Dig Deeper:
ZACCHAEUS WAS MUCH MORE THAN A WEE LITTLE MAN: Yes, he was short (literally: he was mikros, meaning little), but he's described as the chief tax collector. Tax collectors were considered to be near the top of the sin scale, so as the arche (top) tax collector, Zacchaeus was as bad and as hated by the public as they come. Tax collectors were considered traitors to the house of Israel, and now Jesus invites Himself into the house of the worst traitor there was.
This contrast between little and big and the house of Israel and the house of Zacchaeus makes what Jesus says to him so much more powerful:
Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham (v9).
Jesus, the Son of Man, proclaimed that salvation came to the house of the chief sinner, not the house of first century Israel, and that now the arch sinner has become the son of Abraham, the patri-arch.
Does this help you understand why the Pharisees hated Jesus so much???
TOTAL ALIGNMENT: The Bible tells us nothing else about what happened to Zacchaeus after Jesus left, but the history books do. Clement of Alexandria (d. 215) writes that he faithfully served the early church his entire life, eventually becoming the bishop of Caesarea. Zacchaeus followed through on his pledge in v8 and aligned his life with God's will.
SUMMER RERUNS: This is the third time now in the book of Luke we've read about Jesus telling that something will be taken away from those who have very little (v26). All three times, including today, it seems like Jesus was referring to material possessions, but all three times He was actually referring to spiritual knowledge. The minas (translated in Matthew 25 as 'bags of gold') can refer to being wise with investing our worldly wealth, but in this context it refers more to the knowledge of salvation we've been given. Jesus' point: don't just bury what you've been told. Invest it in others. For more on this, read the DIG DEEPER post on Luke 8.
DON'T MAKE THE ROCKS SING FOR YOU: If you don't gladly sing out praises for God, you're going to get replaced with a stone (v40). Don't let that happen.
Follow the AAA Prayer Pattern:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord (v38 / Psalm 118:26)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God will enable you to put what you're learning from His Word to work until the King comes back (v13).
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
