Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this household, because he too is a son of Abraham!
Luke 19:9 NET
Zacchaeus was a despised tax collector and a social outcast who collaborated with the hated Roman occupiers. Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was passing through town and wanted to see him, so he climbed up into a tree. It could have just been out of curiosity. But it was likely more than that. Curiosity alone likely would not have driven him up a tree for a passing glance at a controversial rabbi.
When Jesus invited himself to dine with him, Zacchaeus was overjoyed. Beyond his wildest dreams, Jesus, who he hoped just to be able to see, was coming to visit him. And his encounter with Jesus changed his life. It led him to give away half of his possessions to the poor (unlike the rich man in Luke 18:18-23) and make restitution to those he had cheated.
And Jesus responded by saying that salvation had come to Zacchaeus’ house. Not because he gave away his money. But because his encounter with Jesus transformed his life.
Zacchaeus was a descendant of Abraham, a son of Abraham. But Jesus’ announcement that “he too is a son of Abraham” would seem to go beyond mere ancestry. He had become a son of Abraham in a spiritual sense, following Abraham’s example of faith.
In a way, this is the story of all who come to faith in Christ. Jesus meets us where we are, calling us down out of our tree and inviting himself to dinner. And when we climb down and meet him, the encounter changes us. That change is reflected in what we do. And we become sons and daughters of Abraham.
