Luke 19:1-21 Jesus Begins To Show Who He Really Is

My commentary noted that some people following Jesus thought He was going to deliver Israel from Roman bondage.  Some only wanted to watch miracles being performed.  But here, Luke focuses on who Jesus really is:

The Savior Who Seeks The Lost – “Though Zaccheus was a renegade in the eyes of the Jews, he was a precious lost sinner in the eyes of Jesus.”  It noted the changes Zaccheus experienced that day.

A man became a child – Wealthy officials were dignified and never ran in that day, but wanting to see Jesus, Zaccheus ran and climbed a tree!

A seeking man became found – “Zaccheus thought he was seeking Jesus, but Jesus was seeking him.  By nature, the lost sinner does not seek the Savior.  When our first parents sinned, they hid from God, but God came and sought them.”

A small man became big – “Many lost sinners think they are big.  They measure themselves by man’s standards … Zaccheus trusted Jesus … and became a child of faith.  That’s as big as you can get.”

A poor man became rich – “The people thought Zaccheus was a wealthy man, but actually he was only a bankrupt sinner who needed to receive God’s gift of eternal life, the most expensive gift in the world.”

Jesus also told the parable of the pounds in this chapter and “explained that the kingdom would not come until a future time, but that His servants had better be faithful now to do the job assigned to them.”

“The reward for faithful work is always more work … Wasted opportunity means loss of reward and possibly loss of the privilege of service.”

Father, thank You for changing me all those years ago.  Thank You for taking a Zaccheus like me and making me one of Your children!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford