Zaccheus

 •  8 min. read  •  grade level: 6
 
HE was a man in whom there was much that was commendable; much that was admirable, if not lovable. Doubtless he was the envy of many, even though he had incurred the animosity of some; and if one, bearing his characteristics, were to be found to-day, it would be said of him, “Surely if any man deserves heaven, and is going there, this is the man!”
Let us see what points did characterize Zaccheus.
1st. He was respectable.
2nd. Wealthy (v. 2).
3rd. Charitable to a degree.
4th. Strictly conscientious (v. 8).
5th. Besides all this, he enjoyed all the religious privileges of a son of Abraham. (See Rom. 3:1, 2; 9:4, 51What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? 2Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. (Romans 3:1‑2)
4Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; 5Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. (Romans 9:4‑5).)
But—ah, that little word "but"! —he was lost! —LOST I Yes, my reader, respectable, but lost wealthy; but lost! charitable, but lost I conscientious, but lost! religious, but lost! Until that day in which, in this scripture, he is introduced to our notice, Zaccheus was traveling, with his respectability, and his riches, and his charity, and his conscientiousness, and his religiousness, like so many millstones around his neck, along the road to hell! Why was this? you may ask. Why was such a man lost? Because, my reader, there is no difference, all have sinned, all are lost sinners, until they come into personal contact with Jesus, the Son of God, the Son of Man, who came to seek and to save that which was lost, and until the day of Luke 19, Zaccheus never so met Christ.
Reader, have you so met Him? have you so come by faith into personal contact with the Son of God? If not, you too are lost, —you are going straight down to hell. God says, "There is no difference, for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” It matters not in the least how short you have come, you must either meet all the claims of that glory yourself—and this you know you have not done, and cannot do—or else come owning your failure, and therefore ruin, and believe in the One who in tenderest love took the guilty sinner's place, and on the cross met, and answered, and fully discharged all the claims of that glory on your behalf! Believing, you are saved; otherwise, still lost, lost!
But you say, " I am not as bad as others, I lead a respectable moral life, I neither drink, steal, nor swear; attend my place of worship, read my Bible, say my prayers, pay my way; am I lost, as much as the drunkard or the profligate? " Ah, reader, you forget we have been looking at Zaccheus' character, and seen that, spite of it all, lie was lost; and God the Holy Ghost has written of him, that such a one as you may learn this solemn truth, that you may be all that he was and yet be lost!
Here is a man running for the train; out of breath he approaches the station, one minute more and he would be in time, but the whistle sounds, the train starts, he is left behind, he has lost his train by one minute. Slowly he retraces his steps, and presently meets another man, also running for the same train. "Stop," he cries, “you are altogether late, the train is gone this half-hour.” Though one of those men was only late by a minute, the other by a full half-hour, both lost the train, there was no difference in their position.
Two men came up to a recruiting sergeant to enlist in Her Majesty's army. One is so much taller than the other, he quite looks down on him. The minimum height required for recruits is, say 5 ft. 6 in. The sergeant measures them, the taller man comes short by a quarter of an inch, the other by several inches, — yet there is no difference, both are equally rejected.
Finally, “There was a certain creditor which had two debtors; the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty; and when they had noticing to pay,"—what was the difference, think you?— both were alike bankrupt, neither could offer their creditor a composition of one farthing in the pound.
All the world guilty before God! That was the truth, individualized, that Zaccheus had to learn, likewise the writer and reader of these lines. Happy they who make the discovery, and take this place, in a day when mercy's door still stands open wide, and at the right hand of God is seen the One who died the just for the unjust, the guiltless for the guilty, whose precious blood cleanseth from all sin, and in whose name a full salvation is proclaimed to all the guilty, lost, and helpless ones who will simply believe in Him. (Acts 13:38, 3938Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38‑39).)
To return, however, to Zaccheus. He was anxious, at any rate, to meet Jesus. The account of the means he adopted to do so is familiar to all. I would, however, call attention to the words addressed to him by the blessed Lord, as He came up and saw him in the tree.
“Zaccheus" how marvelous the grace that had sought him out, thus personally addressing him,—"Zaccheus, make haste." Ah I my reader, forget Zaccheus and hearken to the Saviour thus addressing thee. "Make haste." Why does He speak thus to thee? Because, precious soul, life is uncertain, and the Lord is at hand. At any moment one of two things may happen—death may come and remove thee beyond the reach of salvation, or Christ may come and remove salvation beyond the reach of thee. Hast thou a relative—father, mother, husband, wife, brother, sister, daughter, or son—who knows and loves the Lord? This very night Jesus may come and take away thy loved one to eternal glory, and leave thee behind in eternal despair; or, on the other hand,
“To-morrow's sun may never rise
To bless thy long-deluded sight.”
Then, make haste, MAKE HASTE! Come to Jesus now, delay not, linger not; He waits to be gracious to thee, as He did to Zaccheus that day. He calls thee—He knocks at the door of thy heart—oh, refuse Him not admittance, lest, at last, He turn forever away. It was Zaccheus's last opportunity, for Jesus never passed that way again; and this may be you last, dear reader. "Come down,"—down from your exalted self-opinion, down from your self-righteousness, down from your human-religiousness. Look away from yourself, and
“Cast your deadly doings down—
Down at Jesus' feet.”
Take the place of a poor guilty sinner, in the dust and ashes of real repentance, and receive, as to yourself, those blessed words, “To-day I must abide at thy house." "To-day,"—blessed Gospel word “This day is born unto you a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." “This day shalt thou be with me in paradise." “To-clay I must abide,"- “This day is salvation come to this house.”
Zaccheus was very wise. “He made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully." Oh, reader, let this be the turning-point in your life; let it be "this day" with you. Ere you lay aside this paper, make haste, come down, and receive Him joyfully; open your heart to Him; do not rest, until you know Him as your Saviour who has washed you in His blood,—until you have, like Simeon of old, appropriated Him to yourself, and can say to God, "Mine eyes have seen THY SALVATION." Pharisees might murmur as they would about His going to be “guest with a man that is a sinner," but this was His glory, and Zaccheus's title to Him. Yea, more than a mere "sinner"—a "lost sinner” was his strongest, fullest claim to the salvation brought by Jesus. Zaccheus may plead his charitable and conscientious acts, but the Lord, as it were, says, " Not so, Zaccheus; not because of these things, not even because, in addition to them, you are a son of Abraham; but because you are lost, salvation is come to your house to-day. This day is salvation come to this house.... For "—why? “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." On this ground only was Zaccheus saved; and on this ground only can the reader be saved. Take then, dear soul, the place of being lost, and behold thy Saviour, who bled and died, who bore the judgment of God upon the cross for thee, and having finished that wondrous work, arose from the dead, and who now, from the glory, assures thee of His readiness to save thee fully, freely, instantly, eternally! “Yes, dear soul, a voice from heaven
Speaks a pardon full and free;
Come, and thou shalt be forgiven,
Boundless Mercy flows for thee—
Even thee,
Boundless mercy flows for thee.”
H. P. A. G.