May 19 2025

Monday May 19

Luke 19:1-10 – Placed in the Way of God’s Grace

1 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner." 8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold." 9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

Here in Luke 19, Jesus is giving us this story of a rich man getting saved and making sure we understand what's impossible with men is possible with God. If you go back to Luke 18, you might remember the rich young ruler who came running to Jesus and left very sorrowful. Jesus then made the statement, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God."

Now you have a tax collector, of all people, the hardest of the hard, conniving with the Romans, collecting taxes from the poor Jewish people and becoming very rich. Matthew was a tax collector, and Jesus gives us two stories of tax collectors, both publicans, that come to Him and get saved. My friend, it's not impossible for you to get saved. I love how in the Gospel of Luke the Holy Spirit weaves these different stories together. In Luke 16, we read of a rich man who died and went to hell and was tormented there. We were not given his name. The beggar in that story died and went to heaven. We are told his name was Lazarus.

In Luke 18 we read two men who went to the temple to pray. One was a self-righteous proud religious Pharisee and the other, a humble publican (tax collector), who went home “justified”.  Also in Luke 18, we are told of a rich ruler who came running to Jesus but left without Him very “sorrowful”. We were not given his name. Then here in Luke 19, we read of a rich tax collector named Zacchaeus meeting Jesus and is “joyful”. It is interesting to me that in two occasions the names of those who are saved are mentioned. Remember John 10, where Jesus knows and calls His sheep by name.

The rich man in Luke 18 came running to Jesus, but this man, Zacchaeus, ran ahead of Jesus because he sought to see Him. He was small of stature and had to climb up into a sycamore tree. We go by a sycamore tree whenever we go to Jericho, visiting the Holy Land, and we always get out and take a picture right there in the middle of the city of Jericho. They believe it's possible that this very tree is from the roots of the tree that Zacchaeus might have climbed up. I don't know, but it's always great to see that tree and think of the story about Zacchaeus.

Zacchaeus ran ahead, and my friend, I think about how it says Jesus came to the place where he was. Zacchaeus set himself in the place where God's grace would come by. My friend, I'm going to tell you, you're more apt to find Jesus at church than you are in a bar or out doing some wicked, evil deed. When you put yourself in the place of God's grace, that's when God's grace will pass by you. This place is called humility. Zacchaeus humbled himself. Jesus said, "If you're going to become rich and enter the kingdom of God, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). You want to inherit heaven, you must humble yourself and become like a beggar.

So here's a rich man running ahead, putting himself in the place of God's grace. Jesus is going to pass that way. How do you put yourself in the place of God's grace? I would encourage you, if you're struggling to find salvation, read the Gospel of John, study the Gospel of John, hang out with some believers who love Jesus Christ, talk to people who want to talk about the Lord, put yourself in the place of God's grace, get away from those who are leading you into sin and continuing to encourage you to sin. This man ran away, he humbles himself, he climbs in the tree, and I love it. It says, "When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him and said to him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down."

Interestingly, Jesus looked up. When we read the scriptures, God is looking down from heaven. Jesus was in heaven,  but one day, and he left the splendors of glory. “He who was rich became poor”. He became poor, and now he looks up to where Zacchaeus is. My friend, it is because Jesus humbled himself and became a man, became a servant, and became obedient even to the death of the cross, that we can experience His grace of salvation (Philippians 2:5-11).

Then Jesus makes the statement, "Salvation has come to this man's house today because he is a son of Abraham." There was evidence of Zacchaeus' salvation. He gives half his goods to the poor. He didn't have to give that much back to the poor, but he did. Why? Because when a man meets Jesus Christ and the grace of God comes into his life, everything changes. We become new creatures in Christ Jesus. Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). A son of Abraham means he is a “son of faith” (Romans 4:12; Galatians 3:7).

Today, will you put yourself in the way of God’s grace? “Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near (Isaiah 55:6).

God bless!