A Life Transformed by Christ

Joshua Kirstine (0:00)

It's a true blessing to be back together with you again, church family, thank you for your prayers, for Jeremy and myself and Chucky, as we rode our motorcycles a couple thousand miles to Colorado and back last week for our annual rally with the Christian Motorcycle Club. We're part of, that was my 15th year in a row doing that trip in amazing, beautiful country. We got to see and just the Lord's provision to get us there and back and great ministry. I was reminded while I was there, we have some people around the country, around the world who tune in to our podcast and listen. And some of them are enjoying our series through Luke right now. And reflecting back on that, it was this Sunday, three years ago that I returned from sabbatical and began this series. Three years ago, we started into our journey in Luke's gospel. And today we turn together to chapter 19 And very excited about where we're at in this beautiful journey through God's good word and all that he's done so far. And all that I am confident he will continue to do. Open your Bibles with me and look at Luke chapter 19 This morning, I aim to preach verse one through 10 And a very famous testimony of the life transformation that happens between Jesus and a tax collector. Look with me at our passage in its entirety before we dive into it in detail. Luke 19, one through 10 He entered Jericho and was passing through.

And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 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 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 is gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, behold Lord, 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. The good word of our Lord, Luke 19, 1 through 10 As we read last time we were together in chapter 18, Jesus is in and around Jericho in this final leg of his journey to Jerusalem. The new Jericho, not the one torn down in the war efforts of power of God and Joshua in the Old Testament, but the new one that's been built. In Jesus' day, this new Jericho is a very special place, a desirable place, a place full of beauty, opulence. Historian Josephus described it as the richest part of the country and called it a little paradise. It was considered the Eden of Palestine in its era. Lots of business was done there. Pilgrims, traders would travel through, do business there. This meant that Jericho was a central station for the collection of taxes, tariffs, and customs for Rome. On this day, the miracle-working Jesus moves through Jericho. He's accompanied by a large crowd of his disciples and other pilgrims who are bound for Jerusalem. This would, as you can imagine, create quite a sight to behold. They had no idea what they were about to witness. Jesus would announce that he came to seek and save the lost. He would demonstrate this by saving one of Jericho's most notorious sinners. That man's name was Zacchaeus. A few things to consider about Zacchaeus. Since his name is Jewish in origin, Zacchaeus is most likely a Jewish man. This means Zacchaeus was a Jew who collected taxes for Rome. When the Romans imposed taxes on the people they conquered, they hired people from the conquered nation, in this case, they hired Jews willing to go to their countrymen and collect their oppressive taxes. So, the tax collector was a type of collaborator helping the Romans get stronger at the expense of their own people. By most Jewish people's account, the tax collector was seen as the lowest scumbag in the city. Now, Zacchaeus was no low-level average tax collector. Luke tells us he was the chief tax collector. This means he was the commissioner of tax collecting in this area, the acting head of the region's tax collectors. That meant the common tax collectors had to pay him a percentage of what they collected. The Romans would auction off the collection of the indirect taxes, the tolls, the tariffs, the customs, to the highest bidders, which may have been an individual or a group of investors. By forming out the collection of these taxes in this way, the Roman governor could count on receiving a fixed sum from the beginning of the year, and it would reduce overhead expenses. Because the tariffs were unfixed, the arrangement opened the door for great fraud and extortion. The leasee could charge essentially whatever he wanted to cover his expenses and to make a profit, right? He would also have to bear any losses that he might incur. As the chief tax collector in this region, this means two things. Zacchaeus is super rich, and Zacchaeus is a despised supreme sinner in the eyes of his community. Luke continues in verse 3 through 4 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 a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. Luke tells us that Zacchaeus desired to see who Jesus was. Whatever he heard through the rumor mill about Jesus was enough to motivate him highly to make sure he saw him that day as he passed through town. Luke also tells us that he could not see through the large crowd that had gathered because he was a short man. So what does an unpopular man, whom the people of that community would be unwilling to make room for him to move to the front so he could see, what does he do? He runs ahead, finds a tree that he can reach, climbs it to try to get a view of Jesus passing by. Luke says it's a sycamore tree. Picture an oak tree in general form. These trees had relatively short trunks, low branches, so a man small in stature could reach. He climbed up into the tree and waited, hoping for Jesus to become visible as he approached down the road. Zacchaeus' resolve to see Jesus means he doesn't mind looking ridiculous, a grown man up a tree. Luke says he simply wanted a vantage point to get a glimpse of Jesus, and he tells us nothing more. But we could imagine that Zacchaeus had experienced great social ostracism, isolation, contempt, and he had heard that Jesus received sinners and tax collectors. As we read in Luke 5 and Luke 15, Zacchaeus would have never imagined what Jesus would do or say as he drew near that day. Look with me, verse 5 and 6 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. Church, while Zacchaeus was seeking to see and to learn about Jesus, he discovers that Jesus already knows who he is.