Luke 19

God does not care if you are rich in money or poor in spirit, or the reverse. If you seek Him, you will find Him! The religious group will always wonder how He could save a sinner
like that. The one seeking will always wonder how He could save a sinner like me. We must quit judging others on external appearances. We do not know the spirit of a person, only the Spirit knows the spirit of a man. The Father sees the heart of a man
and loves him still. He gave His only Son, out of His great, agape love for His creation. Imagine, the Creator of the world, wants a relationship with me and with you! God has given each of us a talent, His gift to us, and we are expected to make the most of that gift. We are rewarded for our faithfulness in multiplying the talents He has given. We are to be very thankful for what He has provided and use them for His glory. Entrust everything that you are, everything that you do, everything that you possess into the loving hands of the Father……He cares for you and in Him alone you will find peace!

19 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner."

8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."

9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

11 Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. 12 Therefore He said: "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.' 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'

15 "And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16 Then came the first, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned ten minas.' 17 And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.' 18 And the second came, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned five minas.' 19 Likewise he said to him, 'You also be over five cities.'

20 "Then another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. 21 For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.' 22 And he said to him, 'Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?'

24 "And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.' 25 (But they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas.') 26 'For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 27 But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.' "

37 Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, 38 saying:

" 'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!'

Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

39 And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples."

40 But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."

41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."

45 Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, 46 saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"

47 And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, 48 and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.

The NKJV Study Bible says this: Zacchaeus, as chief tax collector, most likely bid for the right to collect taxes and then hired another tax collector to actually gather the money. The crowd was not happy with Jesus' choice of whom to honor with His fellowship. In the crowd's opinion, Zacchaeus was a sinner. Since tax collectors often took for themselves a high percentage of what they demanded, they were hated and despised in ancient Israel. Zacchaeus determined to deal generously with others. ). The servants represent Jesus' followers. They are to serve faithfully until Jesus returns. The master, symbolizing Jesus Himself, wants to see fruit, or dividends from his investment. Did his servants put the money they received to good use? Having returned with authority to rule, the nobleman asks the servants to give an account of their labor in his absence. Faithfulness is commended and rewarded with greater opportunity. The disciples recognized that Jesus was the promised King sent from God. He is the One who brings peace to the relationship between people and God. The holy place of worship had become a site for taking economic advantage of people. Jesus' actions at the temple, the most sacred location for Jews, caused the Jewish religious leaders to strengthen their resolve to destroy Him.