A (0:00)

Please turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter 19. We're going to take a look at the first 10 verses of that chapter. Father in heaven, we ask that you turn our hearts and our attention towards your word. We need to hear from you and from your wonderful word this morning. So would you teach us as we listen In Jesus name, Amen. This is Palm Sunday. And we're remembering the day when Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem now, when Jesus was on his way to be welcomed by that great crowd. That event that we call the Triumphal Entry. The events of Palm Sunday setting in motion now what some people call Holy Week. Historically, you could say that it's the most important week of human history, culminating in the sacrificial death on the cross of Jesus and his glorious resurrection that we're all going to celebrate together this next Sunday. It sort of begins with this event that we call the Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday. And that event has captured the imagination of artists throughout the centuries. And a few years back, I was looking at some ancient paintings which or depictions of Palm Sunday. And I wanna show some of those to you on the screen right now and see if you can do with me kind of find the thing in the picture that's interesting. So here's a couple depictions. You see Jesus on the donkey surrounded by his disciples in both of these two different pictures. But do you see what's kind of interesting or of note in those pictures? The next slide will show it to you. We have highlighted a guy up in a tree. What's he doing there? Let's take a look at the next slide. Two other depictions. Jesus on a donkey. He's come into Jerusalem. Great. But do you see what we have highlighted here? It's a guy up in a tree right there. And then just to show you one more example, two more pictures on a single slide. Again, the familiar theme. Jesus is entering in on a donkey, surrounded by his disciples. But what is this little man doing up in the tree? Isn't that fascinating? Now, folks, in each of those pictures, the common link is not only Jesus coming into Jerusalem on a donkey, but the small man in the tree looking towards Jesus. Now, what's interesting about that is that this is bringing together two separate events from the Gospels. What we're going to take a look at here in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 19 begins in chapter 19 with the encounter with that little man. You know his name, don't you? Zacchaeus. And what do you know about Zacchaeus? He was a wee little man. A wee little man. Was he just like the Bible says? Well, kind of. That's in the beginning of Luke chapter 19 and down towards the end of Luke chapter 19 is the triumphal entry. But these were events that took place, separated in geography. Zacchaeus takes place in Jericho. The triumphantry takes place in Jerusalem. They might have been done on the same day, but if they were, they were hours apart. Folks, I want you to see what was it that made these artists and the Christian imagination of the entry centuries connect these two events together? I tell you what is it something that we learn about welcoming Jesus. Palm Sunday was all about Jesus being welcomed into Jerusalem. But as we're going to find out, the welcome that Jesus received in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was enthusiastic. It was happy. But ultimately it was superficial because the same city welcomed him on Pawn Sunday, rejected him on Good Friday. Friends, what we have is a contrast because with Zacchaeus, he shows us how Jesus should be welcomed, not superficially, but sincerely. So let's take a look now at Zacchaeus as an example of welcoming Jesus. The first four verses here of Luke chapter 19. Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but he could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead, climbed up through the sycamore tree to see him, for he was going to pass that way. So Jesus is coming. He's passing through Jericho. He's on his way to Jerusalem for all the events that will begin with Palm Sunday, but end with his glorious resurrection. And when Jesus passed through Jericho, he passed through a city that was well established, ancient, but it was also prosperous. Jericho was on a major road and it was known for its agriculture, especially its date palm orchards. Lots of tax revenue came through Jericho. And all that connects us to a man named Zacchaeus. Now, what do we know about Zacchaeus just from these verses that we read? Well, we know that Zacchaeus was a tax collector. Now, folks, I don't know that tax collectors have ever been popular in human history. Something we think about as the middle of April rushes in upon us. No, tax collectors have never been popular. But may I say that in the Roman world of the first century, the Roman world of the New Testament, tax collectors were especially despised. And it was mainly had to do with how the system was structured and how a tax collector made his money. The Romans hired tax collectors and demanded a payment from the tax collector. The tax collector had to deliver a certain amount to the Romans. And whatever the tax collector could collect above that amount, he put in his pocket. So the tax collector had every motive to cheat, to gouge, to chisel, whoever he could, because all the excess went into his own pocket. That was a tax collector in Jesus day. No wonder they were hated by the populace, because not only were they thieves, but they were also turncoats. They allied themselves with the Romans and were supporting the Roman government. It was a bad scene to be a tax collector. You would be rejected by your community. Now, what do we notice about Zacchaeus being a tax collector? Not only is Juan, but he's a chief tax collector. He's like at the top of the pyramid there. And not only that, we also find here that he was rich. Folks. If you're rich