LOJ #205: Zacchaeus: Little Man, Big Faith Pt 2
Andover Baptist Church-November 3rd, 2013
Opening
A. Text for today is Luke 19:7-10and our sermon is continuation
of Zacchaeus: Little Man, Big Faith
B. Scripture NET:
1. Last Week: Luke 19:1-6
“1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 Now a man named Zacchaeus was there; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 He was trying to get a look at Jesus, but being a short man he could not see over the crowd.4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, because Jesus was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to that place, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, because I must stay at your house today.”6 So he came down quickly and welcomed Jesus joyfully.”
2. This Week: Luke 19:7-10
“7 And when the people saw it, they all complained, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”8 But Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I now give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times as much!” 9 Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this household, because he too is a son of Abraham!10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
C. Children’s Sermon(SLIDE)
1. Have the kids come forward
2. “Have any of you seen Brian?” [Brian hiding behind the
piano]
3. “Maybe he got lost after handshake time”
4. “He has to be in here somewhere, will you help me find
him pretty please?”
5. “Wow we found him” (Brian up front)
6. “This is what Jesus wants to do for everyone who
doesn’t know He died on the cross for them.”
7. “Jesus came to seek (look for) and save the lost. And
that is why we should tell everyone about what Jesus
did for them”
8. “What did Jesus do for us?” ‘He died on the cross’
9. “And what did He do 3 days later?” He rose from the
dead
10. “And since He rose from the dead what does that mean
for us?” ‘That if we believe in Him that that He died
for our sin we will go to heaven with Him”
D. Introduction(SLIDE)
1. The most decorated American soldier of World War II,
almost didn't make it into the military
a. The Marines told him no
b. The Navy told him no
c. And the Army told him no
2. They had good reasons in their mind to turn this young
man down
a. First, he was only 17 years old, a year shy of the
minimum age to enter
b. He was ridiculously under the physical
requirements to join the military
1. He was a mere 5 foot 5
2. And soaking wet he didn't even weigh
115 pounds
3. Through persistence he finally was accepted in the
United States Army
a. How did he do it? He purposely started eating
more
b. Oh and he had his sister vouch for him that he
was a year older than he really was
c. I'm sure the recruiter chuckled to himself smugly
that this little guy before him on June 30th, 1942
was surely not worthy of the task at hand
d. How wrong he was
4. By the end of the war Audie Murphy had racked up man
accomplishments (SLIDE)
1. He was accredited with over 200 combat kills
2. He single handedly amid a burning tank used a
machine gun to hold off 250 enemy troops while
his men retreated, and then rallied them for a
victory
3. He received two silver stars
4. He received three purple hearts
5. He received the Medal of Honor
6. In fact he received every single medal of valor
that you could get, but one
7. Just Thursday he was posthumously awarded the
Texas Medal of Honor
5. By everyone’s estimate he was insignificant to the
calling given him, but he proved everyone wrong
6. So too in how Zacchaeus was judged by those around
him
a. He was too corrupt
b. He was too sinful
c. He was too far beyond the grace of Jesus
d. Or so they thought before Jesus proved them
wrong
7. Zacchaeus’ story is interwoven into the story of God’s
love for mankind, His love for you and His love for me
a. In calling him down from that tree that day, Jesus
showed us that no one is too sinful or
insignificant to be saved by His grace. Even you
and even me.
