Today Salvation Has Come To This House

Posted on by Japanese Congregational Church

Luke 19:1-10

1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a `sinner.'” 8 But 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.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

Today we have the short story about a short man – Zacchaeus. Jesus is passing through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem. It says that there is a man there, by the name of Zacchaeus who is both a chief tax collector and is very rich. (probably deeply disliked and marginalized by others) He has evidently heard about this Jesus and wishes to see him. Maybe he has heard about Jesus through other tax collectors, or other neighbors, but he appears to be very curious.

The problem is that he is short and can’t see Jesus because of the crowd. He runs ahead and climbs a sycamore-fig tree to get a look. When Jesus reaches the spot, he looks up in the tree at Zacchaeus and says simply, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”

How did Jesus know Zacchaeus’s name? It doesn’t say. Was Zacchaeus surprised? We don’t know, but we can assume that he was surprised and thrilled as he happily came down and welcomed Jesus. The crowd grumbled, “He’s gone to be the guest of a sinner. Why does he hang out with the worst types?”

This is not the first time that Jesus is accused of spending time “with sinners”. Back in Luke 15:2 it says, “But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.'” And directly following those complaints, Jesus tells three stories: The lost sheep; The lost coin; The lost (prodigal) son. In each case, it is a story of God, seeking and saving the lost….rejoicing over every one that is found!

Zacchaeus announces to Jesus, “I’ll give half of my wealth to the poor, and if I’ve cheated anyone, I’ll repay them fourfold.” Perhaps there was a sudden change in Zacchaeus’s heart – deeply moved by Jesus’ visit to his home. Something about Jesus’ presence brought about a profound change in Zacchaeus.

Jesus then states at the end of this episode “Today, salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

What did Jesus mean? How can we understand this account?

  • Zacchaeus wishes to “see” Jesus, he “seeks for” a glimpse of Jesus. But He is surprised to find that it is actually Jesus who is seeking (wishing to stay at his home) him. This fits well with Jesus’ final words in verse 10.
  • This mirrors our experience as well. When we finally “meet Jesus”, begin a relationship with God, we realize that it all started much earlier, that there is a bigger context. It’s actually God…who created us, gave us breath, and created us with a longing for relationship. When we seek and find God, we soon find that it was God who was seeking a relationship with us first.
  • What is salvation? We often think that it is understanding and believing in God, or knowing about the Bible, or believing the right doctrines.  But actually, in Zacchaeus’s case, it was
    • Welcoming Jesus himself into his home. For us too, that is what salvation means – not just knowing and believing correct things, but welcoming Jesus himself into our hearts and lives. Jesus himself said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” In Rev. 3:20 Jesus describes his presence in our lives in this way: “I stand at the door and knock.” He is always near and seeking a friendship with us.
    • Choosing correct priorities. Jesus said in Luke 12:31 “But seek His kingdom (rather than always worrying about what to eat, drink, and wear) Make your relationship with God No. 1! Then other needs will be taken care of.” In Zacchaeus’s case, he turned from a life of grasping wealth, to a life of giving and sharing. He no longer had earthly treasure as his goal, but heavenly rewards as his priority.

Zacchaeus is saved when

  • He welcomes Jesus into his home
  • His life / priorities are changed

How about us?

  • Welcome Jesus today into your heart and home.
  • Seek first a relationship with Jesus / God….make this our #1 priority! (not storing up earthly treasures….or constantly worrying about what we lack! But instead, seeking the true treasure… friendship with God!)

(The above is a summary and outline of the message shared in worship on November 2, 2025.)