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These posts grow out of sermons I’ve written for my local church community. You’re welcome to use them—for teaching, small groups, preaching, or personal reflection. If you share them elsewhere, please include a simple attribution. If you’d ever like to share how they’re being used, you’re welcome to reach out through the Contact button. Leader’s Guides for Discussion Questions are available upon request.
There is something deeply human about knowing where we belong at a table. Tables carry meaning, too. They tell us: who belongs, who is comfortable, who is expected, and who is not. Most of us — without even thinking about it — sit in the same place every time. At home. At family gatherings. At Bible study. On Sunday, before and after the service. If someone is in the place where we sit one Sunday, we might pause for a moment and think, “Oh… that’s MY seat.” Not because we’re unkind, but because we are human. But at Jesus’ table…no one owns a spot. In our story today, Jesus will walk into Jericho and completely rearrange the seating chart. It’s the familiar story of Zacchaeus.
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Luke 19:1-10 NIV
We’re talking about Tables in our series. This story is about the table of welcome. The table is the vehicle of grace: Jesus crosses the threshold, eats with Zacchaeus, and that welcome reshapes everything. When he comes to Jericho, Luke tells us: “Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.” He had no intention of stopping. Maybe they would get some supplies before the seventeen mile climb up the mountain[1], but he was on a mission. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. His face is set toward the cross. He has somewhere to be. But then — he stops. The text says that Zacchaeus only wanted to SEE Jesus—not necessarily be seen BY Jesus. He may have hoped to stay hidden behind the large leaves of the sycamore tree.[2] But Jesus looks up into the tree and says: “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” Not: “Would you like to host me?” Not: “Do you have time for dinner?” Rather: “I MUST stay at your house…TODAY.” Jesus invited himself. Who does that?
This is not social politeness. This is divine necessity![3] In Luke’s Gospel that word “must” is never casual. Jesus must preach. He must suffer. He must go to Jerusalem. This is not a scheduling decision. Before Zacchaeus ever changes, before he gives a single coin away, before he says a single word —Jesus has already decided to come to his house.
Jesus boldly invites himself to what is likely the best house in town. And remember, he’s not alone—the disciples are with him…which means—they get to come to dinner, too. But Jesus doesn’t ask Zacchaeus whether that is convenient or not.[4] Notice: the welcome begins… with Jesus. HE stops and claims the table. He is not just being spontaneous, and it’s not just a personality trait. Welcome is a gospel practice that is part of the kingdom. Jesus is embodying the Father’s mission.
Jesus doesn’t wait for welcome—Jesus brings welcome.
When Jesus brings the welcome, he also rearranges the room. He decides where the center is. He decides who belongs. He decides what the table is for. And suddenly the table is no longer a place where we manage our comfort —it becomes a place where grace is made visible. The welcome does not start with us, either. Jesus brings the table with him. And that is such good news —because most of us are not ready to host Jesus when he shows up. Our lives are busy. Our hearts are cluttered. Our schedules are full.
But Jesus doesn’t wait for perfect conditions. He says: “Today. At your house.” The Kingdom comes to our kitchens, and to our dining rooms, to our parties, and to our restaurants. Which means the holiest places this week may not be sanctuaries, but dinner tables… coffee shops… hospital rooms… and the front seats of cars where hard conversations happen. But tables are public. You can hide in a crowd. You can NOT hide a dinner guest. Immediately the room reacts. The table exposes them. “They all began to grumble…” Luke 19:7. The crowd is not just upset with Zacchaeus. They are protecting a boundary. Up to this point in time, Luke has been showing how Jesus has cared for those who were marginalized by society: the poor, the rejected, those in need.[5] Zacchaeus was marginalized…because he was an extortionist.[6] He was the kind of man that everybody hated. He’s identified as a CHIEF tax collector. Zacchaeus is either the head of a group of partners who had a contract with Rome,
or he was hired by someone to supervise the operation.[7] He is a sinner ‘supreme’![8] A traitor. An oppressor. Some of these people in the crowd AND the disciples, have spent YEARS paying the crushing taxes for Rome. Zacchaeus—was the face of oppression and fraud. And now Jesus is not just speaking to him — he is EATING with him! I’d be grumbling, too.
