Today I Must Abide at Thy House: Zacchaeus and the God Who Wants to Dwell With You

A grown man is sitting in a tree.

He is not a boy. He is a rich man, a chief tax collector, the kind of man people step aside for in the street. And there he sits in the branches of a sycamore on the road out of Jericho, because he could not see over the crowd and he wanted to see Jesus that badly.

Then the whole procession stops. Jesus looks up.

“And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.” (Luke 19:5)

I must abide at thy house. That word abide means to reside or to dwell. The Son of God stopped in the middle of a crowd, called one man down out of a tree, and told him, “I am coming to stay with you.”

God wants to abide with you. Not with people in general. With you, specifically and personally. He will take the time for you, and He already proved it on the cross of Calvary, when He died for your sins and rose again from the dead.

So here is the question I have to ask myself, and I want you to ask it too. Is there evidence that God is abiding in your life today?

“Jesus answered and said unto him, 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.” (John 14:23)

Zacchaeus had some things to get past before that could happen. So do we.

Is your life too full to make room for God?

“And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.” (Luke 19:1-2)

The publicans were the tax collectors, and everybody knew they took extra for themselves. Nobody thought of them as generous people. They had a reputation for greed. And Zacchaeus was not just one of them. He was the chief of them, and he was rich.

The first danger is that we let our riches leave no room for God.

Zacchaeus had money, but he still knew there was an emptiness in him that money could not fill. There was a place in his life that nothing but God could fill.

What fills yours? I could give you a list, and it would be different for every one of us. It might be money. It might be busyness. More and more it is information. We can pour so much into our minds that we never leave any room for the Lord. Information is not a bad thing, and being busy is not a bad thing. But if you are so full that you no longer care about the things of God, you are in trouble.

“The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.” (Proverbs 27:7)

You can get so satisfied that you do not even want the Lord anymore.

And the devil is glad to do the filling.

“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?” (Acts 5:1-3)

The devil would love nothing more than to fill your heart with all the wrong things, and they are always the easy things. He does not want to satisfy you. He cannot, and he knows it. He wants to destroy you and keep you away from God. So he gives you just enough to make you think it is the best you can get, so that you stop caring about the Lord.

He comes hardest when you are hungry: when you are weak, discouraged, or down. Christians get discouraged too. That is when he walks up with his answers. If you are not looking to the Lord in that moment, you will fill yourself with things that never bring your soul any satisfaction.

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)

That is not my righteousness. It is God’s, and there is no other kind. Whatever you have, it should never stop you from hungering and thirsting for more of God. In the end it comes down to a choice. Will you stay hungry for Him?

Will you let obstacles stop you from searching?

“And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.” (Luke 19:3)

Zacchaeus was hungry. He sought to see Jesus. And right away he ran into a wall of people and his own short legs.

The devil knows exactly what obstacles to put in your way. He will hand you a good excuse not to be in church when the doors are open. He will bring things into your life that are meant to discourage you. He can affect a great deal around you from the outside.

How determined are you to see the Lord?

Notice that Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus who he was. When you see the Lord for who He really is, you also see yourself for who you really are. You face the obstacle outside you, and then you discover the obstacle inside you. When you see how holy God is, how high and lifted up, you see how wretched and helpless you are.

“Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” (Isaiah 6:5)

Jesus said it plainly:

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:23-26)

That reaches beyond people with money. It takes in anybody who is trusting in himself and his own abilities. It is impossible for you to save yourself. It does not matter how good a life you have lived or how you were raised. There is no possible way to earn salvation from God.

There is no greater obstacle you will ever face in knowing the Lord than your own sin.

“Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:1-2)

When I was a young boy, I could not figure out what I was missing. I had made a profession of faith, and still something was missing. I felt separated. I felt alone. I had gone to church. I had said all the right words. I had obeyed my parents, to some degree. But it was my sin that separated me from God, and there was nothing I could do to get past it.

It is an obstacle no human being can pass on his own.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23)

When a lost soul finds out how far from God he really is, the devil is right there to say, “What’s the use?” That is not the answer. God wants you to see how low you are and how separated you are from Him, because then, and only then, can you let Him take over.

Are you willing to look like a fool?

“And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.” (Luke 19:4)

I love that verse. How many people do you know who would climb a tree to see somebody walk by? Children do that. Adults usually don’t, unless something scary is coming.

This man was willing to be made a spectacle. He did something unconventional that made him look foolish, even ridiculous, and he did not care.

That is an obstacle too, and it may be yours: an unwillingness to be made a spectacle in the eyes of the world. You cannot come to the Lord Jesus Christ until you are willing to let go of your pride, because pride is what makes you unwilling to be seen as a fool.

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)

I am not telling you to go out and do something crazy on purpose. I am asking whether you would be willing to be seen as a fool in the world’s eyes so that you might find favor in God’s eyes and let Him use you however He will.

