Michael continues that Zacchaeus threw dignity to the wind. He ran before the crowd and climbed up a tree to see Jesus when He came by. In his desperation to see the Lord, he was not ashamed to shame himself before the multitude. A desperate man is not ashamed to empty himself of his pride in order to approach the Lord with empty hands.
Jesus looked up and said, "Zacchaeus." He addressed him by his name. Like the song says, he knows my name, He knows my every thought, and sees me when I fall. From our Father's perspective we are "righteous in his sight" when we are clothed in the white robes of Christ's righteousness. Zacchaeus approached his Lord Jesus Christ with a heart of repentance. Repentance means to turn around from sin to righteous living before God. He gladly ran to the Lord and away from sin. He said, I'll give half my riches to the poor. I'll recompense those I've defrauded four times over. To follow the Lord, I'll gladly forsake my evil ways, make restitution to those I've wronged, and come clean before my Lord. The gospel message is not in great swelling words of man's vanity, but in truth in action.
Many don't understand what it means to be a witness for Christ. John the Baptist sent his disciples to see Jesus and then report whether or not Jesus was the Messiah. A witness does not defend the truth. A witness testifies to the truth of what he has seen with his own eyes. When John's disciples saw Jesus, they had witnessed the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus said, "go and tell John what you've seen and heard." Like John's disciples, we have "tasted and seen that the Lord is good." Therefore, we are His witnesses: we cannot but speak the things that we have seen and heard.
A sinner can't help but sin. It is his nature, for the natural(unsaved and unregenerate) man or woman receives not the things of the Spirit of God. Neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.To receive the things of the Spirit of the Lord, we must be “born again” of God's spirit. We had nothing to do with our natural birth. Likewise, we had nothing to do with our spiritual birth. It is the work of the Holy Spirit. For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works lest any man should boast. According to Philippians 3, we have no confidence in the flesh. Even though Paul was a "Hebrew of Hebrews" of the tribe of Benjamin, Paul said, "I count all things but loss for the sake of the surpassing value of knowing Christ. The righteousness I have is through the power of the resurrection of my Lord Jesus Christ."
Those who are “born again” of God's Spirit are witnesses of the resurrection. Because of Christ's completed work on our behalf we have received salvation by grace alone, though faith alone, in Christ alone. For He who was without sin became the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him. This is the gospel message. This is amazing grace. This is God's unfailing love.
May we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ, Michael
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