as a tax collector in Jericho, you're cheating and defrauding a lot of people. So that's the beginning of what we know about Zacchaeus. But what else do we know about him? Well, we know that he was a man of short stature. Think about that. Short stature. Now, I don't mean to be over psychoanalytical about Zacchaeus, but his short stature perhaps played into his personality. Maybe it made him more combative, a little more antagonistic, a little more aggressive towards other people, feeling like he had to compensate for some sort of perceived physical deficiency. He's of short stature. But the other thing we learn about Zacchaeus in these verses was this was an energetic man who wanted to see Jesus. Isn't that amazing? Verse 3 says he sought to see who Jesus was. Zacchaeus wanted to set his eyes on Jesus. I wonder if Zacchaeus had heard this is an amazing man who teaches like no other person has ever taught, who does miracles like no other person has ever done miracles, who confronts corruption and religious hypocrisy like nobody else has ever done. But he also heard this about Jesus, and I'm just speculating here, but I think it's a founded speculation. Zacchaeus made this man accepts sinners like nobody else. He goes, I got to meet this man, I got to see him. So what does he do? Well, verse four shows the energy, the initiative, Zacchaeus, he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him. Because he sought Jesus so intensely, he didn't mind doing something that many people would think was beneath the dignity of an important chief tax collector, especially a wealthy man. What did he do? He climbed up into a sycamore tree. He climbed that tree like A little boy. I don't know when the last time is I climbed a tree. I felt like I did a lot of it when I was a kid. That's something you associate with a little boy. But isn't this interesting that unwittingly Zacchaeus is putting himself in a good place? Do you remember what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 18? That we have to become like little children if we're going to see the kingdom of God? Well, unwittingly, Zacchaeus is doing this. I'm gonna act like a 10 year old boy and I'm gonna climb up a tree because I so want to see Jesus. Friends, there's something glorious about the heart that wants to see Jesus. And I'm not talking of course about with the physical eye that'll happen for us one day in the Resurrection, but I'm talking about once a genuine encounter, a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ which wants to seek him. And may I say, there's very powerful things that happen in a life when it wants to seek Jesus. Now I need to caution you, you need to seek after the real Jesus, not a Jesus of your imagination, not a Jesus presented by false religions and cults, but the Jesus that is presented to us in the Bible. That's the Jesus who really is. That's the Jesus that you need to seek after. And the Bible gives us a wonderful promise that if we seek Jesus in this way, we'll find Him. The Bible says this. Draw near to God and he'll draw near to you. Seek after Jesus and you'll find. Again, I want to caution you, it needs to be the real Jesus that Jesus revealed to us in this book, not the Jesus of your imagination, not the Jesus of a false religion, but seek after the real Jesus in the energetic way that Zacchaeus did. And good is going to come from that. Well, what good came from it for Zacchaeus? Well, look at it here in verses 5 and 6 we read this. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him and said to him, zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house. So he made haste and came down and received him joyfully. There's so much in these two verses. Let's just think through it step by step. It says here that when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him. Can you just picture that in your mind's eye? Jesus looking up and, and making eye contact with this rich chief tax collector and just making eye contact and Jesus almost saying it with his eyes. Mister, what are you doing up there in that tree? You're an important man. I can tell by the way you're dressed. I can tell by the way the people in the crowd reacted. You're an important man. You shouldn't be climbing trees. What are you doing up there? And as they exchange a glance and their eyes lock onto one another, what does Jesus do next? You can see right there. It says it there in verse five that the first thing he does is he says, zacchaeus, make haste and come down. I love that he begins by calling him by name. You might ask, how did Jesus know his name? Now, I could speculate that maybe people in the crowd were shouting at this man up in the tree, zacchaeus, what are you doing up there? And maybe Jesus learned the name by that. But, you know, Jesus was in such a wonderful relationship with his God and Father that I don't doubt that he received it just from the knowledge that God himself would have. Zacchaeus, I know you. I know your name. I can call you by name. Isn't that interesting? In this whole multitude, Jesus speaks to one man and calls him by name. Dear friend, that's Jesus with you. Here you are in this room. There's a lot of people in this room. There's a sense in which you could easily feel like you're a face in the crowd. You, you're one among many. I'm here to tell you Jesus knows your name. He knows your life. He wants to speak to an encounter with you this morning, just the way that he spoke to Zacchaeus. He can speak to you as well. And what did he say? He said, zacchaeus, make haste. Which is a wonderful way to saying, hurry up. And do what? Come down, Zacchaeus, I'm not going to climb up in that tree and meet you. You need to come down and meet me. I think there's a powerful spiritual analogy for us there. We need to come down to meet with Jesus Christ. Look, in a room this big, in a community like this, I don't doubt that I'm speaking to, humanly speaking, some