Luke 19:1 - 10
19 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 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.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 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.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Questions:
ReplyDelete1. How did Jesus know his name?
2. Was Zacchaeus' recompense sufficient?
3. Is Jesus limiting His saving only to those who are lost?
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/19-1.htm says:
ReplyDeleteJericho (the City of Palm trees, Deuteronomy 34:3; Jdg 1:16) is about 6 miles from the Jordan, and 15 from Jerusalem. It was from a point opposite to it that Moses had viewed Canaan, Deuteronomy 34:1. When taken by Joshua the site had been cursed (Joshua 6:26): but, in the reign of Ahab, Hiel of Bethel defied and underwent the curse (1 Kings 16:34). In later times Jericho became a great and wealthy town, being fertilised by its abundant spring (2 Kings 2:21) and enriched by its palms and balsams.
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/19-2.htm says:
There was a man named Zacchæus, . . .—The name appears in the Old Testament in the form Zaccai (Ezra 2:9; Nehemiah 7:14), and meant “pure” or “innocent.” Rabbinic writers mention a Zacchæus as living at Jericho about this time, the father of a famous Rabbi, Jochanan or John.
The chief among the publicans.—The position of Jericho near the fords of the Jordan made it a natural trade-centre for the imports from the Gilead country—myrrh and balsam. Under the government of Herod and Archelaus it had become once more a city of palm-trees (Judges 1:16), and their dates and palm-honey were probably liable to an octroi duty. The “farming” system adopted in the Roman revenue probably gave Zacchæus the status of a middle-man or sub-contractor between the great capitalists of the equestrian order at Rome, the real publicani, and the “publicans” commonly so called, who were the actual collectors. As such he had as abundant opportunities for enriching himself as a Turkish pacha, and, as we may infer from his own words, had probably not altogether escaped the temptations of his calling.
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And he was rich; which is not to be wondered at, considering his employment; and is particularly mentioned doubtless to magnify the grace of God towards him, of which we shall by and by hear more; as well as to let us know, that though it be a hard thing for a rich man to be saved, yet with God it is possible, as we heard before, as, that though publicans were most of them rapacious and exceedingly given to extortion, and the love of money commonly increaseth with the increase of men’s estate, yet Christ can change the heart of such a man, and work it into a contempt of riches, and into a freedom to part with them at the command of Christ, or where they hinder the embraces of him.
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/19-3.htm says:
ReplyDeleteHis desire to see Jesus was, no doubt, increased by the account which he had received in Jericho, of the miracle performed on the blind beggars; for the news of so extraordinary a transaction would be quickly spread abroad.
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God makes use of every principle - of curiosity, or sympathy, or affection, or hope, or fear - to lead people in the way of salvation, and to impress truth on the minds of sinners.
The press - The crowd; the multitude that surrounded Jesus. Earthly princes are often borne in splendid equipages, or even carried, as in Eastern nations, in palanquins on the shoulders of people. Jesus mingled with the multitude, not seeking distinctions of that sort, and perhaps, "in appearance," not distinguished from thousands that followed him.
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/19-4.htm says:
sycamore—the Egyptian fig, with leaves like the mulberry.
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/19-6.htm says:
ReplyDeleteWherever Christ comes he opens the heart, and inclines it to receive him. He that has a mind to know Christ, shall be known of him.
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/19-8.htm says:
but in case of a voluntary confession, He was only tied to a fifth part above the principal, and to bring a trespass offering to the Lord, Leviticus 6:1-6. This was the case of Zacchaeus; being touched with the sense of his sin, he voluntarily confesseth, and promises the highest degree of restitution.
"that the manner of paying double, was more used than the manner of paying fourfold, or fivefold; for the manner of paying double was used, both in things animate and inanimate; but the manner of paying fourfold and fivefold, was used but with respect to an ox, and a sheep only.''
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-19-commentary#18:35 says:
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that Luke has just described a rich young ruler who when he heard Jesus' commands in Lk 18:22+ "became very sad, for he was extremely rich (plousios)." And then Jesus proceeded to boggle the minds of His disciples declaring that "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich (plousios) man to enter the kingdom of God. And when they asked Jesus who then could be saved, He replied "The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.” (Lk 18:26, 27+) Now in Luke 19:1-10 Luke gives us an illustration which is living proof that a rich man can be saved as the Spirit of God proceeds to save rich Zaccheus. While riches were the young ruler's idol, riches did not impede Zaccheus from coming to Jesus and holding nothing back. Notice that Jesus did not ask Zaccheus to sell everything and distribute to the poor. Jesus knew Zaccheus' heart and his unsolicited response to give to the poor and to make restitution to those he had defrauded, was clear evidence of his transformed, repentant heart! Jesus also did not tell Zaccheus to quit his job as a tax collector.
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God rewards people who earnestly seek him (Heb. 11:6).
We too can be prevented from seeing Jesus. Pride can blind us from seeing Him as the Wonderful Counselor. Anxiety keeps us from knowing Him as the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6). Hunger for status and stuff can prevent us from seeing Him as the true source of satisfaction—the Bread of Life (John 6:48).
What are you willing to do to get a better view of Jesus? Any sincere effort to get closer to Him will have a good result. God rewards people who earnestly seek Him (Heb. 11:6).
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In the Near East it was very unusual to see a grown man running, much less a wealthy government official. And yet we can picture this small man running down the street like a little boy following a parade! Indeed, Zaccheus was acting like a little child! He was a perfect example of Jesus' words that "whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”(Lk 18:17)
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-19-commentary#18:35 continued:
ReplyDeleteYou can talk about faith all you want. But unless your faith is backed up by the evidence of a changed life no one will listen. Why is that? Because we are justified before God by faith but we are justified before men by works. Why? Because only God can see our faith. The only thing men can see is our works. There’s no contradiction there. Talk all you want about your faith but then show it by the way you live. Specifically by the change that Jesus had made at the point of your past weakness.
“Jesus said to him, ’Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a Son of Abraham.’” Jesus was saying that a son of Abraham is not somebody who has the right kind of birth certificate. A son of Abraham is the one who has the kind of faith Abraham had. Zaccheus had that faith demonstrated by his changed life.
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And I’ll give you something else to think about. As long as the church stays in the church, Jesus is not there because that’s not where Jesus is. If the church wants Jesus, the church has to go out where Jesus is. Out into the world, because that’s where he is this morning.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-19-commentary#18:35 continued:
ReplyDeleteGod Himself took over seeking the lost sheep as recorded by the prophet Ezekiel “My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek for them.”...For thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out." (Ezekiel 34:6; 11)
Questions and findings:
ReplyDelete1. How did Jesus know his name?
Some claim it was because Jesus was omniscient. I think a much more direct answer is that He overheard his name from the crowd complaining around Him. Or, He may have just asked His name as He approached the tree.
2. Was Zacchaeus' recompense sufficient?
Zacchaeus was offering to go far beyond what the Law required. The Law required the cheater to pay back what they stole and add a fifth to it. Zacchaeus was offering to pay back four times.
3. Is Jesus limiting His saving only to those who are lost?
Yes. But, everyone is lost. We need to come to Him to be saved, and we can only do that as lost people. The first step that the Holy Spirit puts us through when He calls us is to enable us to realize that we are lost.
As a children's teacher, I found this helpful, as I see now the emphasis is not on him being disdained as much as him being wealthy. In this case it did not impede him from coming to salvation, but his former weakness (skimming a bit extra off the top) became transformed into a testimony of generosity. He was also the chief of tax collectors, a detail I hadn't noticed, and appreciated the clarification on his job and that Jesus didn't push him to resign.
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