And Zacchaeus, standing, said to the Lord, ‘Half of my well-being, Lord, I give to the poor; and if I extorted from anyone at all, I repay fourfold.’ Luke 19:8 We may easily look at this verse and think Zacchaeus is arrogant, self-righteous, and feels his works merit heaven. But this verse needs close examination.…
But when they saw it, they all complained, saying that ‘He has gone to stay with a man who is a sinner!’ Like 19:7 Large groups of people can lack discernment, common sense, and even common decency. Very often the prevailing view will be adopted by all regardless of its veracity. Zacchaeus was not liked,…
So he hurried down, and welcomed Him gladly. Luke 19:6 What joy! I can easily imagine the spring in the step of Zacchaeus after he crawled down that tree. He had not only seen the Lord, but now he would have the opportunity to spend the remainder of the day with him. His prayers had…
And when he came to the spot, looking up, Jesus saw him, and he said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry down because today I must stay at your house.’ Luke 19:5 We have no indication here that Zacchaeus called out. The implication is that he had met his objective. He could see Jesus, and if he…
And running on ahead of the crowd, he climbed up on a sycamore that he might see Him, because He was about to pass through. Luke 19:4 Zacchaeus was absolutely determined to see Jesus. He would let nothing hinder him. Imagine a man of Zacchaeus’ wealth and position running through the way and climbing a…
And he was looking to see who Jesus was, but he could not from the crowd, because he was a little person. Luke 19:3 Zacchaeus was born with a name that meant his parents expected he would be ‘pure and innocent’. But not far into his life it became obvious that he would have a…
Now look, there was a man whose name was called Zacchaeus, and he was a chief tax collector, and this man was rich. Luke 19:2 The Greek here surrounding the name of Zacchaeus is very interesting. It basically says that this man’s name was named Zacchaeus. This indicates that there was some present significance to…
Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Luke 19:1 Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem for the Triumphal Entry. Jericho holds a lot of history and was a particularly significant illustration of the victory the Lord had given to His people. Jesus may have thought of the walls that fell flat as He rode…
And immediately he regained his sight. Then he followed Him, praising God. When all the people saw, they gave praise to God. Luke 18:43 This man did not simply get a miracle and walk away. He followed the Lord right away. This is one of the most public miracles of Jesus. Heavenly Father, thank You…
And Jesus said to him, ‘Regain your sight. Your faith has saved you.’ Luke 18:42 Notice here how Jesus heals this man. It is simply by command. Jesus then thanks about the man’s faith, which is the more important thing by far. The regaining of sight was a small matter in comparison to the saving…