important people here this morning. Your station in life, your career, your calling, your accomplishments gives you some status. You're high up. Well, God bless you in that you should regard it as a stewardship, something that God's given you as a gift. You should use it well unto his glory, because. But may I simply tell you this? You can't come to God claiming rank. You can't come to God in a chief position. What do you need to do. You need to do just what Zacchaeus said. You need to come down and meet him in humility. Every one of us needs Jesus. Every one of us needs to come to the level ground that is at the cross. And that's what Zacchaeus needed to do. If Zacchaeus would have demanded that Jesus come up into the tree to meet him, he would have never met Jesus. But if he was willing to come down and come to the Savior, then Jesus wanted to meet him and not just meet him. Did you notice what it says here? He says, here, come down for today. I must stay at your house. I'm inviting myself over to your house, Zacchaeus. I'm coming in and we're going to have a meal together. That's sort of implicitly implied there. You could say that Jesus invited himself over to his house. And what was the reaction of Zacchaeus? I love what it says there. In verse six, it says, so he made haste, he hurried up, he came down, he did exactly what Jesus told him to do, and he received him joyfully. Notice Zacchaeus had to receive him. Jesus would only come to the house of Zacchaeus and into his life if he was invited, if Zacchaeus welcomed him. And so Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus first and then started a wonderful relationship with the Savior. I like what Charles Spurgeon, that great English preacher, had to say about this. Spurgeon said this quote, christ will not force himself into any man's house and sit there against the man's will. That would not be the action of a guest, but of an unwelcome intruder. But friends, Jesus Christ did not come to Zacchaeus as an unwelcome intruder. But he said, zacchaeus, here I am. And Zacchaeus said, I welcome you into my home. That's what it says. He received him, and he received him joyfully. He would only come into that house if invited. But Zacchaeus was happy to welcome Jesus and notice what it says, that he received him. That's where it begins in the Christian life, receive him. You see, fundamentally, Zacchaeus didn't receive a creed or a doctrine or a theory or a ceremony. But that tax collector, he clearly welcomed Jesus. Now, again, I want to point out a contrast to you. Just later in the Gospel of Luke, later in chapter 19, Jesus would be welcomed into Jerusalem and there would be a lot of joy, there'd be a lot of fanfare. But. But ultimately it was superficial. Here Jesus is being welcomed with sincerity into the heart of just One man. And that was going to have even more lasting results. Folks. Jesus joyfully welcomes sinners, those who receive him joyfully and who are rescued from sin and self. So what Zacchaeus becomes to us is he becomes a model to every one of us on how we should welcome Jesus. We should welcome Jesus by seeking after him with great effort. Just as much as Zacchaeus took the effort to climb up into a sycamore tree. That's the effort that we should have in seeking Jesus. We should welcome Jesus by humbling ourselves. And I can think of at least two ways. He humbled himself by climbing the tree, and. And he humbled himself by coming down from the tree. We should welcome Jesus no matter how sinful or hated you are. I'm telling you, Zacchaeus was despised by his community, but he could still welcome Jesus. We should welcome Jesus as he calls us. He invites us by name. We should welcome Jesus as Zacchaeus did, without delay. Jesus said, hurry up. And he did. We should welcome Jesus by coming down to him from whatever height we imagine ourselves to be at. We should welcome Jesus himself, who he is. And we should welcome him into our life, into our home. And finally, we should welcome him joyfully. Now, there's two other aspects of how Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus Christ that we're going to touch on in the next verses. But let me tell you what those are. And now we'll look at them in the next couple verses. Zacchaeus also welcomed Jesus despite what other people said. And then Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus with repentance and restitution. Let's see how that unfolds for us in the next several verses here, starting at verse seven of Luke, chapter 19. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, he's gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner. Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor, and if I've taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold. And Jesus said to him, today salvation has come to this house because he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man has come to seek and to save that which is lost. Now notice this. When Jesus invited himself over to Zacchaeus house and Zacchaeus said, yes, let's do it. It started a stir among the crowd. They said, as verse seven explains, he's gone to be a guest with a man who's a sinner. Jesus, don't you know what kind of man this is? And Jesus would say, yes, I know what kind of man he is, and I know what I'm doing in his life. You better believe I want to come into his house. Friends, make no mistake, Jesus was not teaching Zacchaeus that it was okay to be a thief who stole money under government authority. That's what he did as a profession. But when Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus, he knew that his life had to change. And it was about to change. And the change is indicated in these words from verse 8, where he says, look, Lord Jesus, hey, this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to restore fourfold. In receiving Jesus and spending just a little bit of time with him, Zacchaeus knew that he had