Zacchaeus – I want to see Jesus. Luke 19:1-10.

well some of you may have noticed that

um I wear spectacles or glasses as we

call them and uh I've been wearing them

since I was about

13 um I didn't think it was a great

thing at 13 and yet now I I I think

they're wonderful they they enable you

to see without them I really couldn't

see much at all they bring everything

into focus and they enable us to see but

by faith he saw enough of Jesus to know

that Jes Jesus was the one who could

help him and save him and today we meet

another guy who couldn't see there's

nothing wrong with his eyes he's just

vertically challenged he's too short to

see over the crowds but he really wanted

to see Jesus so let's that's what we're

looking at in our first point I want to

see

Jesus verse one uh Jesus entered into to

um Jericho Jericho was one of the oldest

cities in the world is one of the oldest

cities in the world not the oldest but

one of them uh although it's been

destroyed and rebuilt a number of times

so it's not the actual original uh City

but people are always drawn to that

area why because it's lovely it's got a

lovely climate it's even warm in the

winter the city has ample Springs the

Old Testament refers to it as the city

of Palms it's got rose gardens or it did

have them they were built uh plentiful

balsom trees whose scent gave the area a

pleasant Aroma in fact the name Jericho

is said to be associated with the idea

of scent or

perfume so it was a lovely place to live

and there was a lot of wealth in that

area as well it was about 3 and a half

th000 ft below Jerusalem it's quite a

way below isn't it about 14 mil away

from Jerusalem but it was on the major

trade route that passed by um from

Jerusalem to the east so there was a lot

of wealth in

Jericho where there's wealth there are

tax collectors and

taxes and uh so it was that Jericho

contained one of the one of the three

main tax collectors of the region the

other two in caesara and

capernia who's in charge of this major

tax area area it seems to be possibly

zakus if he's not actually in charge of

the whole thing he's certainly very high

up he's called a chief tax collector

he's the kind of guy who had other Tax

Collectors collecting tax on his behalf

they would go out and have to give them

a share of what they got so it's no

surprise that we read in verse two he

was

rich how did he get into this position

well the Romans sold the right to uh

people to become the the tax collector

it went to the highest bidder now that

appointed person they weren't actually

paid a salary for collecting the taxes

they were allowed to collect as much

money as they could and they were free

to keep whatever was left over after the

agreed sum had been paid to the Romans

so you can see there was good

opportunity there's a lot of incentive

for these Tax Collectors to get as much

as they can because any surplus goes

into their

pocket needless to say the Jews didn't

really like the tax collectors

especially as uh they were often drawn

from the Native people's own own people

as as zakus was so they were seen as

traitors thieves and they really weren't

liked at all he was not a popular guy

and if they thought that about normal

Tax Collectors how did they feel about

the chief tax collector

it's less popular than Greg Wallace

Amber herd and Boris Johnson all

combined into

one so what else do we know about him

well he's not short of a penny or two he

is short in stature he appears quite fit

and

agile he he ran up a tree well he didn't

run up the tree he ran to the tree and

then climbed up the

tree so's he's quite resourceful isn't

he he's not just you know put off at the

first hurdle as it

were but more importantly somewhere

along the

line he's heard something about

Jesus maybe he's heard from his tax

collecting friends I'm sure they would

have been a network of tax collectors

maybe he's heard from his tax collecting

colleagues how this Jesus has time to

hang out with tax

collectors maybe he's heard like

everyone else about the amazing things

that this rabbi did and

taught whatever zakus has heard in verse

three he was seeking to see who Jesus

was was that just he wants to just lay

his eyes on Jesus just see him and say

all right seen him that's it right okay

or is there more than that he wants to

see who Jesus

is does he want to see what kind of man

this Jesus is how does he handle himself

how does he speak what's his manner

what's his character like I want to know

what this man is

like what kind of man commands so much

influence and

Renown he wants to see who Jesus

is it's a commendable thing to want

to know who Jesus is to see who Jesus is

Peter signs off his Second Epistle by

saying grow in the grace and knowledge

of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ grow

in the grace and knowledge of our Lord

Jesus Christ so this is a good thing we

are to grow in our understanding and in

our knowledge of who Jesus is um Paul

says in Philippians chapter 3:10 I want

to know Christ he knew Christ he was a

Believer he was an apostle of course he

knew Christ he says that a few verses

earlier but he still says in Philippians

chap 3:10 I want to know Christ what

he's saying is I want to know him more I

want to have this deeper Fellowship ship

