seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Luke 19:1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
11 While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12 He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas.[a] ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’
14 “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’
15 “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.
16 “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’
17 “‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’
18 “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’
19 “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’
20 “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’
22 “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’
24 “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
25 “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
26 “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 27 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”
28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.”
35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”[b]
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
45 When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. 46 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’[c]; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’[d]”
47 Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. 48 Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.
a. Luke 19:13 A mina was about three months’ wages.
b. Luke 19:38 Psalm 118:26
c. Luke 19:46 Isaiah 56:7
d. Luke 19:46 Jer. 7:11
Once again.... I went to the easy English site and the enduringword.com site.
According to the enduringword.com site.... Zacchaeus was different.
He looked up and saw him: Because Zacchaeus worked hard and risked embarrassment to see Jesus, Jesus saw him and did not pass him by. In the best sense, Zacchaeus stood out to Jesus, and Jesus connected with Him.
He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner: The people (they all, not only the religious leaders) thought Jesus had gone too far by associating with a man as bad as Zacchaeus – so they protested.
As I read this chapter and the commentary.... Bernie Sanders comes to mind. No... I do not claim that Bernie Sanders is as important as Jesus... by any stretch of the imagination.... I'm thinking more about the people who supported the message. Bernie Sanders was running on a "good for everyone" campaign. The people who supported Bernie want change.... they wanted social change.... education, medicine, and jobs. The people who supported Bernie wanted a better life.... a hand up... I heard a few people call Bernie Sanders the idealistic candidate. They really expected Bernie to wow every crowd and earn every vote.... He was a good man... what could go wrong. The people wanted change.... that's the point.Jesus knew what was going to happen. His disciples wanted Him to destroy Rome's hold on Jerusalem.... but that wasn't going to be the case... in fact.... in a few years.... Rome would completely destroy Jerusalem. Jesus knew that. Jesus also knew the people who supported Him would be truly disappointed. Jesus knew they expected Him to miraculously take the throne and rid them of Rome. Jesus knew that... but Jesus was there to take care of a bigger problem.... the death problem. Jesus had to go to the Cross and then be laid in a tomb..... and then Jesus had to walk out... Rome was an enemy of the people.... yes indeed.... but dying was a bigger problem.... and just like Jesus knew the tax collector would climb the tree.... or the donkey would be waiting.... Jesus knew the people would not be happy when they saw Him on the Cross. They would think He had failed them.
Plenty of preachers have accomplished plenty of sermons on what to do with money. I heard one preacher tell his crowd that it was their duty to be rich because the people outside his church were watching. Apparently they thought that the amount of money in their bank accounts was some kind of sign of the degree of their "goodness". In this chapter.... one of the people was really good at business... and he made out. Now there was apparently a guy who mistrusted banks.... he wouldn't even put the money in the bank for fear of loosing it.... sounds like that guy put his coins under the mattress for safe keeping. In the parable... the king was so upset about how this man hid his treasure... that he took it away from him. I wonder... did that guy give a sigh of relief?
One last thought..... there were the guys in the parable.... who didn't want to serve the king. In the parable... the king had them all put to death... lined them up and killed them. Just like Jesus knew that Romans would lay siege to Jerusalem after He went to the Cross.... He also knew that we... His humans.... would decide not to follow Him. Well... that's ok.... apparently.... because the ones who choose to hide their faith [like the guy who didn't trust the banks] or chose to despise Jesus [as the Pharisees and the teachers in the Temples].... will have everything taken from them.... including their eternity.
Jesus has entered Jerusalem..... The Romans don't like the crowds He is drawing..... The Temple leaders don't like the financial damage He inflicted when He drove out the money changers.... and they were jealous of Him.
That's ok.... He's only here to save the lost.....
