What was Jesus trying to teach Zaccheus?

An Afternoon with Zaccheus

Please take the time to read Luke 19:11-27 before beginning this lesson.  First, I want to set the background by going back to the beginning of Luke 19.  There we see Jesus is passing through Jericho.  We also see that Zaccheus is very interested in Jesus as he goes out of his way to try to see him through the crowd.  Jesus already knew that Zaccheus was ripe for the harvest and He stops right under the sycamore tree that Zaccheus is in and looks up at him and then tells him to hurry on down out of the tree so Jesus can stay at his house.  Talk about amazing!  Can you imagine the impact this had on Zaccheus.  And, of course, just like today, the regular church crowd (of course it was the synagogue crowd in this case) turned their nose up at Zaccheus because he was a known as a sinner.  But Jesus knew Zaccheus’ heart.

Then Zaccheus makes a commitment to the Lord that he will give half of his possessions to the poor and give back four times as much as anything he has defrauded from anyone.  Jesus responds to this by acknowledging that Zaccheus has received eternal life by stating that he is a “son of Abraham”.  Jesus also understands that Zaccheus is a very motivated man as he had to work very hard to get to where he was in status.  He was certainly one of the most powerful and wealthiest man in Jericho and he had worked hard to earn it.  Therefore, Jesus wants to make sure that he understands the consequences if he does not follow through on what he committed to Jesus and the rewards he can “earn” if he follows through on his commitments.  Thus Jesus begins the parable of the minas in verse 11.

While this is a story, it is obvious that it correlates exactly to Jesus leaving the earth and returning to receive His kingdom.  Most people get that.  Unfortunately, most people do not understand the obvious reference to the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Great White Throne Judgment that are also in this parable. 

Verse 11 refers to the Nation of Israel at that time expecting the kingdom of God to appear immediately.  Verse 12 refers to the King leaving and eventually returning.  While he is away we see in verse 13 that he gives 1 mina to each of his servants.  This is an obvious reference to Jesus’ followers who each are given the capacity through the Holy Spirit to serve and teach the world about Christ until His return.  We also see in verse 14 the unbelievers who want to kill Jesus. 

Then, in verses 15 through 26 we see an illustration of the Judgment Seat of Christ.  There are several important observations to be made here.  First, it is a public judgment as seen in verse 24 so the judgment of each believer is witnessed by every believer.  We know this is a judgment of believers because the unbelievers are executed in verse 27 referencing the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20.  Another important observation is that the King here rewards his servants who performed well while he was away by giving them authority over others.  In this parable they are given cities to oversee.  In other words, they are given the opportunity to reign under the King just as Jesus promises us the opportunity to someday rule with Him in His Kingdom here on earth.  Another important observation here is that the servant who did not perform the duties given him while the master was away is publically judged, humiliated, and suffers great loss.  In fact, instead of receiving an award, he is stripped of everything he had to begin with.  This is obviously a horrific outcome.  But, regardless of what anyone else wants to try to make this passage say, it does not make any reference to the servant being tossed into hell, the lake of fire.  In fact, Jesus makes this very clear with His final distinction between the true servants who are judged in verses 15 through 26 and His enemies who are destroyed in verse 27.  It is very obvious that verse 27 refers the Great White Throne Judgment where the lost are thrown into the lake of fire.  The servant who was humiliated and lost his mina is still living there in the kingdom and is not part of the group in verse 27 who are executed.  In fact, as it tells us in Revelation 21, eventually Jesus will wipe every tear away and no believer will ever suffer again.  But that comes after the millennial kingdom, not before.

The three most important points of this parable are:

1.       Believers are publically judged at the return of Christ.  Those who obey and serve Christ before His return are rewarded and given the opportunity to reign with Him.  Those who deny Him and fall away will be publically humiliated and suffer great loss including the opportunity to reign with Him.  However, they will not lose their eternal life because eternal life is based on faith alone in Christ alone and cannot be lost.

2.      To refuse to believe in Christ means absolute destruction at the Great White Throne judgment.

3.      Believers should be motivated to love, obey, and follow Christ so they can receive the greatest reward possible, serving Him in His kingdom at His return and to hear the words, “Well, done faithful servant.”