And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Luke 19:9-10
This is the response of Jesus to the legalistic judgmentalism of the religious crowd and to the exuberant, generous true faith of the repentant Zacchaeus. This little wealthy tax man was eager to see Jesus, industrious in his method to see Jesus, and quick to change when Jesus found him. He went looking for Jesus. Jesus found him. What a beautiful picture of how faith comes into being.
So after seeking and then being found, Zacchaeus responds to Jesus in joy, even as the hateful and bigoted crowd grumbles at Jesus’ choice of a host. But little Zacchaeus proudly stands before the Lord and declares that half of his estate will immediately be given as charity to the poor, and what’s more, if anyone has been defrauded, he will make fourfold restitution. He puts his money where his heart now is. He believes Jesus. Everything is changed.
And Jesus uses this conversion and commitment to remind us all of His mission. Salvation has come to Zacchaeus. And Jesus has sought and saved this lost tax collector because that is exactly why He came into the world. A sinner is saved. God is praised. Jesus as Savior is lifted up. It is then a beautiful day in Jericho.
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