Luke 19:7-12
Luke 19:7 (KJB)
And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest
with a man that is a sinner.
Then the very same ones who greeted Jesus were now murmuring against Him. The
word “ murmuring” carries with it the meaning of “grumbling or complaining
loudly.” The scribes and Pharisees had been very vocal that Jesus had become the
guest of a sinner and here a chief sinner since he was a chief publican. The
Pharisees complained endlessly that Jesus was always mixing with sinners.
(Mat 15:24 KJV) But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep
of the house of Israel. Being a tax collector who helped himself and made
himself rich by thievery could be considered one who is a lost sheep in the
house of Israel. These were the people that Jesus had come to seek and save.
Luke 19:8 (KJB)
And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods
I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false
accusation, I restore him fourfold.
Zacchaeus now shows that his salvation is real because it is not just words but
his words are now coupled with actions. He now had a heart for the poor where
before he probably couldn’t care less about them. Then He was planning to
restore fourfold what he had taken by thievery from people. This is what true
repentance is. It is the result of salvation not repenting for salvation as the
modern church teaches. True repentance is always coupled with works.
There are going to be times when we will hurt each other and sometimes it is
going to be intentional. This type of attitude will stem from the sin nature
that dwells in us and our obedience to it. Friends usually have access to
information about our lives that no one else will know about, in other words
friends will build a trust. So occasionally we will hurt someone, especially a
friend since they are the most vulnerable because they have our trust.
Sometimes that trust is broken, and when we realize that we have hurt that
person it is necessary to: First, repent sincerely of the wrongs we have done
and tell that person that we are truly sorry for breaking the trust; and
secondly, we must restore, if possible, any damages that have been done.
Sometimes we may hurt a person’s reputation and that damage may be irreversible
but we must make an attempt to undo the wrong we have done. Sincere love seeks
to right its wrongs. Satan is a master at driving wedges between Christians and
if you know you have been deceived, then if you repent and restore, you will be
healing the relationship God’s way. On the other hand the one that was hurt must
be careful that they accept the attempts by the other person to right that wrong
or else the one who was sinned against will now be sinning against the one who
hurt them because pride will not allow to forgive.
Luke 19:9 (KJB)
And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as
he also is a son of Abraham.
Jesus had announced that salvation had come to the house of Zacchaeus. We had an
inkling that he was a child of God when Jesus called him by name, as the Good
Shepherd calls all His sheep. When Jesus called Zacchaeus a son of Abraham, it
meant he was saved because that was the title of a true believer. When the
Pharisees heard that, I am sure that they were livid because they thought only
they were entitled to the title of children of Abraham. Zacchaeus was a true
child of Abraham by faith. (Gal 3:29 KJV) And if ye be Christ's, then are ye
Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Luke 19:10 (KJB)
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
The reason that Jesus came was to seek and save that which was lost. (Ezek
34:11 KJV) For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my
sheep, and seek them out. It is not the sheep that seek the shepherd but it
is the shepherd which seeks the sheep. The Pharisees thought that the harlots
and tax collectors were beyond saving and that they believed that they were the
only ones who were saved. (Mat 21:31-32 KJV) Whether of them twain did the
will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily
I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God
before you. {32} For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye
believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when
ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
Luke 19:11 (KJB)
And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was
nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should
immediately appear.
Since they were so physically close to Jerusalem, the people had thought that
the time drew near when Jesus was going to establish the Kingdom of God. What
Jesus did to correct their thinking was to tell them a parable. It was the
parable of the Nobleman. Almost to the time of the cross the people were
expecting a physical appearance of the Kingdom of God and previously Jesus told
them the Kingdom of God does not come with observation.
Luke 19:12 (KJB)
He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for
himself a kingdom, and to return.
Jesus begins by stating the a certain nobleman, which is Jesus Himself, went to
a far country to receive for Himself a kingdom. The far country is Heaven. His
return will be on the last day. During the time that He is in Heaven, from the
ascension to the return, He will be building the Kingdom by continuing to add
new believers daily from all over the world. This is where He will be seeking
out His sheep. When He returns on the last day, that will mean all those Elect
He has chosen before the foundation of the world will have become saved and are
now ready to enter the Kingdom of God in its physical sense also known as the
New Heavens and New Earth for eternity.