For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Luke 19:1-27 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible (link on links page)

Zaccheus Converted

19 He entered Jericho and was passing through. ² And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. ³ Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. ⁴ So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way. ⁵ When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” ⁶ And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. ⁷ When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” ⁸ Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” ⁹ And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Within these few verses from today's text we see the process of salvation played out.  It says: Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was.  Zaccheus wasn't planning on inviting Jesus to his home. There was simply a curiousity, Zaccheus to wanted to know more.

John 6:44 says: No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.

Zaccheus was aware of what most people thought of him. As a tax collecter he was looked down on, he was an outcast even though he was wealthy. Surely he had heard some of the reports about Jesus, yet he knew he was not worthy to fellowship with Him so he tries to see Jesus safely from a distance. The truth is Zaccheus was not worthy of Jesus time or fellowship. As Romans 3:9-10 says, none of us are.    What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; ¹⁰ as it is written,  “There is none righteous, not even one

Zaccheus climbs a tree, the text says because he was small in stature. There is something about changing our perspective, something that happens when we open ourselves to see from a different point of view. When we change from our normal world view to a higher perspective we can see things from a heavenly perspective. In Isaiah 6 there is a vision of a scene in heaven around the throne of God.

 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. ² Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³ And one called out to another and said,  “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts,
The whole earth is full of His glory.”

These Seraphim, who minister and worship around the throne of God, look at the earth and say "The whole earth is full of His glory"   We look from our earthly view and think how can they possibly say the earth is full of God's glory. We see suffering, violence and all kinds of evil that exists. As believers we look forward to the day this world is restored, but for now we too would have a hard time seeing the things of earth as being full of the glory of God. From heavens view though it already is.

 1 Peter 1:20 says of Jesus: He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.

He was chosen before the creation of the world. God's plan for redemption and restoration was in the works even before Adam and Eve sinned in the garden. When Jesus said on the cross "It is finished", He completed that work of restoration. From heaven's view, the whole earth is full of the glory of God.

The text continues, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” ⁶ And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly.   Jesus calls Zaccheus by name.

In John 10:3-4 Jesus says: the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 

We do not choose God. He chooses us and calls us by name. The text tells us that when Zaccheus heard the voice of the God of all creation call his name he came down and received Him gladly. Zaccheus was drawn by the Father.   He changed his perspective to see from a different point of view.   Then he hears the voice of God speak his name and he responds. 

Those who were there that day didn't understand. They continued to see from a world view. When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”  There can be no sin or evil in the presence of the goodness and holiness of God. When he received Jesus gladly, Zaccheus was changed, he was redeemed. Light dispels darkness and good overcomes evil. Jesus says: “Today salvation has come to this house..."  The others still saw him for what he used to be Jesus saw Zaccheus for what he was, a new creation.

2 Corinthians 5:16-17    Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.  

The text ends saying:  the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”  Jesus never spoke a word on condemnation to Zaccheus. Instead He called him by name. The Father calls and draws each one to the Son. In the presence of the holiness and the glory of God no sin or evil can exist. Each person when hearing his name will either receive Jesus gladly or run from His presence. We don't need to speak words of condemnation to the world. We are not called to convict the world of sin. That's the Holy Spirit's job, as Jesus says in John 16:8-11

when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹ of sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰ of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; ¹¹ of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 

We are called to be light to the world.    Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.(Matthew 5:16)

The light of Christ will dispel darkness. Good will overcome evil. Salvation will come to this house and the glory of God will fill the whole earth.