Transformed By Grace
Luke 19:1-10 ·June 6, 2024· Joel Passmore
Part of: Luke
Transcript
Show
This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors. Select a time to jump to that point in the recording.
As we're starting out today on Luke 19, I want to just pause and give you a second. Just take 10 or 15 seconds, and I want you to think about some way in which you either have experienced God changing you, or whether you are still hoping for change in yourself. So just take a few minutes, or not a few minutes, take a few seconds now, think about that. One of the favorite things that I get to see as a person called into pastoral ministry is when people experience deep and significant change in their lives.
Some people say that people can't change, but I know that that's not true, because I've seen it with my own eyes. It's not just behavior modification. There's deep and meaningful change that can happen to people. I was with a younger friend of mine a couple months ago. I used to meet with him regularly, but we're at different churches now, and we don't get to meet like we used to. I hadn't seen him in a couple years, actually. And as we talked, I could tell he's different.
He's changed. He was more humble. He was more gracious. He was more peaceful. And as he told me about what had been happening to him, and what he'd been going through with God over the past couple years, I could see the Lord's work in him. It's like when you drive past some place you haven't been in a while, and you see a tree, and you're like, oh, that tree's bigger than it used to be. Drive past it every day, and you don't notice. But if you've taken some time, you see that change has happened.
People can change. I've seen it from stingy to generous, from selfish to sacrificial, from anxious to peaceful. I've seen a hard person become tender. I've seen a cynical person become hopeful.
But I am also convinced of this. Deep change does not come through a self-help book. You can walk right past that section in the library and at the bookstore. There can be some good things there, but I'm talking about deep change. It's also not just an act of willpower that brings this about. The common factor in all these people that I've seen is that they have spent time with Jesus. That's why we read that passage earlier. Because the Pharisees and the religious leaders recognized these are ordinary men, but look at them.
They're different. They spent time with Jesus. So today, if you are doubting the power of God to change people, to change you, then I want you to pay attention to the Word of God today. Because we're going to see a story where Jesus comes to town and he does his work, and one man experiences radical change. So turn with me to Luke 19.
Let's kneel before the Word of God in our hearts and receive it from a trustworthy and unswerving and never-lying God. He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was. But on account of the crowd, he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.
And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today. So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled. He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold. And Jesus said to him, Today, salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Pray with me. Lord God, you are so good to send your Son to seek and save the lost. Would we pay attention to this account of him in Jericho with Zacchaeus? And Spirit, would you open up our ears to hear? Make our hearts soft to receive. Change us by your word, Lord. We know that you can and we know that you will. And we pray this, Jesus, in your name.
Transformed by grace. The greatness of Jesus changes us in good and deep ways. So last week we looked at Bartimaeus. And Bartimaeus was a model for us, a model of faith. Zacchaeus also is a model for us. But just like last week, the hero of the story is Jesus. The one that Zacchaeus is going towards. The same one that Bartimaeus was looking at. So we're going to look at three ways that Zacchaeus was changed by Jesus today. Here's the first one. Zacchaeus is seeking childishly.
And I don't mean childishly in the negative sense. I mean it in the positive sense. This is a well-known story. Maybe you might have heard a kid's song based on this. It's a well-known story. And it's easy to see why. It's got a lot of colorful detail in it. And Zacchaeus is a really interesting character, very complex character. But the part of the story that people are most familiar with, I think, is the part of the story that's the least examined.
I'm referring to verse 4. So look at verse 4 and think about this. Grown men don't climb trees. They don't, yeah. This is not something adults do, men or women, especially not those who are rich and powerful like Zacchaeus. There's a reason why you don't see CEOs and politicians in trees. It's undignified. It's childish. It's unbecoming of an adult. Look, climbing trees is fun. I used to do it. But adults don't do it. Because they don't want to look like children.
Right? Not only does Zacchaeus climb a tree, he ran ahead to get there. Now this is a little bit more of a stretch for us because we live in a time where people run for fun.
Some people. In the ancient Near East, running was not a hobby. It was not something you did for fun. It was not a form of exercise. All right? It was not done for fitness. People like Zacchaeus, they wore long, well-tailored robes. When they would go out in public, they would go out looking their finest all the time. Because that was his status in the town. He was a rich guy. He would show it off. And like rich people, he would move about with the careful dignity that people with wealth do.
