LESSONS IN TRANSFORMING GRACE

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on August 4, 2021 under AM Bible Study |

AM Bible Study Group: August 4, 2021 from Luke 19:1-10

Theme: An encounter with the grace of Jesus is what transforms a hardened sinner into someone new.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

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This morning, we look at a story of how a sinner became saved and completely transformed. This sinful man’s name was Zacchaeus. And his story is found in Luke 19:1-10;

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also 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).

This happened as Jesus was passing through Jericho. Before He got there, Jesus had already told His disciples—in Luke 18:31-33—that they were on their way to Jerusalem where He would be arrested, tried, and crucified. So; the Lord Jesus didn’t merely ignore this man’s sins. Rather, He was able to save the man completely from them because He was on His way to pay the full price for them on the cross. And though the Bible doesn’t say it this way, it seems clear that one of the reasons Jesus made the trip through Jericho was to meet up with this man Zacchaeus, and transform him, and teach us some important lessons about how that transformation happened.

This story, then, is given to us by God to teach us some very important lessons about God’s transforming grace through Jesus Christ.

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First, notice that …

1. GOD’S TRANSFORMING GRACE CAN COME TO EVEN THE WORST OF SINNERS (vv. 1-2).

Verses 1-2 tell us,

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich (vv. 1-2).

When Jesus went to the home of this man Zacchaeus, everyone who saw it had complained about it. This was because Zacchaeus was considered to be a very sinful man. His name in Hebrew meant “pure” In fact, in the original language of this Gospel, Luke put it in an unusual way; saying that he was a man “by name being called Zacchaeus”. This suggests that there might have been a little bit of sarcasm involved in that name. After all, he was anything but pure!

We’re told that he was a chief tax collector. A ‘tax collector’ in those days—or a ‘publican’, as the Bible sometimes calls them—was a Jewish man who collected taxes from his own Jewish kinsmen for the occupying Roman government. In other words, Zacchaeus was a traitor and a turn-coat to his own people. What’s more, Zacchaeus wasn’t just a run-of-the-mill tax collector. He was a “chief tax collector”. He had lots of people working under his direction. As far as the Jewish people were concerned, he would have been a sinful leader in a sinful line of work. And what’s more still, Luke adds this comment: “and he was rich”. The way that a tax collector made his living was through extracting more tax money from his people than the Roman government required. And the excess money was his profit. If you didn’t pay what the tax collector demanded, he wouldn’t hesitate to make a false accusation about you to the Roman government and get you into some serious trouble So, there was lots of extortion, and threats, and riff-raff involved in the whole “tax collecting” business; and Zacchaeus became wealthy at it! A real pro!

In Jesus’ day, it was common to speak of “tax collectors and harlots” in the same breath (Matthew 21:31-32). That gives you an idea of how people would have felt about Zacchaeus. And perhaps we could suspect that Zacchaeus didn’t think all that highly of himself either. Perhaps over the years, he had hardened his heart against the idea of ever being saved—believing that there was no hope for him before God—believing that when he died, there would be no redemption for all the things that he had done. Perhaps he simply resolved himself to living his brief and corrupt life as “chief tax collector”, get all that he could, and then die, and then go to eternal judgment.

But that’s why we should love this man’s story. The fact that Jesus’ saving grace reached even this notorious sinner—even Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector who had made himself rich—shows us that there is no one who is so far gone in their sin that Jesus cannot save them. His story teaches us what Romans 5:20 says–that “where sin abounded, grace abounded much more …”

So; how did God’s grace first begin to demonstrate itself in Zacchaeus? Verses 3-4 says;

And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way (vv. 3-4).

This teaches us that …

2. GOD’S GRACE FIRST SHOWS ITSELF IN A YEARNING FOR JESUS (vv. 3-4).

You’d think that such a man as Zacchaeus, when he heard that Jesus was coming through the town, would have hidden himself in shame. What right would such a sinner as he was have to come anywhere near someone so holy and truly ‘pure’ as Jesus? But we learn from this story that God’s transforming grace shows itself in a deep yearning and earnest desire to know more about Jesus. God’s grace only comes to us through Jesus; and a sinner who is being drawn by God to that grace will naturally be drawn to Jesus. Not even the fact that Zacchaeus was a short man, who couldn’t see over people’s heads, would stop him. He climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.

Do you notice how Zacchaeus sought to see who Jesus was? He had probably heard about Jesus. The news about him had affected him deeply. And now, this sinful man had a burning passion within him that drew him to the Savior. In fact, the Bible’s way of putting the matter is very interesting. It literally says that “he sought to see Jesus—who He is”. He had heard the reports about this Man—that He claimed to be the long-awaited Messiah; and that He healed the lame, gave sight to the blind, cleansed the lepers, and even raised the dead. Hadn’t He just healed a well-known blind man in that very city? He wanted—with everything in him—to see Jesus, “who He is”.

So; here’s something else we learn about God’s transforming grace through the Lord Jesus. God Himself first takes the initiative. In love, He begins the process by putting into us a longing to be saved from our sins; and then, He gives us a longing to know Him who is the Savior from sins. It’s a longing so powerful that nothing keeps us from being drawn to Him. That hunger in us is from God, because it makes us willing to seek Jesus even when other people stand in our way. It even makes us willing to look foolish before the eyes of others if we have to in order to “see Jesus, who He is.” As Jesus Himself once said about that gracious work of God to draw sinners to His saving grace; “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32).

