“The Just Shall Live By Faith”

New King James Version                          Written by: David Hicks

 

Romans 1:17 “ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

Galatians 3:11 “But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."

Hebrews 10:38 “Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."

“Articles of Faith"

An Orderly Account Of The Greatest Story Ever Told

(A Study in Luke)

Chapter 19:1-10:

The Lord continues His journey towards Jerusalem as time is drawing near. The events that follow in the remainder of the book will all transpire in a very short amount of time (about a week). In our previous lesson the Lord came across a blind man as He was passing through Jericho . Likewise, He is now going to meet someone else as He is leaving Jericho . This event takes place before the Lord's entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-19), and constitutes along with the parable to follow, the final teaching of the Lord outside the immediate area of Jerusalem before His death.

Text #1:

Luke 19:1-6 “Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho . 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.”

Jericho was filled with reports of Jesus' arrival and the marvelous works He has already done (18:35-43); here we see the turn out to be incredible.

Zacchaeus: His name comes from the Hebrew, ‘Zakkay ' which means “pure”. This is the only place that the term “Chief Publican” is used (Chief Tax Collector). It given to denote that he was the one to oversee tax collection in this region. We additionally learn from the text that he was a short man and this led to some creativity on his part in order to see the Lord.

Sycamore Tree: The tool used by Zacchaeus to gain visibility was a sycamore tree. This is different than the ‘Buttonwood' that grows in America , and is more accurately described as the ‘Wild Fig'. It grows only in the warmest climates of Palestine and had a low trunk and spreading branches (easy to climb!).

Come Down: As the Lord continues along His way; He sees Zacchaeus in the tree, calls him by name, demands him to come down, and does something He has yet to do – invite Himself to Zacchaeus' home! At this, Zacchaeus welcomed Him joyfully.

Text #2:

Luke 19:7-10 “But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”
8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

When They saw: As the Lord went to the house of Zacchaeus, the crowd (vs.3 = the “they” mentioned here) grumbled and complained concerning the perceived unworthiness of Zacchaeus.

• This was the same attitude displayed by the scribes and Pharisees, when the Lord ate with Matthew (Luke 5:27-32).
• This is the same attitude displayed by the Pharisees and scribes when the tax collectors and sinners drew near to the Lord (Luke 15:1-2).
• I wonder who these grumblers truly were?

Zacchaeus Stood: The Lord would go to the home of Zacchaeus regardless of the detractors and as they reclined in association; Zacchaeus stood to speak. This was a custom of the day, when one had an announcement of importance to make.

Zacchaeus would announce to the Lord and any other there that his wealth had not been gained dishonestly. This was important to him to establish for the Lord, as his Jewish brethren would have considered him a traitor and universally accused them (tax collectors) of getting rich by charging extra taxes beside that which the Romans demanded. We have met Matthew and now Zacchaeus, who seem to be honest men in a profession that the majority was not; we should recognize however, that they were the exception to the rule and not the norm.

Zacchaeus would also denote a rule he lived by concerning restoration. This was recognition of the Law of Moses concerning dishonest gain, note:

Exodus 22:1-4 “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. 2 If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed. 3 If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 4 If the theft is certainly found alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall restore double.”

Numbers 5:6-7 “Speak to the children of Israel: ‘When a man or woman commits any sin that men commit in unfaithfulness against the LORD, and that person is guilty, 7 then he shall confess the sin which he has committed. He shall make restitution for his trespass in full, plus one-fifth of it, and give it to the one he has wronged.”

Salvation has Come: The Lord would respond to Zacchaeus, whom is thought unworthy by the majority; that Salvation has come to his house. The Salvation mentioned here is the Lord Himself. This was a participle (not a title) given to the Lord concerning His work (Luke 2:30; 3:6; Acts 4:12; 13:47; Titus 2:11).

In this statement to Zacchaeus, the Lord denotes that His coming to this house was not a random act, but a lesson.

He has come to seek and to save that which was lost in Israel (emphasized by the statement – “he also is a son of Abraham”). This act of coming to the house of a perceived sinner is the same thing He demonstrated in chapter 15; He was not a respecter of persons. This is a designation that would be given Him after this by His enemies, note:

Matthew 22:16 “And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.”

Luke 20:21 “Then they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth:”

This demonstration of not showing regard for the person of men was absolutely contrary to the practice of Israel in this day. Jesus would not just state, but demonstrate that to God, every soul was valuable!

In addition, Zacchaeus would also demonstrate some universal illustrations that we should notice.

• He sought the Lord.
• He overcame obstacles to see Him.
• He accepted the Lord with joy.
• He didn't care if the crowd hated him.
• He demonstrated that he knew the importance of God's word.

 In our next lesson; as the Lord continues to teach from this point, He would address the many false hopes concerning the coming of the kingdom of God . Some of these false hopes would be displayed in the triumphant entry into Jerusalem (28-40). He would use a parable, as He often does, to teach concerning the acceptance or rejection of His words.

Next: “Minas (Talents)!”