They didn't run. Again, it was unbecoming of an adult in this time. But he ran and he climbed. The ancient Near East, it was an honor-shame culture. Everything that you did, everything you did all the time would be either adding to the honor that you had or subtracting from it. Almost like an invisible bank account. Everything that you did, every interaction you had, you're either accruing honor or you're losing honor. The name of the game was to build up honor all the time.
Honor was precious. Shame was avoided. So it's not just a little quirky detail that rich and important Zacchaeus ran to the tree and then climbed it. It is very strange and it's very revealing about what is going on for him. What has come over this guy? Can you imagine him? Think about him for a second. He's sweating profusely in his long robes because he's just ran. He's huffing and puffing. He's climbing that tree. The crowd is all around looking at him, muttering at him, whispering about him.
Has he lost his mind? Look at that guy. How ridiculous. Why would he bring such shame on himself? Well, the answer is that a change has already begun in Zacchaeus. A change brought on by the man who's just come to town. Zacchaeus' priorities have already begun to shift around.
Jesus was no ordinary person and Zacchaeus knew it. Seventeen years ago, and about a month, Nikki and I were with my brother and my sister-in-law in Asheville to see a band that we all really liked, especially my brother and I. My brother and I were big fans. We were walking through the town. We had just had dinner. We were walking through the town a few hours before the show and we passed a guy on the sidewalk and we took about another five or six steps, about 20 feet or so, and then my brother and I looked at each other and he said to me, that was him.
It was the lead singer of the band that just walked by us. Without another word, my brother and I, two grown men, took off running backwards to talk to the guy who was younger than both of us by a wide margin. In that moment, two adult men were acting like teenagers chasing the Beatles.
Like I said, we were big fans. We knew that that was not just an ordinary person that we'd passed on the sidewalk. It was someone we wanted to talk to. And so we lost all decorum, all sense of adultness, all sense of shame, and we ran after this guy to talk to him. Zacchaeus believed already that Jesus was no ordinary person. So he was going after him. This was someone he had to get to. He had to see. He had to talk to. What was it that he was drawn to about Jesus?
What was it that he was after? Well, I think that he needed help. I think that Zacchaeus knew deep down that all of his money and all of his power had not given him the assurance that he wanted, the security that he needed. He didn't feel okay and his conscience wouldn't let him rest. He was looking for someone, someone who wouldn't turn him away, who wouldn't automatically reject him because of what he had done, because of the life that he had lived, the mistakes that he had made.
He wanted someone who would listen to him, someone that he can unburden himself to. Everyone is looking for someone like this. And Zacchaeus believes that Jesus just might be that person.
And so he's seeking him in a childlike way. Literally, a childlike way. Running and climbing trees. Listen, ours is not an honor-shame culture in the same extent that the ancient Near East was, but I still think that we hold back sometimes.
We keep our excitement and for Jesus respectable, dignified. We let it out sometimes, but not in a childish way. Heavens, no. Friends, are you willing to look silly to go after Jesus, to do something that not even a teenager would do, to do something that a toddler would do to go after someone of importance? Would you be willing to accept whatever shame comes your way? Because you want Jesus that much. You want to be with him so much. Because you see him as greater, because you see him as the one that you could unburden yourself to.
Because ultimately, once you hide in Jesus, there is no shame, right? Now let's go to the second thing. Zacchaeus is changed by Jesus because he is receiving joyfully. Now I love how Jesus responds to Zacchaeus here up in that tree. First of all, he sees him. And how could you not, right? He's a grown man in a tree. Not something you see every day. And Jesus calls him by name. Somehow he has found out Zacchaeus' name. Either he heard someone say it or he asked someone or he just knew.
And he calls to him, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down. I must stay at your house today. Now it's Jesus moving towards Zacchaeus, right? Jesus has invited himself over.
Now here in our polite southern culture, we would never dream of inviting ourselves over to someone's house, right? It's just not something that you do. We wouldn't want to impose. That's not quite how Zacchaeus would take it. A respected religious leader like Jesus would have the right to ask to be hosted. He can do that. He can just stroll into town. Other rabbis would do that. Jesus is not just an ordinary rabbi, right? But even if people thought of him that way, he could just ask to come over and they would bring him in.
But hosting was even more important to them than it was to us. What Jesus has done is put a huge responsibility on Zacchaeus. Huge. To host a religious celebrity like Jesus would mean planning and executing a major dinner party with very short notice. the best food would have to be found and prepared. Other people from Jericho would be invited because you wouldn't do it by yourself. You would bring other people in. The house would have to be rearranged to accommodate everyone.
