Luke 19

Luk 19:1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
Luk 19:2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
Luk 19:3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.

I know this means the pressing of the crowds surrounding Jesus but I remember hearing someone make a joke of this and used the word, "press" to mean the modern day press and surely if the "press" of today surrounded Jesus one couldn't get through either from what I've seen on the news. Zacchaeus seemed to be a small but very determined man who wanted to see the man he heard about, the man called Jesus.

We need to stop and think are we spreading the right message about Jesus to those around us so that people will flock to hear more about Him. Does our lives reflect Jesus in a way that would make others want to know Him? I ask myself that one.

Luk 19:4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
Luk 19:5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.

Jesus saw this little man even though with His natural eyes He could not have seen Him. He saw Him with the eyes of the Holy Spirit and knew such a one was seeking Him.

Luk 19:6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.

Who are the sinners here? One who gladly wanted to receive Jesus into his home or the ones who stood by the way offering no place for the savior to rest but finding fault with everyone who showed kindness to Him. This is why the Lord told us not to judge in an unrighteous manner but to make righteous judgments. Religion is a danger to any movement of the Lord both in the past and in present times. Religion is deadly and dangerous to the true spreading of the gospel. If these Pharisees would have cast aside their traditions and sought the true meaning of the law of God, they would have seen the very Son of God had come into their midst to bring them hope of eternal life.

Luk 19:7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

Again they missed the message that Jesus came to save such as these.

Luk 19:8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
Luk 19:9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

Jesus saw this man's heart. The publicans were considered sinners because they were known to demand taxes and cheat heavily keeping some of the money for themselves. They were probably very forceful in their collection of taxes. Unlike the rich man who would not part with anything he owned because that was where his heart was, Zacchaeus was willing to do anything to make his past right with God. He counted the salvation from the Lord greater than all his possessions. It was not his works of giving his goods to the poor that saved him but his faith. He believed Jesus was the man sent from God to bring salvation to the world and it was faith that saved him. Faith brought forth the works of doing that which was right. True salvation will produce works that bring forth good fruit. If we say we are saved by the grace of God and our lives do not show forth any sign that we are saved, we can question whether or not one has truly been saved. We may not change all at once and be mature Christians overnight but our lives sooner or later should reflect what we claim to believe.

Luk 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

If He had not done that, none of us who are Gentiles would be saved. Gentile nations at the time of Christ were heathens, idol worshippers and did things that would make us cringe today if we really knew all about them. Some were worst than others but one thing that use to be a common practice among heathens was sacrificing children to the false gods and idols of that day. I think of abortion when I think of that because abortion is the sacrifice of children to the idol of selfishness and lack of responsibility. The idol of pleasure is also worshipped which produced the unwanted child in the first place.

Luk 19:11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.

This is normal to expect this after seeing the mighty miracles that were done. Prophecy told them that a king was coming to set them free from oppression and bring in the kingdom of God of righteousness. They expected it to come then and there. They didn't see the hidden prophecy that the king would first have to pay for the sins of many to usher in the way of salvation before the kingdom of God could be set up. The gospel had to be preached to all the world first. Isaiah 53 tells more of the suffering Messiah that was to come.

Luk 19:12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
Luk 19:13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
Luk 19:14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
Luk 19:15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
Luk 19:16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
Luk 19:17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
Luk 19:18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
Luk 19:19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
Luk 19:20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:
Luk 19:21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
Luk 19:22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
Luk 19:23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?
Luk 19:24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.
Luk 19:25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)
Luk 19:26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.
Luk 19:27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

It seems to me that Jesus is trying to tell us to patiently wait for His coming, occupy and keep busy doing His will until His coming, use what we have until He comes and not be ashamed or hide the gospel until He comes. We are to be faithful in whatever He has given us and not hide it away so that no one knows what we believe or who we believe in.

The world tells us differently. The world and society says to keep religion to yourself so that one doesn't offend. Jesus says to go into all the world and preach the gospel. Who are we going to listen to? We are to be faithful until He comes.

When the Second coming of Christ arrives, those that do not want Him to rule over their lives, those that tried to hinder the gospel and those that persecute His representatives will face judgment.

Those principles and teachers that punish a small child who draws a picture or writes about Jesus Christ don't realize what they are doing. Do we fear the ACLU above God?
The ACLU can only take away our money if we have any money, by the power of an unjust judge. God can take away our place in the kingdom of God and everlasting life. We are better off to trust in God.

