Luke 19:1-10 A Reject Saved

Is there any hope for someone who has been rejected by the community? Let’s look at the change that allowed a man with a bad reputation to receive eternal salvation in Luke 19:1-10.

Taxes

Before we examine the chief tax collector, we need to speak about taxes. In principle they are not wrong. God’s law in ancient Israel provided for the collection of tithes and offerings, which were used not only for worship purposes, but also for welfare for the poor and needy. In the New Testament, Jesus encouraged giving to Caesar. The problem with our friend Zachaeus, was that tax collectors were notorious for cheating the people, by not only helping the Romans collect oppressive taxes way beyond what would be ethical, but they also took money on the side for themselves.

Dirty Money

Do we know someone in our community who is lost and Jesus is calling them?

“Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.” (Luke 19:1-4 NKJV)

Zacchaeus had become “very rich” as a chief tax collector for Roman occupiers. He knew he was despised because it was dirty money. Yet, he wanted to see Jesus, who taught how hard it was for a wealthy person to enter the kingdom (Luke 18:24-25). Zacchaeus was short and despite the obvious embarrassment, he climbed a tree.

 
Your House

Why would Jesus invite himself to the home of a notorious crook?

“And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.’ 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.” (Luke 19:5-6 NKJV)

Jesus wanted to be the guest of this despised crook today. Zacchaeus was immediately responsive and filled with joy. Jesus’ kingdom plans included a “notorious sinner.” Zacchaeus is genuinely receptive and ready to embrace the values of the kingdom of God. The bigger the sinner the more thankful.

Salvation

What would be the reaction of the community? What would be the reaction of this notorious con man?

“But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, ‘He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.’ 8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.’ 9 And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.’ ” (Luke 19:7-10 NKJV)

Zacchaeus was happy, the crowd grumbled, because he had collaborated with the Roman occupation. They could not see what Jesus saw. Zacchaeus responded to Jesus with the fruits of repentance within his heart, righting wrongs and giving to the poor. Jesus said Zacchaeus’ behavior was that of a true child of Abraham.

Zacchaeus means the righteous one. His name was a prophecy of his life as Jesus would make it. All our righteousness comes from God. Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, but Jesus had already seen him, and a rich man entered the kingdom of God. Jesus can make the impossible possible.

Zacchaeus repented of his greed and began giving. Do we grumble about Jesus’ grace to those who have committed gross sins? Is Zacchaeus welcome in our churches? Jesus came to call the lost. Do we shut the lost out of the church? A rescue came to Zacchaeus, from greed to giving.

Is there any hope for someone who has totally ruined his reputation in the community? Salvation came to Zacchaeus. Salvation has also come to you and me. Jesus wants to be a guest in our homes today. Is He welcome?

Bible E-Course 19A - Revelation 1-17

Students of Revelation fall into four broad categories, those who believe it’s mostly 1) past history, 2) foretells Christian history, 3) mostly future or 4) symbolic. Revelation is apocalyptic literature, a symbolic genre.

Who and what does this book reveal?

“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place…” (Revelation 1:1 ESV)

Should a church avoid this book?

“God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.” (Revelation 1:3 NLT)

As symbolic literature, Revelation is mysterious by design. Should all churches listen carefully?

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 2:7, 11; 17; 29; 3:6, 13, 22 NKJV)

The seven churches are loveless, persecuted, heretical, sexually immoral, dead, faithful, and materialistic. Is overcoming still possible in all seven churches?

To “the one who conquers [overcomes]…” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 17 ESV)

What did John see in heaven?

“Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.” (Revelation 4:4 NASB)

Who opens the secret seals?

“I saw that the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying, as with a voice of thunder, ‘Come and see!’ ” (Revelation 6:1 WEB)

Where are Christian martyrs?

“When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony.” (Revelation 6:9 NLT)

Christians are sealed by the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22), a mark or inscription of belonging (2 Timothy 2:19), a seal of holiness (Exodus 39:30). What does an angel say?

“I saw another angel coming up from the east, holding the seal of the living God… He said, ‘Don’t damage the earth, the sea, or the trees until we have put a seal on the foreheads of those who serve our God.’ ” (Revelation 7:2-3 CEB)

Are overcomers from all nations dressed in white, a symbol of righteousness?

“After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were robed in white with palm branches in their hands.” (Revelation 7:9 HCSB)

Who has been the ultimate source of humanity’s self-destructive ways?

