UP A TREE

There are two stories in the Book of Luke which describe 'men of means' and their encounter with Jesus Christ. 

First, the 'rich young ruler' ... 

Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 

Jesus replied. “If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” 

“Which ones?” he inquired. 

Jesus answered, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.”

“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. 

The second man is Zacchaeus, a corrupt tax collector ...  

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 

He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him since Jesus was coming that way.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

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.”

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” 

The interactions they had with Jesus were markedly different and revealed the two responses that can be given when salvation is offered. The young ruler pridefully relied on his goodness to earn favor with God. It resulted in his rejection of the terms set forth by Christ. 

Zacchaeus, on the other hand, had absolutely nothing with which to commend himself. He knew what he was, opened his heart to the invitation, and surrendering his life to Jesus as Messiah. 

Spurgeon - Oh, how astonished must the little Jew have been when he heard Christ’s words. A great change had been suddenly wrought in him; the opening of a blind man’s eyes was not at all more remarkable than the renewing of the heart of Zacchaeus: “He made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.”

Jesus had often accepted the hospitality of others, but this is the only recorded instance where He invited Himself into someone’s house. He pursued Zacchaeus. 

Note that from the beginning, the Savior called him by name. 

Christ also knows you by name and longs for you to know Him in an intimate, personal way. He sees you through eyes of love and cares about every detail of your life. 

The majority of mankind is like the rich young ruler ... they cling to their pride and sadly turn away from Jesus' invitation to follow Him. 

Christians identify with Zacchaeus.