Meals formed a community in the ancient world. It said: We belong to the same group, We recognize one another as family / equals / allies, We share honor. So, when Jesus eats with someone, it is a social and theological declaration, not just kindness. Let’s be honest —we don’t mind Jesus welcoming sinners in general. We just don’t like it when it’s someone who has hurt people, …someone who has power …someone who has taken more than their share …someone who never apologized. That’s when the table gets uncomfortable. That’s when grace feels unfair. A shared table reveals what we really believe about belonging, too. The meal becomes a mirror. It reveals who we think deserves a seat. We all carry unspoken seating charts. We know who we are comfortable with, who we avoid, who we think deserves a place, and who we are not sure about. Jesus keeps pulling out chairs for people we had not planned to include. He brings a table of welcome. And a welcoming table does not make people feel like they’re in the wrong seat. It makes room. And…it disrupts our categories, just like it did for the people at Zacchaeus’ table.
Now, something happened at that meal. Luke does not tell us what Jesus says during dinner. Isn’t that interesting? We have all these healings, all the miracles, and not a lot of what Jesus said. We have the Sermon on the Mount, but we don’t have in-depth conversations with people. What did Jesus say that night? What did he tell Zacchaeus?
What did Zacchaeus say? The disciples? Luke doesn’t tell us. He doesn’t have to. We are not told what Jesus said at dinner. But deep down, we know what it was like to be at a table with him. People who were ignored before, were seen. People who were ashamed were not shamed. People who were outsiders were treated like family. Somewhere between the bread and the conversation, Zacchaeus realized: “I do not have to “take” anymore. I belong.”
In Luke’s gospel, the setting of a meal is the place where God invites sinners into his kingdom and offers them a taste of what is to come.[9] Before this, Zacchaeus lived a life that was built on taking from other people. It was collecting taxes, skimming a profit at the expense of others. Accumulating status…and stuff. But after dinner Zacchaeus stands up and says: “Half of my possessions I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone, I will pay back four times as much.” According to Roman law, he offers to pay restitution in the same way he would have been liable if he had been taken to court.[10] Whatever Jesus said, it changed him. Zacchaeus’ response is not a condition—it’s a fruit. Jesus opened up his heart to him, and Zacchaeus opens up his heart to the poor.[11] He shows genuine repentance: regret, confession, and restitution.[12] There is JOY there, as Zacchaeus embraces the values and the claims of the kingdom of God.[13] When Jesus sits at his table, his world was transformed. But Jesus didn’t demand restitution first. Jesus simply welcomed him. Something about the table created repair. When Jesus welcomes you, your life will also begin to move: from taking—to giving; from accumulation—to restoration; from isolation—to belonging. This is what grace does.
The crowd has a category for Zacchaeus: Sinner. Traitor. Out. Jesus gives him a new category: Family. Covenant. Belonging. He doesn’t deny the past. He overrules the crowd’s verdict. Jesus says, “Today salvation has come to this house…because he too is a son of Abraham.” Luke 19:9 That’s belonging language. Household language. Family language. Salvation arrives at an address, and it is pronounced over his whole household…but NOT onto the grumbling crowd.[14] Zacchaeus’ swindling would have excluded him from the promises of Abraham and his descendants, and his whole household would have been implicated.[15] The table becomes a doorway back into the family of God. Zacchaeus is no longer ‘sinner’, but ‘family.’
To share with others, including and especially the poor, is to treat them as within one’s circle of friends, family, and kin.[16] It’s not a birthright, like his kinship with Abraham, it’s the posture of welcome that Zacchaeus embodies—that makes him fit for the kingdom of God.[17] Something about Jesus’ welcome produces new economics: generosity, restitution, repair. A penitent tax collector is better than a pretentious Pharisee.[18] Michael Bird writes, ‘Zaccheaus represents the sinner who gets healed by the physician, the rich man who gets through the eye of the needle, the prodigal son who comes home to his father.’[19] Jesus welcomes Zacchaeus into the family of God.
Jesus doesn’t wait for welcome—Jesus brings welcome.
