By Rev. Daniel Eggold
All Saints’ Day gives us an opportunity to remember those who have gone before us in the faith (Hebrews 12:1). Some were steady, faithful people whose lives seemed to fit our picture of a saint. Others were more complicated. Their lives included struggles, poor decisions, strained relationships, and seasons when faith seemed fragile.
That makes Zacchaeus a fitting person to meet on All Saints’ Day.
Jesus Sees Zacchaeus
Read Luke 19:1-5.
Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector, which meant he had become wealthy through a system that many of his neighbors considered corrupt. He worked with Rome, collected money from his own people, and probably carried a reputation throughout Jericho.
Yet, Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus.
Because he was short and could not see over the crowd, he climbed a sycamore tree. Perhaps he simply wanted a glimpse of Jesus as He passed by. Instead, Jesus stopped underneath the tree, looked up, and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today” (v. 5). Before Zacchaeus says anything, Jesus knows his name. Before Zacchaeus makes a promise or changes his behavior, Jesus comes looking for him.
‘The Guest of a Sinner’
Read Luke 19:6-7.
The crowd is scandalized. They know Zacchaeus’ reputation, and they cannot understand why Jesus would choose his home. Sharing a meal in the ancient world was an act of fellowship. By entering Zacchaeus’ house, Jesus was publicly associating Himself with a man others had pushed to the margins.
This pattern appears throughout Luke’s Gospel. Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners (Luke 5:29-32; 15:1-2). He touches the sick (Luke 5:12-13). He receives people whom others overlook (Luke 7:36-50; 18:15-17). Again and again, Jesus moves toward people in mercy.
That is an important reminder for All Saints’ Day. Saints are people whom Jesus has approached in grace. Their hope rests in Christ’s mercy and His desire to seek and save the lost.
‘Salvation Has Come’
Read Luke 19:8-10.
Zacchaeus responds dramatically. He promises to give half of his possessions to the poor and to repay anyone he has cheated four times over. Jesus then declares, “Today salvation has come to this house” (v. 9).
Notice the order. Jesus comes to Zacchaeus, calls him by name, enters his home, and then Zacchaeus responds. His generosity grows out of an encounter with mercy.
Jesus also says something remarkable about Zacchaeus: “He also is a son of Abraham” (v. 9). The man whom his neighbors treated as an outsider is called family.
Jesus has come “to seek and to save the lost” (v. 10). He is already traveling toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:51; 18:31-33), where He will accomplish that salvation through His death and resurrection (Luke 23:44-49; 24:1-7). The mercy Zacchaeus receives in Jericho will soon be secured at Calvary’s cross.
Who Are the Saints?
Zacchaeus helps us understand what it means to be a saint. A saint is someone Jesus knows, seeks, forgives, and claims as His own (1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 2:19). Some lived remarkable lives of service. Others have carried wounds, weaknesses, and regrets throughout their lives. All of them live by grace (Ephesians 2:8-10).
The same Jesus who stopped beneath Zacchaeus’ tree still comes to His people. He knows your name (John 10:3, 14). He knows your story. He brings forgiveness and calls you His own. His word to Zacchaeus still gives comfort today: “Today salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:9).
This month’s study text:
Jesus and Zacchaeus
He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Luke 19:1-10
Reflection Questions:
How does Zacchaeus’ story change or deepen the way you think about what it means to be a saint?
Where in your own life do you most need to hear that Jesus knows your name, your story, and still comes to you with mercy?
Zacchaeus’ life changed because he received Christ’s grace. How might the grace you have received from Jesus shape the way you live, give, forgive, or treat others this week?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for seeking the lost and calling sinners by name. Come into our homes and lives with Your mercy. Forgive us, renew us, and shape our lives through Your grace. Keep us with all Your saints in faith until the day we gather around Your table in Your eternal kingdom. Amen.
The Rev. Daniel Eggold serves as the senior pastor at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Ind.