to repent and make restitution. So first he simply sought after Jesus. But in seeking after Jesus, he also came to seek repentance. And Zacchaeus cheerfully offered to do as much or even more than the law required in making repentance and making restitution. Friends, people ask, is it really true that a life can change this quickly? The answer to that question is, yes, a life can change that quickly. Now, I will say this. We're not trying to say that every habit in the life of Zacchaeus immediately changed when we come to Christ. Some things in our life immediately change, but we have to deal with habits that need to be brought under obedience to Jesus Christ. That's okay. There's a real change, but the changes aren't complete. On this side of eternity. God is working in our life all the way until we pass from this life to the next. But can there be real, profound changes right away? Absolutely true. And that's why Jesus says, did you see this phrase in verse nine today? Salvation has come to this house. Jesus knew that the repentant Zacchaeus was saved, that he was rescued from the bondage, the power, the guilt, and the penalty of his sin. You know, people used to say about the house of Zacchaeus, a sinner lives there. Now Jesus says that salvation has come to this house. What a contrast. What a beautiful thing. Now, he also pronounced that he belongs once again to the community. He said in verse nine, Jesus, because he also is a son of Abraham. You know, since Zacchaeus was so hated by his community, they probably said, you know what? He's not a real Jew at all. We excommunicate him. But Jesus says, no, this man is a son of Abraham. He's fully restored into the community. And why? Well, it's really because of what Jesus says in verse 10, the last verse we're going to consider here. And let me read that phrase to you once again from verse 10, where Jesus simply says this. He says, for the Son of man has come to seek and to save that which is lost. Folks, who is that? Who are the lost? You know, it's strange that you might think of Zacchaeus as someone who was lost. Zacchaeus, you were a bad sinner. You used to cheat and gouge and steal from people all the time, and you fattened your own pocket by it. You knew what you were doing. You were a sinner. You. You weren't lost. This wasn't like an accident. I'm not going to call you like I would call a little boy who's lost in a crowd, who would all happen by accident. You knew what you were doing. And friends, all that would be true about Zacchaeus. He knew what he was doing. But wasn't it true that he was also lost, that he didn't have a home, he didn't have a relationship with God. He. He didn't have a place to his community. He was lost. He was lost to his parents. Can you imagine how ashamed his parents were of him? He was lost to his community. He was lost to his own soul. Most importantly, he was lost before God. And Jesus says, he's the kind of man that I've come to rescue. I've come to seek and to save and to that which is lost. Now, I wouldn't blame any of you, is if you pull that, turn that over in your mind, you think, yeah, I'm really happy that Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. And if there's any of those lost people here, you think, if there's any really bad people here like Zacchaeus, I hope they find Jesus. But you think, but me, I'm good. I'm a pretty good person. Whatever I am, I'm not lost. Dear friend, I want to tell you we're all lost without Jesus, every one of us. None of us find our real place and purpose in life, both in this life and eternity, until we find it in Jesus Christ. And here's the bizarre dichotomy about this. Zacchaeus went to all this effort to seek after Jesus. He climbed up into the sycamore tree so that he could see Jesus, so he could seek after him. And Jesus turns it around at the end and he says, no, you're the lost one, and I've been seeking you to save you. Isn't that how it happens in the Christian life? We think and we speak. But I think I used the phrase here already a couple times in this morning's message. We talk about us finding Jesus. Friends, Jesus isn't the one who's lost. We are. Yet both aspects are true. Was Zacchaeus seeking Jesus? Yes, he was. But in even a greater way. Jesus came to seek and to save those who are lost. And Zacchaeus responded and a glorious work was done. Friends, the entire account with Zacchaeus gives us a remarkable who, what, where, when, why and how of welcoming Jesus. Let me just summarize it for you. Who Jesus wants to welcome? Well, those who are lost, every one of us. What Jesus wants to do with those who welcome him. He wants to restore relationship. He wanted to come to the house of Zacchaeus where Jesus wants you to go when you welcome. He wants you to come down. Come down if you're going to welcome me. When Jesus wants you to welcome him, immediately. Quickly, make haste. Hurry up. Why Jesus wants you to welcome him, to be with him, to connect with him in real life. And how Jesus wants you to welcome him, just like Zacchaeus did. Joyfully, I began this morning's message by showing you some depictions artistically of Palm Sunday with Zacchaeus painted up in a tree as if he was right there at the scene. Can you paint yourself in into that scene? Can you put yourself in the place of Zacchaeus and welcome Jesus on Palm Sunday, not in the superficial way that happened in Jerusalem, but in the deep and sincere way that happened in Jericho with Zacchaeus? This is what you should pray. Jesus, without reservation, I welcome you into my life. And Father, that's my prayer this morning. I pray that every one of us, without exception and without reservation, would welcome Jesus as Lord, as Savior, as King in our life. Thereby we would be found and not last lost and give you glory. Do this, Lord among us. Thank you for today and for the week to come. Prepare us for it by welcoming Jesus. We pray this in Jesus name, Amen.