Lost in his Hometown. Luke 19:1-10 The people who praised God for healing the blind man as Jesus approached Jericho grumbled when He saved a lost soul on the other side of Jericho. How strange it is that social divisions reach right into what we believe! Bartimaeus had a physical need and, by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, was not only healed but also followed Jesus. Zacchaeus had a spiritual need that the Lord Jesus Christ was fully aware of, and He saved a lost soul. He was also privileged to associate with Jesus and to give Him hospitality. How different He is from the people!
Luke’s account of the Son of Man again shows his understanding of Jesus' mission, a recurring theme in the Gospel of Luke. The Lord Jesus was willing to mingle with publicans and sinners, meeting their spiritual needs and bringing them into the kingdom of God. A rich man who doesn’t trust in his riches can be saved when he admits his need and inability to meet the need of being saved from his sins. The love of God for sinners is not based on, or limited by, a person’s wealth or social status. God’s love can be shown to those who know they are “without strength” to be saved. When the ungodly admit they are ungodly and put their faith in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross on their behalf, the demonstration of God’s love is “that Christ died for us.” Those words then become personal to us, and we accept Him by faith.
This event, in which Jesus, who knows every person’s name, location, and activity, reviews all that the Son of Man began to do and teach as He traveled through the country seeking and saving the lost. The two related incidents of the outcast, blind beggar, and the dishonest, wealthy publican illustrate the scope of the Gospel message and God's desire to save everyone, regardless of their social status. He wants to save the oppressed and the oppressor, the poor and the wealthy, the sick and afflicted, and those who are healthy and strong. It seems that the Spirit of God prompted Luke to place these two stories side by side, both to compare and contrast.
In both stories, the crowd following Jesus tried to stop the Lord from helping the beggar and Zacchaeus. In both instances, the focus was on society’s outcasts—those whom ordinary people in Jericho avoided whenever they could. The call of Levi at the start, the parables of the lost sheep, coin, and son in chapter fifteen, and the story of Zacchaeus remind us that the Gospel we share is for “whosoever,” and the Person we serve has “no respecter of persons.” The Gospel is “unto all,” and it is “upon all that believe.” Sinners, not self-righteous individuals, are those the Son of Man came to save. His eating with publicans and sinners, as shown in this story, highlights this purpose. The whole reason Jesus came is summed up at the end of this account: “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Zacchaeus was likely one of the most disliked individuals in Jericho, as he collected substantial taxes for the Roman government and served as the leader of all the other tax collectors in the area. That meant he would take a portion of everything they collected, along with what he gathered himself. To the people of Jericho, he was seen as a traitor and a cheat. Despite all this, Jesus was already focused on the man who “wanted to see Jesus who He was.”
We should never consider anyone to be beyond God’s grace or immune from it for any reason. Sometimes, the last person we expect to be saved in a community is the one whom God, by His grace, saves and uses for His purpose. We must make sure people understand that regardless of who they are or what they have done, God loves them and wants to save them from their sins. They need to realize that God knows them personally by name and calls them to come to Him through faith.
Many people struggle to comprehend an infinite God who possesses infinite knowledge and love, which He shows us through His endless grace, even though He is a real Person. As a result, they refuse to believe in Him because such a Being is beyond their ability to understand with their sinful human limitations. Faith is not just a vague word we say to someone we love and want to encourage. It is an action on our part toward what is unseen and unknown, but the evidence of such a reality and a Real Person is all around us if we are willing to see and hear what is obvious.
There was no doubt in Zacchaeus's mind about who Jesus was when He stopped at that tree. He heard Jesus call him by name. Jesus knew exactly who he was and where he was. When Jesus commanded him to act on His words to “Make haste and come down,” Zacchaeus responded without hesitation. His faith in the Lord Jesus Christ prompted him to obey immediately. The voice of sovereignty and the acknowledgment of omniscience held all the authority he needed to act in faith. There was power in that name and in that voice that surpassed the might and authority of the entire Roman Empire.
The change of allegiance occurred instantly and was genuine because the man had undergone an internal transformation. He had lived for his wealth, but now he was willing to give away what he had unlawfully taken. His attitude toward money and other people changed immediately. He was a “new creation in Christ Jesus.” When old things pass away and all things become new, it shows that the bondage of self-will, sin, and Satan has been lifted. Not only that, but Jesus visited Zacchaeus’ house that day as One who had that right: “I must abide at thy house.”
This conversion happened quickly and wasn’t a long process. The proof was obvious for everyone to see and hear, despite the murmuring and grumbling of the onlookers. That was a live example of someone who was lost being saved right then and there. There is a moment when a person knows they are lost and hopeless, and in an instant, that changes because of the person who saves them. In this case, the natural son of Abraham, who was seen as a turncoat by those watching and grumbling, was declared by Jesus to be a spiritual son of Abraham. When he put his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he was saved. It didn’t matter what those around him said or thought. Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save what was lost.”
This incident in the ministry of Jesus sums up the entire purpose of His coming in just a few words. He came to bring salvation to sinners and offer eternal life to those who believe in Him. The Lord Jesus continues to do that today. The lost who trust in Him are entering His kingdom regardless of who they are or what they have done. Through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the blind can see beyond today into eternity. The wealthy who are humbled, despite their riches, come as helpless children to Jesus. With childlike faith in the Lord, they obey His word and are gladly welcomed by the Savior. Their sins are forgiven, and they are made new. Those whom God loved from their conception now love Him because He first loved us and sent His Son to be the One who takes away our sins.