All Saints Day…November 1st, 2026…Luke 19:1-10…We are Zacchaeus Saints: Saint and Sinner
1 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” 8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ: mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you, Amen
INJ Who for our sakes became poor that we, through Him, might receive the riches of heaven, DFR:
What do you think of when you hear the term saint? Those of you who have been around Lutheran teaching for some time probably know that it is any person who has called upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. But that isn’t how the term is typically viewed. Usually, saint is a term used to describe those who were heroes of the faith – those who abounded in good works and even potential miracles that they are far and above holier than other Christians.
It is true that some Christians endure a much more difficult life than others – suffering for the sake of the Gospel, and that these will receive a great reward in heaven. But the Bible teaches us an important lesson about what makes a saint. Zacchaeus was the last person you would think of as a saint, and yet he boldly confessed his faith in Jesus. He was a saint. That didn’t mean he stopped sinning. In fact, he was still 100% a sinner in need of Jesus’ forgiveness. That is the lesson that God teaches us on sainthood through Zacchaeus. We are simul Justus et simul peccator. Simultaneously sinner and justified. To be a saint is not to be holier than any other, but rather what unites all saints in heaven and on earth: Faith in Jesus as our Redeemer from sin.
May the Holy Spirit bless our study of His Word this morning, Amen.
1 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.
It was not all that uncommon for Jews to serve as Roman tax collectors, but it was not a job to be taken lightly. Holding such a position meant that you were viewed as a traitor to your own people. But it was also lucrative if you were morally compromised.
Zacchaeus became very wealthy in his position, and by his own admission in verse 8, he was one to line his own pockets by overcharging his people and keeping the leftover. But that lifestyle was about to change. Word had gotten to him about a man named Jesus who was worth seeing.
What would Zacchaeus have heard? That this Man eats with sinners and tax collectors! This Rabbi is not like the other Jewish leaders who shun people like him and who claim to be holier than any other. This Jesus welcomes those who carry guilt, who have a laundry list of sin following them, and He comforts them with forgiveness by His grace. Every time Jesus welcomes sinners and tax collectors – He is welcoming those who are convicted of their sin and seek salvation in Him. This struck a chord with Zacchaeus. He was a Jew and he knew God’s Law. He knew what he was doing was sinful. Having heard that Jesus was passing by, he had to see for himself.
3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.
At first, Zacchaeus is deterred. The crowds are so great, he cannot see over them. But this is where faith takes over. He went around the crowds, climbing up into a tree just to see Jesus! Surely the crowds ridiculed him, a prominent tax collector acting like an impulsive boy. But none of that mattered if he could just see Jesus.
5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”
Was it accidental that Jesus looked into the tree as He passed by Zacchaeus? Not at all. Jesus knew that Zacchaeus would be in that tree before He got to it. More than that, He knew all about this tax collector, even the very state of his soul. Nor did anyone need to tell Him of the faith that had been planted in this man’s heart by hearing about Jesus and that led him to scramble into such a position. John tells us in his Gospel that Jesus knew what was in a man.
How astonished Zacchaeus must have been! Not only did the Lord know his name and see the faith that had started in heart, but also that Jesus called him down to stay at his house. Zacchaeus was acutely aware of the many sins that plagued his heart. He had not given a care to the Law of Moses for quite some time. There is no way he could be accepted into the company of the holy, sinless Messiah.
Naturally that is how we think, isn’t it? It is impossible to look at the life of Jesus and not see how pitiful we have been in keeping God’s Law. It is bad enough that we don’t fear, love, and trust in God above all things, or that we flippantly use His name as a curse or meaningless rabble. But we can’t even love our neighbor as ourself. How many times did Jesus speak or act thinking only about Himself and not about how it might affect those around Him? None. What about you and me? We are Zacchaeus saints since we are 100% sinful and would be justified in thinking that there is no way we could be in the company of the Holy God because of it. Do we even belong in the same category as Paul? Or Peter? Or Polycarp or Ignatius? All who were faithful to God even in martyrdom?
