Grace Bible Church
Pastor-Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Thursday
December 3, 2020
Pastor Rick Kabrick
Commentary on the Gospel of Luke. Chapter 19.
The position of Chief Tax Collector was well compensated because the Romans trusted that man to collect taxes.
It was believed by the Jewish people that the very nature of being a tax collector was antithetical to following the Law of Moses.
What happened to Zacchaeus after Jesus left Jericho? I believe he followed Jesus to Jerusalem? Did he witness the Triumphal Entry or the crucifixion?
An early church tradition, dating back to the 2nd century, says that Zacchaeus became the first bishop of Caesarea. Again, the Scriptures are silent on the issue.
HE came to seek and to find and save the lost. Lost coin, lost sheep, lost son. HE did not come to end world hunger, end prejudice, unfairness, evil. If HE did…well HE failed, but HE didn’t come for that the first time.
The excitement was high, they thought this is it. If HE is the Messiah then it is here: The Kingdom. HE is here to free us from the Roman oppression.
By the way Luke records the most parables, 24 and 18 are only recorded in this Gospel.
They would recognize this beginning of the parable and it was very meaningful to those who were walking with HIM. Here is the background that the LORD begins with and that the people would know.
Well Archelaus was one son who was to rule over the area around Judea and surrounding areas including Jerusalem. His brother Herod Antipas ruled the area around Galilee. It was he that our LORD was brought to for trial.
HE would go to obtain the kingdom from HIS Father in Heaven and leave those followers, true followers to put the word out to the world. To stay and be about HIS business.
The good news of Salvation and then the LORD will return and destroy those worthless servants.
“Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs of my head”
Now you can I think easily see the analogy to those who lived during the Church-age, that includes us. To what end have we and all those believers done HIS business?
ROM 1:20, For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Some who followed the LORD were all in for HIM. Those who would invest for the King, the LORD are the Winner believers. Others would be like the worthless slave who did nothing with that which was given to him. Loser believers.
That word for business is from the Greek word pragma where we get pragmatic from meaning to be deliberate, practical.
Because this tells us that the king, the nobleman, the LORD Jesus Christ tests us. A test of whether or not you are faithful and reliable in the little things.
It is in these routine things that GOD tests men. It tells us of the king’s reward. The reward that the faithful servants received was not one which they could enjoy by retiring and doing nothing.
The greatest compliment we can pay a man is to give him ever greater and harder tasks to do. The great reward of GOD to the man who has satisfied the test is more trust. To him who has, more will be given; from him who has not, what he has will be taken away.
HAG 2:8, “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, declares the LORD of Hosts.”
There is no such thing as standing still in the Christian life. We either get more or lose what we have. We either advance to greater heights or slip back. Whoever is faithful to the Lord will be rewarded and whoever is not will suffer loss.
Because again, In the Christian life we do not stand still. We use our gifts and make progress or we lose what we have.
The Gospel, the good news of Salvation that is given to each person who believes in Christ, we are to share with the world not keep it to ourselves.
ZEC 9:9, Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal (male donkey) of a donkey.
And the people HE came to die for didn’t get it. But HE would die for sins with the joy set before HIM.
So, while those devote Jews were cleaning their house of leaven, the LORD was cleaning HIS Fathers house of leaven, all of those who were selling and those buying.
JER 7:11, as this house, hich is called by my name, become a den of robbers in
your eyes? Behold, I myself
have seen it, declares the LORD