People seek happiness and fulfillment in many ways. I have known people who worked and scraped to get a college education in order to get better employment, in order to be able to afford the so called “finer things of life” wherein many believe satisfaction and happiness may be found. I know a situation where the man’s wife worked her fingers to the bone to send her husband to college for the reasons stated above, only to see him “fall for a classmate” with whom he associated. When the man got his diploma (that both he and his wife had worked so hard to get) so they could finally enjoy the desired material things of life, her husband asked her for a divorce and married his college classmate leaving his present wife alone, heart broken, and in a sad financial situation as well.

  In this story our Lord was on His final journey to Jerusalem where He would be arrested and killed. On that journey Jesus met a man who had it all (materially speaking) but something was missing from his life. The story reads thus: “And He entered and was passing through Jericho. And behold there was a man called by the name of  Zaccheus; and he was a chief tax-gatherer, and he was rich.  And he was trying to see who Jesus was, and he was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature.  and he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.  And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, ‘Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.’ And he hurried and came down, and received Him gladly. And when they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.’ And Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:1-10).

  Zaccheus was not only a “Tax Collector,” he was a “Chief Tax Collector” v-2. He was at the top of his profession. From what I have read about the history of the Roman Empire, they would hire a tax collector from the local population.  Many (if not most) tax collectors (Publicans) would take much more than the Romans required and pocket the rest for themselves.  As a result, the tax collectors usually had a lot of money and also by such  actions (working for Rome and overtaxing their brethren) caused much resentment among the people.

  Jesus knows the hearts of everyone of course (John 2:25). He knew that Zaccheus wanted more out of life than riches, for he already possessed material wealth, due to his profession. Still, he was not fulfilled with such a status in life. He wanted and evidently knew that he needed more (See Matthew 16:26). This is evident in that he sought Jesus out. He wanted to see Jesus so bad that he actually climbed up into a Sycamore tree to escape the press of the crowd and to get a glimpse of the Lord. One wonders what all he had heard about this man they referred to as “The Nazarene?” We aren’t told that part of the story. What we can deduce is that his wealth still left a void that he hoped Jesus could fill. He obviously wanted more that wealth.  I wonder how many thousands of people in the world have pursued a career, wealth, and fame thinking that when they “Moved Up To The East side” as the old TV sitcom used to say about  the Jeffersons, such would be theirs, only to find no lasting satisfaction in “things?”

  I suggest that just as Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, “...Fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole of man...”, is just how it was with Zaccheus. Man who isn’t at one with his creator is left unfulfilled. Even man  in his ignorance has a longing for some power beyond himself. In the absence of divine revelation he may carve an image and fall down before it and worship it.  (See Acts 17:22-31). Man will worship someone or some thing. Why? Because he is made in God’s image, and God is Spirit (Genesis 1:26; John 4:24).  Some of  the Thessalonians had turned from Idols to worship and to serve the one true God and to wait for His Son from Heaven when they were taught the gospel of Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:1-10).  Zaccheus must have felt some kind of a spiritual need, and thanks be to the Lord Jesus Christ it was provided.

  Despised by his own people the Jews, due to his profession and probably not respected by the heathens for whom he had agreed to work, could well have contributed to his unfulfilled  needs  for  closeness  to some one and some things.  Try and imagine walking the streets of Jericho  or Jerusalem and being shunned by the people of your own blood line! Probably insults were hurled at him as he passed by any group of his countrymen. “There’s old Zaccheus who sold us out and aligned himself with our captors, the Romans.” What a lonely life of isolation he must have been living! If he had a wife and children, they too had to pay this high price for that kind of wealth. All the money in the world was not worth what it had cost him to become a Publican on behalf of Rome and in opposition to his own brethren. So this little man didn’t have the association of some of the best people in Israel nor did he have a proper relationship with God Almighty. No wonder he sought to see Jesus and no wonder the exclamation, “...half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” All this just because Jesus said, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I am going home with you!”  He probably hasn’t had any company other than his fellow Publicans for months.

   It’s possible that sin has taken all the joy out of your life and that finally you would like something better than your present life-style has brought your way. Well be aware of the fact that this same Jesus who saw potential in the “wee little man” Zaccheus can change your life and give you what Paul calls, “peace that surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). Paul had been “the chiefest of sinners” prior to His conversion to Christ (1 Timothy 1:13-14). He found it difficult to believe that the grace of God could be extended even to him. He often wrote of his former life and then his new life as proof of God’s wonderful grace that’s extended to mankind by way of the gospel of  the grace of God (Galatians 1:13-24; Philippians 3:1-21; Acts 20:24; Romans 10:8-17; Romans 16:24-27; Ephesians 2:1-8; Titus 3:3-5).

  My friends, you don’t have to climb a Sycamore tree to have Jesus “go home with you.”  All you need to do is to accept Him for who and what He is,  submit your will to His in humble gospel o bedience as is taught in His worldwide commission given to His inspired apostles (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:16-16; Luke 24:45-47; 2 John 9; John 14:15, 21).

  It cost some people much more than it does others to surrender to Jesus as the Lord of their lives. Some lose the love and close association of their own family.

  Some lose or have to give up their present job with its retirement benefits, insurance, etc.  This happened to a Lutheran preacher  whom I baptized into Christ? It cost him his income and his reputation among those who had loved him as their “Pastor” for years. Jesus says all of that may happen to you because of Him but you will be rewarded both in this life and in the life to come abundantly. Listen to how our Lord answered Peter who said...:

“Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee...Jesus answered and said, verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My sake, and the gospel’s, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life” (Mark 10:28-30).

  Have you ever analyzed what Jesus is promising here? He is saying that even in this life much as happened to Job when he lost physical things, it was restored in greater amounts than what was lost. Every family becomes my extended family when I serve Christ faithfully. Every house becomes a place where I am welcome if I am forced from my own.  Your mother becomes my mother, your children my children, etc. I started to add “your wife becomes my wife” but then I  thought of the connotation some might put on that. Then I decided to express it this way. It would mean only that she would see to my creature comforts within legitimate boundaries just as she does for her own husband. He is simply speaking of how we provide for our own in the kingdom of Christ. Then in the final end, my faithfulness and my losses will pale into insignificance when “in the world to come I have eternal life.”
Paul said; “Salute Rufus, chosen of the Lord, and his mother and mine” (Romans 16:13). I don’t believe Rufus was Paul’s physical brother, so it shows what Jesus meant by the above when he said we gain houses, brethren, sisters, and mothers and children and lands” when we are faithful to Christ.

Conversions UnderThe Great Commission:

Jews on Pentecost-Acts 2:22-38,40-41,47.
Samaritans-Acts 8:12.
Simon-Acts 8:13.
Ethiopian Treasurer-Acts 8:26-39.
Saul of Tarsus-Acts 9:1-6; 22:16; Romans 6:3-4.
Cornelius a Gentile-Acts 10:1-4; 43,47,48; Acts 11:14.
Lydia-Acts 16:14-15.
Philippian jailer-Acts 16:25-33.

  These  all  Heard-Believed-Repented-Confessed Christ-Were baptized into Christ for the remission of their alien sins.  They were then added by the Lord to his church and took the name “Christian” as a proper name. You can do the same if you are willing.  If we believe what they did, obey what they obeyed, we will become what they were. What were they? They were members of the body of Christ His blood bought church and they had no denominational affiliation whatsoever. If this is appealing to you, contact us for our assistance in becoming a Christian, a member of the church of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:13-16; Acts 2:22-38,40-41,47).