with Jesus and that is something that

every believer should want every one of

us should say I know Christ but I want

to know him

more that's the best thing that we can

want but maybe there's some here like

zakus who aren't Believers

yet but you find there's something

within you that wants to know who Jesus

is you're curious you want to know what

all the fuss is about and and that's a

good thing because it means that God is

at work in you because do you know what

there's millions of people out there

that don't care about Jesus they don't

want to know who he is they have no

interest in know in knowing anything

about him so if you have a curiosity if

you want to know more about Jesus that's

a good thing because it suggests God is

a work in your

life but if that's you and you don't

know him can I can I urge you don't just

ignore it don't just think oh well I'll

see see what happens push on that door

we run a number of courses here

Christianity explored or a 321 course

speak to Richard he's the guy in the red

t-shirt over there I'm sure he'd be

delighted to to tell you um or run a

course VI you or plan to run a course VI

or maybe you want something quicker more

more intimate and and just maybe say to

someone after the service would would

you be willing to sit down and read some

scripture with me I mean why not that's

that would be a good thing you know you

could meet up just maybe two or three of

you let's arrange maybe every two weeks

or something let's just sit down and

read some scripture and have a talk

about it because that would be amazingly

helpful I think for most of us here if

we did

that oh or if if if you think well I

don't know where to start well well come

and speak to one of the elders or or go

to your home group we at home groups we

talk about these things and we're honest

about things which how I don't

understand that and we talk about it

come to one of the church Bible studies

if you want to know Jesus

more this requires us to do something

speak to someone come to the Lord in

prayer open up your bibl zakus was

seeking to know who Jesus was he wasn't

going to just let his physical

disadvantages or this large crowd get in

his way he was going to find out who

Jesus

was so to come to know the Lord to grow

in the Lord it requires action and not

just good intentions I think most of us

would say yeah I want to know more about

Jesus I want to know him more that

requires action not just good

intentions eat from the Feast of his

word persevere in prayer spend time with

other believers read some Christian

books like any relationship getting to

know someone takes effort so how much do

you really want to see

Jesus but whilst it was a struggle for

zakus what he didn't realize was Jesus

wanted to see him

and that's our second Point Jesus sees

you we seem to be blessed with a

inordinate amount of tall men in this

church um it's not really an issue for

me because I stand here at the front so

I've never sat behind one but I'm I'm

I'm probably if you're sat behind

certain tall men it can be quite

challenging for you because you can't

see what's going on and especially if

they're a fidget I don't know if any of

our tour men are fidgets but they go

that way you have to go that way way

they go that way and you're like you

know it's like a dance isn't it and it's

hard because you want to see what's

going on but when you were short of

zakus everyone must have everyone must

have seemed tall he had no hope of

seeing Jesus of getting to Jesus would

they be kind enough to let this poor

little short man through when I remember

who he was he was the chief tax

collector they more likely to

accidentally tread on him oh sorry Zach

didn't see you down

there but is a a resourceful chat so

climbing a tree for a short man it

wasn't a challenge he could he could do

that it wasn't a problem um uh so zachi

is up he goes um it's hardly the thing

for a prominent wealthy man like him to

be doing but at least he's away from

everyone else he's safe away from the

crowd and he can now see uh Jesus you

can imagine him sort of adjusting his

position on the tree getting comfortable

uh and as the crowds come he's thinking

well this is good I've got the great

seat Birds I view and then Jesus stops

right underneath him I mean what a

stroke of luck how great is that you can

imagine going like this is brilliant I'm

here Jesus is just there maybe he's

going to do one of these Miracles or say

some great things and I'm I think the

surprising thing that happens is what

happens next Jesus knows his

name Jesus knows his name he knows who

zakus is before zakus has even met him

or said one word to him

and this is the kind of Supernatural

Insight that is is not unknown for Jesus

we read that passage at the beginning of

the service in John 1 Jesus demonstrated

to Nathaniel who later became one of

Jesus's disciples that he had seen

Nathaniel earlier Jesus said before

Philip called you when you were under

the Fig Tree I saw you at this Nathaniel

exclaimed Rabbi you are the Son of God

you are the king of Israel and it's the

same with zakus here Jesus had already

seen him Jesus knew his

name and you

know God sees us he sees us at our at

our

best he sees us at our

worst when I used to work in London um

one of my colleagues uh told me how she

