Day 179: Luke 19:1–10

When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, because today I must stay at your house” (v. 5).

Can you imagine what the title of the next day’s headline would have been if there had been a newspaper called The Jericho Chronicle? As a means of creative exploration, let’s try to capture a few of the newsiest statements that might have appeared in their morning editions. The lead story might have read:

• The Renowned Jesus of Nazareth Passes through Jericho. Jesus couldn’t seem to pass through anywhere without getting involved. He seemed to attract the dust of every village in His sandals no matter how resolved He was to reach Jerusalem. I wonder if His disciples were ever frustrated that He couldn’t go anywhere without encountering one commotion after another. I’m sure His followers were thrilled and amazed by all He did, but I’m also sure they were often tired, hungry, and famished—and wouldn’t have minded going unnoticed every once in a while.

• Chief Tax Collector Seen Scurrying Up Tree. Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus so badly, he went to considerable lengths for a grown man. Picture him running ahead of the parade of people, looking for a tree with a view. Did he have to jump to reach a sturdy branch, or did the sycamore spare him a nice, low rung? Can you hear him huffing and puffing his way up that tree? Clad in a robe, no less? Nothing like climbing a tree in a long dress. How long has it been since you climbed your last tree?

• Traveling Man Requests Chief Publican’s Hospitality. I can almost picture Christ working His way through the crowd as if totally oblivious to the short man in a tall tree. He suddenly looked up with complete familiarity. “Zacchaeus,” He said. How in the world did Jesus know his name? Maybe the same way He knew Nathaniel’s a few years earlier. “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today” (Luke 19:5). Why must He? Perhaps because the Son lived to do the will of His Father, and His Father simply could not resist a display of interest in His Son. The Father and Son have an unparalleled mutual admiration society. That day Zacchaeus may have had a pair of skinned knees and elbows that endeared a special dose of the Father’s affections.

Luke 19:6 says, “So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.” At once. I’m not sure God honors anything more in a man than a timely response to His Son. No doubt the chief tax collector had many regrets in life, but among them wasn’t the time he wasted between Christ’s invitation and his welcome.

• Chief Publican Caught in the Act of Rejoicing. I don’t think we’re off base to imagine that his sudden display of glee was slightly out of character. The Word doesn’t paint tax collectors as campus favorites. Don’t you love how Christ can change an entire personality? Not only can He make the blind man see, but He can also perform a much greater feat: He can make the grump rejoice! Our church pews might not have so many empty seats if we’d invite Him to display such a feat in us! The good news coming from people in a bad mood undermines the message a tad.

Don’t you think Christ delights in our glad responses, when we rejoice to obey Him? Let me be clear that God honors obedience even when we’re kicking and screaming. But can you imagine how blessed He is when we’re eager to do His will?

• Noted Preacher Goes to Dinner with Sinner. I think you’ll enjoy the definition of the Greek word for “guest” in Luke 19:7. The word means “to loose or unloose what was before bound or fastened. To refresh oneself, to lodge or be a guest. It properly refers to travelers loosening their own burdens or those of their animals when they stayed at a house on a journey.” In effect, Zacchaeus’s hospitality said to Jesus: “Come to my house and take a load off. Lay Your burden down and be refreshed. I’d be honored to have You.” What an awesome thought that at the same time, Christ was saying to Zacchaeus: “Let Me come into your house and take your load. Lay your burden down and be refreshed. I’d be honored to have you.”

• Jericho’s Richest Resident Gives Half His Possessions to the Poor: Also Repays Debts with Heavy Interest. Luke 19:8 says Zacchaeus stood up and said, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Here and now! The moment the Holy Spirit moves, I often sense a greater empowerment to respond generously. The more time I allow to pass, the more my selfishness is apt to well up.

One short man had never stood taller than he did on this day. I don’t hear a single shred of resistance, do you? He almost seemed anxious to get rid of some things. Perhaps the wealth had been less a blessing and more a curse. Proverbs 15:27 tells us, “A greedy man brings trouble to his family, but he who hates bribes will live.” Maybe Zacchaeus had come to see the trouble of valuing wealth over God.

Either way, it was a big news day in Jericho . . . and for the little guy in the headlines.