Introduction

Probably every parent has felt that worry when they don’t know where their kids are. Maybe they’re late coming home from playing with friends, or you get separated in a crowded place. Just thinking about it can make you feel tense.

I remember how stressful it was to get lost as a kid. I would stop to look at something interesting in a store, then suddenly realize my family had moved on, and I was alone.

Picture yourself as a child, suddenly realizing you’re separated from your parents in a busy store. You walk up and down the aisles, calling out, “Mommy! Daddy!” not knowing where they are. You go to the customer service desk and say, “I’m looking for my family.” The staff smiles and replies, “And they’ve been looking for you.” They call your parents over the intercom, and you find out they’ve been searching for you too. It’s important to know that you are worth searching for.

Today, I want to share another story where God’s grace finds someone. This time, it’s about a man named Zacchaeus. He wasn’t popular and had been looking for meaning in the wrong places. But when he meets Jesus, he realizes that even with his mistakes, God has been searching for him. He learns that no matter what he’s done, God wants to save him and give him a truly rich life.

Zacchaeus’ story teaches us something important about God. His grace comes to find us wherever we are, wanting to save us and renew us in every part of our lives where we feel lost.

We read the story in Luke 19:1-10

¹ Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. ² There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. ³ He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. 

⁵ When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” 

⁶ Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. ⁷ But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. 

⁸ Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” 

⁹ Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost. (Luke 19:1-10, NLT)”

I. God Pursues us When we Run.

A. Zacchaeus’ flight from God

The first lesson we learn from this story is that while Zacchaeus had spent a lot of time running from God, God pursued him.

For Zacchaeus, his running from God took the form of collaboration with the Occupying Romans. With the exception of the Sadducees, whose authority was supported by the Romans, religious Jews all opposed Roman rule. While the Romans might not have been as harsh as some earlier rulers, the Jews still resented being under their control. The Romans were greedy, violent, and—worst of all— worshipped many gods. They had no respect for Israel’s God. In fact, about 90 years before Jesus’ ministry, the Roman General Pompey captured Jerusalem and entered the Holy of Holies, which deeply angered devout Jews.

On a day-to-day level, though, the Jews’ biggest frustration was the heavy tax burden. Even today, taxes can be a sensitive topic, but for first-century Jews, most of whom barely earned enough to feed their families, taxes were a huge hardship. They were especially galling because Rome and its Citizens were exempt from taxes. The financial burden of funding the empire fell on the conquered provinces. So the taxes were a constant reminder to the Jews that they were conquered people.

The Roman tax system included import duties, tolls, property taxes, and a poll tax. The poll tax had to be paid with a special silver coin that showed the pagan goddess Roma on one side and on the other was an image of Tiberius Caesar with the inscription “The Great Tiberius Caesar son of god Augustus.” For Jews, just handling this coin was offensive—blasphemous even—but it was required for the tax. Tax collectors also benefited from ineffective oversight, allowing them to collect more than was owed and keep the excess as profit.

Although tax collectors often became wealthy, as Zacchaeus did, they were isolated from others. Jewish religious leaders taught that tax collectors were thieves. People were not allowed to accept charity from them, since it was assumed it would come from their ill-gotten gains. If a tax collector even touched your house, the building would be considered unclean, and tax collectors’ families felt deep shame just for being associated with them. The closest equivalents I can think of today would be if you lived in a deeply religious community and someone in your family owned the local brothel.

People only became tax collectors if they were willing to give up their place in the religious community for money. Zacchaeus was not just any tax collector; he was the chief tax collector in the region. He had probably been doing this work for a long time. To reach that position, he likely had to set aside any moral qualms and embrace his role as a villain. At some point, Zacchaeus made a trade-off: He would give up respect and his place in the community. In exchange, he would get money.

Zacchaeus is not the type of person most people would expect God to seek out. He was not a victim; rather, he held power and used it in ways that hurt others. He made his own choices, putting money above honesty, integrity, community, and even God.

We don’t know how long Zacchaeus lived this way, but it’s clear he wasn’t satisfied.

That’s why he wanted to see Jesus. Even if he didn’t realize it, God had not given up on him. God was reaching out to Zacchaeus, saying, “You’ve been gone a long time, my child, but I want you to come back.” The Holy Spirit nudged Zacchaeus to seek Jesus, and so he found himself in a tree.

B. People Fleeing Today

Today it’s not tax collectors who feel alienated from God. It’s often people who feel unacceptable in the eyes of judgmental Christians. Notice how in the story, the crowd gripes about Jesus’ grace for such a wretched sinner.

