Are You Living In Victory?

Tragically the answer is No. What Jesus finds is a new fortification. Despite the command of God not to rebuild the walls of Jericho, those walls were rebuilt and He finds Zaccheus.

Jesus is on His way to that confrontation with Satan, on His way to destroy the kingdom of Satan and establish the kingdom of God.

Jesus entered the city, and straightaway did battle with Satan. Thousands of people lived in that city, yes, and countless of them were firmly in the grip of the evil one. But one of those who were firmly in the grip of the devil Jesus publicly plucked out of the devil’s grasp. For in the heart of Zaccheus God worked faith. That tax collector who had but one obsession in life was moved by the Spirit of Jesus Christ to desire to see the Rabbi from Nazareth. Instead of that plucky character elbowing his way to the front of the crowd and so being caught up by whatever mood the crowd might have, Zaccheus chose a quiet spot above the people from which to observe the Lord more closely; he climbed that sycamore tree. When Jesus passed under the particular tree in which the curious tax collector was perched, He made a point of looking up and speaking to the man in the tree. For Jesus knew where Zaccheus was, knew what the man’s name was, and knew that Zaccheus had a house. This in itself was already a show of heavenly strength in the stronghold of Satan. But a greater show of heavenly strength was still to come; said Jesus: "Zaccheus make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today." Jesus declares that it is necessary for Him to stay, to spend time, in this city of unbelief, to stay specifically at the house of an apostate no less than Zaccheus the chief tax co1lector. You see: here is an affront to Satan. Satan cannot keep Jesus outside Jericho, Satan cannot bind Jesus in Jericho; Satan must watch helplessly as Jesus sovereignly prepares for Himself a place to stay, as Jesus settles down in the home of His choice.

Why? To demonstrate at the entrance of the Promised Land that Satan is not greater than He. So Jesus walks into the house of that hardened sinner Zaccheus, and Satan can do nothing about it. More, He takes that hardened sinner Zaccheus and rescues him from Satan’s clutches, restores Him to God’s side. The evidence that Jesus in fact does snatch this sinner from Satan’s grasp is clear: Jesus works faith in him, gives him a new heart so that he is willing to give half of his wealth to the poor, and pay back fourfold whatever he had defrauded. The Old Testament had commanded robbers, extortionists and money finders to give a full refund to their victims plus 1/5th for restitution, that was all (Lev 6:1-5). Zacchaeus would give half his possessions to the poor – 50% gone; he would also pay back four times those he defrauded – statue of limitation gone; and he would give them here and now – interest gone.

Luke 19:8-10 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."