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The words of the Lord in the text that we have just read best summarize the account recorded in Luke 19:1-9, which is a very familiar passage about Zacchaeus and of how he went out of his way to meet the Lord. As you can see, beginning in verse one, we read: “And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was, and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way.”

Looking at this passage before us, we would have the tendency to focus and highlight all that Zacchaeus has done to meet the Lord. We would always have that fascination with how Zacchaeus indeed went out of his way, attempting, desiring, even determining in his heart that he would see the Lord. But somehow, as you can see in verse three, “He sought to see Jesus who he was, but he could not for the press.” It tells us that, much as he wanted to see the Lord, he was being hindered by a good number of the crowd, the multitude that was gathered around the Lord. And what else do we know about his condition? Look at the last part of verse three: “He was little of stature.” That simply means that he was not great in height, that he indeed struggled a lot just to see the Lord.

Because of such a condition and in such a situation, Zacchaeus thought upon himself that he would rather go and find a vantage point in which he could see the Lord. And so we read in verse four: “And he ran before and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way.” In anticipation, Zacchaeus thought to himself, “If I could not make it squeezing in through the crowd, I might as well find myself a place where I can have a clear view of the Lord.” And as you can see, he anticipated that the Lord was going to pass that way. He thought of going ahead of the Lord and climbing up the tree where he would have a clear view of Him.

Because of such a very impressive attitude that we find in Zacchaeus, people, even preachers, have the tendency to focus and highlight all that Zacchaeus has done to meet the Lord, of how he was so determined to see the Lord, even to go out of his way to climb a sycomore tree. Yes, that is how we would often consider this passage, and that is how we would usually look at it. But what many of us often fail to see is that this meeting between Zacchaeus and the Lord was actually a divine appointment. It was not by chance nor by accident, but a divine appointment. Yes, even Zacchaeus himself did not have any idea about it. All along, he thought that he was seeking after the Lord, when it was really the Lord seeking after him.

It was part of God's plan for the Lord to meet Zacchaeus at this point of time, in that particular place, with Zacchaeus in that particular position up on the sycomore tree. Yes, it may be an awkward situation, but that was God's appointed time for the Lord to find Zacchaeus in that particular place, in that particular position, up there on the sycomore tree. Looking closely at our text, I want us to consider three things.

Firstly, I want us to look at the Lord's calling of Zacchaeus. Look with me in verse five as I read: “And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him and said unto him, ‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must abide at thy house.’” I want us to look carefully at the verse, for there's just too much information in here that can help us see for ourselves how the Lord makes His call. There are just so many things in here that would help us better understand how the Lord would indeed call sinners unto repentance.

Firstly, notice that the Lord's calling is personal. Yes, the Lord's calling is personal. Notice how the Lord called Zacchaeus by name. Look again: “And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him and said unto him, ‘Zacchaeus.’” Yes, I want us to see for ourselves that Jesus, as He walked along the path and came to the place— in reference to the particular place where the sycomore tree was and where Zacchaeus was—looked up. Notice carefully the verse: “Jesus came to the place, and then He looked up.” The verse did not mention anything that caught the Lord's attention that caused Him to look up. It simply says: “And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw Zacchaeus.” Yes, this is indeed part of God's plan for the Lord to meet Zacchaeus at this point in time, in that particular place, with Zacchaeus in that particular position, up on the sycomore tree. And as you can see, Jesus called Zacchaeus by name.

You could just imagine how Zacchaeus must have felt when the Lord called him by name. Perhaps Zacchaeus must have thought to himself, “How did He know my name? How did He know that I'm up here? How did He know my name?” Yes, Zacchaeus must have been surprised, if not shocked, to hear the Lord calling him. And as I have said, the Lord's calling is personal. He calls Zacchaeus by name. You know, my dear brothers and sisters, the Lord's calling is very much the same as with His calling upon every sinner to come to repentance. One thing about God's calling is that it is not collective. It is not general but a personal call, an individual call.

The Lord, in the Gospel of John, when He introduced Himself as the Good Shepherd, said in verse 27 of John chapter 10: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them.” True to what we see of the Lord calling upon Zacchaeus, the Lord's calling is personal. Notice also how the Lord's calling is persistent. Look again in verse five: “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down.” One thing about the Lord's calling is that sense of urgency. Just when you think that it was Zacchaeus who was determined and persistent to see the Lord, notice the Lord urging him: “Make haste and come down.”

As you can remember, Jesus was passing by, and when He came to this place, He looked up and saw Zacchaeus. And seeing Zacchaeus, He called him by name, and calling him by name, He told him to make haste and come down. It is interesting how the Lord was persistent in telling Zacchaeus: “Make haste and come down.” This is not about the Lord telling Zacchaeus, “Come down, for you might fall. Come down, for you might injure yourself.” His calling was persistent because His calling comes with a purpose. Yes, as you can see, the Lord was calling upon Zacchaeus to come down quickly for this very reason, for this very purpose.

Look with me again at the next part of verse five: “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must abide at thy house.” Notice the words of the Lord: “For today I must abide at thy house.” “For today,” meaning at this exact point in time. Yes, as I have been saying, this meeting of Zacchaeus and the Lord was not an accident, nor was it by chance, but it was indeed a divine appointment. “For today,” not tomorrow, not the following day, not next week, but “for today.” Why? “I must abide at thy house.” Yes, the Lord's calling is not only personal and persistent, the Lord's calling is purposeful.

There is a very particular purpose, and in this case, we see it: “I must abide at thy house.” Later on, we realize that the Lord would not just abide in the house of Zacchaeus, for the Lord will eventually abide in his heart. Indeed, “now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation.” With such a personal encounter with the Lord, you may wonder how Zacchaeus responded. And so, from the Lord's calling of Zacchaeus, we move on to consider Zacchaeus’ response to the Lord's call. Look with me this time at verse six.

