John Calvin Commentary Luke 19

And when they saw it, they all murmured. The inhabitants of the town—and, perhaps, some of Christ’s followers—murmur that he goes to lodge with a man who is viewed as wicked and infamous, even though nobody invited him.

This is how the world disregards the offer of God’s grace, yet complains bitterly⁶⁷⁸ when it is conveyed to others.

But let us consider how unjust this murmuring was. They think it unreasonable that Christ should bestow so great an honor on a wicked man; for in this passage, as in many others, the word sinner is not taken in the ordinary sense⁶⁷⁹ but denotes a man of disgraceful and scandalous life.

Let us suppose that Zaccheus was a person of this description. Still, we ought first to inquire for what purpose Christ chose to become his guest; for, while men are murmuring out of doors, within the house God magnificently displays the glory of His name and refutes their wicked slander.

The conversion of Zaccheus was an astonishing work of God, and yet there was no good reason why Zaccheus should be marked with infamy. He had the responsibility of collecting the taxes. Now, collecting taxes was not a crime in itself, but men of that class were exceedingly despised and hated by the Jews, because they reckoned it to be in the highest degree unjust that they should pay tribute.

But whatever the character of Zaccheus might have been, Christ’s kindness still ought not to be blamed, but commended, for not refusing His assistance to a wretched man to rescue him from destruction and bring him to salvation.

Therefore, the offense that was wickedly taken did not hinder Him from proceeding to carry out His Father’s command.

All His ministers ought to be endowed with such magnanimity as to think more highly of the salvation of one soul than the murmurs that all ignorant persons may utter, and not to desist from their duty, even though all their actions and words may expose them to reproaches.

And Zaccheus stood, and said. From this result they should have formed their opinion of what Christ did; but men are so hasty and precipitate that they do not take time to wait for God.⁶⁸⁰

The conversion of Zaccheus is described by fruits and outward signs. As it was probable that he had enriched himself to the injury of others, if he had wronged any man, he was ready to restore fourfold.

Besides, he dedicates half of his goods to the poor. A man might indeed bestow all his goods on the poor (1 Corinthians 13:3), and yet his generosity might be of no value in the sight of God. However, though no mention is made here of inward repentance, Luke means that the godly zeal he commends in Zaccheus proceeded from that living root. In the same way, Paul, when treating repentance, exhorts us to those duties by which men may learn that we have changed for the better.

Let him that stole steal no more; but rather let him labor with his hands, that he may assist the poor and needy (Ephesians 4:28).

We should therefore begin with the heart, but our repentance should also be demonstrated by works.

Now let us observe that Zaccheus does not make a present to God from his extortions, as many rich men give God a portion of what they have obtained by dishonesty, so that they may more freely pillage in the future and be acquitted of the wrongs they have formerly done.

But Zaccheus devotes the half of his goods to God in such a manner as to give, at the same time, compensation for whatever wrongs he has done. From this we infer that the riches he possessed were not the fruit of dishonest gain.

Thus Zaccheus is not only ready to give satisfaction if he has taken anything by fraud, but he also shares his lawful possessions with the poor. By this, he shows that he has changed from a wolf not only into a sheep but even into a shepherd.

And while he corrects the faults that had been formerly committed, he renounces wicked practices for the future, as God demands from His people, first of all, that they abstain from doing any act of injury.

Zaccheus has not laid others under obligation by his example to strip themselves of the half of their goods. Instead, we only have to observe the rule which the Lord prescribes: that we dedicate ourselves and all that we have to holy and lawful purposes.

Today is salvation come to this house. Christ, testifying about Zaccheus, declares that his professions were not hypocritical. And yet he does not attribute the cause of salvation to Zaccheus's good works; but, since that conversion was an undoubted pledge of divine adoption, he justly concludes from it that this house possesses salvation.

This also is the meaning of the words, for since Zaccheus is one of the children of Abraham, he argues that his house is saved. For anyone to be counted among the children of Abraham, it is necessary for him to imitate Abraham’s faith; indeed, Scripture expressly gives this commendation to faith: that it distinguishes the genuine children of Abraham from strangers.

Let us therefore know that in Zaccheus faith is chiefly commended, because of which his good works were acceptable to God. Nor is there reason to doubt that the doctrine of Christ preceded Zaccheus's conversion; and, consequently, the beginning of his salvation was to hear Christ speaking about the undeserved mercy of God, the reconciliation of men to Him, and the redemption of the Church, and to embrace this doctrine by faith.

Because the Greek word οἶκος (house) is of the masculine gender, this passage is explained in two ways. The old translator⁶⁸¹ referred it to Zaccheus, which I also prefer.⁶⁸² Erasmus⁶⁸³ has chosen to render it, inasmuch as the house itself is a daughter of Abraham; and although I do not disapprove of this, I think it more natural to explain it as referring to Zaccheus.

For, since God, when He adopts the head of a family, promises that He will be a God even to his whole house, salvation is properly extended from the head to the whole body.

Now the particle καὶ (also) is emphatic, for Christ means that Zaccheus, no less than the other Jews who haughtily detested him, is a son of Abraham. And so that his former life might not seem to have shut the gate of salvation against him, Christ argues from his own office that there is nothing in this change at which anyone should take offense, since he was sent by the Father to save those who were lost.