Luk 19:5-6 | KingComments | STEP | The Lord does not go around Jericho. It is the city of the curse, but if He is there, He is there to give blessing. So it is with the world He came into. The world lies in the evil one ( ), but He came into the world to spread blessing. He has to go through Jericho because He knows that there lives a man called Zaccheus, who is a rich chief tax collector and who seeks Him. Zaccheus is touched by the Spirit of God. When he hears that the Lord Jesus is coming, he makes an effort to see Him. He is not like Herod who also wanted to see the Lord ( ). With Herod it was an evil curiosity, which, by the way, was also satisfied ( ). With Zaccheus it is a hungry curiosity. He gets to see the Lord and more than that. However, there are two obstacles: there is a crowd and he is small. As so often, here too the crowd is a hindrance for someone who wants to see the Lord. People stand in the way ( ) or consciously keep someone away from Him ( ). In addition, he is small in stature, which seems to be an additional impediment to seeing Him. But whosoever genuinely seeks the Lord will find Him ( ). Just as the blind man in the previous chapter did not let himself be hindered by the crowd ( ), so Zaccheus is not prevented from seeing the Lord by the crowd, nor by his physical disadvantage. Like the blind man, he shows the power of faith. He sees a solution in a sycamore tree. Like a little boy he climbs into the tree. He is small and makes himself small. He also has a foresight. He knows the Lord Jesus’ route and takes his place on that route. Faith feels the way He is going, even though there is no direct relationship with Him yet. The desire and the faith of Zaccheus are not ashamed. When the Lord comes to the place where Zaccheus is in the tree, He looks up. Not only does He know there is someone in the tree, but He also knows his name. His searching heart has met someone who longs for Him. This is for His heart a great joy on His way to the cross. He says to Zaccheus to come down quickly and makes a great proposal. He invites Himself to come into the house of Zaccheus. He asks not only for dominion over our personal life, but also over our house, our family. Hence believing parents will raise their children according to God’s standards ( ). This is more than Zaccheus expected, but of which his heart immediately grasps the meaning. He comes down quickly and receives the Lord with joy. The surrounding people find it strange. They even grumble about it. It’s something they don’t understand. How can He enter a sinful man’s house and even stay there? What is the joy of faith is a stumbling block to unbelief. The people see an in their eyes distinguished rabbi entering a sinful persons house. In their thinking that doesn’t fit together. This is because they do not see themselves as sinful, while the Lord Jesus is indeed to them nothing more than a distinguished rabbi. Although Zaccheus may be a rich chief tax collector, he must have been lonely. The people will have shunned him. He has also felt within himself the emptiness of his life and has a need for real peace. Opposite to the grumble of men, Zaccheus takes the place of respect before the Lord. He stands up. Then he says what he is doing with his possessions. He doesn’t say this out of pride, but to show that there is a desire in his heart to clean up his past. He does not spare himself if he says that he has extorted people. By repaying it fourfold, he goes further than the law prescribes. He wants to repair the damage so abundantly that the injustice done will no longer be remembered. Zaccheus met the Lord and received Him in his house and in his life. With Him the salvation has come to this house. Zaccheus has found what he sought: peace for his soul. He had already been converted, he was already a son of Abraham in the true sense of the word (cf. ), but he still lacked the certainty of the forgiveness of his sins and the knowledge of salvation. In response to what He said to Zaccheus, the Lord Jesus points to the great purpose of His coming into the world. He has come to seek that which was lost. It is the searching grace for people who need forgiveness and salvation. Salvation means the escape of judgment through repentance and the entering into the kingdom. He has come to seek people in whom He has worked the need for grace, and then to fulfill that need.

‏ Luke 19:5-6

Zaccheus

The Lord does not go around Jericho. It is the city of the curse, but if He is there, He is there to give blessing. So it is with the world He came into. The world lies in the evil one (1Jn 5:19), but He came into the world to spread blessing. He has to go through Jericho because He knows that there lives a man called Zaccheus, who is a rich chief tax collector and who seeks Him.

Zaccheus is touched by the Spirit of God. When he hears that the Lord Jesus is coming, he makes an effort to see Him. He is not like Herod who also wanted to see the Lord (Lk 9:9). With Herod it was an evil curiosity, which, by the way, was also satisfied (Lk 23:8). With Zaccheus it is a hungry curiosity. He gets to see the Lord and more than that.

However, there are two obstacles: there is a crowd and he is small. As so often, here too the crowd is a hindrance for someone who wants to see the Lord. People stand in the way (Lk 5:19) or consciously keep someone away from Him (Lk 18:39a). In addition, he is small in stature, which seems to be an additional impediment to seeing Him. But whosoever genuinely seeks the Lord will find Him (Lk 11:9).

Just as the blind man in the previous chapter did not let himself be hindered by the crowd (Lk 18:39b), so Zaccheus is not prevented from seeing the Lord by the crowd, nor by his physical disadvantage. Like the blind man, he shows the power of faith. He sees a solution in a sycamore tree. Like a little boy he climbs into the tree. He is small and makes himself small. He also has a foresight. He knows the Lord Jesus’ route and takes his place on that route. Faith feels the way He is going, even though there is no direct relationship with Him yet.

The desire and the faith of Zaccheus are not ashamed. When the Lord comes to the place where Zaccheus is in the tree, He looks up. Not only does He know there is someone in the tree, but He also knows his name. His searching heart has met someone who longs for Him. This is for His heart a great joy on His way to the cross.

He says to Zaccheus to come down quickly and makes a great proposal. He invites Himself to come into the house of Zaccheus. He asks not only for dominion over our personal life, but also over our house, our family. Hence believing parents will raise their children according to God’s standards (Eph 6:1-4).

This is more than Zaccheus expected, but of which his heart immediately grasps the meaning. He comes down quickly and receives the Lord with joy. The surrounding people find it strange. They even grumble about it. It’s something they don’t understand. How can He enter a sinful man’s house and even stay there? What is the joy of faith is a stumbling block to unbelief.

The people see an in their eyes distinguished rabbi entering a sinful persons house. In their thinking that doesn’t fit together. This is because they do not see themselves as sinful, while the Lord Jesus is indeed to them nothing more than a distinguished rabbi.

Although Zaccheus may be a rich chief tax collector, he must have been lonely. The people will have shunned him. He has also felt within himself the emptiness of his life and has a need for real peace.

Opposite to the grumble of men, Zaccheus takes the place of respect before the Lord. He stands up. Then he says what he is doing with his possessions. He doesn’t say this out of pride, but to show that there is a desire in his heart to clean up his past. He does not spare himself if he says that he has extorted people. By repaying it fourfold, he goes further than the law prescribes. He wants to repair the damage so abundantly that the injustice done will no longer be remembered.

Zaccheus met the Lord and received Him in his house and in his life. With Him the salvation has come to this house. Zaccheus has found what he sought: peace for his soul. He had already been converted, he was already a son of Abraham in the true sense of the word (cf. Lk 13:16), but he still lacked the certainty of the forgiveness of his sins and the knowledge of salvation.

In response to what He said to Zaccheus, the Lord Jesus points to the great purpose of His coming into the world. He has come to seek that which was lost. It is the searching grace for people who need forgiveness and salvation. Salvation means the escape of judgment through repentance and the entering into the kingdom. He has come to seek people in whom He has worked the need for grace, and then to fulfill that need.