Day 6 – When Jesus Came Home with Zacchaeus

Jericho was a busy city—filled with trade, wealth, and ambition. Among its crowds lived a man short in stature but large in greed: Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector. He was wealthy but empty, powerful yet despised. When he heard Jesus was passing by, curiosity—or perhaps longing—drove him to climb a tree to see Him.

As Jesus approached, He looked up and called him by name:

“Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” (Luke 19:5 ESV)

That single word—today—changed his eternity. Jesus didn’t settle for being observed from afar; He chose to enter Zacchaeus’s life.

Zacchaeus climbed down joyfully, but the crowd grumbled: “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” (Luke 19:7 ESV) Yet that’s the very heart of the gospel: Jesus enters where others refuse to go. As He said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick — I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17 ESV)

The encounter transformed Zacchaeus. His repentance was visible: “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” (Luke 19:8 ESV) He wasn’t buying forgiveness; his changed heart was proof of grace. Tim Keller once said, “Repentance is not only feeling sorry for sin—it is replacing the idol that ruled your heart with the glory of God.” Zacchaeus had found a new treasure.

Jesus declared, “Today salvation has come to this house.” (Luke 19:9 ESV) Salvation didn’t wait for Zacchaeus to perform; it arrived with Jesus Himself. As Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV) reminds us, “By grace you have been saved through faith.… It is the gift of God, not a result of works.” The faith that saves is also the faith that transforms. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV)

John Piper wrote, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” Zacchaeus discovered a joy that wealth could never provide. In a single day, he went from being enslaved to money to being free in Christ. His joy was not fleeting emotion—it was the lasting gladness of one who has been found by grace.

Advent reminds us that Jesus still does the same. He enters homes and hearts that others overlook. Christ doesn’t demand perfection before He comes in; His presence transforms what it touches. The story of Zacchaeus teaches us that salvation isn’t the end of a human search—it’s the beginning of God’s pursuit.

Practical Reflection:

• What parts of your life is Jesus asking you to surrender?
• Does your faith bear visible fruit like Zacchaeus’s?
  
  Pray:

“Lord, come into my home. Break my idols and fill my heart with the joy of Your salvation.”