Zacchaeus’s Change
Introduction
In Luke 19:1-10, Jesus Christ is passing through the city of Jericho. While Christ is going through the city, Zacchaeus is trying to make his way through the crowd so he will be able to catch a glimpse of Him. Zacchaeus climbs a sycamore tree in hopes of seeing the Lord. As Christ passes the spot where Zacchaeus is, He looks up and tells him to come down. Rather than worrying about what other people would think about him, he climbed down from the tree and took Jesus home with him. Jesus was criticized for going home with a sinner, but instead of changing his mind about following Zacchaeus home, He rebuked the people. Jesus said that “the Son of man came to seek and save that which was lost.” At the end of the passage, when Christ goes to Zacchaeus’s house, the Lord is quick to give salvation to his wanting family. Christ came to earth to save all men from eternal death.
Development of Central Truth
Following Christ as a choice is seen in Zacchaeus’s decision. First, Zacchaeus went out of his way to seek out Christ. Even though Zacchaeus was a man of wealth and pride, the Bible says that “he ran on before, and climbed up
…show more content…
In his book The Gospel of Luke, Charles Erdman states, “It has been said that Zacchaeus was converted before he had reached the ground. There can be no doubt that a great change came into his heart as he realized how fully Jesus knew him and anticipated what the Savior could do for him; and his faith and hope were manifest at once.” It took faith on Zacchaeus’s part for him to come down to the Lord Jesus Christ. In his book, Luke, The Gospel of the Son of Man, G. Coleman Luck talks about this topic of Zacchaeus having faith. He states, “As the man [Zacchaeus] was already deeply interested, the Lord’s gracious dealing with him completely won his heart. The result was that he received him joyfully, not only into his home but also into his