"Mission Impossible" Luke 19:1-10

Zacchaeus the Tax-collector. Jesus had restored the sight of a blind beggar who cried out to the ‘Son of David’ for mercy. The blind man received mercy, just like the repentant tax-collector in the temple in Jesus’ story who cried out for mercy and went home justified before God. Now Jesus is passing through Jericho and Luke tells us of a wealthy chief tax collector named Zacchaeus (19:1-2). Luke has just told us of a rich ruler who had chosen to hold on to his riches instead of giving his money to the poor and following Jesus. Jesus told the astonished crowd that it was easier to thread a needle with a camel than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus says that this is impossible for man, but that it is possible for God (Luke 18:24-25). This rich chief tax-collector, Zacchaeus, wanted to see who Jesus was. But Zacchaeus was short and couldn’t see over the crowd (19:3-4). Evidently the crowd refused to let Zacchaeus through to see since he was despised for collecting taxes from his fellow Jews on behalf of their Romans. So there is a big crowd there following Jesus and the determined and resourceful Zacchaeus runs on ahead where he climbs a sycamore tree to see Jesus as he was passing by (19:5).

Zacchaeus is an example that what is impossible with man is possible with God (18:27). The Romans sold the task of collecting taxes to the highest bidder and that was Zacchaeus. He would collect as much money as he could and then keep whatever was left over after the Romans took their share. Moreover, Zacchaeus was a chief tax-collector which made him an overseer of tax-collectors and a very wealthy man. Zacchaeus seeks to see Jesus, who had a reputation of befriending tax collectors (7:34). Surely Zacchaeus would have known that the former tax-collector Levi was now a follower of Jesus (5:27-28). Perhaps he would have heard Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax-collector as well (18:9-14). Jesus sees Zacchaeus in the tree and says to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down out of that tree, for I must stay at your house today.” So Zacchaeus hurried down and received Jesus gladly.  And when the people saw this, they all grumbled because Jesus was going to go to be the guest of a tax-collector who they considered a sinner (19:8).  Luke tells us that the crowd was appalled that Jesus would stay with a rich sinner like Zacchaeus.

Then, most likely, while they were at Zacchaeus’ house, Zacchaeus stands and tells Jesus, “Look Lord, I give half of my possessions to the poor and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I will restore it fourfold.”   And Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this house, since this man is also is a son of Abraham (19:9-10). God has done the impossible. Salvation has come to this rich man’s house for even this formerly greedy tax-collector is now a repentant and restored child of Abraham. Jesus tells us that Zacchaeus has entered the kingdom and is now rightly related to God. We see Zacchaeus demonstrate his new allegiance by giving half his possessions to the poor and being willing to repay fourfold anyone that he has cheated. Clearly God was working in Zacchaeus’ heart for all we know is that Jesus went to Zacchaeus’ house and as a result of that visit Zacchaeus volunteers to give away half of his possessions and with what remains he was willing to repay those he had cheated fourfold!  The reason for Jesus passing through Jericho was for the Son of Man to seek and to save the lost. (19:10) The good shepherd, Jesus, goes and looks for lost sheep to rescue and this now this repentant and transformed tax-collector is a son of Abraham (15:3–7; Ezk. 34:16).

Again we ask, ‘Can the rich be saved?’ Can a camel go through the needle’s eye (18:25)? Luke makes it clear that the rich Zacchaeus (19:2) whose name literally means ‘righteous’ or ‘clean’ is a restored child of Abraham. Zacchaeus was a collaborator with the ‘enemy’ and so Zacchaeus was neither considered to be ‘clean’ nor a good Jew (19:7). The wealthy are not unlike any other sinful persons. We are all in need of salvation, but their money can easily become an idol and a stumbling block to genuine faith in Christ. Wealth can be a false comfort or security and a source of self-contentment and of feelings of superiority. Yet, by the working of God’s grace Zacchaeus is willing to here and now give half of his possessions to the poor, and repay anyone he had cheated out of anything four times over (19:8). His attitude contrasts with that of the rich ruler, who found it impossible to share his possessions and he walked away from Jesus ‘very sad; for he was a man of great wealth’ (18:23). Jesus welcomes this wealthy ‘sinner’ Zacchaeus and sees him not as a Roman collaborator but as a son of Abraham (19:9). Thus, Zacchaeus becomes clean and lives up to his name. That very day salvation had come to Zacchaeus in the person of Jesus. How different our world would be if more of us in the church could be like Zacchaeus and voluntarily declare, ‘Look, Lord, I give half of all I have to the poor.’