Verse six reads: “And he made haste and came down and received Him joyfully.” In response to the Lord's persistent call for him to make haste and come down, we read Zacchaeus' response and his prompt response to the Lord's call. Notice how Zacchaeus responded quickly. Look again at verse six: “And he made haste and came down.” With eagerness and excitement, Zacchaeus came down, and he came down fast. He came down quickly, just as the Lord had said: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” True indeed, that was how Zacchaeus responded to the Lord's call. He responded quickly; he did not delay.

Not only did Zacchaeus respond quickly, notice also how Zacchaeus responded joyfully. Again, look with me at verse six: “And he made haste and came down and received Him joyfully.”

While our text highlights the joy of Zacchaeus, please know that there is even greater joy in heaven. This we will find in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15. The Gospel of Luke, chapter 15, is known as the Lost and Found chapter, where we read of the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the parable of the lost son.

It is interesting to note how the Lord said in verse 7, pertaining to the parable of the lost sheep: “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.” In the case of the lost coin, we read in verse 10: “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” And in the case of the lost son, we read in verse 32: “It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.” Yes, there is greater joy in heaven.

Although as we can see here in our text, we find Zacchaeus responding quickly and joyfully, as we read, “and received him joyfully.” If there is greater joy in heaven, brothers and sisters, as a church, this ought to be our joy too—the joy of the harvest of souls, the joy of witnessing, the joy of evangelism, and the joy of missions. As we think about this kind of joy, we too can rejoice, knowing that we have been laboring in the work of the gospel, even partnering together all these years.

We have been thankful to the Lord and thankful to the Lord for the partnership that we have with all of you, our brothers and sisters at Bethel BP Church, in the ministry of the gospel that the Lord has entrusted unto us here in the Philippines. Yes, as a church, we ought to have this kind of joy in our hearts.

True, Zacchaeus responded quickly. Zacchaeus responded joyfully. Look how he responded repentantly. Come with me to verse 8: “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.” As a tax collector who worked for the Roman Empire, Zacchaeus was despised by his own fellow men, from whom he would collect extravagant taxes, more than what he was supposed to. He usually did it by false accusations. He would make up stories to accuse people in order to overcharge them and collect extra from them.

In verse 8, we read of Zacchaeus acknowledging and admitting before the Lord all his wrongdoings, giving us the impression that indeed he felt sorry, even guilty, for all that he had done, and that he was willing to return, even restore, all that he had gained by false accusations fourfold. Yes, he expressed his willingness here to return what he had taken or perhaps stolen from the people fourfold.

In the Old Testament, there is this principle of restitution in which you are to return what you have taken or stolen fourfold, fivefold, or even sevenfold. This is further confirmed by the words of the Lord that indeed Zacchaeus responded in repentance. Notice what the Lord said in verse 9: “And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, for so much as he also is a son of Abraham.”

Notice what the Lord said here: “This day is salvation come to this house.” Jesus declared that Zacchaeus got saved and that he is truly a son of Abraham—not because he was a Jew, a descendant of Abraham, but because Zacchaeus was a true believer, like that of Abraham, the father of all who believe.

With the words of the Lord here, realize that indeed Zacchaeus got saved—not because he gave his money to the poor, not because he returned the money fourfold, and not because he received Jesus into his house, but all because he believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and repented of all his sins. He believed and received Jesus not only into his house but into his life, into his heart. Yes, yes, that was how Zacchaeus responded to the Lord's call. He responded quickly, he responded joyfully, and he responded repentantly.

Moving on with our meditation, there's one more thing that I'd like us to consider from here. We have looked at the Lord's calling of Zacchaeus and have considered Zacchaeus’s response to the Lord's call. I want us to consider the people's reaction to the Lord's calling of Zacchaeus. Look with me at verse 7: “And when they saw it, they” (referring to the people, the crowd, the multitude gathered around the Lord) “all murmured, saying that he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.”

Yes, obviously there were elders, scribes, and Pharisees among the crowd—the self-righteous ones who in their hearts must have thought, “Why would you rather go into the house of sinners? You should be hanging around with us, for we are the righteous ones.” Yes, there were elders and scribes and Pharisees, and they were unhappy, in fact disgusted, that Christ chose to be among sinners, even went into a publican's house, who, in the eyes of the crowd, they considered the worst of men.

Yes, that was how these people murmured and complained, all because Jesus was a guest in the house of a sinner. This kind of attitude has been a common attitude among the self-righteous ones—those who consider themselves holier than others, the spiritual and the religious elite of their time. They would always have this accusation; they would always have this issue against the Lord.

In fact, it is so common in the Gospels. Like in Luke 5:30, we read of how the scribes and the Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, “Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?” Then again in Luke 15:2: “And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.” And here again, in our text, they, when they saw it, all murmured, saying that he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

Yes, that was how the people, the crowd, the self-righteous ones, responded to the Lord's calling of Zacchaeus. In another account in the Gospels involving another publican, we read in Matthew chapter 9—if you are quick, turn your Bibles to Matthew chapter 9, and let's consider verse 9 to verse 13: “And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?”

But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them: “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Yes, true indeed, the Lord has come to seek and to save that which was lost. He has not come for those that are well and whole, but for those that are sick. He indeed has come to call not the righteous, but sinners unto repentance. Indeed, the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost, even as he has come to call sinners unto repentance.

Today, even this morning, if you hear his voice, harden not your heart. Repent from your sins and come to the Saviour. And to the rest of us, may we all be burdened like the Lord to seek and save the lost by sharing with them the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation.