In the opening line of the movie Goodfellas, the narrator Ray Liota, who plays the character of Henry Hill, says, “As far back as I can remember… I always wanted to be a gangster”! Every time I hear that line I think of Henry ’s little gangster buddy named Tommy who was played by Joe Pesci who makes a perfect gangster with his short little legs, his high pitched winey voice, his arrogant swagger and his hot headed temper. In many ways I think Joe Pesci would have played the part of Zacchaeus really well. I can just see him running along on his short little legs ahead of the crowd to climb a tree to see the world famous Jesus as he entered into town. I can see him hiding in the tree from the crowd that hated his guts because of all the years of stealing money from them. I can see his surprise when Jesus stops and turns his attention on him and calls him by name. I can see the little guy nearly falling out of the tree in his excitement to meet Jesus and I can see the crowd booing because Jesus invites himself over to his house.

Look at Luke 19:1 – 10…

1 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

As funny as this story can be and as funny as the image of Joe Pesci looks in my mind… There’s a really serious thing happening in this story that begs the question… If I was a little gangster, someone who abused people to get ahead in life and someone who used people for my own selfish purposes… If I was the kind of person who had no reverence for God & His people and I was hiding in a tree and Jesus stopped and called me by name… what would I do? Would I receive him with joy? Would I call him Lord? Would I repent openly and publicly?

J.C. Ryle commenting on this passage says “If ever there was a soul sought and saved, without having done anything to deserve it, that soul was the soul of Zacchaeus… Unasked, our Lord stops and speaks to Zacchaeus. Unasked, He offers himself to be a guest in the house of a sinner. Unasked, He sends into the heart of a publican the renewing grace of the Spirit, and puts him that very day among the children of God.” Can you imagine starting your day off by climbing up a tree to see Jesus only to find that the Jesus you’ve been seeking to see is the Jesus who’s been seeking to save you? That’s exactly how Zacchaeus’ day begins…

 

Notice How Zacchaeus Climbs Up A Tree To See Jesus… (1-4)

Luke tells us that as Jesus “entered Jericho and was passing through… there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector and was rich… and he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.” Notice the fact that Zacchaeus wasn’t just any ordinary thief he was the chief of thieves in his city as one commentator says, “Zacchaeus was the head of the Jericho tax cartel”… in other words he was the mob boss… the head of the five families… the Godfather… the master mobster… the gangster of gangsters.

This dude wasn’t known for his pursuit of the Lord. His life didn’t smell of the substance of the gospel. He was the man in town that everyone feared because he was ruthless and violent and manipulative and selfish. But Zacchaeus wasn’t just a ruthless gangster he was a tiny little man with a big attitude and a big appetite for other people’s money as he used them and abused them for his own selfish gain. But for some reason he was seeking to see Jesus so much that he ran ahead of the crowd and climbed up a tree to see him.

No self-respecting gangster or wealthy person would run ahead of the crowd. Usually the people that run ahead of the crowd are the rebel rousers and undignified folks. The dignified folks would take up the rear among their entourage of other respectable types. But not Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus ran ahead of everyone else on his stubby little legs and then he climbed up a tree to catch a better view of Jesus. Zacchaeus didn’t let his physical disability or his sinful status or his social status keep him from seeing Jesus. In short this evil little gangster didn’t let anything stop him from seeing Jesus. Zacchaeus wasn’t blind or poor like the man in our previous text but he was determined to see Jesus. Zacchaeus was a very wealthy man much like the rich man a few passages ago but he didn’t let his wealth stop him from seeking to see Jesus either.

What Stops Us From Doing Everything We Can To See Jesus?

What is it that prohibits us from breaking free from the things that restrict us from going to great lengths to see Jesus? Does your wealth or your lack of wealth stop you? Does your reputation stop you? Does your lifestyle stop you? Are there some physical disabilities stopping you? Is the crowd around you stopping you? What is it that stops you from climbing the heights of any challenge to see Jesus?

