And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:9,10 ESV

A sinful, short, cheating tax collector climbs up into a tree one day as Jesus passed through Jericho. He was not just any tax collector, but he was the chief tax collector, despised by his own people for his underhanded and greedy ways in defrauding them of money while working for the Roman government. We do not know what this man knew of Jesus or what he had heard in its entirety. What we do know is that he ran ahead of the crowd and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus. This man was Zacchaeus, and he would not only see Jesus, but he would receive the gift of salvation found only through faith in Christ alone. This man would be a demonstration to others that a rich man could indeed enter the kingdom of God because with God all things are possible (Luke 18:24-27).

This beautiful account found in Luke 19:1-10 is an example of a sinner being sought by Jesus Christ and ultimately receiving salvation. This past Sunday, we heard a corporate message concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ and expository preaching from Luke 18 with the blind beggar and Luke 19 with Zacchaeus. While taking notes, there were things which stood out to me that our pastor ministered. When talking about Zacchaeus, he noted that he referred to Jesus as Lord, which would have been in reference to God. Zacchaeus expressed personal worship to God, and a change in his conduct was evident before God in his confession to right what had been done in sin. You see, Zacchaeus was doing as Luke 3:8 says, which is he was bearing fruit in keeping with repentance. He recognized his sin before the Lord, and he wanted to do good works in order to honor the Lord (Ephesians 2:10). The works did not save Him. Only Jesus Christ could forgive him and save him. By his confession before Jesus, it was evident to Him that Zacchaeus had an inward change of heart and genuine salvation had come to Zacchaeus.

We do not know what was said to Zacchaeus from the time Jesus came to his house leading up to his confession and resolution of past sins. Maybe he had heard the message Jesus proclaimed after his time in the wilderness, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 4:17) Scripture does not tell us. What we do know is that this man received the good news concerning Jesus Christ and his life was transformed. Repentance and a circumcised heart desiring to please God and to glorify Him was evident before his Lord and Savior.

This is the crux of the matter, the heart of the matter. Pun slightly intended. With all seriousness, the true gospel of Jesus Christ changes the heart. It was a good reminder to hear during this corporate message Sunday that “The gospel is not about being good or doing better. The heart is where the gospel takes root and grows.” There is a sobriety of acknowledging rebellion and sin before a just Judge, and there is tremendous joy and comfort found in our glorious Savior who has satisfied the wrath of God by His death on the cross and who has given us the promise of eternal life through His resurrection. God knows our hearts, and that should sober us in a reverential way. Without Christ, my heart is desperately wicked. This is why I need Him. This is why you need Him. Our sins they are many. His mercy is more.

Luke 5:31,32 tells of Jesus eating with another dreadful tax collector and those who grumbled about his decision to do so and His response, ““Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” Enter Zacchaeus and every one of us. The gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ is the healing balm for the spiritual sickness of sin plaguing humanity. Repentance is a gift unmerited, and peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ is unattainable by our own abilities and works. Our salvation is not found in our personal decision, the card we filled out, the altar call we walked, or the sinner’s prayer we prayed. What if these things are done with no heart transplant from stone to flesh that can only come from the Lord? What if another gospel is presented giving a false sense of peace with God without bearing fruit in keeping with repentance? When we begin to meditate on passages telling us of the Father drawing us to the Son and the work of the Holy Spirit to convict us and conform us to the image of Christ, we begin to understand more of the sovereignty of God and His grace and mercy. We begin to see clearly our need for God and not the reverse.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is vital for those of us who are saved and those who are unbelievers. We never graduate from hearing the gospel. We are reminded of what Jesus Christ has done, and we understand the Word of God’s continual message both in the Old and New Testament. The Word testifies of Christ. It is Christ centered. To some, hearing the gospel message is elementary. To the believer in Christ, it is foundational. Without a proper foundation, the building crumbles. What I love about the story of Zacchaeus and Jesus is the simplicity of the gospel and the salvation that came to this man. Jesus makes it clear that He is the One who seeks and saves the lost. He is the Champion. He is the Victor, our glorious Lord and Savior. He is the One we long to see and to worship, and His gospel is to be proclaimed in hopes that salvation will come to those who hear the truth and that they will receive it joyfully.