Genuine Conversion Produces a Renewed Heart

It was marked by joy (v.5,6)

Luke 19:5-6 says, ‘And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.’

As Jesus passed the place where Zacchaeus was up in that tree, Jesus stopped and began to speak to Zacchaeus—our Lord issued a call to this little man! Verse 5 says, ‘And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.’

Indeed, this call of Jesus would result in an eternal change of life for this tax collector, and it gave him unspeakable joy he had never experienced in his life! Though the Scripture is silent, it is not hard to imagine that Zacchaeus must have said something like this when Jesus called his name: ‘Me, you mean, me, the one on the tree?!’

He must have almost fallen off the tree when he heard Jesus call his name! It is also very likely that few people called Zacchaeus by name because the name Zacchaeus which derived from the Hebrew word ‘Zakkai’ means ‘Pure’. Instead of calling him ‘pure,’ most people probably had some nasty and sarcastic little tags for him like: ‘that whinny little man’ or ‘that Roman tax dog.’ But when Jesus saw him, not as he was, but as penitent and humbled person who came to him to seek His grace—the words of Jesus must have given unspeakable joy to Zacchaeus! (Luke 19:6)

According to God’s revealed word, by nature no man is able to receive Jesus with joy (Romans 3:11). A natural man hates God. Man hates God because His law condemns his sins (John 3:19). But what we see in Luke 19 is a man renewed by the Spirit of God who was enabled to receive the Lord joyfully.

At some point of time, Zacchaeus was a new man because the Spirit of God had enabled Him to receive our Lord joyfully. Zacchaeus was joyful because he knew that he was a sinner, and he also knew that only Jesus could forgive his sin and has forgiven his sins.

So, Jesus did not have to ask, ‘Zaccky, do you believe that I can forgive sin?’ No, Jesus knew the hearts of man because He is God Himself who is omniscient. We are told in Luke 6:8 that Jesus knew the thoughts of man, including the hypocritical and self-righteous Pharisees of his days. And, if Zacchaeus were as hypocritical as many of the Pharisees in his days, Jesus could have called him, ‘Thou hypocrite! Get down the tree and repent of your sin!’ But Jesus knew that Zacchaeus had faith in Him and believed that He could forgive his sins and his sins were forgiven!

Genuine Conversion Produces A New Code of Conduct (vv.7-10)

It was marked by placability (v.7)

The word placability means forgivingness, mercifulness; state of being easily appeased, state of being easily pacified. When the spectators in the street heard that Jesus was to be Zacchaeus’ guest of honour, some murmured of Jesus, ‘…that he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner’ (Luke 19:7).

It is very likely that Zacchaeus could have overheard what they had said, but the Bible did not mention any of his response or reply. Perhaps, Zacchaeus didn’t care, but more likely it is because Zacchaeus’ joy overshadowed every sarcastic comment he heard from the crowd.  Zacchaeus could have a reason to get angry over these people, but he did not. Zacchaeus was a different man. He was already a new man when he placed his faith in Jesus Christ and he had learned to forgive despite the criticism, accusations and backbiting of people.

It was marked by generosity (v.8a)

It is also marvellous to read how God transformed Zacchaeus from a pathetic miser to a generous philanthropist. Having experienced peace from the forgiveness and the unfathomable grace and immeasurable love of God, Zacchaeus resolved to do what is right with his wealth and he said, ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor…’ (19:8a). Imagine how Zacchaeus went into his secret chamber or his safety box and started distributing his wealth to the poor, and after which he said he would give half of his goods or money to them!

There is no doubt Zacchaeus was a ‘new man’. A new man who knew how to share God’s blessings he had received with others. Indeed, like what the Apostle Paul says, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’ (Acts 20:25). Today, God’s people can also exhibit their generosity by sharing some of their time and resources that they have received from God with others who are in need.

It is always encouraging to see God’s people give to the cause of God’s kingdom. Zacchaeus gave because he knew how much God loves him, even a sinner like him. Similarly, Christians today who love the Lord should also be generous. Because they know what the Lord has done for them, and they find it unimaginably hard to reconcile if they don’t give back a portion of what they have abundantly received from the Lord. Let us be generous in giving our resources, talents, gifts, time and energy for the right cause! 

By Rev David Weng

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