Grace Compels Generosity

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Grace Compels Generosity

Luke 19:1-10 New International Version (NIV)
Zacchaeus the Tax Collector
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Imagine being the most hated man in town! Zacchaeus had this distinction. He was not only a tax collector. He was the CHIEF tax collector. Our society doesn’t quite understand what that meant. We live under a tax system that has boundaries. We can go to the tax code and discern our tax liability. This wasn’t true in the days of Jesus. The chief tax collector would agree with the government on the amount of tax the government wanted to collect … and the tax collector would then get that amount PLUS whatever else he deemed “necessary” to cover his expenses. And many tax collectors took advantage of the opportunity to get whatever they wanted in tax. Because of this, tax collectors were held in the same esteem as thieves and robbers … only the populace could not do anything about it - only despise the individual and ostracize him. Zacchaeus was such a man.

Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus. Luke doesn’t tell us why Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus … just that he did and that he was willing to humiliate himself by running ahead of the crowd and climbing a tree. And while we do not know what motivated Zacchaeus, we know that his effort to see Jesus would ultimately lead to his redemption. For, while Jesus was “passing through” Jericho, He saw Zacchaeus and altered His plans. He was going to have dinner with Zacchaeus. Why did Jesus choose to do this? Why did Jesus choose to have dinner in the house of a sinner?

Look at verse 10 for the answer. Jesus came to seek and to save those who were lost. The Pharisees didn’t think they were lost. They had the Law and the Prophets. They thought that by keeping all the Law, they could be righteous enough to warrant God’s favor – particularly when they could compare themselves with these scumbag people like tax collectors. They didn’t need – nor did they want – grace. They could handle it on their own.

There are many today who feel similarly. There are many who labor at keeping what they deem is God’s commandment and MISS THE MARK because not one of us can ever be so righteous as to DESERVE God’s mercy. Jesus came to save us through His grace.

So what is all this stuff about giving half of his possessions to the poor and repaying those he defrauded four times the amount? Well, you will remember the rich young man who asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Remember that Jesus told him that he must sell it all and give it to the poor. What you don’t see from Zacchaeus is the question about what he must do. Zacchaeus understood that his life had to change. Zacchaeus knew that for him to be an effective witness in his hometown, he was going to have to demonstrate that changed life. He needed to right the wrongs he had done. And he had to change his heart. Wealth had to become secondary … no, not even on the scale. He had to see his assets as tools to bring people to the Lord. He may have reckoned that to set the record straight would take half of what he owned. The rest he was willing to give away to those who were poor.

As believers in Christ Jesus, we must get to the point where we see what we consider as “ours” as mere tools for God’s service. We know of many who have adopted this principle … and seen their assets GROW because God honors them. NOTE: They do not make this commitment with the intention of seeing their assets grow. They give from a heart of faith.

So why does Jesus say that “salvation has come to this house”? What does Jesus mean when He says that Zacchaeus is the “son of Abraham”? I think this statement is for the benefit of those who were grumbling about Jesus eating with a sinner. They tied their salvation to their bloodline and to the strict observance of the Law – as they saw it. Sinners like Zacchaeus were not worthy to be called sons of Abraham – in their opinion. Jesus wanted them to know that Zacchaeus was worthy.

Zacchaeus wasn’t made worthy by giving away all he had … but by giving all he had to Jesus. So, too, it is with us. God doesn’t want our possessions … with a thought He can create all that we have ten thousand fold. What God does want is for us to be willing to climb a tree …


Agape’


Mr. Jim


Prayer Need:

Cameron Kennelly
Nicole Tuttle