This is one of the most beloved stories in Sunday School...and its teaching is absolute heresy in the modern church. Here we see Jesus declare salvation by works. Zacchaeus in an effort to please Jesus does something, he acknowledges his sin, makes a behavioral change, acts on it and Jesus declares salvation has come to his house. But how can this be?
The story of Zacchaeus is the light at the end of a dark tunnel, a real answer to the parable of the rich young ruler, a real outworking of the parable of the prodigal son, the unfolding of the parable of the dishonest manager before the very eyes of onlookers. It sums up the themes of the issue with riches and what to do about it, why Jesus is hanging out with such 'sinners', faith that recognizes Jesus as Lord and as a result discovers repentance, reconciliation and new life. This is, as Jesus makes clear, where and how the rubber meets the road.
Let's look a little deeper before we go throwing our lot back in with 'salvation by works'.
Come and see, 'Zacchaeus ran on ahead, along the route Jesus was going to take, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him'. Father was foreshadowing in Zacchaeus what the Lord was going to accomplish at the cross and bring into the world, as it's written, "You are the Christ who is coming into the world." And how did Jesus know that the Father was doing this through Zaccaeus? It's written, 'Jesus came to the place and looked up' then Jesus called him down, he called that future into the present by an act of scandalous love, staying in the house of a sinner...dinning with an evil tax collector...but then what happens?
Zacchaeus' repentance explodes! Not only did he repent as in regular old Judaism, he made amends, reconciled and reconciled LAVISHLY! The Father's embrace had come!
TODAY! Salvation has come to this house! A son of Abraham has been restored...whether its by Jesus' word or deed or the ultimate and central act of the cross...the Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost and Luke is telling us all, "as Jesus told us before 'with God, all things are possible" and "This is what that 'Literally' looks like!" Salvation by works of the Spirit.
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