Welcome to Holy Week. We hope your Palm Sunday was joyous and you were able to come celebrate it with us.
If you are a listener of our Out of Water podcast, let me invite you this week to go back in time a bit and listen to episodes 45 through 48, a four-part series called “A Guided Tour of Holy Week.” Recorded in April of 2020, it examines the events of Holy Week leading up to the death and resurrection of our Lord. You can find information on where to get Out of Water at the link below.
https://riovistachurch.com/outofwater
Last week we looked at the story of the Rich Young Ruler and his encounter with Jesus. This week we have the story of someone who seems to be the exact opposite of him—a man named Zacchaeus. Last week, when explaining how difficult it was for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, Jesus told us that what was impossible with men was possible with God. This week we see the impossible accomplished.
Study notes and prayer guides authored by Mark Lautenschlager.
Index to Days 2 through 5
Day 1
Word Gets Out
Observe
Jesus enters Jericho, where a man named Zacchaeus is waiting for him.
{Luke 19:1-2 ESV} {1} He entered Jericho and was passing through. {2} And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich.
{1 Peter 2:11-12 ESV} {11} Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. {12} Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
{Philippians 1:27 ESV} {27} Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,
{Romans 12:17 ESV} {17} Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
{Titus 2:6-8 ESV} {6} Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. {7} Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, {8} and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.
The city of Jericho is not quite the same one we remember from the Old Testament. Although constructed in the vicinity of the more ancient city, this Jericho was a bustling center of commerce. Caesar Augustus had presented the city to Herod the Great, who built aqueducts, a fortress, his own massive winter palace, and a hippodrome. Jericho sat directly on several major east-west trade routes. This was a center of commerce, a hub through which many travelers would pass. How was Zacchaeus the opposite of the Rich Young Ruler from last week? Zacchaeus was no ruler, his authority was borrowed from Rome. Roman soldiers were his muscle, enforcing his collecting taxes. Despite his name meaning “Pure,” he most assuredly was not, and like all tax collectors he would have been despised by the other Jews. Zacchaeus was also not young. Luke tells us he was a chief tax collector, a title used nowhere else in the New Testament. Zacchaeus would have been in charge of several tax districts, and that’s not a position given to a young man. Zacchaeus was rich, just like the Rich Young Ruler. But there was one extremely significant difference on that front, which we will see as the story unfolds. So then, why Jericho, and why Zacchaeus? Perhaps it was because Zacchaeus, being who he was, would be notorious among the Jews and Jericho, being the kind of city it was, would guarantee that any story about a holy man and a notorious Jewish tax collector would travel far and fast.
- It seems as though big churches and famous ministers often make the news for the wrong reasons. How does it make you feel when this happens?
- How might someone who does not attend a church feel about such stories? Would they be justified? What answer would you give them?
- Why is it important for the church to have a good reputation with those on the outside?
Heavenly Father, may your name be declared holy in all the world. May I never bring shame or dishonor to it. Thank you, Lord, for giving me the privilege to be your standard-bearer to a lost world desperately in need of the gospel. Let me always walk in the light, because in you there is no darkness at all. Amen.
Day 2
Childlike Faith
Observe
Just before the story of the Rich Young Ruler in Luke chapter 18, there is a mention of young children being brought to Jesus (Pastor Sam and I talked about this on last week’s podcast). Jesus told his disciples that unless someone received the kingdom of God as a child, they would not enter it.
{Luke 19:3-4 ESV} {3} And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. {4} So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.
{Hebrews 11:1, 6 ESV} {1} Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. … {6} And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
{2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV} {7} for we walk by faith, not by sight.
{Matthew 21:21-22 ESV} {21} And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. {22} And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
The entry of Jesus into the city would have been some degree of public spectacle, since Jesus created quite a stir among the people by his teaching and miracles. So Zacchaeus knew exactly where Jesus would be, but he was too short to see over the people and no doubt too savvy to try and muscle his way to the front of the line. So Zacchaeus does one of the most childlike things imaginable—he climbs a tree. In that culture, a grown man climbing in a tree would have seemed ridiculous. Yet Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus more than he wanted to preserve his dignity. Today we reflect on what it means to have childlike (tree climbing!) faith.
- When a child comes to their parents because they have a need, what does the child offer?
- Why does a child come to their parents, what do they expect from them?
Dear God, it isn’t easy to let go of my adult ego. But when I came to you, I knew I had nothing but need and I believed that you were the only way to meet that need. Yet pride comes creeping back in, followed by self doubt. First I believe that I can live this life on my own and then I sink into a darkness where I don’t believe I’m worthy of your time. Restore that childlike faith to me, Lord! Let me come with complete expectation and trust that you can do for me that which I can’t do for myself, and drive out the demons of pride and self doubt that so commonly afflict me. In Jesus name, Amen.
Day 3
First Contact
Observe
From here on, the stories of Zacchaeus and our Rich Young Ruler from last week run down entirely different tracks.
