The Seeking Savior Saves a Sinner

Jesus Christ was the Son of God. He took on human flesh to accomplish salvation for sinners. His mission was “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). There are many whom Jesus transformed and we know nothing of them. The New Testament records the conversion of others. Perhaps the most vivid and impactful was Jesus’ conversion of the notorious sinner, Zaccheus.

Zaccheus was a Jew from Jericho. The entire city knew him because of his job. Zaccheus was not just a tax collector, but a chief tax collector. The people of Israel despised tax collectors above all others. They were traitors: they worked for the Romans and oppressed their own people. John the Baptist instructed tax collectors who desired baptism, ‘Collect no more than what you have been ordered’ (Luke 3:13) because they usually extorted much more. They had lots of money and possessions, be were outcasts in Israel - no one dared associate with them.

However, grace makes no distinctions between the accepted and the despised, the rich and poor or the tall and the short, because nobody deserves grace. In fact, no one is more prepared to receive grace than the one who knows that he is a sinner, and tax collectors certainly knew that.

As Jesus travelled on His last journey to Jerusalem, He had a divine appointment with Zaccheus, who out of curiosity climbed into sycamore tree to get a glimpse of Jesus. However, it was actually Jesus who was looking for Zaccheus. Paul wrote: “there is NONE who seek for God’ (Romans 3:11). If Zaccheus was looking for Jesus, it was because the “the Father was drawing him to Jesus” (John 6:44).

Jesus invites himself to the house of this notorious sinner and many grumbled: “they all began to grumble, saying, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner’” (Luke19:7). What the grumblers could not see was that they were sinners just like the Chief Tax Collector.

We don’t have a record of Jesus’ words during dinner, but they caused Zaccheus to stand up and give a public declaration of his repentance. Zaccheus’ willingness to admit and deal with his sin testifies to the genuineness of his repentance.