Luke 19
Gospel of Luke
Chapter 19
Scripture of the Week: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17
Observation
In Luke 19 there are a lot of things we can unpack. Luke speaks of Zacchaeus, a Chief tax collector who has swindled his way into wealth but longs to physically see Jesus. Jesus then tells the parable of mina followed by his triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. We see Him weep over Jerusalem and its prophesied destruction, and even witness him clearing out the temple!
There are a lot of different directions we can go with this chapter, but we will focus on Zacchaeus, the Chief tax collector who desperately wanted to see Jesus with his own eyes. Tax collectors were both social and religious outcasts because they cooperated with the Roman occupational government for their own benefit. These tax collectors were corrupt and greedy; motivated only by their own financial gain. This made them no better than the Romans. However, something had changed in Zacchaeus; he wanted to see Jesus. He had obviously heard about Him and the band of “misfits” He traveled with. Zacchaeus could not see over the crowd, so he climbed up a tree to see Jesus. This is something that Jewish men just didn't do as it would have been considered undignified for a man of his status to climb a tree. Zacchaeus, being a tax collector, would also not want to draw additional attention to himself as he was already a social outcast. The Jewish people knew Zacchaeus and despised him greatly as a traitor of their community. Yet he climbed the tree anyway, hoping to get a glimpse of the approaching Messiah.
Interpretation
Jesus saw something different in Zacchaeus. He saw through all of his sin, all of the lies spoken over him, and all the guilt and shame he lived with. He saw past the corruption and theft that Zacchaeus contributed to in order to become wealthy himself. Jesus saw Zacchaeus as a man that God created in His own image. He saw him for his true identity. He called him out of the tree as if to say, “Follow Me!”
That was just the beginning for Zacchaeus. Beyond that invitation, Jesus and his disciples went to Zacchaeus' home and he gladly welcomed them. In response to the call, Zacchaeus gave away half of his wealth and returned what he had taken unjustly four-fold. There is no record of Jesus telling Zacchaeus to do these things, His only intent was seeking and saving the lost. Zacchaeus not only followed Jesus, He rightfully submitted to His Lordship.
When Jesus walks into your house, big things are going to happen! Look at what happened to Zacchaeus, a man who pursued comfort and wealth at all costs. He immediately became a man
who sought to align his life and heart with that of Jesus. This change in his heart posture led him to give away over half of his wealth and more than compensate for his fraudulent past.
Application
So what does that mean to us? While we may have surrendered our lives to Jesus and accepted the salvation that He freely gives, we may not have made him Lord. Saying “yes” to Jesus is not the end of our walk with Him, but just the beginning.
Think about a football game for a minute. What is the most important part of the game? The touchdown right? When we think about salvation, we often think of it as a touchdown...but it’s actually an interception. When we surrender our lives to Jesus, we are finally on the other side of the ball. We have the opportunity to drive down the field to someday make it into the endzone and hear the Lord say “Touchdown”...or “well done good and faithful servant.” Life after being saved by the grace of Jesus is all about moving down the field and allowing Him to affect every area of our lives. Lordship is when He calls the plays, not us. We surrender all to His Lordship and we are transformed to look more like Jesus with every yard we gain!
Practical Application Questions
- What do you think happened to Zacchaeus, a rich tax collector, that stirred his heart’s desire to see Jesus?
- What is your perception of Lordship? How do you live out Jesus not only being your Savior, but also your Lord?
- What areas of your life do you struggle to release to God and allow Him to be Lord?
- What else in this passage of scripture stands out to you? Share with your group.
Luke 19
Gospel of Luke
Chapter 19
Scripture of the Week: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17
Observation
In Luke 19 there are a lot of things we can unpack. Luke speaks of Zacchaeus, a Chief tax collector who has swindled his way into wealth but longs to physically see Jesus. Jesus then tells the parable of mina followed by his triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. We see Him weep over Jerusalem and its prophesied destruction, and even witness him clearing out the temple!
There are a lot of different directions we can go with this chapter, but we will focus on Zacchaeus, the Chief tax collector who desperately wanted to see Jesus with his own eyes. Tax collectors were both social and religious outcasts because they cooperated with the Roman occupational government for their own benefit. These tax collectors were corrupt and greedy; motivated only by their own financial gain. This made them no better than the Romans. However, something had changed in Zacchaeus; he wanted to see Jesus. He had obviously heard about Him and the band of “misfits” He traveled with. Zacchaeus could not see over the crowd, so he climbed up a tree to see Jesus. This is something that Jewish men just didn't do as it would have been considered undignified for a man of his status to climb a tree. Zacchaeus, being a tax collector, would also not want to draw additional attention to himself as he was already a social outcast. The Jewish people knew Zacchaeus and despised him greatly as a traitor of their community. Yet he climbed the tree anyway, hoping to get a glimpse of the approaching Messiah.
Interpretation
Jesus saw something different in Zacchaeus. He saw through all of his sin, all of the lies spoken over him, and all the guilt and shame he lived with. He saw past the corruption and theft that Zacchaeus contributed to in order to become wealthy himself. Jesus saw Zacchaeus as a man that God created in His own image. He saw him for his true identity. He called him out of the tree as if to say, “Follow Me!”
That was just the beginning for Zacchaeus. Beyond that invitation, Jesus and his disciples went to Zacchaeus' home and he gladly welcomed them. In response to the call, Zacchaeus gave away half of his wealth and returned what he had taken unjustly four-fold. There is no record of Jesus telling Zacchaeus to do these things, His only intent was seeking and saving the lost. Zacchaeus not only followed Jesus, He rightfully submitted to His Lordship.
When Jesus walks into your house, big things are going to happen! Look at what happened to Zacchaeus, a man who pursued comfort and wealth at all costs. He immediately became a man
who sought to align his life and heart with that of Jesus. This change in his heart posture led him to give away over half of his wealth and more than compensate for his fraudulent past.
Application
So what does that mean to us? While we may have surrendered our lives to Jesus and accepted the salvation that He freely gives, we may not have made him Lord. Saying “yes” to Jesus is not the end of our walk with Him, but just the beginning.
Think about a football game for a minute. What is the most important part of the game? The touchdown right? When we think about salvation, we often think of it as a touchdown...but it’s actually an interception. When we surrender our lives to Jesus, we are finally on the other side of the ball. We have the opportunity to drive down the field to someday make it into the endzone and hear the Lord say “Touchdown”...or “well done good and faithful servant.” Life after being saved by the grace of Jesus is all about moving down the field and allowing Him to affect every area of our lives. Lordship is when He calls the plays, not us. We surrender all to His Lordship and we are transformed to look more like Jesus with every yard we gain!
Practical Application Questions
- What do you think happened to Zacchaeus, a rich tax collector, that stirred his heart’s desire to see Jesus?
- What is your perception of Lordship? How do you live out Jesus not only being your Savior, but also your Lord?
- What areas of your life do you struggle to release to God and allow Him to be Lord?
- What else in this passage of scripture stands out to you? Share with your group.