RADICAL TRANSFORMATION

“Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for today I must stay at your house” – Luke 19:5b

True divine encounters produce RADICAL TRANSFORMATION: “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” (Lk.19:5). Zacchaeus story, though short, ‘shows how God orchestrates radical transformation through divine encounters.

Here was a chief tax collector, who probably had people under him collecting taxes and getting a cut of the profits. In the Bible days, tax collectors gathered different types of taxes. Depending on the kind of rule in a given Jewish province, the Roman Empire levied a land tax, poll tax, and even a tax for the operation of the temple. As a class, tax collectors were despised by their fellow Jews, and generally associated with sinners (Mt 9:10-11; Mk.2:15). They often took more than the government required and pocketed the excess; essentially stealing money and lining their pockets with profit. They were hated and not well regarded because their fellow citizens viewed them as mercenaries working for the Roman oppressors.

These facts about Zacchaeus are extremely vital, in the light of the attention the Lord gave to him, and his ensuing change. As a chief tax collector, he would not have been trusted or welcomed in Jewish society, being seen as a scammer of their time. No one would want to invite a known swindler into their homes or open their doors to sinners. But Zacchaeus’s sins did not stop Jesus, knowing who he was and that he was searching for answers. The Lord took opportunity to not just talk to him but even go into his house. Our natural tendency is to let people’s sins cloud our minds and keep us from sharing God’s Love with them. We often let what we perceive about people and their sins keep us from loving them as God loves us!  

Jesus, in the preceding chapter (Luke 18) had contrasted the prayer postures of two people: a proud rich man and a humble tax collector. Ironically, Zacchaeus was also rich. And except by Grace, rich people naturally have a harder time seeing their need for God or depending on Him for their needs: “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Lk.18:25). Financial crisis tends to drive us to our knees, as we depend more on God when needs are menacing. When we are our own providers, it’s hard to depend on God! But Zacchaeus sought after God, repented of his sins and experienced radical change! We learn from this that even though it may seem hard for the rich to come to Jesus, here was an example of a rich sinner who welcomed Jesus into his home and bid farewell to his sins. 

One meeting with the Saviour was vital enough to change a heart, driving motives, and behaviour, from selfishness to true repentance. When he heard that Jesus would be passing through, he swung into action to seek and see Him. He sought and found (Mt.7:7). He did not allow the crowd or his height disadvantage to hinder his desire to see the Messiah; he ran and climbed a tree (vv.3-4). There are no tenable excuses or obstacles if we truly desire to seek Jesus and be closer to Him.

The Lord Jesus walked by the tree, stopped, told Zacchaeus to come down because Jesus was going to stay at his house. Zacchaeus came down with haste, obeying quickly without question; and received Jesus joyfully despite the murmuring crowd (vv.5-7). Rather than let their negative comments or his past behaviour keep him from receiving Jesus, he promptly repented of his sinful past and publicly cut a covenant of restitution – an external proof of internal transformation (v.8).

Zacchaeus’ story ended on the note of Salvation: “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 was lost” (vv.9-10). What a Great Redemption! What a radical Transformation!