Luke 19:9

Secondly, with regard to the accepting reception of Christ, he adds: But Jesus said to him: Because today salvation has been made for this house, through the bestowal of divine grace, which was given at Christ's presence, through which the Church is dedicated and sanctified: …

Jesus said to him: "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham." Zacchaeus is called a son of Abraham, not because he was born of his lineage, but because he imitated his faith. Just as Abraham left his …

Zacchæus is called the son of Abraham, not because he was born of Abraham's seed, but because he imitates his faith, that as Abraham left his country and his father's house, so he abandoned all his goods in giving them to the poor. And He well says, "He also," to declare that not only those who had lived justly, but those who are raised up from a life of injustice, belong to the sons of promise.

Christ proclaims salvation to him. "Today," He says, "you give, today salvation is yours." For by the words "to this house," He undoubtedly points to Zacchaeus as the one receiving salvation. By "house" is meant Zacchaeus, because the Lord would not have called a soulless …

To such Christ announces salvation; Jesus saith unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, signifying that Zacchaeus had attained to salvation, meaning by the house the inhabitant thereof. And it follows, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For He would not have given the name of a son of Abraham to a lifeless building. He said not that he "was" a son of Abraham, but that he now is. For before when he was the chief among the publicans, and bore no likeness to the righteous Abraham, he was not his son.

And Jesus said unto him,.... The Persic version reads, "Jesus said to the multitude, and to his disciples"; to which well enough agree the following words: this day is salvation come to this house: to the master of it, and it may be to others in it; the Arabic version reads, "to the inhabitants of this house".

Zaccheus is declared to be now a happy man. Now he is turned from sin to God; now he has bidden Christ welcome to his house, and is become an honest, charitable, good man: This day is salvation come to this house. Now that he is converted he is in effect saved, saved from his sins, from the guilt of them, from the power of them; all the benefits of salvation are his.

Salvation is come to this house - This family. They have this day received the blessings of the gospel, and become interested in the Messiah’s kingdom. Salvation “commences” when people truly receive Christ and their sins are pardoned; it is “completed” when the soul is sanctified and received up into heaven. Forasmuch - Because. For he has given “evidence” that he is a new man, and is disposed to forsake his sins and receive the gospel. The son of Abraham - Hitherto, although a Jew, yet he has been a sinner, and a great sinner.

OBSERVE, dear Friends, that our Lord spoke this sentence to Zacchaeus. Some of us may have fancied that He said it to the objecting people, but He did not. They may have heard it and their objection may have been answered by it, but the main purpose of our blessed Lord, in uttering those words, was not to answer objectors, but to comfort one who might feel dispirited by their murmuring remark. Therefore, "Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house." It is always better to comfort Believers than to answer quibblers.

But salvation to a house is an exceedingly precious idea, expressing the new air that would henceforth breathe in it, and the new impulses from its head which would reach its members (Ps 118:15; Ac 16:15, 16, 31). son of Abraham--He was that by birth, but here it means a partaker of his faith, being mentioned as the sufficient explanation of salvation having come to him.

There was no demand made for either; but, as if to revenge himself on his hitherto reigning sin (see on Joh 20:28), and to testify the change he had experienced, besides surrendering the half of his fair gains to the poor, he voluntarily determines to give up all that was ill-gotten, quadrupled. He gratefully addressed this to the "Lord," to whom he owed the wonderful change.

These verses describe the conversion of a soul. Like the stories of Nicodemus, and the Samaritan woman — the story of Zacchaeus should be frequently studied by Christians. The Lord Jesus never changes. What He did for the man before us — He is able and willing to do for any one of ourselves. We learn, firstly, from these verses — that no one is too bad to be saved, or beyond the power of Christ's grace. We are told of a wealthy tax-collector becoming a disciple of Christ. A more unlikely event, we cannot well imagine!

These verses describe the conversion of a soul. Like the stories of Nicodemus, and the Samaritan woman — the story of Zacchaeus should be frequently studied by Christians. The Lord Jesus never changes. What He did for the man before us — He is able and willing to do for any one of ourselves. We learn, firstly, from these verses — that no one is too bad to be saved, or beyond the power of Christ's grace. We are told of a wealthy tax-collector becoming a disciple of Christ. A more unlikely event, we cannot well imagine! We see the "camel passing through the eye of a needle," and the "rich man entering the kingdom of God." We behold a plain proof that "all things are possible with God." We see a covetous tax-collector, transformed into a charitable Christian! The door of hope which the Gospel reveals to sinners, is very wide open! Let us leave it as open as we find it Let us not attempt in narrow-minded ignorance, to shut it. We should never be afraid to maintain that Christ is "able to save to the uttermost" — and that the vilest of sinners may be freely forgiven, if they will only come to Him. We should offer the Gospel boldly to the worst and wickedest, and say, "There is hope. Only repent and believe. Though your sins are like scarlet — I will make them as white as snow! Though they are red like crimson — I will make them as white as wool! (Isaiah 1:18.) Such doctrine may seem to be foolishness and a license to sin, to worldly people. But such doctrine is the Gospel of Him who saved Zacchaeus at Jericho! Hospitals discharge many severe cases as incurable. But there are no incurable cases under the Gospel! Any sinner may be healed — if he will only come to Christ. We learn, secondly, from these verses — how little and insignificant are the things on which a soul's salvation often turns.

OBSERVE, dear Friends, that our Lord spoke this sentence to Zacchaeus. Some of us may have fancied that He said it to the objecting people, but He did not. They may have heard it and their objection may have been answered by it, but the main purpose of our blessed Lord, in uttering those words, was not to answer objectors, but to comfort one who might feel dispirited by their murmuring remark. Therefore, "Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house." It is always better to comfort Believers than to answer quibblers. The quibblers scarcely deserve a reply, for they are pretty sure to find fault again—it is according to their nature to do so. But as for the poor distressed people of God, who gladly receive the Truth of God, and yet have to endure unkind observations, let these be cheered, for has not the Lord, Himself, said, "Comfort you, comfort you My people"? Now, what could give Zacchaeus greater consolation than for the Lord Jesus Christ to bear witness to the fact of his salvation? "Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house." I fancy that I can hear some of you say, "We should count it the happiest day in our lives if the Lord Jesus would come and tell us that salvation had come to us." But, Beloved, you cannot have Him come, in the flesh, to say that to you, for He has gone away, to carry on His service elsewhere. Among other things, He has gone to prepare a place for you who believe in Him. But His Spirit is equally Divine and He is always with us—and you may have the Spirit of God bearing witness with your spirit that you are the children of God.

Jesus said unto him - Bishop Pearce observes: “Probably Luke wrote αυτους, not αυτον, said unto them, i.e. to those who had before called Zaccheus a sinner; (Luk 19:7); for Jesus here speaks of Zaccheus in the third person, he also is a son of Abraham, and therefore he was not then speaking to him.” This conjecture of this respectable prelate is supported by the margin of the later Syriac, and by every copy of the Itala but two. To this house - Τῳ οικῳ τουτῳ, To this very house or family. As if he had said: “If he be a sinner, he stands in the greater need of salvation, and the Son of man is come to seek and save what was lost, Luk 19:10; and therefore to save this lost soul is a part of my errand into the world.” See the sentiment contained in this verse explained on Mat 18:11 (note).