Synopsis:
Servanthood in the Life of Zacchaeus
Text: Luke 19:1–10
Speaker: Lau Hong Choon
From the account of Zacchaeus in Luke 19, this message traces a five-fold pattern of servanthood: awareness, availability, acceptance, abiding in Christ, and abandonment of the old life. Through Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus, the sermon shows how true servanthood flows from salvation and results in a transformed life marked by repentance, generosity, and wholehearted devotion to Christ. Believers are challenged to welcome the Lord into every area of life and to serve Him with undivided hearts.
Please note: This transcript is provided as close to verbatim record of the sermon.
Title: Servanthood in the Life of Zacchaeus
Text: Luke 19:1–10
Speaker: Lau Hong Choon
Introduction
Brothers and sisters, I want to begin by thanking all who prayed for me in the preparation of this message. More importantly, I thank the Lord, who not only helped me in preparing these words but has already been speaking to us through the brothers who shared earlier this morning.
Let us pray.
Our Father, we thank You for this wonderful morning when we can gather together in Your name to worship You. We thank You that the Lord Jesus is in our midst and that in the Spirit we can draw near. Bless our time in Your Word now. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Happy Chinese New Year!
Today, our passage is Luke 19:1–10, the account of Zacchaeus. This event happened during a momentous week. Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. Within days, He would be crucified. The crowds in Jericho did not know it, but our Lord was making His final journey toward the cross.
In our message, we will follow the five-fold pattern of service:
Scripture Reading (Luke 19:1–10, NASB)
[Read passage aloud]
We are told that Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector—the “architelones”—and he was rich. His tax-collecting agency was contracted by the Romans, and he had a team working under him. Tax collectors were despised in Jewish society, seen as traitors and often as cheats.
Yet, Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus. Because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. He ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree—trees with low branches, easy even for someone of small stature to climb.
When Jesus arrived, He looked up and called Zacchaeus by name: “Hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”
Like Abraham before him, Zacchaeus recognized the Lord’s presence. In Genesis 18, Abraham saw the Lord approaching, ran to meet Him, and said: “My Lord… please do not pass Your servant by.”
According to Romans 4 and Galatians 3, the true descendants of Abraham are those who share his faith. Jesus called Zacchaeus a son of Abraham—not because of ethnicity, but because of faith.
When we gather in the Lord’s name, He is here. Matthew 18:20 tells us: “Where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”
The first step in serving Christ is awareness—recognizing that the Lord is here, and that He still calls people to Himself.
Servanthood is not about ability first—it is about availability. A servant is where the Master is.
Jesus was on His way to the most important mission of His life, yet He stopped for Zacchaeus. He was available. And Zacchaeus responded immediately—he hurried down and welcomed Jesus gladly.
John 12:25–26 says:
“He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.”
Paul put it this way in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for servant, ebed, refers to one who willingly dedicates himself to another. In the New Testament, the word doulos literally means “slave”—completely belonging to the Master.
Are we available to the Lord like that? Are we ready to say, “Lord, wherever You are, that is where I will be”?
When Jesus invited Himself to Zacchaeus’ home, the crowd grumbled: “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” They could not accept that someone like Zacchaeus could be welcomed by the Lord.
But Jesus accepted him. He looked for repentance, and He found it. Zacchaeus publicly declared: “Half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone, I will give back four times as much.”
We are called to that same spirit of acceptance. Jesus told the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18, where one forgiven an unpayable debt refused to forgive a small debt. We have been forgiven much—how can we withhold forgiveness from others?
As Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:24–25:
“The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition.”
A servant of the Lord must be marked by acceptance and forgiveness.
Zacchaeus’ transformation was immediate because he had encountered Christ. Jesus said: “Today salvation has come to this house.”
This is the heart of abiding in Christ—allowing Him to work through us. The fruit comes from the Lord’s life flowing through the servant.
In 2 Timothy 2:20–21, Paul says:
“If anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”
We must remain connected to the Lord in daily fellowship—through His Word, in prayer, and among His people—so that our service is not in our own strength but in His.
When Zacchaeus met Jesus, he abandoned his old ways. His wealth, once gained through dishonest means, no longer held his heart. He was willing to give it away.
1 John 2:15–17 reminds us:
“Do not love the world nor the things in the world… The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”
The servant of Christ must abandon worldliness. Our treasure is in heaven.
Hebrews 12:2 tells us to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.” Zacchaeus climbed a tree just to see Jesus—and they met eyes. May our lives be fixed on Him in the same way, so that we can serve Him with undivided hearts.
Conclusion
From Zacchaeus, the son of Abraham, we learn the pattern of servanthood:
It is the Lord’s work. It is His mission. It is His salvation. May we, like Zacchaeus, gladly welcome Him into our homes and lives, so that the gospel may go out through us.
Closing Prayer
Our Father in heaven, we thank You for the example of Zacchaeus—how You called him, forgave him, and transformed him. Help us to be aware of Your presence, available for Your service, accepting toward others, abiding in Christ, and abandoning all that hinders us from following You. We pray this in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Messages: 10