This is a major undertaking. And Jesus said he's coming to stay not eat. Today. Today and stay. So there got to be a place found for him to sleep. Who knows how long he plans to stay. It's not something that Zacchaeus would ask. He would just have to assume that he's going to stay for a while and make room for it. This is a lot that Jesus is asking of Zacchaeus but then again he isn't asking. Did you notice that?
I must stay at your house today. This is an accurate translation. The Greek word is day meaning it is necessary. He's saying Zacchaeus if you're going to get what I'm after if you're going to get what you're seeking what you want and what you need then I must come into your house into your life.
So Jesus is barging right in. And look at how Zacchaeus responds. He doesn't say actually Jesus shoot I'm really sorry today's not the best day if you give me a little bit of time maybe next week I'm real busy. no he hurried he hurried and he came down and he received him joyfully. There's no complaining there's no griping or gosh what an imposition there's just joy. no matter no matter what rearrangements or cost or inconvenience it is an honor to have Jesus in his home.
That's what he wanted right? That's what he was looking for and he's getting it Jesus is moving towards him. Church how do you respond when Jesus knocks on your door?
When he says I must come to stay with you? How do you feel when he comes in and he takes up your time your money your independence your personal freedom when he takes up your weekend and your week do you say but Jesus I had other plans I had stuff I was going to do today if you think that maybe so you do I've been there too you're in good company I've been there too but let's learn from Zacchaeus and welcome the imposition of Jesus let's welcome him he says to each one of us if you want the abundant life I have to give then I must stay at your house you must make room for me I am knocking I want to come in and you know you want what I have to offer will you let me house he's not a house guest that comes in is like I don't want to I just kind of stick against the wall whatever you want to serve me is fine I'll sleep on the couch those are easy house guests right this is a house guest that's like rearranging the furniture right he calls the shots but remember what else happens when Jesus comes into your house he becomes your protector it's like a watch dog has come into your house right he puts a hedge around you he's your provider when he comes into your house you don't have to worry about what's in grumbling look at verse seven now here's why they were grumbling Zacchaeus is a villain in Jericho and I don't think that's putting it too strongly he didn't knock on any doors to collect taxes but he sent out the people that knocked on the doors he had a powerful position and he used
it to get rich he was the one that told the tax collectors what to collect and he would give to the Roman government whatever would be owed and he would keep the rest the fact that he's rich means that he has done incalculable harm in Jericho and around the surrounding area he's probably pushed his own people into poverty and he certainly made life harder for everyone there he was the one that set how much people would go out and ask for and then those tax collectors would add on top of that even more so that they could get paid and now think about it Jesus is coming to his house a house literally built by injustice Jesus is going to come eat and be served food and wine that was paid for through extortion this is like Jesus going to eat with a slum lord or a mob boss or a corrupt politician I mean there's a part of all of us that would be a little rankled if we saw this don't you know what he's done around here now you're going to go eat with him my money paid for that bread Jesus the people in Jericho think that he doesn't deserve to be with Jesus and you know what they're right he doesn't deserve to be with Jesus the problem is that they think they're different when they call him a man who is a sinner what does it what does that imply except unlike us when we trust in ourselves God's grace isn't amazing it's offensive and when God's grace isn't amazing he isn't amazing either but when we recognize the truth that God says about us instead of what we want to say about ourselves
God says all have sinned all have sinned and fall short of the of God when we recognize that and we believe it and we accept it then we rejoice when anyone no matter what they have done receives the grace and the mercy of Jesus when anyone is transformed by God's grace we rejoice because we say with excitement look Jesus has gone in to be the guest of a fellow sinner so there's hope for me that reminds me that he's come into my life too that I needed him to come into that I couldn't make it without him when he is he's the one who's gracious and merciful he's a savior who delights to dwell with and forgive the repentant that's good news and speaking of repentance now we come to the part where Jesus has the most dramatic change on Zacchaeus in the whole passage if you think what's happened so far has been remarkable it is but there's even more with Jesus literally in Zacchaeus house because he's made room for him he's listening to him Zacchaeus is repenting radically sometime during dinner something shifts in Zacchaeus the presence of Jesus the grace that's been shown to him the possibility that there could be real lasting newness in his life it's all so overwhelming it's all so good he feels like he needs to respond and finally he's thinking about it he's holding back and finally he just can't keep it in any longer the time is now he decides I have got to take action right now I'm going to seize this this change that Jesus is offering me he stands up and he says behold Lord the