was doing a spinning class with her new

boyfriend um spinning if you don't know

what it is it's where you sit on an

exercise bike in a room full of other

people and uh you try to follow the

instructor I've done one class myself

and one was enough to be honest um it's

not pretty there's lots of sweating

involved and huffing and puffing and oh

there a lot of hob but she was concerned

what her new boyfriend would think if he

saw her all disheveled and sweaty would

he still like me she said they ended up

getting married so I'm assuming it

wasn't too bad but even after years of

marriage do you know there's probably

still aspects about your partner that

you don't know little things Corners in

their life thoughts things they do

attitudes there always going to be

something that you don't know about

someone but God sees clearly and he sees

fully for some of us that might be a

fearful thought you know God sees us at

our most sinful and shameful moments he

sees the unkind thoughts we have the

envy that we have the lwd lwd C Cravings

The Towering ego the greed that we we

try to hide but there's no hiding

there's no pretending because he sees us

in all of our

sin he sees us at our very worst the

makeup is off the mask is down and he

sees it

all but this this is why these accounts

we've been looking at recently are so

encouraging to Sinners Like

Us because yes God sees us at our very

worst he saw that the tax collector in

the temple he sees this chief tax

collector what does he

do he has

Mercy he has Mercy in fact to meet

Sinners is the very reason he came verse

10 to seek and save the

lost this is a wonderfully liberating

thing because why we might feel like we

have to keep up appearances to to

everyone our work colleagues and our

friends and our family you know I can't

let them see who who the real me is you

know we never really let that guard

fully down with

Jesus the mask is already fully

off camouflage makeup pretend it doesn't

work with him he sees us as we are and

he comes to us with

mercy and that means nothing we can do

will ever surprise him he knows the

depths of our our

hearts no matter how disheveled we

look whether we're complete and utter

failures whether our sin is exceedingly

shameful and no one knows about the

things that we've done Jesus already

knows

that and he comes to

help so we can be completely honest

before him we can be completely open and

at peace in the presence of our savior

we don't have to put on a show or put on

a mask he knows you better than you know

yourself zakus wanted to know who Jesus

was and suddenly he's face to face with

Jesus who knows him by name I think

that's the real surprise here Jesus knew

his name Jesus knew who he was just let

that sink in for a second because it

applies to you too Jesus the son of

God the second person of the Trinity the

one who holds all creation together

the Savior the judge of the entire world

he knows your

name isn't that

magnificent and he came to save

you and that's our penultimate point we

got four points I didn't tell you at the

beginning because I thought you might

get upset but that's our penultimate

Point Jesus came to save you we left

zakus perched in a tree with Jesus

stopping right below calling him by his

name verse 5 zakus hurry and come down

for I must stay at your house today

zakus he wanted to see Jesus but Jesus

is not content with just being seen from

a distance he wants Zak zakus I've said

it to many times now zakus to get to

know him he wants to enjoy fellowship

with

him I wonder if that's like what some of

us are doing with Jesus they we're happy

to stand way off

in the tree hidden on the

sidelines and we're a little bit curious

but we don't want to get too

close because we're worried about what

that might

mean Jesus knows your name he calls you

hurry and come down for I must stay at

your house today I wonder what would

have happened if zakus would have said

no you know if he'd said oh sorry Jesus

I'm I'm a bit busy today can I can I you

come back back next

week what would have happened J Jesus

didn't come back to Jericho he was going

to the cross and that was it this was

his one chance his one moment to meet

Jesus face to

face and if you are aware that Jesus is

knocking at your the heart the door of

your heart don't ignore it you don't

know if he's going to come

back the ability to repent the ability

to respond to him is a gift from him if

you can do it if you can turn to him and

be saved do it

now don't put him

off zakus sees his chance he scrambles

down the trees as quickly as he could

and he receives him

joyfully joyfully it's worth noting it

is a joy to receive

Jesus it's a joy to find yourself in his

Mercy at the foot of his compassionate

savior enveloped in his undeserved and

unconditional love that is a

joy it's a joy to realize that God is

for you he's not against you it's a joy

to realize he knows you and he calls you

to himself that that's a joyful thing to

realize Jesus wants to enjoy fellowship

with you that's a joy to realize he

wants to come and make make his home in

you spiritually but really he wants to

live in you that's that's a

joy zakus welcomed Jesus into his home

with

joy not everyone was joyful though were

they the crowd see Jesus going to the

chief tax collector's home and they