{Luke 19:5-7 ESV} {5} And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” {6} So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. {7} And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
{John 4:3-7, 39-42 ESV} {3} he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. {4} And he had to pass through Samaria. {5} So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. {6} Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. {7} A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” … {39} Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” {40} So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. {41} And many more believed because of his word. {42} They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”
Three things happen here and they are all important. Jesus greets Zacchaeus by name. He tells him to hurry down because he must stay at his house. Jesus didn’t say he wanted to, or even that he believed Zacchaeus wanted him to, although both might well be true. But coming and staying with Zacchaeus was all part of a plan. Next, Zacchaeus hurried down and received him joyfully. Whatever doubt we might have had regarding the faith of Zacchaeus should be dispelled by this. And finally, the people grumbled that Jesus was going to be the guest of a sinner. Zacchaeus was a notorious guy, and Jericho was a bustling city full of people just passing through to somewhere else. This story, of the holy man who hangs out with sinners, would spread. Jesus wanted it to spread. Of course, this is just the first half of the story.
- Why do you think people grumbled?
- When Jesus went into Samaria to meet the woman at the well, John records that he had to go there. What similarities do you see between that story and this one (at least to this point in the story)?
Lord, keep me from petty thoughts, worrying over whether people get what’s coming to them. It is not my judgment that matters, it’s yours. You will have mercy on whom you will have mercy. Especially in this divided world, so full of tribalism and strife, I should always desire first and most of all that they find new life in you. And never grumble. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Day 4
The Declaration of Zacchaeus
Observe
Zacchaeus doesn’t waste any time dispensing with the things that aren’t important, to clear the way for the things that are.
{Luke 19:8 ESV} {8} And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
{Luke 3:12-13 ESV} {12} Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” {13} And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.”
{Exodus 22:7 ESV} {7} “If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and it is stolen from the man’s house, then, if the thief is found, he shall pay double.
There are no questions or challenges needed here. Zacchaeus pops up and seemingly can’t wait to tell Jesus that he will give half of all he has to the poor and repay fourfold any he has defrauded. What tripped up the Rich Young Ruler didn’t slow Zacchaeus down for a moment. He couldn’t wait to get past the money and get to the Savior. It was standard operating procedure for tax collectors to defraud those from whom they collected tax. It was such a common practice that when tax collectors came to John the Baptist to get baptized, he told them to collect no more than they are authorized to do. (Luke 3:12-13) The Old Testament law required thieves to repay double what they took, so Zacchaeus offering fourfold is going beyond what the law requires and speaks again to his genuine faith. (Exodus 22:7)
- Why do you think the Rich Young Ruler was stopped by his money, while Zacchaeus couldn’t wait to give his away?
- What did you need to get out of the way so you could come to the Savior?
Father, thank you for the example of this man who received you joyfully and made restitution so freely. It reminds me that I always need to be alert for whatever it is that finds its way between us and dispense with it quickly and without regret. Amen.
Day 5
Salvation Has Come
Observe
Here we have the other half of the story Jesus wanted told. He wants the message to go out that the Son of Man embraces sinners, and seeks out the lost to save them.
{Luke 19:9-10 ESV} {9} And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. {10} For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
{Romans 4:13, 16 ESV} {13} For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. … {16} That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring–not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,
{James 2:23 ESV} {23} and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”–and he was called a friend of God.
{Hebrews 11:17-19 ESV} {17} By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, {18} of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” {19} He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.
Jesus declares the salvation had come to the house and says Zacchaeus is also a son of Abraham. That’s an interesting choice of words. Zacchaeus was a Jew. Of course he was a son of Abraham. No, Jesus was talking about the faith of Abraham, not just the physical descendants of Abraham. That’s what Zacchaeus had added. So what do we know about the rest of the life of Zacchaeus? Well, he certainly was a follower of Jesus. Clement of Alexandria, an early theologian and writer who lived from 150 AD to 215 AD wrote in his work Stromata that Zacchaeus was also called Matthias, and was in fact the same Matthias who became the 12th Apostle after Jesus’ ascension. Not 100% sure about that, but we are quite sure he became the bishop in Caesarea. Tradition holds that he was stoned to death by order of the high priest Annas, the same one who ordered the killing of James, the first bishop of Jerusalem (also the half-brother of Jesus and writer of the book of James).
- Jesus wanted everyone to know he doesn’t avoid sinners, he embraces them and saves the lost. How effective are we at making that message about Jesus go out to the world today?
- Now, take some time to prepare your hearts for Sunday, when we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. For he is risen! He is risen indeed!
Lord, you do seek and save the lost. To all who believe in you, you give them the right and the power to become your sons and daughters. We pass from death to life, because you first conquered death and left an empty tomb to prove it. Let us take up the shout joyfully and announce to the whole world the good news that Christ is risen from the dead! Amen.