b. And Jesus, just before His cross, chooses
Zacchaeus to show this fact
c. The fact that Jesus went to the cross for people
just like Zacchaeus, and you, and me
Sermon
READ: Luke 19:7 (Scripture slide)
“And when the people saw it, they all complained, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
A. When the crowd heard that Jesus was going to go to
Zacchaeus’ home they were none too happy
1. And this just wasn’t a small group of naysayers
2. This was ‘all’ the people, everyone that was following
along
3. The word for complained is used only twice in the New
Testament (here and in Luke 15:2) and each time it was
directed at Jesus for socializing with tax collectors
Luke 15:2 (NET)“But the Pharisees and the experts in the law were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
4. It means dissatisfaction to the point that you grumble or
murmur out loud to one another (you can just hear it
rippling through the crowd)
B. Why were they upset? ‘He has gone in to be the guest of a man
who is a sinner’
1. Recall that Jesus had invited Himself to be Zacchaeus’
guest and Zacchaeus had joyfully accepted Him
2. The word for guest means literally ‘to unhitch’ so Jesus
was going to unhitch from His travel to Jerusalem and
become a lodger of Zacchaeus’ for the night
a. There were not Motel 6’s or Hyatt Regency’s in
that day like today
b. People who were traveling would have to depend
upon the hospitality of people they didn’t even
know
c. As stated last week hospitality was an important
cultural action
d. The host would guarantee the traveler’s food,
lodging and even entertainment
e. Hospitality was such a socially important
responsibility that the Jewish homes would have
a special room set aside for such guests (this
room was often and unfortunately translated as
‘inn’)
3. The fact that Jesus would stay as a guest at the house of
such a well-known traitor and sinner floored the
crowds
a. The word they used for Zacchaeus (sinner) was
used only for those whom were seen as morally
inferior
b. It was a highly derogatory term
c. Peter used it of himself when He came face to
face with the implications of Who Jesus is
Luke 5:8 (NET)”But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”
d. The culture of legalism that was around in Jesus’
day would have imposed cultural separation upon
a person like Zach
1. Rabbis taught their disciples not to eat
with such a person
2. The Talmud stated, ‘If tax collectors enter
a house, the house becomes unclean’
3. If anyone stayed in a person like this
house, they too were seen as unclean for
partaking and sharing in the sin of their
host
4. Zacchaeus was a social outcast
e. And yet Jesus is going to stay at his home
1. They couldn’t believe that Jesus was
going to eat with and stay with a traitor
2. Jesus was often criticized for those He
reached out to
Matthew 9:11 (NET)“When the Pharisees saw this they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Luke 7:39 (NET)“Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.”
3. What would our culture think if you had
dinner with a person who had been
involved in Al-Qaida?
4. Many times the religious forget their own
need alongside those they look down
upon with a holier than thou attitude
5. And being that Jericho was a town in
which many priests made their home it is
not surprising to see this type of attitude
slink itself through her streets
6. It’s the same attitude that has raised its
ungodly head in some Christian circles
today
a. We do it anytime we single out
anyone as being too great of a
sinner for the blood of Jesus to
cover
b. Oh, he’s a child molester
c. Oh, she’s a lesbian
d. As if our sin is any less than a sin
and an affront before God
e. Let us not forget that the Apostle
Paul was a former murderer
f. Or that Jesus told us that if we hate
someone we are as a murder or if
we look upon someone lustfully
we are as an adulterer!
g. All sin, let’s face it, is open
rebellion against God!
6. Does this not mean we are not to judge
sin? Absolutely not. We are to say sin is
sin.
a. Especially we are to deal with sin
in the church
b. We are to discipline those of us in
the church that are in open,
unrepentant rebellion against
God
c. But what of those outside of the
church? It is not our business to
judge them! That is God’s right.
d. We are to speak the truth to them
and tell them that they need the
forgiveness of God, but we are
not to isolate them and keep them
from the message of the Gospel!
Heaven forbid no!
e. Scripture attests to this when Paul
wrote the Church of Corinth in 1
Corinthians 5:9-13
1 Corinthians 5:9–13 (NET)“9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. 10 In no way did I mean the immoral people of this world, or the greedy and swindlers and idolaters, since you would then have to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who calls himself a Christian who is sexually immoral, or greedy, or an idolater, or verbally abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. 12 For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 But God will judge those outside. Remove the evil person from among you.”
7. Let us constantly look at the model that
Jesus left for us when it comes to
witnessing and sharing salvation
a. When Jesus looked up into that
tree and saw Zacchaeus, how did
He respond?
b. Did He curse him?
c. Did He call him names?
d. Did He condemn him?
e. No church, Jesus didn’t! He
showed that no good sinner
Zacchaeus His love and
friendship and Zacchaeus \
responded with joy!
f. May this be how you, and I, and
Andover Baptist approaches the
lost: with the truth, but with the
love and gentleness of Jesus!
