TODAY, I MUST COME TO YOUR HOUSE

“TODAY, I MUST COME TO YOUR HOUSE”

by Pastor Mark Taylor

Luke 19: 1-10

Something happen to a man that gave him a New Life.  It was not just a New Year’s resolution, or making some changes in the way he lived his life.  His meeting with Jesus Christ changed him within, when Jesus said to him: “Today, I must come to your house.”  

If this church or any church is going to continue to grow and please God, it must allow Jesus to come into the homes of its members and attendees.  It has to be more than a religious exercise.  The church mission is outreach to those who need to find Jesus.

And Jesus said to him (Zacchaeus), “Today salvation has come to this house... for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)

Zacchaeus was one of those people. No one wanted anything to do with Zacchaeus. They had a name for him. It was traitor.  Zacchaeus had a despicable job of being a tax collector. The Emperor needed to fund his army. He needed to clothe and feed his soldiers.  So the Emperor taxed the very people who hated and despised the presence of the Romans.   No one wanted anything to do with a tax collector.  Tax collectors and sinners were often linked in minds of people. Approx. 10 times the phrase “sinners and tax collectors” appears in the Gospels.   

That day, people lined the streets of Jericho. Jesus was coming. Several had seen the miracles he had performed. Many had heard him speak.  Zacchaeus had heard the stories about Jesus, too. He wondered if the stories he had heard about Jesus were true. Some of those people’s lives had been completely changed. The healing they had experienced was transformative to their situations in life. 

How this man looked for Jesus! How desperate was his need! How ironic that he could have any and every luxury that money could buy, but he wanted so much to see Jesus, that Jesus would find him up there in such a humiliating way, in that sycamore tree.

Jesus’ interaction with people is always interesting, because He is our Model of how to interact with people. 

He SAW Zacchaeus. The foliage of the tree would have concealed Zach somewhat, but Jesus still saw him. Do we see people? Or do we just keep on walking or driving? Do you see the single mom struggling with a bag of groceries and a car seat and a little one? Do you notice people? Or are we so caught up in where we’re going?

He STAYED with Zacchaeus..  Not only did he notice him, he spent time with him. Jericho was a city where many priests lived, and one would expect Jesus to stay with one of them. Do we invest time in the lives of others as our Savior did?

He SAVED Zacchaeus.  The greatest gift that Jesus can give us is salvation. Purpose statements are popular in this day and age. Jesus’ purpose statement is in verse 10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” With Christ as our model that should also be our purpose. That’s not just for the corporate church, but for us individually as well.

Once spotted, Jesus made his way to the sycamore tree.  And then Jesus reaches the foot of the sycamore tree. He looks up at Zacchaeus, and he CALLS HIM BY NAME!

He knows you  “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down! For I must stay at your house today!”  Jesus knew him by name! He knew Zacchaeus’ deepest wrongs and knew his deepest desires. 

It was true. What people were saying was true. Jesus did eat and hang out with sinners and people no one else liked. Zacchaeus couldn’t believe his ears. Jesus had just said He was coming home with Zacchaeus today.

He knows what you need–a relationship  After Jesus called his name, He beckoned him to come down from the tree. Jesus spoke those words in love and tender compassion. He knew Zacchaeus needed to know he could have a personal relationship with Jesus. Instead of condemning him, He said, “Let’s go to your house.” 

When Zacchaeus took Jesus home with Him, a transformation began. Jesus changed the person Zacchaeus became and changed the way in which he interacted with other people.  He became a very generous person and a person of integrity.  Zacchaeus had become an outsider and a despised individual, but Jesus gave him back his worth and his dignity. Jesus put it this way: “Today, salvation has come to this house.” Zacchaeus, who was lost to the world, was found and saved by Jesus.

When Jesus becomes your friend, He’ll help you clean up your life  He sees you not as you are– but as who you can become. Zacchaeus’ story reminds us of that part of who we are. His story reminds us that someone is always in the sycamore tree, hoping and praying not to be an outsider anymore, hoping to find meaning and purpose to life.

Zacchaeus’ story reminds us to be looking for those individuals. As Christ’s disciples we are called to invite them down from the tree, to travel to their home as Christ’s representative, and to invite them to find a home with brothers and sisters in Christ.