I find it interesting how quickly we can form opinions about people. Sometimes those opinions are based on personal experiences, sometimes on what we have heard from others, and sometimes simply on someone’s reputation. Once we have decided who a person is, it can be difficult to imagine that he could ever become someone different. Thankfully, Jesus has never been limited by the labels people place on one another.

Zacchaeus was a man who had acquired quite a reputation. He was the chief among the publicans in Jericho, and Luke tells us plainly that he was rich. As a tax collector working within the Roman system, he would have been viewed by many of his fellow Jews as a traitor and a sinner. His position offered wealth and influence, but it certainly did not earn him the respect of his community. When Jesus passed through Jericho, Zacchaeus wanted to see Him. Because he was short and the crowd blocked his view, he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree.

There is something fascinating about this wealthy, influential man climbing a tree just to catch a glimpse of Jesus. We are not told exactly what Zacchaeus expected from that encounter. Perhaps he was simply curious about the Teacher everyone was talking about. Whatever his motivation, he certainly did not expect what happened next. Jesus stopped beneath the tree, looked up, and said, “Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house” (Luke 19:5).

Jesus knew his name. He knew his reputation. He knew the kind of man Zacchaeus had been, and yet He invited Himself into his home. The crowd immediately began to complain that Jesus had gone to be the guest of a sinner. They saw a man whose past disqualified him from their acceptance. Jesus saw a man whose life could be transformed by grace.

What happens next is what makes this encounter so powerful. Zacchaeus stood before Jesus and declared that he would give half of his goods to the poor and restore fourfold anything he had taken dishonestly. The man who had spent his life accumulating wealth was suddenly willing to give much of it away. Something had changed, and that change was visible in the very area of life that had previously defined him.

I think there is an important lesson here about genuine conversion. Grace does not simply change what we say we believe; it changes the way we live. Zacchaeus did not make restitution in order to purchase salvation. His willingness to make things right demonstrated that his encounter with Jesus had reached his heart. The things he once valued above everything else no longer held the same place in his life.

That challenges me to consider what evidence of God’s grace is visible in my own life. It is possible to become comfortable with the language of Christianity while resisting the changes Christ wants to make in our attitudes, priorities, relationships, and behavior. We can speak about forgiveness while holding on to bitterness, talk about generosity while remaining selfish, or profess obedience while insisting on having our own way. But when Jesus truly changes a heart, that transformation is evident in everyday life.

Jesus responded to Zacchaeus by saying, “This day is salvation come to this house” (Luke 19:9). He then explained the purpose of His coming: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Zacchaeus had climbed a tree because he wanted to see Jesus, but the greater truth is that Jesus had come seeking him.

Last week, we considered the rich young ruler who walked away sorrowful because he could not bring himself to release his possessions. This week, we meet another wealthy man whose encounter with Jesus produced an entirely different response. One held tightly to what he possessed, while the other discovered that knowing Christ was worth more than the wealth he had accumulated.

That is what grace does. It changes what matters to us because it changes who we are.

The crowd in Jericho knew Zacchaeus as a sinner and a tax collector. Jesus knew him as someone who could be redeemed. By the time Jesus left his home, Zacchaeus was no longer the man he had been.

When Jesus comes into a life, He does not intend to leave everything as He found it.