Dr. Paul Manuel—2021
Text:
Luke
19:1 Jesus entered Jericho and was
passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax
collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short
man he could not, because of the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a
sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
Luke
19:5 When Jesus reached the spot,
he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house
today.” 6 So he
came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began
to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’”
Luke
19:8 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.
Luke
19:9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to
this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek
and to save what was lost.”
Outline:
I. The publican wants to see
the rabbi (vv. 1-4).
II. The rabbi wants to meet the
publican (vv. 5-7).
III. The publican wants to
reimburse his (old) debtors (v. 8).
IV. The rabbi wants to welcome his (new) disciple
(vv. 9-10).
A. Jesus continues his ministry tour.
B. Zacchaeus climbs to view Jesus.
Application: Do not make your immediate response to God’s
gentle prodding negative (1 Cor 12:7).
A. Jesus will visit a social pariah.
B. People criticize contact with a publican.
Application: Do
not expose yourself unnecessarily, but do not shy away from a chance to help
someone else (Gal
6:10).
A. Zacchaeus promises to reduce his wealth.
B. Zacchaeus promises to repay his debtors.
Application:
True repentance
is evident to those who knew the old you and who see a difference in the
new you (Jms 2:18).
A. Jesus explains the publican’s national position.
B. Jesus explains the purpose of his advent.
Application:
You have a responsibility to acquit yourself well, to exhibit his character
and embody his instruction. (Heb 10:36).
Introduction: There is often a general feeling of apprehension that
follows a letter from the IRS, and sometimes with good reason:
“Hello, is this Rev. Green?” “It is.” “This is the IRS. Do you know a Steven
Smith?” “I do.” “Is he a member of your congregation?” “He is.” “Did he donate
$10,000.00?” There was a pause, then “He will.”
There is often a general feeling of apprehension that follows a
letter from the IRS, and sometimes with good reason. The protagonist in the NT passage
this morning probably never received such a letter, but his financial dealings might
have attracted the Roman government’s attention if it had such an agency.
Background: Today’s message features a Bible character that may be
best known from a popular SS limerick:
Zacchaeus was a wee little man,
And a wee little man was he.
He climbed up in a sycamore tree,
For the Lord he wanted to see.
As the Savior passed that way,
He looked up in the tree.
And he said, “Zacchaeus you come
down,
For I'm going to your house today!”
Zacchaeus was a wee little man,
But a happy little man was he.
He had seen the Lord that day,
And a happy man was he.
Today’s message is about the subject of this limerick and appears
in one biblical passage:
Luke
19:1 Jesus entered Jericho and was
passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax
collector and was wealthy.[1]
3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because
of the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him,
since Jesus was coming that way.
A. Jesus continues his ministry tour.
Having travelled through Galilee, Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, possibly to attend one of the annual Jewish festivals. He already has a reputation as a learned teacher, and people are eager to hear him, so they gather along the route in case he pauses to address the crowd following him.