“Their king is the angel from the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon—the Destroyer.” (Revelation 9:11 NLT)

How large will the evil army be? There are currently not that many horses in the entire world, so what could this symbolize?

“By listening, I could tell there were more than 200,000,000 war horses.” (Revelation 9:16 CEV)

Could modern weapons cause such a large death toll?

“By these three plagues a third of humankind was killed: by the fire, smoke, and sulfur coming out of their mouths.” (Revelation 9:18 CEB)

Do these disasters result in the repentance of humanity?

“The rest of humankind, who weren’t killed by these plagues, didn’t change their hearts and lives and turn from their handiwork…” (Revelation 9:20a CEB)

Humanity’s biggest lies will be exposed (Romans 1:18-32). Will time to repent run out?

“There will be no more delay!” (Revelation 10:6b NIV)

Beasts symbolize oppressive human kingdoms (Daniel 7). Will their rule come to an end?

“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15 KJV)

Will the nations be angry or repent?

“The nations were filled with wrath, but now the time of your wrath has come… It is time to destroy all who have caused destruction on the earth.” (Revelation 11:18 NLT)

Will there be a faithful remnant?

“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Revelation 12:17 KJV)

Who will worship this worldly political power?

“All those who live on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered.” (Revelation 13:8 HCSB)

Is the next beast a false prophet, who looks innocent but speaks evil?

“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon.” (Revelation 13:11 NASB)

Do we judge false prophets by their miracles or their lying words (Deuteronomy 13)?

“He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.” (Revelation 13:13 NKJV)

Are miracles surrounding religious statues anything new?

“He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.” (Revelation 13:15 NLT)

What will happen to this tyrannical Babylonian system?

“Another angel, a second one, followed and said, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She made all the nations drink the wine of her lustful passion.’ ” (Revelation 14:8 CEB)

Is God angry with this brutal rule?

“And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.” (Revelation 16:1 KJV)

The scarlet woman is rich, royal, filthy with sin and carries what looks like a communion cup but full of abominations. What is on her forehead?

“And on her forehead a name was written: Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots and of the Abominations of the Earth.” (Revelation 17:5 NKJV)

Like the religion of ancient Babylon, she exploits and oppresses people. How much influence does she have?

“Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.” (Revelation 17:15 NIV)

As the mark or seal of the beast is in people’s foreheads and hands, God’s words are a sign or mark in the hands and foreheads, in thoughts and deeds (Exodus 13:9, 16; Deuteronomy 6:8; 11:18; Jeremiah 31:33; Romans 2:15; Hebrews 8:10; 10:16) and we are sealed by the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13; Ephesians 4:30). Which will you choose, the mark of the beast or the seal of the Holy Spirit? You decide!

Righteous or Sinner?

Do we use our knowledge of God's word to criticize others, or to become more and more humble about our own sins? Let’s learn that we are all still sinners and that God alone justifies. Let’s discuss self-righteousness and self-justification in Luke 18:9-14.

Self-Righteousness

“Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:” (Luke 18:9 NKJV)

Are we caught up in self righteousness, constantly criticizing other churches? What about the Old Testament or Paul? Are we self-righteous about not being self-righteous like a Pharisee, which still makes us self-righteous?

A Patriot & a Traitor

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.” (Luke 18:10 NKJV)

Pharisees were patriots who preserved the faith under foreign domination. Tax collectors were traitors profiting from foreign occupation. Yet, Jesus challenged us to rethink our judgments. We don’t know another person’s heart. A seemingly wonderful person may be arrogant, and an outwardly bad person may have a heart of repentance.

Delusion

“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ ” (Luke 18:11-12 NKJV)

If we pray “thank God I’m not like so and so” we are self-deceived. Like a delusional person, believing he is Napoleon, or a different gender, we can all imagine that we are something we are not. Self-righteousness is a fool’s delusion, defining our worth by the faults of others.

Can we be close to the Church yet far from God? The Pharisee had dedicated his life to holiness and became confident in his own righteousness. He believed he was superior. Yet he forgot one thing. All our good deeds do not clean up a filthy act (Isaiah 64:6).

Righteous Repentance

“And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:13-14 NKJV)

This prayer is included in the liturgies of Catholics and some Protestants. But, some object: Christians are no longer sinners but saints.

No Longer Sinners?

Some Bible verses contrast the righteous and sinners. Does that mean that saints never sin? A saint’s sins are covered, but saints still sin.

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us…” (1 John 1:8-10 NKJV)

Paul clearly stated that he still sinned as a saint.