half of my goods I give to the poor people are looking at him their mouths are wide open half of his estate this is a radical move I can't believe this is happening to me this is like the dramatic end of a toxic dating relationship happening right at dinner it's been bad for a long time and Zacchaeus knows it the relationship between him and money him and wealth him and power he knows that it's been bad but for so long he couldn't get up the nerve to end it but then he meets someone he meets someone kinder someone more loving someone more thoughtful someone that brings out the best in him and now he confronts his old love and he says it's over it's over and we are never ever getting back together Zacchaeus is ending his long time love affair with wealth he decides now is the time to break it off I want nothing to do with it anymore he doesn't want it because a new and better love has come if if I have defrauded anyone of anything I restore it fourfold he knows his sin has been a wrecking ball in the community the devastation that it has wrought has been untold but he wants to reckon with it now he wants to face it he wants and he is promising to make it right this is radical repentance to restore it fourfold is way way more than the law of Moses required way more he is determined to make restitution and he's literally putting his money where his mouth is but think of it that's not all it's not just money that it's going to cost him it's going to take time to identify every act
of extortion that he's done or that he has told other people to do in Jericho and in that community he's going to have to pour over his records he's going to have to also talk to the people that he defrauded think about that what do you think those conversations will be but he does it gladly because he's received the grace of Jesus he counts himself to be a forgiven one a changed one a healed one one that finally has life going on inside of him genuine love for God will always produce genuine love for neighbor always there are no exceptions Zacchaeus calls Jesus Lord but he doesn't stop there he loves his neighbors and that means seeking restitution and reconciliation friends sometimes our sin has real impact on other people not always but sometimes maybe even often saying I was wrong it should lead to how can I make it right that needs to be part of our vocabulary other Christians have an obligation to forgive us but it doesn't excuse us from understanding the hurt that we've caused and seeking to make amends that's part of the process that is part of how we love our neighbor because we also love our God Zacchaeus is doing what Jesus told the Pharisees way back in the beginning of his ministry you may not remember this but the Pharisees came around asking about this baptism that was happening and Jesus scoffs at them and he says who told you to flee from the wrath to come bear fruit in keeping with repentance he tells them this is an extremely significant sentence bear fruit
in keeping with repentance Zacchaeus is showing us what that looks like he's living in a way that shows that repentance is real and repentance is real he's loving his neighbor he's not just saying I'm really sorry that my high taxes caused your field to be repossessed I'm so sorry I hope you'll forgive me my bad he makes it right even if it drives him into poverty which it might he's actually restoring what was taken and he's showing that he really is Abraham's offspring by faith and Jesus affirms him today salvation has come to this house if you remember the last chapter the rich young ruler walked away and Jesus said how difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom but then he also said what is impossible with man is possible with God and here is the proof it's happened the rich has entered the kingdom of God a poor man was restored through justice in the community Zacchaeus was transformed by the grace of God it happened Jesus promise was true it is possible with God people can change people can change you can change I can change love author author and speaker Jen Wilkin wrote this there is no rock but the rock of our salvation no human heart is so hard that he cannot soften it not even yours that is an amazing quote there is no your your heart may be stony but God can make it flesh that's the work that he does there is no rock except the rock of our salvation no human heart is so hard that he cannot soften it real change is found in Jesus and my friends real
change is certain in Jesus the son of man came to seek and save the lost that's the mission of Jesus to go after sinners even you and even me he brings them in he gives them life and he makes them new let's pray Lord we thank you that through Jesus you welcome us in as we are we do do not have to clean up our lives to be with you Lord that's the opposite you want us to come in needy humble crying out for help helpless but you don't leave us that way you do change us and we see a dramatic example of that here Lord would you please restore hope to our eyes Lord we need your hope we need your reminder the power that the spirit works in us when we are in you through faith Lord it's a power that changes us it might take a long time coming but the promises are true you will do it please help us to walk by faith Lord show us how we can seek you in a childlike way we can receive the imposition that you bring joyfully and Lord we can repent radically just like Zacchaeus did making amends making restitution loving our neighbor Lord all these things can happen in us only by the power of your spirit working in us so please do it bear fruit in us and we pray this Jesus in your name