Luke 19:7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
Jesus rattled the crowd when He announced that He was going to dine with a corrupt tax-collector Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus, the tax collector, was intrigued by the compassion of Jesus and he wanted to see Him. Since he was a short man, he climbed a sycamore-fig tree. Sycamore-fig trees are a fig species that were cultivated in ancient Israel. These were massive trees that towered around 70 to 100 feet tall. When Jesus reached the spot, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” (Luke 19:5). The throng that followed Jesus was disappointed that He was visiting the home of a fraudulent tax-collector.
Tax-collectors were also known as publicans in Jesus times. They were Roman employees who usurped taxes from the local people. Jews hated paying tax to the foreign government. They detested the tax-collectors who misused their authority, bullied the lower class and extracted more than what they should, to support their luxurious lifestyle. Hence they were considered as “traitors” and “sinners” by the common people. Even the Pharisees shunned the tax-collectors as ‘turncoats’ who betrayed their own countrymen. The Pharisees accused Jesus to the disciples, “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Mark 2:15–16).
Jesus rattled the cage of the self-righteous puritans in order to reach the callous, crude and the crook.
1. Bad: The rattling humbled the dishonest criminal. So he came down at once and welcomed Him gladly (Luke 19:6). The bad, devious and darkened soul received instant enlightenment. Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick (Mark 2:17). When the Lord shows mercy to the evil betrayer, don’t be surprised. Jesus said, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’ (Matthew 9:13). The rattling transformed a bad, treacherous traitor into a tenacious follower of Christ.
2. Bribe: The rattle heals the deceitful tax-collector from corruption and bribery. Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (Luke 19:8). Once Jesus entered the premises of the perverted, darkness and dishonesty fled. The rattling replaces perversion with purity and humility.
- Bitter: The rattling exfoliates bitterness, revenge and vengeance. The same crowd that cursed Zacchaeus blessed him as he returned back the properties, land and houses of the poor that he had abducted illicitly. Zacchaeus repaid everyone he robbed at the interest rate of 400% (4 times). So the bitterness in the hearts of the poor turned into blessings.
God rattles the cage of the ‘self-righteous’ to draw the unrighteous towards Him.
Luke 19:9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.
Prayer: Father God, when you show mercy to the ruthless, may I never complain. Help me to extend the same mercy that you showered on me to those who have harmed and hurt me. Amen.
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