Nobody Is A Nobody

even if you feel like one

By Bill Herried

“The Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” —Luke 19:10

Imagine that you lived in an occupied country—inhabited by a foreign military force. This military was brutally effective at keeping order—but at a cost. Life meant nothing to them.

In order to pay for this military force, there was a job posting for locals to collect taxes from their neighbors. The upside was a great potential for wealth. The downside is that you would be considered a traitor and receive death threats from neighbors.

Interested?

This is exactly what the tax collectors did in 1st century Israel. They collected taxes from their fellow countrymen. The Roman occupiers loved them. Their own people? Not so much. They were outcasts. Traitors. Benedict Arnolds.

Enter Jesus. Luke gives us a personal snapshot as Jesus meets with one of these outcasts:

Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. —Luke 19:1–4

Tax collectors may have a bad reputation in our day,  but in that day it was a dangerous job. And Luke tells us that Zacchaeus wasn’t just any tax collector, he was a “chief tax collector.” You can imagine the tension.

But word just got out that Jesus—a person with rock star status—had just arrived and was walking through his town. Zacchaeus, no doubt, also heard the scandalous reports that Jesus had a (former) tax collector on his team.

He was intrigued. God had obviously been speaking to Zacchaeus’ heart.

As I read this, I wondered, “Why would an outcast, someone who was wealthy and obviously a non-conformist, want to meet Jesus?” Because he was a short man, he could not see over the crowd that turned out to see Jesus. So he climbed a tree along the road to have an unobstructed view as Jesus passed by.

But to his surprise, Jesus didn’t pass him by. 

When Jesus walked beneath the shadow of the tree, he stopped, and looked up—along with everyone else—and called Zacchaeus by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”

Luke tells us that Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and received Jesus into his home.

Not surprisingly, Luke tells us “But the people were displeased. ‘He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,’ they grumbled.”

Everyone may have an opinion but the truth is, not all opinions matter.

Everyone may have an opinion but the truth is, not all opinions matter.

During Jesus’ discussion with Zacchaeus in his home, the tax collector turns from his abuse of position and power, and promises reform.

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold.” —Luke 19:8

Jesus says “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham.” In other words, he is emulating the father of their faith, Abraham.

Then Jesus finishes with this: For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost. Zacchaeus’ response was exactly what Jesus came to accomplish: a new heart and a new beginning. This is what Jesus does—one heart at a time.

Nobody is a nobody. Everyone is important. Ultimately Zacchaeus’ great wealth didn’t satisfy him. And in Jesus’ presence Zacchaeus’ priorities were transformed.

Here is the big takeaway for me in Jesus’ encounter with the tax collector: Nobody is a nobody. Everyone is important. Ultimately Zacchaeus’ great wealth didn’t satisfy him. And, in Jesus’ presence, Zacchaeus’ heart was transformed.

Let others have their opinions. Jesus’ goal wasn’t to hang out with the “right kind of people.” His goal is to “seek and to save the lost”—those who realized they’ve messed up.  

Which is all of us.

There will always be people who are looked down upon because of choices they have made. In fact, for many of us, the person you look down upon the hardest may be yourself.

But every person is important—including you. That is why Jesus came. 

Nobody is a nobody in God’s kingdom.

Bill Herried is lead pastor at CenterPoint Christian Fellowship in Tacoma, Washington. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, and Master of Divinity from Corban University in Salem, Oregon. He is married to the most extraordinary woman on the planet. Together they have 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren and loves a good biryani. You can learn more about Bill on his blog, Your Daily Encouragement