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The story of Zacchaeus teaches us the importance of examining our hearts as we seek purity, humility and restoration.

I have a grandson named Zacchaeus, so I have known that the name Zacchaeus means pure and innocent. As I woke up a few mornings ago, the name Zacchaeus and its meaning came to mind, so I decided to look up the story of Zacchaeus in the Bible (Luke 19:1-10) and see if there are any lessons that we can draw from it — especially in the light of the fact that during the month of October we were praying for sexual purity, innocence and restoration.

Here are some things I gleaned from the story:

1. No one is beyond redemption
2. Jesus was willing to associate with Zacchaeus
3. Zacchaeus was willing to make amends for his past and turn his life around, and on the strength of this Jesus said “Truly, salvation has come to this house today.”

Recalling that Zacchaeus was a tax collector, I remembered another parable about a tax collector and a Pharisee, and proceeded to read about it in Luke 18:9-14.

The Pharisee had said to himself, “I thank God that I am not like other men and certainly not like this tax collector,” and listed all the good things that he had done. By contrast, the tax collector beat his chest and pleaded with God for mercy. And Jesus said, “I tell you the tax collector went home justified rather than the Pharisee,” and that “those who humble themselves will be exalted and those who exalt themselves will be humbled.”

This got me wondering whether Jesus was depicting Zacchaeus as the tax collector in Luke 18, and whether Jesus had seen Zacchaeus repenting in the synagogue just prior to seeing him in the sycamore tree ? The Bible doesn’t fill in these gaps, but I thought it was an interesting possibility.

Another strange observation I made was that both of these narratives appear only in the gospel of Luke and none of the other gospels. Was Luke the only witness of these events?

Repenting of a Pharisaical Attitude

For me personally, these reflections highlighted to me the necessity of not having a pharisaical attitude to the little things in my life — the things that hold me back from living the life that God wants for me.

Here’s a little list of applications for couples living married lives in the way that God would have them. Most of these relate to me and some of them do not. Conversely, I imagine some will relate to you and some will not.

Ingratitude: For helpful things done for me.

Self-centredness: Failure to see things from any other point of view but my own.

Worldliness: Worrying about what other people will think of me if I admit I am not perfect.

Perfectionism: Being afraid that if something is not perfect, people will judge me.

Anger: Allowing little things to niggle me and take my joy away.

Thoughtlessness: Failing to see how what I say and do affects other people.

Holding grudges: Failing to forgive instantly, which leads to that quiet despair that is a real joy-killer.

Criticism: Another joy killer.

Judgmentalism, arrogance, hypocrisy, pride, prayerlessness, rebellion, taking my sense of self-worth from what other people say about me rather than what God says about me… the list goes on.

I don’t think that anyone ever gets to the point where they say, “That’s it, I’m perfect now.” We may not be drug addicts or axe-wielding murderers or rapists, but while we live on earth, there certainly are now and always will be things we can work on. “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked — who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

In Romans 2:3-11 (NKJV), we see how seriously God sees evil:

And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honour, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness–indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honour, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.

So let’s start this revival that we are praying for by looking at our own hearts to see if there is any wicked way in us, and pleading with God to cleanse us from hidden faults and to lead us in the way everlasting.

Let us ask God to shine His light into even the deepest recesses of our hearts, and trust Him to forgive and heal us. Remember that He is the loving Father, depicted in the parable of the prodigal son as a man searching the horizon continually for his son and defying the norms of the day, actually running to meet his son when he returned, and restored to his son his previous standing within the household.

Prayer

Dear Lord God, we ask that You would search our hearts and try our ways and see if there is any wicked way in us. Lord, we yield our lives to You so that we can be led in the way everlasting and be pleasing to You. Amen.