At times, we Christians can be like that crowd. I remember a few years back, I officiated a funeral for someone whose family didn’t go to church. At the luncheon afterwards, I got a chance to speak with a young man who had been late to the funeral. He said he was reluctant to come because he hadn’t been in a church in years and was afraid that when he walked in the door, he would be struck by lightning. I replied that, in my experience, that rarely happened. But it saddened me that his past dealings with Christians led him to conclude that God was hostile towards him.

In Jesus’ time, the Pharisees and teachers of the law made a lot of people—tax collectors, but also prostitutes, lepers and other sinners—feel like their past mistakes had made them unacceptable to God. But Jesus spent most of his time with people like that. That’s why he got labelled as a ‘friend of sinners.’ But Jesus helps us see more clearly what God’s holiness looks like. While Jesus doesn’t engage in sin, he does engage sinners. His purity isn’t defiled by spending time with or loving people who have wandered away from God or who have never known him. No one is too lost for God to come searching for them. And God often does that searching in the flesh-and-blood lives of his followers. We live consistently with Jesus’ calling by being friends with sinners. Of course, we’re a different kind of friend. We don’t show our friendship by joining the person in destructive behaviours, but we can show it by staying committed to their wellbeing, no matter what destructive things they do.

The last thing we want is for people to look at Christians and see in us a distorted picture of Jesus who condemns those who have strayed. The Jesus we see in the Bible has a special place in his heart for lost people like Zacchaeus, because, as he says, “The Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

Now, I assume that most people in church on a Sunday morning probably consider themselves Christians. But if you’re here and you question whether the life you’ve lived is disqualifying, if you’re wondering if God has written you off, the answer is emphatically, “No!”

Zacchaeus had spent a lifetime running from God. It didn’t take a lifetime to find him again. Zacchaeus turned to God and found that all along God had been pursuing him. So if you don’t know God today, you can know that he knows you. Whatever you’ve done, he wants to bring his mercy into your life and to bring life to all the places where you’ve been dead.

II. Climbing Down From the Tree

A. The Tree Climber

The second lesson that we learn from Zacchaeus is that God asks us to stop climbing. Zacchaeus climbing the tree is an important plot point and a helpful metaphor. So it wasn’t just because he was short and needed a higher vantage point to see Jesus; it was also an illustration of how he had spent a lifetime climbing.

We don’t know exactly what drove him, but we can speculate. Maybe he felt disrespected or grew up feeling poor, ashamed, and left out. If so, that might explain his later actions: If people had already rejected him, it would be natural to return the favour. Whatever his motivation, he chose money over relationships, since being a tax collector required that trade-off.

Over time, Zacchaeus worked his way up to become the chief tax collector. So, you could say, he spent his life climbing. But then Zacchaeus meets Jesus, who says, “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” On one level, Jesus is simply saying it would be easier to talk if Zacchaeus wasn’t up in that tree. But there’s also a deeper meaning in what Jesus says. It’s like Jesus is telling him, “If I’m going to be part of your life, you need to stop climbing.” Jesus doesn’t make a harsh demand. He simply asks Zacchaeus to humble himself a little by coming down from the tree.

It might seem like Jesus is rudely inviting himself over, but Zacchaeus is wealthy enough that he can easily host a guest. He’s also free to turn Jesus down if he doesn’t want to. Because as someone whose reputation is already rock-bottom, being rude to Jesus wouldn’t cost him anything socially. But from his response, it’s clear Jesus’ self-invitation is not an imposition. Jesus probably invites himself because he knows Zacchaeus wouldn’t be bold enough to ask.

B. Humbling Ourselves

Just as Zacchaeus had to climb down to be with Jesus, so do we. It means taking a step to humble ourselves. God doesn’t demand heroic acts of piety, just one simple step of humility. For us, climbing out of the tree means admitting we need help. For some of us, that’s easy. Maybe your life is a mess, and there’s no hiding it from others, so the idea of admitting you need help is easy. For others, it’s harder. If we have a carefully curated image of having it all together, admitting to Jesus that it’s not working as we had hoped becomes harder. That might be why there are lots of people at the bottom who seem to come to Jesus, while those at the top struggle to give up their climbing ways.

Remember, God loves you and wants to bring new life to every part of you. He doesn’t ask you to go on a quest or prove yourself. You just need to humble yourself enough to accept the mercy he offers. This is only the beginning—God accepts us, starts to change us, and then invites us to go deeper as his grace works in us. It’s not about God demanding more from us, but about him turning more and more of our old lives into something new and better. This leads to the third point in this story: The Encounter with Jesus is the beginning of a new life.