I will be honest. This one is hard for me. Nobody enjoys the thought of being laughed at. But if I am unwilling to be seen as a fool for Christ, God cannot use me. And if a lost man is unwilling to be seen as a fool, he will never humble himself and ask God to save him.

“For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.” (1 Corinthians 4:9-10)

What are you willing to go through so that God has the preeminence in your life? What are you willing to give up?

Christ was made a spectacle for you. The world mocked Him and ridiculed Him because He loved you.

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” (Hebrews 12:2-3)

He had no obligation to be there other than His love for you. He endured more ridicule than I could ever imagine, and He did it willingly.

Think of the woman at Simon’s table.

“And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.” (Luke 7:36-38)

She was not afraid to be made a spectacle in front of everyone in that room. And Jesus said something the world still cannot believe:

“Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.” (Luke 7:47-50)

Let me say it right here. God is ready to forgive your sins right now. Not in years to come. Not when you die. Right now, free and clear, and you can become a child of God today.

He took the ridicule of the people at that table so He could say to you what He said to her: go in peace. I can walk away in peace because He took my shame, my sin, and my punishment, and I walk away a free man.

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

That is not my righteousness. It is the righteousness of God, and no man can take it away. I cannot even remove it myself. Once I am His child, I am forever His child.

Come to Him on His terms: He knows your name

Zacchaeus was not expecting anything from Jesus. He just wanted a glimpse. I wish that were more of my own burden. I would like to come to the Lord less with the things I want Him to provide and more with this: “Lord, I just want to know You.”

And notice where Zacchaeus put himself. He climbed that tree because Jesus was to pass that way. You need to put yourself where God is going to pass by.

God calls everybody to come to Him, but only on His terms. There are a lot of sincere people in this world, and my heart goes out to them, because sincerity on your own terms will not mean a thing.

Then Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus.” He called him by name.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.” (John 10:1-3)

Stop and think about that. There are six billion or so people living on this earth right now, somewhere around there, and then add everyone who has ever lived. God knows every one of His children through all of time by name.

That is a comfort. It is also a conviction.

I love to think about the times God calls me by name to strengthen me and comfort me. I do not love to think about the times He calls me by name because something is wrong in my life.

“And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9)

Elijah was running from Jezebel and hiding in a cave. Then came the wind, the earthquake, and the fire.

“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-13)

He went out to meet the Lord. That matters. When God calls you by name, you go out, you meet Him, and you listen. Sometimes He calls to comfort you. Sometimes He calls to say, “I have something for you to do.”

“And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:” (1 Kings 19:15)

If you are not His child, He will meet you, and usually not in comfortable conditions. He will convict you of your sin, because only He can cleanse it. He will do everything in His power to draw you to Himself, except make the choice for you.

What would He find if He came to your house today?

When I was studying this passage, I asked myself a question. What would I do if the Lord came to me and said, “Today I am coming over to your house”?

Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Lord, I have a lot of things to straighten out before You come over.

I am being a little facetious. But I am also serious. What would He see in your home? What is going on there in private?

And He does not only want into your house. He wants into your heart.

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” (Matthew 23:27-28)

A lot of people know how to look the part and dress the part. They put on the Christian face, but nothing has changed inside, because they have never acknowledged the guilt of their own sin.

I know that because it was me. I grew up in church. I heard the same things over and over for years and never applied them to myself. I looked the part. I believed in God. But there was no repentance and no change, because I would not see the filthiness on the inside or admit my own guilt before God.

God wants to abide with you, and that means letting Him in.

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20) “And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.” (Luke 19:6)

Don’t run from Him when He calls. Receive Him joyfully. If you have never been born again, stop running and answer Him.

And if you are saved, surrender does not stop there. A child of God lives a life of continual surrender. I am reminded of that every time I try doing my own thing, which happens a lot more than I would like to admit.

“And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship, Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.” (Acts 27:30-32)

If you are keeping a fallback plan, you are not trusting God completely. You have to cut the ropes. To be saved, you must cast yourself completely on the mercy of God, knowing that if He does not catch you, you will be in hell. That means utter trust with no reservation and no backup, because the Lord is able to save your soul, and He is able to guide you and keep you.

This day is salvation come to this house

“And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 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.” (Luke 19:7-8)

I always chuckle a little at that murmuring. Obviously they weren’t sinners.

Now set that beside another man who stood up and talked about what he did.

“Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon 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 every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” (Luke 18:10-14)

The Pharisee went home the same man he came. Everything he listed was something he could do himself, and it was normal for him to do it.

Zacchaeus was different. What came out of his mouth was nothing like what a publican would say. Publicans were not known for giving to the poor. They were not known for paying anybody back. A chief of the publicans was standing in the street, giving away half of what he owned and restoring fourfold, and nobody who knew him could account for it.

That is the evidence. That is what it looks like when God abides with a man.

“And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:9-10)

He is still passing this way. He still knows your name. He still says today.

What is filling your life so full that there is no room for Him? What are you still holding onto?

Make haste. Come down.

Let Him in.

Adapted from a message preached from Luke 19:1-10.