When Jesus Comes to Your House: Lavish Grace in Unexpected Places
The story of Zacchaeus is a compelling one. It’s bigger than being at a Harry Styles, Lady Gaga, or Human League concert and being called out in person in an immense crowd. Zacchaeus, as we find him, had a problem—he was desperate to see Jesus, but the crowd was large, and he was small. Climbing a nearby sycamore tree was more than just a vantage point; it was an act of longing, a yearning to glimpse the One he’d only heard whispers about. We are not told what he expected to see or what he planned to do after catching sight of Jesus. Was it his intention to call out to Him, as the blind beggar had done? The pace of events, nevertheless, caught him unawares. The unexpected encounter occurred when Jesus walked right up to that tree—not past it—looked up, and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today” (Luke 19:5, ESV). Drum roll, please!
There’s something profound here. Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, but instead, Jesus came and invaded his life. This wasn’t just an ordinary visit; it was an invitation that would redefine who Zacchaeus was. And that’s how God’s grace often works—it surpasses expectations, turning a glimpse from a distance into an intimate, transformative experience.
The House of Your Life
Consider your house—your life. The rooms you’ve meticulously arranged, the doors you’ve closed, the ‘awkward’ places you don’t even want to go yourself. You may tidy up the living room where you meet guests, ensuring everything looks fine on the surface. But then there’s the attic filled with unresolved issues, the closet cluttered with regrets, the dusty corners hiding the remnants of broken dreams. Zacchaeus, a man with a life marked by extortion and isolation, opened the door to Jesus, and everything changed in a heartbeat.
Jesus doesn’t settle for the front room where everything is neat. He’s the kind of guest who walks into every room, unafraid of the mess, the clutter, the hidden shame. He already knows what’s there. He invites Himself into the parts of your life that you’ve locked away—those corners you’ve been avoiding.
With Zacchaeus, Jesus entered his home, but He also entered his shame, his story, his identity as a “sinner.” Zacchaeus wasn’t just a tax collector anymore; he was someone called by Jesus, loved beyond the judgment of the crowd.
The Crowd and the Unexpected Guest
It’s easy to be part of the crowd, spectating from a distance, watching others receive grace but never imagining that Jesus might come to your house. The astonished crowd murmured when they saw Jesus invite Himself to Zacchaeus’ house: “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner” (Luke 19:7, ESV). But Jesus isn’t interested in the murmurs or judgments of others—He’s interested in Zacchaeus. He’s interested in you.
When Jesus invites Himself in (not quite the way we do it!), He brings with Him the power of transformation. Zacchaeus, responding to his encounter with Jesus, stands up and declares, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold” (Luke 19:8, ESV). Zacchaeus is making an application of the law in Exodus 22:1 concerning retribution, such is his willingness to put things right as much as he knows how. The encounter with Jesus moved Zacchaeus from being a taker to being a giver, from being isolated to being restored in community. It wasn’t just about hosting Jesus in his home; more realistically, it was about Jesus hosting Zacchaeus in the Kingdom, redefining who he was and his purpose.
Grace Unleashed in the Mess
Ready to meet Jesus? Zacchaeus didn’t clean up his act before Jesus arrived. He didn’t try to make himself worthy of the visit. And Jesus didn’t demand that Zacchaeus change before He entered his home. This is stunning. This is where we see the lavishness of God’s grace—He doesn’t wait for you to be ready; He comes, as you are, into the very midst of your mess. The invitation isn’t based on merit, but on God’s unrelenting love.
In our attempts to be ‘good enough,’ we can often miss the whole point of grace. Grace isn’t interested in neat appearances; it’s interested in genuine transformation. Jesus knows all about the parts of your life that are less than perfect, and astonishingly, He still chooses to step in. He’s not surprised by your brokenness. In fact, He chooses your house precisely because He knows it needs His presence.
The love of God is not afraid of our humanity. It isn’t put off by our debris or mistakes, nor is it limited by our failures. Instead, it is a love that looks up into the branches of our own desperate measures and says, “Come down, I must stay at your house today.” It’s an invitation for Jesus to be the centre of our lives, today, transforming our deepest insecurities into places of healing, making our brokenness a platform for His grace.
A Grace That Changes the Story
Imagine the whispers after that encounter. Zacchaeus, the man everyone despised, is now the embodiment of a changed life. He is no longer driven by greed, no longer isolated. He’s part of the Kingdom story that generations will hear about for centuries to come. The encounter with Jesus rewrote Zacchaeus’ narrative from ‘sinner’ to ‘son.’ Jesus declared, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:9-10, ESV).
This story is about more than Zacchaeus; it’s about you and me. It’s about the way Jesus comes into our lives, not to merely be observed from a distance, but to make His home with us, to bring salvation to our house. He sees us not just as we are, but as we could be in His grace, and that grace requires a response. Zacchaeus climbed a tree because he was curious, but he ended up climbing down into a grace-filled invitation that would change his life forever. Jesus could have gone to anyone’s house—but He chose Zacchaeus’.
Jesus, Your Unexpected Guest
What happens when Jesus invites Himself into your life? When He sees you hidden in the branches, curious but perhaps too timid, afraid, or sceptical to approach? Jesus doesn’t just want a polite introduction; He wants the invitation to stay, to inhabit every space, even the ones we’d rather keep closed off. He wants to bring light into your darkness, hope into your despair, and restoration where there’s been loss. It really is a heart-restoring invitation—He is what you need and all you need.
The good news is that He comes not because we deserve it, but because He loves us. His grace isn’t transactional; it’s transformational. The house of your life may have rooms you’re not proud of, but Jesus walks through, bringing with Him all the lavish grace of God—reordering, rebuilding, and restoring. He is not put off by your clutter or mess; He is drawn to it, eager to bring His light.
Jesus comes to your house not just to visit, but to stay. And when He stays, He changes everything. In a heartbeat.
