But Zaccheus stood there and said to the LORD, “Look, I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord! And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I’ll pay back four times as much!”     Luke 19:8 HCSB

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to share the story of Zaccheus in Children’s Church. Although most of the children had not heard it before, they understood the principal of his story. If you have never heard it or if you haven’t read or heard it in a while, I encourage you to read the ten verses found in Luke 19:1-10. You may even want to read it now before we go on.

It’s a short story but one that concisely explains the process of true salvation. In verses 1-4 we see Zaccheus is trying with all his heart to see Jesus. While most people are simply lining the streets, Zaccheus is having to run ahead of the crowd and climb into a Sycamore tree since he is a short man. We are told in Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”  The Lord wants us to seek Him and love Him with all our heart.

Are you willing to put some time and effort into seeking the Lord?

Zaccheus was a tax collector. Many despised him because in those days tax collectors were able to rob people legally. He was given an amount to collect, but he could collect whatever he wanted, turn the required amount in and keep the rest. There was nothing the people could do about it.

Knowing this, we can surmise that he had a lot of money, but not a lot of friends. I can only imagine his surprise and delight when Jesus told him in verse 5, “Zaccheus hurry and come down because today I must stay at your house.” Jesus Himself was going to lodge with Zaccheus. We are told in James 4:8 if we draw near to the Lord, He will draw near to us and this is exactly what happened with Zaccheus.

Zaccheus was overjoyed, but the rest of the crowd complained about Jesus going to lodge with this sinful man. Zaccheus wanted to please the Lord, he wanted to repent and make things right. So, he offered to give half of his possessions to the poor. This was a big deal because he was a very rich man. He also offered to return four-fold all that he had illegally taken from the people.

If you will recall the parable of the rich young ruler (Luke 18:18-23) remember he left Jesus with a sad heart because he was not willing to give all he had to the poor and follow Jesus. He wanted to be saved but was unwilling to change his ways and his lifestyle. He wanted to follow Jesus, but the cost was just too high.

With Zaccheus, however, he showed proof of his salvation and his willingness to surrender to the Lord. This is why Jesus announced in verse 9, “Today salvation has come to this house.”

Are you more like the rich young ruler? Do you have things you are not willing to part with to follow Jesus? Maybe you have too much wealth and fear what it would cost. Maybe you have intentional sin you are unwilling to step away from.

Or are you like Zaccheus? Are you ready to make a change in your life? Are you willing to put forth some effort and seek Jesus with your whole heart? Are you willing to give up some things to surrender to Him and serve Him and others?

The most important question of all is, has salvation come to your house and your heart? Please don’t allow anything to come between you and Jesus, your eternal life depends on it.

Have a great day!