Zacchaeus would have been unworthy if he remained in the tree. He would have been left to his own guilt as 100% a sinner and nothing else – the same position we would be in if it were not for Jesus’ invitation. For here, Jesus was urging Zacchaeus to hurry to His side and inviting Himself to be a guest in the house of such a wretched sinner as he. The Savior proved to Zacchaeus that He had come to receive sinners in grace – not demanding works of righteousness, but faith. And Zacchaeus’ faith responded to this grace with great joy in bringing Jesus to his home.
This displeased the crowds who accused Jesus of going to the house of a well-known sinner. How could He be the Messiah and make His company with the likes of Zacchaeus? The Christian Church faces the same accusations, doesn’t it? When someone has committed gross sins, yet repents and professes their faith in Jesus, we welcome them, even as Jesus does. The self-righteousness of the crowd, and in our case the world, cannot see that Jesus’ reception of such sinners does not put a stamp of approval on their actions – Jesus did not approve of Zacchaeus’ lying and stealing nor does He approve of the sins we commit on the daily. When it comes to entering the gates of eternal life, Jesus sees what is truly in a man’s heart. Not who is the worst sinner or the most righteous saint. If that were the case, we all would be shut out. Rather, assurance that Jesus knows you on that day is alone faith in His name. For this we skip ahead to verse 9:
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; Jesus reassures Zacchaeus of his eternal salvation, not because he promised to give away his money or repay those he stole from, but because he is a son of Abraham. Jesus is not talking about being a physical descendant of Abraham, but as Paul describes in Galatians 3, 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. Abraham believed in the promise of the great descendant of his who would bring the blessing of salvation to all nations. Zacchaeus confessed his faith in the same descendant who was a guest in his house! Thus, Jesus gives this benediction to Zacchaeus’ faith. Assuring him that in the courtroom of heaven, God has judged him as not guilty for the sake of Jesus’ perfect righteousness given to his account. Zacchaeus is 100% a saint.
Jesus speaks the same benediction on your faith today. All who call upon the name of Jesus for salvation – no matter what you have done in your past, no matter what sins you struggle with now, you have been declared not guilty by God in heaven. How is that possible? In the heavenly courtroom, God drained your account of all sin and guilt-debt charged against you and He laid upon Him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all. On the cross, Jesus paid for those sins with His innocent blood. But God didn’t stop there. God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” He credits Jesus’ righteousness back to your account so that you are overflowing with an alien righteousness – that is, a righteousness that is outside of yourself; reliant upon Christ’s work and not our own!
That is what makes us Zacchaeus saints – and every other Christian the same. God in His divine mercy has removed the filth of our unrighteousness and clothes us in robes washed white in the blood of the Lamb. Though we struggle in this life being sinners, sin and guilt cannot overturn the verdict God has declared over you: where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Are you worthy to be called a Zacchaeus saint? Jesus assured Zacchaeus, The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. The whole world was in a lost condition because of sin. Jesus came to save the world. Just a few days after He spoke these words, He would ride into Jerusalem as our victorious King and finish the work of redemption that forgives sin and gives hope to us for eternal life. Yes, you are worthy to become a Zacchaeus saint. Not because you have a righteousness that earned it, but because you are a sinner whom Jesus sought, found, and purchased with His own blood. So we are united with the heroes of faith like Paul and Peter, Polycarp and Ignatius, and all other saints – whether martyrs or faithful confessors of our Christ Jesus. We are all sinners saved by His grace and His righteousness.
So what does it mean to be in the communion of saints? It to be joined with the great multitude John sees in Revelation 7, who have been clothed in robes washed white the blood of the Lamb confessing Jesus as Lord over all, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” There is a difference between those in glory and us: The body of sin that affects us all has been removed. They are only 100% saint. This isn’t really a difference, but another promise that unites us. To all of God’s warriors – to all Zacchaeus saints, this too is your future. The golden evening brightens in the west; Soon, soon, to faithful warriors cometh rest. Sweet is the calm of Paradise the blest. Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
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