III. The Beginning of a New Life

A. An Instructive Comparison

At first, Zacchaeus gave up community for wealth. But after meeting Jesus, he decides to change. Without Jesus asking, Zacchaeus promises to give half his money to the poor and to pay back anyone he cheated four times as much. The law says that when you cheat someone, you owe them restitution. In the case of stealing money, the offender needed to pay a 20% penalty, but Zacchaeus volunteered to pay a 300% penalty. He is so moved by Jesus’ kindness that he wants to go above and beyond.

So Zacchaeus, who was rich and had lived wrongly, comes to Jesus and finds salvation. Just one chapter earlier, another rich man—this one, considered righteous—met Jesus but left empty-handed. We read that story in Luke 18:18-27.

¹⁸ Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” 

¹⁹ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good. ²⁰ But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother.’” 

²¹ The man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” ²² When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 

²³ But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich. 

²⁴ When Jesus saw this, he said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God! ²⁵ In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” 

²⁶ Those who heard this said, “Then who in the world can be saved?” 

²⁷ He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God” (Luke 18:18–27, NLT).

It’s helpful to compare these two men. The first rich man was respected and followed the rules, while Zacchaeus was seen as a scoundrel and hated by everyone. The first man couldn’t let go of his wealth and status. Zacchaeus offered his wealth freely, even without being asked. 

Notice he volunteered half, while Jesus asked the first man for everything. This shows it was never about a dollar figure, but about what we value. The rich man saw Jesus’ request as a cost to be weighed against an expected benefit. Zacchaeus, however, responded as he did because God’s grace rejigged his priorities. What he once chased now seems worthless, and what he once ignored is now valuable. As a sign that something new was happening in him, he picked relationships and community over wealth.

At the end of the story of the other rich man, Jesus explained how it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. What Jesus means is that, humanly speaking, it’s not possible. The first rich man’s story illustrates the difficulty. But Jesus’ surprising statement about wealth also gives hope: “What is impossible for people is possible with God.” Zacchaeus’ story shows that God’s grace can do what seems impossible. Because he is the rich man who enters the kingdom

B. A New Abundance

Zacheus’ story is about how God’s call leads us to redirect our lives to pursue new things. In John’s gospel, Jesus tells a crowd that he comes to give us abundant life. Some enterprising preachers have taken this to mean that God wants us to enjoy material plenty, and if you’ll just assist them in getting that plenty for themselves, God will send along your plenty as a reward.

But Zacchaeus gives us a different view of abundance. He willingly gives up the majority of his wealth because his new life, even with less money, is actually richer than before. When we meet Jesus, we realize that what we used to value isn’t as important. Jesus gives us better gifts: forgiveness, acceptance as God’s children, a new life, a place in the community of believers, and his presence in our lives through the Holy Spirit. Once we understand these gifts and the life they bring, we see they are worth far more than anything we give up.

So generosity isn’t about earning God’s favour or the church’s approval. True generosity is a natural outcome of a transformed heart. It means valuing God and people, whom God loves, over things. When God has reordered our priorities, our natural response is love, and that is expressed in things like kindness and generosity.

The Things we wanted—material wealth, a sense of superiority, revenge against those who have wronged us—cease to be important. Our lives will naturally focus on new things that may even be things we didn’t want before: things like generosity, purity, holiness, and humility. We begin to pursue, not reluctantly, but freely and joyfully. Our new life is starting to look very different from the old one.

Conclusion

Zacchaeus’ story is about a lost child finding his way back to a loving parent. Even though he walked away from God, God never stopped loving or seeking him. When Zacchaeus took a small step toward God, God met him right away. The same is true for us. Even if we’ve spent a life running from God, God has spent that whole time pursuing us.

Zacchaeus’ story also shows us that to be with Jesus, we don’t need to earn God’s approval. We just need to climb out of the tree; we need to humble ourselves enough to admit that we can’t do it on our own.

Zacchaeus also shows that when we let God into our lives, he changes us. In his transformed life, he valued relationships and community, whereas before he valued only money. Likewise, when we come to God, we’ll find that the things we avoided in our past become desirable; And the things we once pursued with all our hearts become strangely dim.

So where are you today? Maybe you’ve walked away from God, or you’ve never known him. But he’s not far from you. If you turn to him, you’ll find he’s right there, and he wants to give you a new life.

Or maybe you’ve been in church for years, but there are parts of your life you haven’t given to God. It could be your job, your relationships, your money, or a secret struggle that brings shame. Remember, no matter how far Zacchaeus had gone, God was there when he turned back. I encourage you to trust God with every part of your life. If you let him in, he can renew everything. When we hold back, those parts of us won’t change.

So give it to God, and trust that even if it’s hard, he wants to bring new life to every place you’ve been lost.