And God, in mercy, responds to that longing He puts into the sinner. As we read on in verses 5-6, we find this:

And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully (vv. 5-6).

This leads us to a third thing this passage teaches us; that …

3. THE TRANSFORMATION BEGINS WITH A RESPONSE TO GOD’S CALL (vv. 5-6).

What an amazing thing that must have been for everyone else to see! First, Jesus didn’t simply pass by unworthy Zacchaeus. Instead, He deliberately stopped where Zacchaeus was and looked up at him. Second, we see that Jesus called him by name. Think of that! How did Jesus know this man’s name? It’s because He knows the name of everyone who hungers for Him; for His Father put that hunger in them. And third, we see that Jesus didn’t simply wave at Zacchaeus, or smile at him and greet him as he sat on a tree branch. Instead, Jesus told him to come down quickly; and said—with everyone listening—that He must stay at Zacchaeus’ house that day! What amazing grace!

And notice what we’re told about Zacchaeus. He “made haste and came down”! I don’t doubt that he practically fell out of the tree, do you? And notice that he didn’t then drop to his knees before Jesus and say, “Oh no, Lord! I’m not worthy! You mustn’t come to my house! I’m a sinful man! I’ve betrayed the Jewish people! I’ve stolen from them, and have accused them falsely! And besides that, my house is filled with things that I would be too ashamed for You to see!” Instead, we’re told that he “received Him joyfully” (v. 6).

Again, here’s an important principle of God’s transforming grace. When it truly reaches a sinner, then that sinner reaches out and takes it … just like Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30;

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

When we hear that call, the proper response is to obey it faithfully and come joyfully to Him. We don’t need to try to clean up our lives and make ourselves worthy first. We can never make ourselves worthy enough. He invites us to come to Him as we are—to come joyfully and fellowship with Him—and let Him clean us up.

Now; all of this would have been pretty scandalous to everyone who saw it. After all, Jesus didn’t walk up to a priest, or a scribe, or a Pharisee—someone that everyone would have considered “holy” and “worthy” and “respectable”. Instead, He came to a notorious sinner. As Luke tells us in verse 7;

But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner” (v. 7).

They were shocked, and confused, and perhaps even offended that He would do such a thing. But I’m glad that He is willing to be the guest of sinners; aren’t you? The Bible tells us that Jesus grew to have a reputation as “a friend of tax collectors and sinner” (Matthew 11:19). But when they become His friends, they don’t stay “sinners” for long. And that leads us to something else this passage teaches us about the saving grace of God when it comes into our lives. We find it in verse 8; where it says,

Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold” (v. 8).

This teaches us that …

4. THE RECEPTION OF GRACE SHOWS ITSELF IN REPENTANCE FROM SIN (vv. 7-8).

Look carefully at how Zacchaeus responded to Jesus’ gracious condescension to be the guest in his home. You’ll notice that he didn’t say, “Well; I guess it doesn’t matter how I live after all! Jesus is my friend now; and He has come to stay at my house before I did a single thing to reform my ways! So, I suppose this means I can keep on living the way I used to!” Not at all! Instead, his heart was convicted about the sin in his life; and he said, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore it fourfold” (v. 8).

If you have experienced God’s saving grace in your life, one of the indications of it is that you will see yourself changing more and more with respect to sin. The Holy Spirit will work so powerfully in you that the sinful things you used to love to do will lose their attraction to you. You won’t want to do them anymore. The things that you used to have no interest in doing—that is, the things that build up your faith in Jesus Christ; the things that He calls you to do—will now be things you genuinely want to do. The love of Jesus for a sinner such as you will change you into a new person. As the apostle Paul put it;

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works (Titus 2:11-14).

And there’s one more thing this passage teaches us. What good news it is! It’s Jesus’ own testimony about Himself with respect to the salvation of sinners; that …

5. THE VERY REASON JESUS CAME WAS TO TRANSFORM SINNERS (vv. 9-10).

In verses 9-10, Luke wrote;

And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (vv. 9-10).

I love this declaration that Jesus made about Zacchaeus. He declared it in order to ensure that people like you and me would hear it and believe it even today. He pointed to Zacchaeus, and said, “Today, salvation has come to this house …” (v. 9). In other words, in the house of a notorious sinner—in the house of this scandalous man who has filled it with the ill-gotten goods of others—salvation had come!” Jesus was letting the whole world know that Zacchaeus—the tax collector—will be with Him in heaven forever!

How can this be? It’s because to transform sinners like Zacchaeus is why Jesus came into this world. He said it was “because he also is a son of Abraham”; and He said that He had come to seek “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:6). Zacchaeus was a lost sheep. He had betrayed the Jewish people. He had despised the covenant relationship his kinsmen had with God. But Jesus sought Him. And then, Jesus adds these words: “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost” (v. 10).

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Are you someone like Zacchaeus? Are you a sinner—and very much aware of it? Do you feel as if your sin is too great for God to ever forgive you and wash you clean? Well; Zacchaeus himself—a sinner far worse than you or I would likely be—could tell you that he knows a life-transforming Savior! He’d tell you, “Don’t try to reform your life in order to come to Jesus. Instead, receive the grace of God through Jesus now … and let it transform you!”

That’s because a true encounter with the grace of Jesus is able to transform a hardened sinner like nothing else can.

EA