Jesus’ welcome brought a new kingdom posture for Zacchaeus, and his welcome brings a new posture toward our neighbors, too. The season of Lent is not just for thinking. It is a season for practice. And the practice for this week is simple: Make room. Not in theory. In real space. It is a posture of hospitality where we hold our preferences loosely. Even our favorite seat. The question is no longer: “Where do I usually sit?” But “Who needs space today?” At your table. In your schedule. In your attention. In your life. Making room is costly. It changes how we use money, time, status. —Maybe it looks like adjusting —even when it’s inconvenient. — Maybe it’s slowing down long enough to actually listen to someone you usually avoid. — Maybe it’s changing where you sit so someone else knows they are seen. — Maybe it’s using your resources to repair something instead of protecting your comfort.
Jesus did not wait to be welcomed. He walked to the door. He brought the table of welcome with him. And everything changed. So this week, let’s practice HIS way. Not: “Who deserves my time?” But: “Where is Jesus inviting me to make room?” Let’s embody the Father’s mission—just like Jesus, and pray together:
Prayer
Leader: Jesus, you see us where we are.
All: Thank you for meeting us with grace.
Leader: You welcome us before we change.
All: Help us live from your welcome.
Leader: You invite us to follow you.
All: Teach us to notice and love others as you do. Amen.
** After this sermon, we had a moment in the service. Leader: Zacchaeus thought he didn’t belong. People had already decided who he was. But Jesus stopped, looked up, and called his name. And then Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus’ table. Today we’re reminded that Jesus makes room for people who aren’t usually included. And he asks us to do the same. As the candle is lit, think about this: Where is Jesus inviting you to make room? At your table… in your life… in your heart? (move to light candle → silence) A note on a slide reads: “Where is Jesus inviting you to make room?” People sit in silence for 30–60 seconds while piano or guitar plays underneath. At about the 20 second mark, the team moves slowly and quietly into place for the final song.
Bibliography
Bird, Michael F., A Bird’s-Eye View of Luke and Acts: Context, Story, and Themes, Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2023.
Bock, Darrell L. Bock, Luke, Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1994.
Garland, David E., Clinton E. Arnold editor, Luke, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2011.
Green, Joel B., The Gospel of Luke, TNICNT, Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997.
Streett, R. Alan, Subversive Meals: An Analysis of the Lord’s Supper under Roman Domination during the First Century, United Kingdom: Jakes Clarke & Co, 2013.
Swindoll, Charles R., Insights on Luke, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012.
The Table of Welcome—Week 4
Small Group Questions
Icebreaker
- Where do you usually sit at home, at church, or at a gathering? Why that spot?
- How do you feel when someone else is in it?
Read Luke 19:1-5
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”
- Why do you think Luke emphasizes that Jesus was “just passing through” Jericho?
- What do we learn about Zacchaeus from the three descriptions:
-a man
-a chief tax collector
-wealthy
How would each of those shape how the crowd sees him?
- The text says Zacchaeus “wanted to see who Jesus was.” What’s the difference between wanting to see Jesus and wanting to follow Jesus?
- Enter the scene (imaginative engagement). If you picture the moment:
- Where is the crowd?
- Where is Zacchaeus?
- Where is Jesus?
- What do you think Zacchaeus expected would happen when Jesus came by?
What do you think the crowd expected would happen?
- How do you think Zacchaeus felt in the moment Jesus spoke to him?
- Jesus said, “I must stay at your house today”? What does that word “must” tell us about Jesus’ mission? His authority? His priorities?
Read Luke 19:6-7
6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
- What does it mean that Zacchaeus “welcomed him gladly”? Who is welcoming whom in this story?
- What has Zacchaeus done so far to deserve this welcome? What does it teach us about the order of grace and repentance? The initiative of Jesus?
- The crowd grumbles when Jesus goes to Zacchaeus’ house. What boundary do you think they felt Jesus was crossing?
- Notice they don’t call Zacchaeus by name — only “a sinner.” Why does that matter?
- Meals in the ancient world were a sign of belonging. What does it communicate when Jesus chooses to eat with Zacchaeus?
- We all carry unspoken seating charts. Without naming people, what kinds of people are hardest for you to “make room for”?
