus along this way, saw that Jesus was going to this Chief tax collector's home they murmured, for as they said, that Zacchaeus is a sinner.

     Now what happens next we are not told when, which has no real merritt since that is not important; we only now what Zacchaeus said.  "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." It's what Jesus says after that which is really important to understand.  Jesus says "This day is salvation come to this house, farsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham." Abraham is know as the father of faith.  We are told in John 8:39 "They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham." Paul says to the Romans in chapter 4:4-5 "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."Contrast that what James says in James 2:14-18 "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?  If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.". This is exactly what Zacchaeus did with his statement.  It is a great example of faith that works.

When we were saved by grace through faith; this faith is what Paul was explaining.  We are to continue on that faith unto good works, which God had ordained that we walk in them after salvation.(Eph 2:10)

Others will know we have faith by our works, for as James said, "faith without works is dead.". This is the faith that Zacchaeus was saying and Jesus testified of in Luke 19.