“... For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice…” (Romans 7:15-20 NKJV)

The word sinner can mean different things in different contexts. In some contexts it means a habitual sinner, a non-Christian. In other contexts, we find that Christians are also sinners, though not slaves to habitual sin.

“knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” (Romans 6:6 NKJV)

We still sin, but those sins are forgiven, or covered.

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered” (Romans 4:7 NKJV)

Every church has imperfect doctrines, but most get at least the essentials for salvation right. Even if we had perfect doctrines, sin would still taint us. Self-justification fails, because we have all sinned. The faults of others ought to make us humble, not arrogant, because in them we should see our own sins.

None of us measures up to God’s righteousness. Let’s discern right from wrong, but avoid self-righteously judging others and humbly confess our own sins. The righteous will not live by criticism and judgmentalism, but the righteous will live by faith (Romans 1:17).

New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Bible E-Course 18 - Ruth

In examining Ruth it is essential to discuss one difficulty before we begin, the earlier prohibition against Moabites.

“No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation.” (Deuteronomy 23:3 NIV)

Note that the prohibition does not mention marriage. According to the genealogies in Ruth 4, Matthew 1 and Luke 3 Boaz was the eleventh generation after Abraham. Prohibitions against marrying foreigners were not racial segregation, but religious. Many neighboring tribes were of the same ethnicity. Ruth had chosen Israel’s God and He gave her redemption from her ancestor’s sins and her poverty.

Ruth’s Faith

Was faith an important part of Ruth’s life?

“But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.’ ” (Ruth 1:16-17 ESV)

Was acknowledging God part of Boaz’s and the harvesters’ conversation?

“Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem. He said to the harvesters, ‘May the Lord be with you.’ And they said to him, ‘May the Lord bless you.’ ” (Ruth 2:4 CEB)

Work for welfare was part of God’s law and so Ruth was permitted to go behind the harvesters to glean any leftovers. What did the foreman tell Boaz?

“She asked if she could pick up grain left by the harvest workers, and she has been working all morning without a moment's rest.” (Ruth 2:7 CEV)

Is there an indication that Boaz was much older than Ruth?

“Then Boaz said to Ruth, ‘Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but join my young women here.’ ” (Ruth 2:8 NASB)

Her dedication to her mother-in-law really impressed Boaz. He warned the young men not to treat her roughly, allowed her to drink from his well, share meals with his workers and even bring food home to Naomi. What else did he say to Ruth?

“Boaz answered her, ‘Everything you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband’s death has been fully reported to me: how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and how you came to a people you didn’t previously know. May the Lord reward you for what you have done, and may you receive a full reward from the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.’ ” (Ruth 2:11-12 HCSB)

Did Naomi acknowledge God in her reply to Ruth’s report?

“Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, ‘May he be blessed by the Lord, who has not forsaken his kindness to the living or the dead.’ Naomi continued, ‘The man is a close relative. He is one of our family redeemers.’ ” (Ruth 2:20 HCSB)

A family or kinsman redeemer was a close relative who had the legal right to inherit land that would pass out of family hands due to the deaths of inheritors. Land was originally divided according to tribe and would ideally stay within the family and tribe. Naomi would die childless.

Ruth’s Proposal

How did Naomi suggest that Ruth propose marriage to Boaz?
P
“Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.” (Ruth 3:3-4 NIV)

What was Boaz’s response to this proposal?

“ ‘The Lord bless you, my daughter!’ Boaz exclaimed. ‘You are showing even more family loyalty now than you did before, for you have not gone after a younger man, whether rich or poor. Now don’t worry about a thing, my daughter. I will do what is necessary, for everyone in town knows you are a virtuous woman. But while it’s true that I am one of your family redeemers, there is another man who is more closely related to you than I am. Stay here tonight, and in the morning I will talk to him. If he is willing to redeem you, very well. Let him marry you. But if he is not willing, then as surely as the Lord lives, I will redeem you myself! Now lie down here until morning.’ ” (Ruth 3:10-13 NLT)

How discreet were Boaz and Ruth?

“Ruth lay down again, but she got up before daylight, because Boaz did not want anyone to know she had been there.” (Ruth 3:14 CEV)

According to the inheritance laws of the time, another closer relative had a prior right to redeem the land, so Boaz went before witnesses to negotiate. When Boaz said that it involved marrying Ruth, the man declined. There were no more barriers to the marriage of Boaz and Ruth. What did Boaz say?

