ENCOUNTER with The WEE LITTLE MAN
Luke 19:1-10
A man went for physical checkup and the nurse asked him how much he weighed. He held his stomach in and replied, "160 lbs." She got him on the scales, weighed him and said: "No, your weight is 176 lbs.
The nurse then asked him how tall he was. Standing very straight he answered, "5 feet 10 inches." The nurse measured him and said, no - he was only 5’8".
Then the nurse asked him what his normal blood pressure was. After looking at her for a moment he said, "How can you expect my blood pressure to be normal???
I came in here a tall, slender man and you have already made me short and fat."
Our text is found in (Luke 19:1–10)
1 He entered Jericho and was passing through.
2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus.
He was a chief tax collector and was rich.
3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was,
but on account of the crowd he could not,
because he was small in stature.
4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree
to see him, for he was about to pass that way.
5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up
and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down,
for I must stay at your house today.”
6 So Zacchaeus hurried and came down
and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it,
they all grumbled, “HE has gone in
to be the guest of a man who is A SINNER.”
8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord,
“Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor.
And if I have defrauded anyone of anything,
I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him,
“Today salvation has come to this house,
since he also is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Introduction:
Jericho was bustling that day—crowds pressing in, voices rising, dust swirling. And in the middle of it all was a man who had everything money could buy and nothing his soul truly needed.
Zacchaeus wasn’t just short in stature; he was short on friends, short on integrity, short on hope. Yet something in him longed to see Jesus.
This is a story about a man who climbed a tree to see Jesus—and discovered that Jesus had already been looking for him.
Zacchaeus was A Man Defined by His Past
Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector.
Not just a tax collector—but he was the chief tax collector.
He was wealthy, but his wealth came from exploiting his own people.
And, Because of that
• He was socially rejected
• He was Spiritually isolated
• He was Morally compromised
• And Zacchaeus was Personally empty
The People of that time saw the negative label placed on Zacchaeus.
Jesus saw his longing to belong and fit in.
Every congregation has people like Zacchaeus—
some hiding in plain sight,
some hiding behind success,
some hiding behind shame.
And many of them are quietly climbing trees, hoping to catch a glimpse of grace.
When Zacchaeus Climbs the Sycamore Tree
He is displaying A Picture of Spiritual Hunger
Despite his reputation, Zacchaeus ran ahead of the crowd and climbed a tree.
Running was undignified. Climbing was childish.
But desperation often looks foolish to the world.
But in the actions displayed by Zacchaeus I believe he teaches us something essential:
Spiritual hunger is the first step toward spiritual healing.
He didn’t know what he was looking for.
But he knew what he had wasn’t enough.
Then we see Jesus Stop, Look Up, and Call His Name
This is the turning point.
Jesus stops under the tree.
He looks up. He calls Zacchaeus by name.
He invites Himself to Zacchaeus’s house.
This is grace in motion.
Jesus doesn’t say: “Clean up your life, then I’ll come.”
He says: “I’m coming in—and that will clean your life.”
Grace always precedes transformation.
And notice: Zacchaeus climbed the tree to see Jesus.
But Jesus came to seek Zacchaeus.
I was very surprised by the reaction of the crowd that was present.
The Crowd Grumbles: It seems that Grace for some reason…
Offends the Self Righteous
When Jesus chooses Zacchaeus, the crowd mutters: “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
They weren’t wrong.
They were just blind to their own need.
The gospel appears to look scandalous to those who think they don’t need it.
But Zacchaeus Responds with Radical Repentance
Zacchaeus stands and declares:
• “Half my possessions I give to the poor.”
• “If I have cheated anyone, I will repay fourfold.”
This is not guilt. This is not religious pressure.
This is joy filled repentance.
Grace doesn’t just forgive sin—it breaks its power.
Zacchaeus didn’t change to earn Jesus’ love.
He changed because he had already received it.
And then comes the declaration that
“Today salvation has come to this house.”
Not someday. Not after a probation period.
Not once Zacchaeus proved himself.
Today, right now…. Salvation has come.
salvation is not a reward for good behavior.
It is the presence of Jesus entering a life.
The Mission of Jesus is summed up in One Sentence
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
This is the heartbeat of the gospel.
This is the mission of the church.
This is the hope of every Zacchaeus in every generation.
Jesus seeks.
Jesus saves.
Jesus restores.
Where Are We in the Story?