I think that when we wrestle with these questions and we lay aside every excuse or hindrance that stops us from seeking to see Jesus then we become positioned to not only see Jesus but to also hear the invitation of God to be in Jesus’ presence. That’s what happens here in this passage… Zacchaeus lays aside every thing that could stop him from seeing Jesus and as a result he gets himself positioned to not only see Jesus but to also receive a personal invitation to be in Jesus’ presence!

Notice How Jesus Invites Himself To Zacchaeus’ House… (5)

Luke tells us that, “when Jesus came to that place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.’” Jesus sees Zacchaeus and he calls Zacchaeus by name. Think with me for a moment about all the names you’ve been called in your life. Think about all the names you call yourself. Think about all the negative ways you talk about yourself. Think for a minute about how you spend more time talking to yourself in your mind than anyone else talks to you and think about what you think about for a minute.

When Jesus calls Zacchaeus by name it’s as though he’s endearing himself to Zacchaeus in this moment. He doesn’t call him an idiot. He doesn’t call him worthless. He doesn’t call him stupid. He doesn’t call him short stuff. He doesn’t call him in a way that is connected to his wealth. He calls him into his presence by name while seeing every detail of Zacchaeus’ sinful little life.

How Do We Hear Jesus Calling Us?

What name does Jesus call you by? What tone of voice does he use? How personal does Jesus get with you? I personally think that when Jesus calls us into his presence he does it gently and joyfully and personally. When Jesus calls you he knows your name intimately. He sees and knows every piece of you right down to the very last hair on your head. He knows every ounce of sin in you and he knows every valuable drop of you because when he came to earth he came with your name on his list and your face in his mind as he walked to the cross.

What kind of response does this provoke in you? Does it make you want to rush right into the presence of Jesus? That’s what happened with Zacchaeus. When Jesus invited himself over to Zacchaeus’ house and invited Zacchaeus into his presence… Zacchaeus responded by rushing into the presence of Jesus. Zacchaeus literally fell out of his position in that tree as he hurried into the presence of his Savior!

Notice How Zacchaeus Hurries Down The Tree To Receive Jesus… (6)

Luke tells us that Zacchaeus “hurried and came down and received him joyfully”. Zacchaeus didn’t cower in fear. He didn’t make excuses. He didn’t ignore the call of the Lord but instead he hurried into the presence of Jesus and received him joyfully. He didn’t come slowly. He didn’t sit back and think about it for a while. He didn’t pretend not to hear. He didn’t come grumbling and complaining. He came to Jesus quickly… receptively and joyfully. If you’ve heard the call of Jesus to come to him then nothing should stop you from coming to him quickly… receptively and joyfully.

It’s so easy to fall into the mistrusting trap of thinking that Jesus must be just like us. Like he wants something from us or like he stands to gain something from calling us to himself. It’s even easier to mistrust that Jesus is actually good and that he means us no harm. It’s so easy not to come to Jesus’ call with joy overflowing or to only receive him half-heartedly.

Have We Responded To Jesus’ Call Quickly, Receptively & Joyfully?

The lesson for us here is that when we become positioned to see Jesus and he calls us by name though he sees every part of us we must respond quickly… we must respond receptively and we must respond joyfully. Have you responded to Jesus’ call quickly, receptively and joyfully? Or are you more like the haters, the skeptics, the grumblers or the complainers in the crowd?

Notice How The Crowd Grumbles & Complains About Jesus… (7)

Luke tells us that when the crowd saw Zacchaeus hurry down the tree “they all grumbled, ‘He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.’” There will always be people who have a super negative outlook on life who need to be reminded that the glass isn’t half empty. There will always be a struggle with griping and complaining and grumbling. But this isn’t just a mere case of people grumbling and complaining about the hardships of life. This isn’t just a crowd that is grumbling because they feel left out or slighted somehow by some preacher. This is a crowd that is grumbling about how Jesus is walking out his mission and ministry.

Do You Ever Grumble Against Jesus?