Nations that forbid the preaching of the gospel because their own religious beliefs are threatened or they fear losing their control over the people don't realize that they are keeping people from eternal life and true salvation. They will suffer judgment from God. God wants every one to hear the gospel and have a chance to be saved. Even small children. If we forbid that we will face the judgment of God. Not one soul has to die and enter hell. Jesus came to stop that from happening and all we have to do is come to Him believing Him to be this Messiah sent from God to save us. In doing this we turn from sin, are saved from sin and we can enter eternal life. This is a gospel of love, joy and peace. This is not supposed to be a religion that uses force, kills those that disagree and hates the enemy. The gospel saves and makes us fit for the kingdom of God.

Never stop anyone from sharing the gospel.

Luk 19:28 And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.
Luk 19:29 And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,
Luk 19:30 Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither.
Luk 19:31 And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.
Luk 19:32 And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them.
Luk 19:33 And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt?
Luk 19:34 And they said, The Lord hath need of him.
Luk 19:35 And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon.
Luk 19:36 And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way.
Luk 19:37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;
Luk 19:38 Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
Luk 19:39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.
Luk 19:40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

"Before the rocks cry out, I just want to praise Him." I hope the rocks don't have to cry out on our behalf for His is worthy of our praise.

Some people just can't stand to hear someone say, "Praise the Lord." Why is this so offensive?
If we keep silent, the angels will have to praise Him. The heavens will roll back, the earth will reel but God has to be praised. If we don't do it He will raise up those that will. Let us praise the Lord for His goodness and wonderful works of salvation He provided for all who would come to Him.

This fulfilled prophecy.

Zec 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

Luk 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,

Alas, Jesus knew that He would be rejected and in 70 AD the Roman army would destroy Jerusalem.

Luk 19:42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
Luk 19:43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
Luk 19:44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

I say this very carefully here. Yes, the Jewish people have suffered so much because they rejected Jesus Christ. They suffered before that because they rejected the messages and warnings of the prophets before Christ. Yes they suffered because their ancestors rejected the truth of the word. Yet knowing this, the bible says concerning Israel, "I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee." That has not changed.

God allowed suffering but He will punish those that do evil to the Jewish people and or do evil to those that bring the gospel to all the world. If you want to escape God's judgment do not harm either a true child of God who brings the gospel or the Jewish people. I do not say this, I do not understand all of this but I just am saying what the bible says. He will bless those that bless Israel and curse those that curse Israel. He said it, not me. We become adopted Jews when we accept the Jewish Rabbi, Jesus Christ. So we inherit the status that the Jews had. They rejected it temporarily but they are going to be redeemed from the earth and grafted into their own original vine again. We must not harm one hair on their heads. In fact we are not to physically harm anyone but preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Those passing themselves off as Christians while persecuting, putting to death and fighting against others who disagree with them are not true Christians. The church in the Middle ages was a disgrace to the name of Christ. The Spanish Inquisition was a shame and reproach to the name of Christ. The holocaust was the worst example of people thinking they were doing God a service. Shame, shame on any church that had anything to do with that time in history.

We must not leave the preaching of the gospel to get into things that hinder the gospel. We must not lose our compassion for the lost and become religious Pharisees that have judgment with no mercy. I get mad too when I hear the reports of persecution against Christians. I cry for Jesus to come and stop all of it but we must not give over to hate and fight against them with swords instead of the gospel. God help us.

Luk 19:45 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought;
Luk 19:46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.

I don't want to get into accusations and accuse my brothers and sisters in the Lord but we need to be very careful not to make merchandise of the gospel. I know we have to make a living but we need to be very careful. Freely we receive and freely we give. I appreciate so much people like E-Sword that gives free downloads of bible software. I personally use it for these studies and prefer it above the high priced programs. One can give donations to help them out but he forbids anyone to sell the program. It is to be freely given. That should be our attitude.

Luk 19:47 And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him,

Every time one country, person or group of people try to destroy those that preach the gospel, you are in reality trying to destroy Jesus Christ. We reap what we sow. He that lives by the sword shall die by the sword. You hurt God's people and you shall be hurt if you don't repent and turn to God. God will forgive and heal any who stops what he or she is doing and repents.

Luk 19:48 And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him.

Usually the everyday common people are not the ones that hinder the gospel. It is the religious leaders and those in authority. They are afraid of losing their control over the people so they forbid any preaching of the gospel. The gospel tells us not to fear anyone but God. We are to respect and obey the law if that law does not oppose God's law but we are not to fear anyone but God.

Fear not those that kill the body but fear the one who has power over the eternity of your soul.  The body will die anyway but the soul lives forever in one place or the other.  Words of Brother Andrew,