Luke 19:9

‘And Jesus said to him, “Today is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham.” '

Jesus recognised his true repentance and his desire to be forgiven his sins, and declared that that day salvation had come to his house. God had accepted his repentance, and change of heart and life. He was forgiven. Like the public servant in the parable, from now on he could begin to live a new life, knowing that he was acceptable to God. For this day he had shown, whatever had been true in the past, that he was again a true son of Abraham, one who had been lost and was now found. This indicated that in God's eyes he was now restored to the fellowship of Israel, was once more safely within the covenant, and was seen as one of the true people of God.

The fact that salvation had come to the house did not mean that automatically everyone living there was saved. It meant that the opportunity of salvation was openly presented to them. But each must respond and believe. For in the end the Gospel could divide households (Luke 12:51). This concept of salvation was a further indication of the arrival of the acceptable year of the Lord which would lead up to the final consummation.