Do you ever grumble about feeling left out? Like someone hasn’t paid you enough attention? Like someone else is getting the attention you deserve? Or like someone else is getting the attention they don’t deserve? The problem for us when we start to give into this kind of thinking is that we are giving into the sin of self-exaltation, or the sin of self-worship and the sin of self-esteem.

If you and I have truly come to a place of exalting & worshipping & esteeming Christ then our lives will show the fruit of true faith which is evidenced by the presence of public repentance instead of the sin of public grumbling. This is exactly what happens in this story. In the midst of the crowds grumbling and complaining against Christ we see public repentance from a man that no one ever expected to see public repentance from.

Notice How Zacchaeus Repents Publicly… (8)

Luke tells us that, “Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anything, I restore it fourfold.” There could be no doubt in anyone’s mind that Zacchaeus was publicly repenting. First of all he addresses Jesus as his Lord, then he gives away half of his wealth and then on top of that he repays anything he has stolen four times over. This is radical public repentance. What would it look like if just half of the professing Christians in the world came to this place of radical repentance? What would it look like if we were as generous as Zacchaeus was in his repentance?

Have You Come To A Place Of Radical Public Repentance?

Have you called upon the name of Jesus to save you from your sinfulness? Have you surrendered your life to Christ? Do you address Jesus as the Lord of your life? Are you thinking even now of ways that you could repent radically? Money is a funny thing and it’s a poor god to serve. Zacchaeus, when he repented and trusted in Jesus as his Lord and Savior, turned away from money as his god and turned to the only one who is truly God and the evidence was shown in his willingness to lay his livelihood on the line in extravagant generosity with his wealth. Have you come to a place of radical public repentance and have you heard Jesus proclaim salvation over you?

Notice How Jesus Proclaims Zacchaeus’ Salvation… (9)

Luke tells us that, “Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.” Jesus is literally saying that Zacchaeus has just become a Christian and has been saved from the penalty and power of his sin and has become a child of God instead of an enemy of God and the evidence of this profound change is the fact that Zacchaeus called Jesus his Lord and then immediately began to repent.

Has Jesus Proclaimed Salvation Over You?

Are you living with the assurance that Jesus has saved you? Is there evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in cleansing you and changing your life? Is your life becoming more and more holy as you seek to follow to Christ?

Zacchaeus went up a tree to see Jesus. Jesus called Zacchaeus by name. Zacchaeus hurried to respond to Jesus invitation. Zacchaeus repented radically even though the crowds were booing. And as a result… Jesus proclaimed salvation over Zacchaeus and Zacchaeus now lived with the hope of Heaven.

This is the mission of Jesus on display. It’s not just a funny story about a bad little gangster it’s the unfolding of Jesus’ mission to ransom and redeem lost sinners into the family of God the Father. This is why the final verse in this passage is so important because in this final verse we see Jesus’ mission on display.

Notice How Jesus Proclaims His Mission… (10)

Luke tells us that after Zacchaeus repents publicly and Jesus proclaims the assurance of salvation over Zacchaeus, Jesus makes one of the most infamous statements in all of Scripture when he says, “the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” This is the hook of the entire passage where we finally understand that even though Zacchaeus was seeking to see Jesus… Jesus was seeking to save Zacchaeus.

Do You Understand That Jesus Is Seeking To Save You?

You might have showed up here tonight after years of running from Jesus so that you could check things out. You might have come here tonight after years of trying to follow Jesus by keeping all of your external checks and balances in order. You might have come here tonight with a heart full of despair, discontentment, disappointment or discouragement. Little did you know that whatever you came here seeking tonight… Jesus has been here all along seeking to save you from your lost state of living. He knows your name and he’s calling out to you personally. He’s longing to proclaim salvation over you. He’s waiting for you to come down from your place of observation or your place of hiding.

What Will You Do Now?

It’s the question we started with. After hearing this message and after studying this passage and after observing this little gangster-gone-good… what will you do now? Will you do everything to see Jesus? Will run to Jesus and receive his invitation with joy? With you sit back and grumble? Will you call him Lord? Will you repent radically? Will you hear the message of the gospel and come back from your wandering? Zacchaeus did. What will you do?