Unexpected Grace

19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Zacchaeus was a needy man. He had also been greedy, growing rich as a tax collector who could pocket the extra fees he charged. As a result, his neighbors despised him. But it seems that he wanted to change. So he threw out his dignity and scrambled up a tree to see Jesus.

More importantly, Jesus saw Zacchaeus and said, “I must stay at your house today.” We aren’t told what else Jesus might have said in their brief exchange. But the outcome was that Zacchaeus repented and promised to give half of his possessions to the poor and to pay back four times what he had cheated anyone. What an amazing display of generosity! Imagine that!

What if every one of us who has extra money in our pocket were to give like that to help people in need? What might that accomplish for the poor of the world? How many wells, new schools, and health clinics could we provide?

It may seem that Zacchaeus was just bubbling over with enthusiasm. But he was actually pledging to obey God’s laws about economic justice (see Exodus 22; Leviticus 6). So he was not just being generous—he was being faithful and obedient. That’s why Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house.”

This is ultimately a story of great joy: a lost sinner is found, the poor are well served, and Jesus has a new disciple.

Lord, when I seek you sincerely, I find you seeking me. Make me faithful, serving you in the joy of salvation. Amen.