Luke 19:1-10

CHAPTER 17

CONVERSION OF ZACCHEUS

Luke 19:1-10. “Having come in, He passed through Jericho. And, behold, a man by name called Zaccheus, and he was chief of the publicans, and he was rich.” The publican was the sheriff of the Roman Government in Judea. Hence, you see, Zaccheus was high sheriff, having under him a number of deputies. Perhaps he was in good financial circumstances before he received the office; but doubtless his riches accumulated largely if not exclusively from the emoluments of his office, as the publicans were notorious and odious for rascality and oppression. The people hated them, not only for the above reasons, but because they loathed and despised the yoke of Roman despotism, which had been on their necks thirty-three years; i.e., a whole generation. Such was the popular odium of the office that it was frequently difficult to prevail on a Jew to serve, as he knew his brethren would pour contempt on him by wholesale. In this case, the Romans had been enabled to command the service of Zaccheus, a full- blooded Jew.

“And He was seeking to see Jesus, who He is, and was not able on account of the crowd, because he was small in stature. And having run out in front, he went up into a sycamore-tree, that he may see Him, because He was about to pass that way.” The sycamore is the Egyptian fig-tree, much larger than the Palestinian fig-tree. The largest tree I saw in the Old World was of this species. The fruit is splendid, and very abundant. Hence it is said that Habakkuk was a “gatherer of sycamore fruit.” We see a wonderful manifestation of God's prevenient grace in the conversion of Zaccheus.

God put the sycamore-tree there for him to climb, that he might see Jesus; and also, the more important, that Jesus might see him. God sent His Spirit there to convict him, and get him ready to climb the tree, or do anything else in order to see Jesus. Depend upon it, it was not a little embarrassing to climb that tree in the presence of the great multitude. For some poor man to climb it, it had been a small matter; but here is the high sheriff of Jericho, a man of wealth and honor, for him to render himself so indecorous and so undignified in the sight of all his rich friends, both Jews and Romans, as to climb that tree, was no small humiliation. Zaccheus had a true conviction. He had counted the cost, and was ready to pay the price, and meet every condition in order to be saved.

“And when he came to the place, Jesus, looking up, said to him, Zaccheus, come down quickly; for it behooves Me to abide in your house this day.” That was the Jewish Sabbath, our Saturday, and the last Sabbath Jesus ever lived on the earth, as He was crucified the following Friday. As He has spent a number of days over in Perea, during which He delivered those thrilling parables recorded by Luke alone, it is highly probable that He crossed the Jordan the preceding day, just one week before His crucifixion, and had occupied the preceding morning traveling across the plain of the Jordan, ten miles, passing Gilgal on the road, and was now passing through Jericho. Hence, I believe, it is in the afternoon, and He proposes to spend the ensuing night in the house of Zaccheus, which was there convenient.

“And he came down speedily, and received Him rejoicing.” How long he had been under a genuine conviction of the Holy Spirit the record is silent. However, we are assured that when he ran on before the crowd and climbed up into the sycamore-tree, he was actuated by the real and genuine conviction of the Spirit, stirring him up to do anything and everything in his power to see Jesus and seek His pardoning mercy. Now you see him hasten down the tree and receive Jesus joyfully. Do you not know he is now converted? Sorrow fills the heart of a penitent sinner. Joy now floods the soul of Zaccheus. Rest assured, he is genuinely converted.

“All seeing Him, began to murmur, saying, He has come in to lodge with a man who is a sinner.” Of course, Zaccheus escorted Him to his house at once, which was there convenient, and, as the day was declining, all knew that He was going to spend the night with him.

“And Zaccheus, standing, said to the Lord, Behold, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if 1 have taken anything from any one fraudulently, I restore fourfold.” The scene now continues in front of Zaccheus's house, and in the presence of the listening multitude. This testimony gloriously climaxes and abundantly confirms the genuine conversion of Zaccheus. Now look at the case, and see how many of you can compare testimony with him. Remember, he was rich. So this is a notable case for the encouragement of all the rich people, as here they have a genuine conversion. O that all would parallel it! Now hear his protestation in the presence of Jesus, “The half of all my goods I give to the poor.” How we need such men now to help out starving India! Now, you must remember, he was a Jew, a son of Abraham, living under the dispensation of the law of Moses, which specified in case of theft or robbery and all cheating and fraud are stealing and robbing if a man stole a sheep, he was to pay back two; if an ox, three; and if a horse, four. Hence, you see, Zaccheus climaxed the law. Whereas the statement, “If I have defrauded anything from any one,” in English, implies doubt, whether he had or not, it is not so in Greek, in which the case is clear that he had defrauded. So here you see an open proclamation to everybody whom he had cheated to come right along and get four times the amount. Not that they demand it, as they are glad to get the principal back; but he is determined to sweep all defalcation from the field, and leave the devil no handle to get hold of. Zaccheus was a whole-souled fellow. While money was his god, he went for it with all his might, and got it. Now that salvation is the enterprise of life and soul, he proposes to leave no stone unturned, but take the kingdom of heaven by storm. Of course, by the time he gives half of all his estate to the poor, and then restores all his ill-gotten gains fourfold, he has just about nothing left. But he is in a gloriously good fix, blessedly saved, and ready for the oncoming Pentecost, which is all he needs to send him, a flaming evangelist, to the ends of the earth, as he has the true and genuine foundation for a Pentecostal sanctification; i.e., a conversion almost Pauline.

“And Jesus said to him, This day has salvation come to this house, because he is also the son of Abraham.” As Zaccheus was a Jew, a regular, royal descendant of Father Abraham, he hails with joy the blessed Christ of the Abrahamic Covenant, and passes normally out of the dispensation of the law and the prophets, into the kingdom of God. “For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Jesus is seeking every sinner in all the world. It takes two to make a bargain. The reason why hell is filling up with such fearful rapidity is because the sinners do not seek Him. If you are hunting a man in a great city and he is not hunting you, it is doubtful whether you find him. But if he gets to hunting you, there will soon be a happy meeting. As Jesus is already seeking every sinner, when the sinner gets to seeking Him, they will soon meet in joyful embrace.