4. The crowd here in our text shows their ignorance of
Jesus and His mission
a. Jesus came to save sinners from their sins
b. The Gospel isn’t for righteous people, but for
those who know that they are unrighteous
c. Therefore the Gospel is for every man, woman
and child on this earth!
d. And anyone one willing to accept Jesus as their
Lord and Savior will have Jesus come into their
lives as He did with Zacchaeus!
Revelation 3:20 (NET)“Listen! I AM standing at the door and knocking! If anyone hears My voice and opens the door I will come into his home and share a meal with him, and he with Me.”
READ: Luke 19:8 (Scripture slide)
“But Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I now give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times as much!”
A. When Zacchaeus hears what the crowd is saying the text says
that he ‘stopped’
1. Not too long ago we saw Jesus stopping to see
Bartimaeus in the crowd, but the rolls have switched
2. This is a serious accusation against him and his guest
Jesus
3. He comes to the defense of both Jesus and himself
B. He makes the declaration to Jesus, 'Look, Lord, half of my
possessions I now give to the poor'
1. In case you didn't understand what he was saying
envision your homeand take half of everything you own
out of it and take it to a local charity
2. This is what Zacchaeus is going to do
3. Why would he do this? To show that he had repented of
the life he had once lived, that he was a changed man
and that Jesus, nor he, needs to be chastised
4. Alms giving was seen as a legitimate form of repentance
a. To put into perspective what he is willing to do
it's helpful to know that the Rabbis threw out
that alms giving of 20% for repentance was
fitting
b. Zacchaeus pledges 2.5 times that much out of
gratitude for what Jesus has done for him
c. The repentance he shows would have been
accepted by all
5. He has gone from using people to fuel his wealth to
serving people to help their need: 180 degree turn
Psalm 41:1 (NET)“How blessed is the one who treats the poor properly! When trouble comes, the Lord delivers him”.
C. Next Zach goes from repentance to restitution when he says,
'and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back
four times as much!'
1. This in and of itself is an admittance of sin, but he
doesn't just stop there
2. Anyone that he cheated would get 4x as much back in
restitution
3. He wanted to right the wrongs he had committed against
others effectively going from a thief to a contrite
forgiven former thief
4. Turning from one's former sinful patterns is a biblical
concept
Ephesians 4:28 (NET)"The one who steals must steal no longer; rather he must labor, doing good with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with the one who has need."
5. Scripture also talks about making restitution for the
sinful taking of another's possessions
Numbers 5:5–7 (NET)"5 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 6 “Tell the Israelites, ‘When a man or a woman commits any sin that people commit, thereby breaking faith with the Lord, and that person is found guilty,7 then he must confess his sin that he has committed and must make full reparation, add one fifth to it, and give it to whomever he wronged."
a. According to this anyone who cheats or robs
another is to pay back what they stole plus 20%
on top
b. Zach is effectively going to pay back 400% more
than he took, far beyond what was required
c. Some have suggested that he is following the
harshest penalty for animal rustlers in Exodus
22:1
“If a man steals an ox or a sheep and kills it or sells it, he must pay back five head of cattle for the ox, and four sheep for the one sheep"
D. Many people may say, 'I have repented', but Zacchaeus shows
it by his actionswhich Scripture says is true repentance
Luke 3:8–13 (NET)"8 Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones!9 Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” 10 So the crowds were asking him, “What then should we do?” 11 John answered them, “The person who has two tunics must share with the person who has none, and the person who has food must do likewise.” 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 He told them, “Collect no more than you are required to.”
E. Zacchaeus did what the rich young ruler could not do when
Jesus asked him to
Mark 10:21 (NET)"As Jesus looked at him, he felt love for him and said, “You lack one thing. Go, sell whatever you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
1. With the he shows that Jesus was more valuable than his
wealth
2. And unlike the rich young ruler, Zacchaeus' master is no
longer money, but Jesus!
3. Zach is effectively a new creation as spoken of by Paul
in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NET):
“So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is anew creation; what is old has passed away – look, what is new has come!”
READ: Luke 19:9-10 (Scripture slide)
“9 Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this household, because he too is a son of Abraham!10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
A. Jesus tells Zacchaeus, 'Today salvation has come to this
household'
1. Now we know why Jesus had to stay at Zacchaeus
'today', it was so salvation could come!