- When have you experienced someone making room for you before you felt ready or worthy?
- At Jesus’ table no one owns a spot. Why is that both beautiful and uncomfortable?
- Which role do you find yourself in more often:
-the joyful host
-the watching crowd
-the muttering critic
Why?
- How does this story challenge the idea that people have to “fix their lives” before they are fully welcomed?
Read Luke 19:8-10
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
- What is significant about the fact that Zacchaeus stands up to speak?
- Who is Zacchaeus speaking to:
-Jesus?
-the crowd?
-both?
Why might that matter?
- What specific actions does Zacchaeus promise?
- What do you notice about the scale of his response (half his possessions, fourfold repayment)?
- How is Zacchaeus’ response different from a simple apology? How does that challenge the idea that faith is only private or internal?
- Zacchaeus changes after Jesus welcomes him. He moves from taking → giving → repairing. What does this teach us about the relationship between grace and transformation?
- Imagine the next day in Jericho after this dinner:
-What are the poor saying?
-What are Zacchaeus’ former clients saying?
-What is the crowd saying now?
-What has changed?
- How might Zacchaeus’ transformation affect his family, his employees, the wider community?
Abraham was blessed to be a blessing (Genesis 12:2-3), and Zacchaeus promises to live that out through generosity and repair, showing that he truly belongs to Abraham’s family. To call Zacchaeus a “son of Abraham” is to say, “You belong to God’s family again.”
- Jesus calls Zacchaeus “a son of Abraham.” (see Genesis 12:2-3) Why do you think Jesus uses family language instead of just saying, “he is forgiven” or “he is saved”?
- What’s the difference between being labeled “sinner” by the crowd and being declared “family” by Jesus?
- What does Zacchaeus’ generosity suggest about the relationship between identity and action?
- How does understanding your identity in Christ shape how you treat others?
- Zacchaeus is trying to find a way to see Jesus. Jesus is already on his way to find Zacchaeus. What does that tell us about how salvation works in Luke’s Gospel? (vs10)
Jesus doesn’t wait for welcome—Jesus brings welcome
Putting it into Practice
- This week’s practice is: Make room. What might that look like in one real, specific situation this week?
- Look at these areas:
-your table
-your schedule
-your attention
-your resources
Where is it hardest for you to make room right now?
- What is one small, costly adjustment you sense Jesus inviting you to make?
Personal Application
- Complete this sentence: “This week I will make room by…___________”
This is not about being more social—it’s about participating in the kingdom posture of Jesus.
- Is there a situation in your life where repentance might look like repair, not just saying “I’m sorry”? (relationally, economically, or structurally)
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, you did not wait for welcome —you brought welcome to us. You walked to our door, sat at our table, and called us your own. Move us from taking to giving, from exclusion to belonging, from comfort to costly love. This week, teach us to ask: “Where are you inviting me to make room?” And give us grace to respond with joy. Amen.
[1] Charles R. Swindoll, Insights on Luke, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012., 431.
[2] David E. Garland, Clinton E. Arnold editor, Luke, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2011 748.
[3] Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke, TNICNT, Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997, 666.
[4] Garland, 748.
[5] Darrell L. Bock, Luke, Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1994, 305.
[6] Bock, 306.
[7] David E. Garland, Clinton E. Arnold editor, Luke, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2011, 747.
[8] Garland, 747.
[9] R. Alan Streett, Subversive Meals: An Analysis of the Lord’s Supper under Roman Domination during the First Century, United Kingdom: Jakes Clarke & Co, 2013, 170.
[10] G.H.R. Horsely, New Documents Illustrating Early Christianity, North Ryde, NSW: The Ancient History Dumentary Centre, Macquarie University, 1981, 2:72-73. (Garland, 749)
[11] Garland, 749.
[12] Garland, 752.
[13] Green, 670.
[14] Garland, 750.
[15] Garland, 750.
[16] Green, 229.
[17] Green, 672.
[18] Michael F. Bird, A Bird’s-Eye View of Luke and Acts: Context, Story, and Themes, Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2023, 195.
[19] Bird, 195.
Preach it Sista 