Grumble and they they mutter they might

understand if he went to one of the

noble people's houses you know that's

understandable of course Jesus wants to

go there cuz is important but but

doesn't he know who Z zakus was he's a

traitor he's a chief chief

Thief but that's the point isn't it

Jesus knew exactly who zakus was back in

Luke 5:31 when the Pharisees and scribes

Luke 5:31

grumbled about Jesus eating with tax

collectors and sinners Jesus ansed I

have not come to call the righteous but

Sinners to

repentance and here kind of bookending

this part of his ministry he says a very

similar thing with this clear

explanation verse 10 for the son of man

came to seek and save the lost that's

what the Good Shepherd is doing he's

seeking the Lost he's seeking The Sinner

and so as he does that he's

demonstrating what God's heart is like

and what God can do you see zakus he was

a rich man wasn't he do you remember

what Jesus said about rich men in in in

the previous chapter chapter 18 25 Jesus

said for it's easier for a camel to go

through the eye of an needle than for a

rich person to enter into the kingdom of

God but here Jesus is doing the

impossible he's bringing in this rich

man who it's impossible to get into the

kingdom of God he's bringing him into

the Kingdom right here right now he's

saving a rich

man he's not even a good rich man is he

he's a swindler he's a traitor he's a

powerful man who's got a lot to lose if

he follows

Jesus if you made a list of the the

people least likely to become religious

and be saved zakus would be right up the

top why would he be saved he's got

everything he's Rich he's got it made he

doesn't need Jesus and yet here he is

having a saving Encounter With Jesus

doesn't this give us

hope I think this gives us real hope

right so those are around you you might

have been praying for them for a long

time and maybe you've given up hope

praying for them maybe you think I just

can't ever see my husband or my wife or

my children or my parents or my friends

I can't ever see them coming to know the

Lord and yet I think this gives us hope

if someone like zakus can be saved this

rich man going through the eye of the

need your friends your families they can

be saved maybe we don't bother praying

for people in government and Empower

influential people famous people maybe

we just don't bother because you think

they're they're never going to be

interested in

Jesus you did did anyone see this coming

with

zakus yeah how do you know those people

around you those people at your work how

do you know they're not interested in

Jesus how do you know they're not just a

little bit curious those invites that I

hope you're going to take at the end of

the service how do you know if you give

dropping in a word here and there about

Jesus because perhaps they are starting

to climb a tree somewhere in their life

perhaps they're getting curious about

Jesus and perhaps they want to know more

and they want to see

him so zakus has this saving Encounter

With Jesus and he's forever

changed and you know that's what happens

when we have this kind of Encounter With

Jesus he doesn't leave us the same he

doesn't say as you were carry on it's

always a changing encounter and we're

going to look at that in our final Point

Jesus came to sanctify

you

living and

breathing usually go hand in hand don't

they you can be alive without breathing

but not for very

long so if you find someone who's

unconscious what's the first thing you

do you check to see if they're breathing

are they breathing

because if they're not breathing they're

not going to last very long life

requires

breathing it's similar when it comes to

Salvation if you have been saved if you

are spiritually alive if you walk with

Jesus

useless because this is what faith in

Jesus does it produces change it it

produces new works in us the holy spirit

will be at atw to do do something in

us if your faith in Jesus doesn't affect

your life at all if your faith in Jesus

doesn't produce any sort of change or

challenge to how you're living I would

suggest you don't have a genuine

Faith because a genuine faith in Jesus

will always do something in

us now for those growing up in Christian

homes those changes will be very very

subtle

because you've been brought up to live

as a Christian to behave as a Christian

and so for you you might think well I'm

it's not a lot of difference in me you

know I became a Christian but and you

won't see much change but there will be

changes in you there might be quite

small quite subtle but God will be doing

something in

you but for fresh faed Converse like

zakus the changes will be far more

radical and obvious to everybody because

they've been living a life of sin and

going away from the Lord for so long so

verse eight and zakus stood and said to

the Lord behold Lord the half of my

goods I give to the poor and if I have

defaed anyone of anything I restore it

fourfold so suddenly the man who took

from the poor is giving to the poor do

you see how radical that is suddenly the

man who took whatever he could get away

with he's making restitution beyond what

the law even required him to do he

didn't have to give this much but he's

giving the top whack I'm I'm going to

make sure I've done this properly

