John Calvin Commentary Luke 19:9

"And Jesus said unto him, To-day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham." — Luke 19:9 (ASV)

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.

⁶⁸¹ “Le translateur Latin ancien;” — “the old Latin translator.”;” — “the old Latin translator.”

⁶⁸² The question is, whether the antecedent to αὐτός be Ζακχαῖος or ὁ οἴκος. On the former supposition, our English version will be approved HE also (namely, Zaccheus) is a son of Abraham On the latter supposition, the translation will run thus: IT also (namely, the house) is a child of Abraham; or — carrying out the metaphor as Erasmus has done — IT also is a DAUGHTER of Abraham. — Ed

⁶⁸³ “Eo quod ipsu domus sit filia Abrahae..”