“Jesus of Nazareth is coming.” The word was out in the city of Jericho and many surrounded Jesus. They had heard of his miracle working power and he spoke with power. “Was he the promised Messiah?”
The city of Jericho was under a curse from the time it was destroyed by Joshua and the army of Israel when first they crossed the Jordan river.(Josh.6:26) And the people of Jericho were under a curse which means disowned by God because they looked for their right standing before God on the ground that they kept his law. Self righteous, they over -looked the scripture, “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them ” (Gal. 3:10). But the multitude regarded themselves as God’s favorites and comforted their consciences in that they were descendants of Abraham.
There was one among them that the multitude considered a sinner and cursed by God. His name was Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the district for the nation of Rome and he was wealthy. Rome occupied and ruled their country. Zacchaeus was an outlaw sinner as far as his countrymen were concerned. He was a a very small man and could not see over the heads of those around him, but he wanted to see Jesus in the worst way. He crawled up a Sycamore tree and there ,over the heads of the others, he could see Jesus plainly. And Jesus saw him. Jesus said, “Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.”
The sequence of events is important. It was after Zacchaeus then received the Lord that he exclaimed, “Lord, the half of my goods I give the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him four-fold.” First faith then works is the order. The curse as a sinner was removed from Zacchaeus and his house because Christ was to be made a curse on his behalf, on the cross, redeeming him, a law breaker from it, ” Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law ,being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that is hanged on a tree… (Gal 3:13). AND SO WE ARE REDEEMED WHO BELIEVE ON HIM. We, after faith, live forever with Him who died on the cross for our breaking of God’s laws and He was raised from the dead for our justification.