Every person is somewhere in this narrative:
• Some are found In the crowd, curious but distant
• Some have climbed the tree, longing but unsure
• Some are sitting with Jesus In the house, receiving grace
• Some are In the middle of the transformation, living out repentance
• And then there are those who make up the crowd Grumbling, blaming others for their problems forgetting their own need for mercy
As I prepared this sermon a song from years back came to mind:
It was sung by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel
" I've built walls
A fortress deep and mighty
That none may penetrate
I have no need of friendship, friendship causes pain
It's laughter and it's loving I disdain
I am a rock, I am an island
I have my books
And my poetry to protect me
I am shielded in my armor
Hiding in my room, safe within my womb,
I touch no one and no one touches me.
I am a rock, I am… an island
("I Am A Rock")
That’s how I picture Zacchaeus –
a lonely, isolated man who has everything...
except what he really wants.
And then Jesus comes to town.
Now, the real question is…
What does the story of Zacchaeus tell us?
It tells us there are people in this world that are hurting.
And they are often men and women that behave in ways that aren’t particularly endearing.
They’re often not cute puppy dog types with big soft eyes that say -"won’t you take me home?"
They are rough people. Hard edged and rude.
And they’ll try to swindle you in a business deal or rip you off when you’re not looking.
Inside, they are little people who’ve built walls around themselves.
Walls laced with barbed wire.
They’re often NOT nice people.
AND even though they know that being like this isn’t right…
They believe that’s what life has to offer…
And If they let down the walls, if they are nice to someone for even a moment –
they’ll get hurt and lose the protection that has for so long comforted them.
Their walls are up and they know of nothing better for their lives…
That is, until Jesus comes.
That’s what Paul wrote about in 1st Corinthians 6:9-11
"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit
the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived:
Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters
nor adulterers nor male prostitutes
nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy
nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers
will inherit the kingdom of God.
And that is what some of you were.
But you were washed, you were sanctified,
you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
and by the Spirit of our God."
And, One last thing I want us to notice –
Jesus came looking for Zacchaeus.
He knew where he lived.
He knew the turmoil in Zacchaeus’ heart.
He came to make a difference in the life a man who was small, petty and bitter.
If Jesus would go to all that trouble for a man like Zacchaeus, wouldn’t he do the same for your life?
I will close today’s lesson with a story about a man named Big Jim. Big Jim was the head of an orphanage, & he had a great ability to make people feel good about themselves.
If there was a little kid with unruly hair, he had the ability to make that child believe that everybody wanted unruly hair.
If a kid had big feet, why he made him think that everybody envied him, that it was the "in" thing to have big feet.
He just had the ability to make everybody feel good about themselves, regardless of their physical appearance.
Well, one day when Big Jim was out buying groceries, the social worker brought a new boy to be cared for in the orphanage, a little boy about 9 years old who had an ugly birthmark on the side of his face.
The kid had been abused, nobody seemed to love or accept him, & he was filled with hostility.
Well, when she left him, the boy began cursing her & everybody around him.
Then he went over to the corner, sat down & sulked.
He wouldn’t talk to anybody, not even the other kids.
The kids wondered what Big Jim would do when he came back. Finally, they heard his old station wagon pull up, & they all rushed to the door, greeting him & hugging him as they always did.
Big Jim walked into the room & there was this little boy crouched in the corner, with the ugly birthmark on his face.
Big Jim said, "Well, what do we have here?"
Someone replied, "The social worker just dropped him off.”
"Well, well," said Big Jim.
He walked over to that little boy & knelt down beside him.
Then he swooped him up in his arms & kissed him right on that birthmark.
All the kids started clapping, because they knew that if Big Jim kissed the birthmark it was all right. It made it beautiful, just because Big Jim said it was.
People, that is what God has done.
His love has covered us completely so that He doesn’t see the ugly parts of us any more.
We are beautiful in God’s sight.
He has made us beautiful.
If you’re here & are experiencing the loneliness of rejection, then I want you to know
that God looks beyond all those things that people might consider ugly & unattractive.
He looks at your heart.
He looks for love. He looks for repentance.
And He looks for commitment.
If you have those things, you’re beautiful in God’s sight.
If you don’t have them, God wants to take you in His arms, the same way that Big Jim took the little boy in his, & make you all new again.
The good news is this:
Jesus is still stopping under trees.
He is Still calling names.
He is Still entering homes.
He is Still saving the lost.
And He still delights in turning sinners into sons, outcasts into disciples, and broken stories into testimonies of grace.
We extend the Lord’s invitation.
We invite you to come as we stand & sing.
