![]() ![]() The response of the crowd around Jesus is also very telling. #5 Be Prepared to Confront Your Prejudices We should learn to adopt that mindset and attitude with Jesus ourselves. His mind and heart were prepared beforehand and willing to respond when the Lord called. ![]() He had broken every social norm to get close to Him, and when Jesus finally did speak to Him Zacchaeus responded immediately. Zacchaeus proved that he was ready to hear Jesus through his actions: he no doubt had to leave his taxing tables, his livelihood and a symbol of his ill-gotten gains, in order to seek Jesus out. #4 Be Ready to Welcome Jesus Into Your Heart Jesus addressed Zacchaeus directly and told him what He expected of him (Luke 19:5), and Zacchaeus “hurried and came down,” overjoyed that Jesus had reached out to him (Luke 19:6) and did everything within his power to obey Him. ![]() He did what was necessary to get to God, regardless of what others thought. But when Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was coming, he ran ahead of the crowds and climbed a tree just to catch a glimpse of Him (Luke 19:4). Such actions would be considered shameful and beneath a respectful member of the community. Jewish men did not run because it seemed undignified, and they would never climb a tree because they would be exposed to those who passed beneath them. But Jesus will soon make the point that even such a man as this can be saved. He was no better than a traitor and turncoat. The fact that he was a Jew makes it a double betrayal: not only is he afflicting his countrymen, but he is doing so as someone who has professed loyalty to Roman rule through his actions. As such a man, Zacchaeus had accumulated large amounts of illegitimate wealth. They had wide authority to prosecute those who did not pay and were also able to increase their fees beyond what was actually required, so long as the sent the appropriate amount back to Rome. ![]() They were agents of the Roman Empire, collecting on levies and taxes for Caesar. Understanding how this came to be is critical to understanding the gravity of this account. We are told that Zacchaeus was a rich tax collector (Luke 19:2). Here are 11 lessons that we can learn from his story (Luke 19:1-10). The story of Zacchaeus is a brief but important account of how we should approach and respond to Jesus Christ. ![]()
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