The Guest of a Sinner

By: Carole L. Haines

19 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 because he was short, he could not see over 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 the lost.” (Luke 19:1-10 NIV)

I was struck by the judgmental eye cast upon Zacchaeus by those witnessing this story of love and redemption. “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” I understand that tax collectors were despised because they often charged more and pocketed the profits. Yet, we are all sinners before our redemption in Jesus. And even after our salvation, after being born again in Jesus, we still struggle with our sin nature. Paul speaks of himself with regards to his own struggle so passionately in Romans Chapter 7.

²¹ I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. ²² I love God’s law with all my heart. ²³ But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.
(vs 21-23 NLT)

We must never forget what we have been rescued from. We must always remember the quicksand from which our Jesus has delivered us. Zaccheus didn’t pray the sinner’s prayer, yet Jesus declared that salvation had come to him that day. Jesus saw his heart and knew Zaccheus was ready. Imagine just hoping for a glimpse of Jesus, but instead he steps right in front of you and declares that he is staying with you that day in your home. That is the grace and mercy of our Lord God. O hallelujah, what a Savior! After his transparency about his own struggle with sin, Paul declares this:
²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:24)

When Jesus first comes to each one of us, He is the guest of a sinner. But when we receive Him as Lord and Savior, when we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead; we are saved. O how great this salvation, how miraculous and indescribable is the love of our God. So dear believer, let us always look upon one another with the grace and mercy we have received from God. May we pour out this mercy and grace every time we encounter one another. I need it so much. Don’t you? Have a blessed and encouraging day in Christ, my friends.