Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Luke 19:10

"For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost." — Luke 19:10 (ASV)

Salvation did not “come to this house” because Zacchaeus finally did a good deed but because he was “a son of Abraham” (v.9), which probably means he was a believer and thus a spiritual descendant of Abraham (cf. Romans 4:11–17; Galatians 3:6–9).

Verse 10 could well be considered the “key verse” of Luke, for it expresses the heart of Jesus’ ministry as presented by Luke—both his work of salvation (“save”; GK 5392) and his quest for the lost. Luke has portrayed the “lost” (GK 660) throughout his gospel, from Jesus’ own statements (e.g., 4:18–19) to the disdainful comments of the self-righteous (e.g., in 18:11). This whole incident is the epitome of the messianic mission described in Luke 4.

The circumstances in this story were not such as to provoke a violent reaction. Only part of the fruit was requested, and in the early years of a vineyard’s existence, the tenants would own little if anything.