The Saving of a Sinner In the 19th chapter of Luke's gospel we have the well known account of Zacchaeus the publican on the day he came to know Jesus. This most interesting meeting took place in a most interesting place: the town of Jericho...rich in history and rich in imagery, both of which bear intriguingly on the story of Zacchaeus. Centuries before Jesus entered the city, the most fortified city of its day, Jericho appeared as an impenetrable barrier to God's chosen people entering the land of promise. But God brought the walls down in a way that seemed ludicrous, humanly speaking. It was, however, a miraculous demonstration of his soverign power...His people must receive the land He had promised them, and they did. No obstacle, regardless of how formidable, could stand in the way of God's deliverence. Furthermore, although the name Jericho means "fragrant," like the very earth itself, it was a cursed place...every living thing was doomed to die when Joshua and his army marched on the city. Everything, with the exception, that is, of one unlikely recipient of mercy...a harlot of all people, Rahab and those of her household...for Rahab the sinner, Rahab the harlot, the coming of Joshua to the cursed city of Jericho was to be the day of salvation. While his coming was a pronoucement of doom, "a savour of death unto death," as the apostle Paul would later say of the preaching of the gospel to those who would not receive it...but for Rahab and her household the coming of Joshua was 'fragrant,' as the name Jericho means, a sweet smelling savour of life unto life. And so it was to this same Jericho centuries later, its walls rebuilt, though under the curse of death to the builder's children, that another Joshua came...Jehoshua...Jesus, the son of God. As with Rahab the harlot, there wasn't much, humanly speaking, to commend Zaachaeus to God's favor. He was a little man, small of stature, so small, in fact, he could not see Jesus for the crowd...could not reach him. But this little man had made himself rich as a harvester of taxes for the government of Rome. He was a publican...despised of the Jews as an extortioner...openly declared to be "a sinner," despised no less, and perhaps a good bit more, than a harlot like Rahab. And Zaachaeus was no ordinary publican, he was chief among them....in the eyes of the Jews at least, it made him the chief of sinners. No doubt his wealth was a credit to the merciless plying of his trade and Jesus had just a few verses earlier said to his disciples, "it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." His statement caused them to wonder, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus replied, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." And Jesus was about to demonstrate just what he meant with this despised little man named Zacchaeus...a name that just happens to mean 'to be made clean, to be made pure.' Something impossible for man. The events of our text have much to teach about the saving of a sinner. When Jesus came by the tree that Zacchaeus had scrambled in hopes of getting a glimpse of him, he stopped and called him by name: "he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out." What Jesus said next is also of interest. "Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house." Just as certainly as the walls of Jericho must come down...so too, Zacchaeus had to come down. As Jesus said in the gospel of John, "this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." Jesus was not inviting himself for a visit to the house of this despised publican...he was coming to stay: "to coninue, to dwell, to remain." It is the word Jesus used when he said "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." Once again salvation had come to the cursed city of Jericho.   Equally instructive is the response of the sinner when called by the Saviour. How interesting it is to note, for example, that when Jesus said to Zacchaeus, "make haste, come down," the Bible records that he did precisely what the Lord commanded him to do, "he made haste and came down." It could have been said many other ways, but I think importantly, it wasn't. "If ye love me, keep my commandments," Jesus taught. Notice too, the radical change of heart in this Zacchaeus when Jesus came to abide with him...given his profession it is really dramatic: (Luke 19:8 KJV) "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."...suddenly he became filled with compassion for the very poor he had recently mercilessly oppressed & now the desire to rectify his injustices overwhelmed him. Beholding this work of grace, "Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house..."