“Then Boaz said to the elders and to the crowd standing around, ‘You are witnesses that today I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon. 10 And with the land I have acquired Ruth, the Moabite widow of Mahlon, to be my wife. This way she can have a son to carry on the family name of her dead husband and to inherit the family property here in his hometown. You are all witnesses today.’ ” (Ruth 4:9-10 NLT)

Redemption

Did the people bless Boaz and Ruth?

“Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, ‘We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem’ ” (Ruth 4:11 ESV)

Were they married?

“So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. He was intimate with her, the Lord let her become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son.” (Ruth 4:13 CEB)

Was Ruth thus blessed to be an ancestor of David?

“... Boaz begat Obed, And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.” (Ruth 4:21-22 KJV)

As Boaz redeemed the land for Naomi and Ruth, so Jesus has redeemed us, not with money but with His own blood.

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation [conduct] received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19 KJV)

“And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation’ ” (Revelation 5:9 NKJV)

Thus Boaz became a figure of Christ our redeemer.

Persistent & Demanding Prayer

Do we persist with God? Do we give up praying too soon? Let’s learn that God encourages persistent, demanding prayers. Let’s discuss prayers for ourselves, aggressive prayer and God’s justice in Luke 18:1-8.

Purpose

“Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1 NKJV)

This is Jesus’ purpose statement, the reason for the parable. Jesus says “ought” meaning in context “a necessity of law and command, of duty.” Jesus says that we not “lose heart” meaning in context “to be utterly spiritless, to be wearied out, exhausted.”

Do we pray about something once or twice and then give up? Do we lose heart or get discouraged because God has not yet answered a particular prayer? Do we not realize that God will answer but in His time not ours? Do we realize that sometimes there are circumstances that we are unaware of such as God giving others space to repent? This was the case with the sexually immoral church Thyatira.

“Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.” (Revelation 2:20-21 NKJV)

Parable

How did Jesus illustrate His point?

saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. (Luke 18:2 NKJV)

He neither feared God nor cared about people. Fear of God is a prerequisite for judges. What did Jehoshaphat say?

Then he set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, and said to the judges, “Take heed to what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the Lord, who is with you in the judgment. Now therefore, let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take care and do it, for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, no partiality, nor taking of bribes.” (2 Chronicles 19:5-9 NKJV)

How does Jesus judge?

“His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; But with righteousness He shall judge the poor…” (Isaiah 11:3-4 NKJV)

This judge also has no shame. He doesn’t care what people think of his wrongdoing. Yet, a widow’s persistence got through?

Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ” (Luke 18:2-5)

The welfare system of the Old Testament law gave the firstborn son a double inheritance, to look after family widows and orphans. If a widow had no son, then her welfare passed to her husband’s oldest brother. We live in a world where the family often ignores the elderly and abandons them to old folks homes, not always for legitimate reasons. Old Testament law was far superior.

Old and New Testaments demand that widows and other needy be cared for, but people disobey and widows are often left destitute. This widow demands justice from a reluctant judge. God encourages us to make requests, unabashed. The widow was persistent and demanding in prayer. Are our prayers like that?

Is it wrong to be so persistent with God? Unjust judges still ignore the pleas of the needy. God will hear and answer our cries for daily help even when others will not.

Should our faith be docile? Should Christians passively accept injustice? Are aggressive cries for equity and fairness only for those without faith? Should we just wait patiently on God and keep silent? Jesus commended a persistent widow for aggressively demanding justice from an uncaring judge. Let’s persistently and aggressively pray?

Judgment

Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:6-8 NKJV)

We all want mercy, and must learn to give it. Even the false preacher Jezebel who encouraged sexual immorality in the church was given time to repent. Rushed justice hurts too many people. True justice takes time because of mercy and space for repentance. The key is not to quit.

Let’s not be like the unjust judge, where the world’s poison resides deep within our own souls. We don’t have the capacity to judge the thoughts and motives of every evil in this world. Let’s leave it to the only righteous judge, God. Every criticism of injustice that we level against others in the world points a finger right at our own hearts. Pray always and we will be delivered even from our own unjust hearts.

It takes faith that God is a just judge to pray persistently and, as we pray, wait on him. Sometimes, He seems slow to answer our prayers as we count time, because we don’t know all the surrounding circumstances. Let’s learn faith and persistence. Let’s learn that He will save us at a time of His choosing, and when the time is right, it will happen quickly.

New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.