suddenly the man who lived for money has

a new reason to live he's got a new

treasure he's got a new master he's no

longer enslaved to money he's he's

enslaved himself he's given himself to

Jesus and he can't just carry on as if

nothing has

happened now watch that's pretty

dramatic and that will be just the start

for God will carry on working in him day

by day that that is what God always does

he carries on working in Us 2

Corinthians chapter 3:8 and we all with

unveiled face beholding the glory of the

Lord are being transformed into this

same image from one degree of Glory to

another for this comes from the Lord who

is the spirit

God will be at work in US transforming

us day by

day I grew up in a Christian home um

it's hard to know precisely when I

became a Christian probably around the

age of

seven uh my faith at that age was

obviously very childlike I I believed it

and I always had believed it but I I

believed it but my journey with the Lord

was a little bit bumpy um and went

through some setbacks as often these

things do as a teen I played at being a

rebel uh for some reason I decided to

steal some books from the school library

how stupid is that you can borrow them

for free why did I steal them I don't

know I think it was just I wanted to be

a rebel so I stole these books I noticed

no one would check your bags I put them

on my bags I went out the library and

they sat on my shelf for years I didn't

even want

them but you know I can't remember when

but at some point the

guilt got too much for me and I had to

do something about it I took the Wimpy

way out and I packaged them all up and I

sent them at Great postage cost back to

the school probably saying sorry or

something like that but there was a

point where that living with that sin

that stuff that was not dealt with it

was hindering my walk with the Lord and

I had to sort it out

meeting Jesus knowing Jesus it should

make a difference to our daily lives it

will change how we we treat God it will

change how we treat each other it will

tra change how we live our lives it's

one of the ways we know that our

Salvation is real because God is at work

in US changing us making us more like

Jesus zakus is a good demonstration

demonstration of of repentance so he was

doing one thing but he stops doing it

and he now seeks to obey uh the Lord

instead repentance is is is recognizing

our sin turning away from our sin and

turning to following the Lord

instead if you are a Believer

here you should be growing in Grace

growing in your Holiness growing in your

Purity turning away from your sin as the

Lord brings it to your attention

Christianity is not about ACC

accumulating or not not just about

accumulating more abstract

knowledge it's not about fastidious

lawke keeping Christianity is about

knowing

Christ it's about knowing him it's about

realizing I need Jesus to save me it's

about treasuring Jesus it's about being

remade Into His Image Jesus came to seek

and save Sinners but he didn't just come

for a fleeting visit and then leave us

as we were he came to bring real lasting

change he came to make his home in

us when Jesus is living in us he starts

to correct what was wrong restore what

was broken he leads us into

righteousness he gives us new Hearts he

gives us new desires he he gives us a

new power to live for him it's not about

works or lawke keeping our righteousness

that those things they don't save us

it's our faith in

Jesus but the proof that we're saved is

that we will have new desires and we

will start to live in a new way in order

to please him we'll have new desires I I

want to be more like

Jesus like

breathing when we are being changed

that's a good indication that we're

actually really

alive so seeing real change in in the

way we live the way we treat God the way

we treat others and the way uh the

things we seek to do that's what happens

when we come to know Jesus sometimes

that change will be dramatic and huge

sometimes it will be subtle you hardly

notice anything but just maybe a more

refining work going

on but unless you're perfect we will all

be

changing when Jesus sees the change

that's taken place in zakus he confirms

in verse 9 today salvation has come to

this house since he is also a son of

Abraham zakus starts to live out

Faith instead of works I wonder if you

can I wonder if Jesus can say that about

you

today I wonder if Jesus has ever said

that about you salvation has come to

this

house are you living out of

Faith you're living your life based on

something

else it's great to be curious about

Jesus it's great to seek Him isn't it

and it should be the desire of every

believer to want to know Jesus more and

more to want to become more like him and

the Really encouraging thing is is that

Jesus the Good Shepherd is also seeking

us inviting us beckoning us to come he

knows his Sheep by name he calls us by

name and he doesn't condemn us he

doesn't ruin our life he doesn't want to

make us miserable he came to save us he

came to give us life to the full he

comes to sanctify us to change us to

beautify us to do you good to bring you

into his eternal

glory zakus heard the call of

Jesus he stopped hiding and welcomed him

joyfully it's joy to know the Lord I

wonder if you

do well let's be quiet before the Lord

as we think about these things