In contrasting Luke 19 with Luke 24, we find a marked difference between the Lord’s stay at Zaccheus’s house and His entering the house with the two disciples who were on the way to Emmaus. The Lord volunteered to enter Zaccheus’s house. But in the case of the two disciples, it seems as if He wanted to go on. A fine person will detect two completely different attitudes of the Lord here. With Zaccheus the Lord took up a despicable sinner. He was not an ordinary tax collector; he was a chief tax collector. The Lord did not wait for his invitation; He volunteered to go into his house. Zaccheus no doubt wanted to see the Lord. But he was conscious of his small stature and his bad reputation, and he was too ashamed to invite the Lord. Under these circumstances, the Lord said, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay in your house” (19:5). Here was a seeking sinner who dared not ask the Lord to stay with him. The Lord invited Himself to his house. He understood Zaccheus. His feelings were tender. If our feelings are tender enough, we will understand the Lord.
The two disciples on the way to Emmaus were backslidden. Their eyes were veiled, and they did not recognize the Lord. The Lord walked with them, spoke to them, and expounded the Scriptures to them. When they were drawing near to the village, He acted as though He would go farther (24:28). The Lord’s attitude toward the two disciples was different from His attitude toward Zaccheus. Zaccheus faced great obstacles; he was haunted by unspoken embarrassments. The Lord was gentle to him and volunteered to go to his house. The two disciples on the way to Emmaus knew the Lord already. But they had become backslidden. Although they heard so much from the Lord, they were still heading for Emmaus. This is the reason the Lord acted as though He wanted to go on. He stayed only after they implored Him. In one case, there was a man coming towards the Lord. In the other case, there were two men walking away from the Lord. Accordingly, the Lord’s attitude was different. We have to touch the tender feelings of the Lord Jesus before we can realize who Jesus of Nazareth is and who this One is whom God intends to reveal to us.
In Luke 5 Peter had fished throughout the night and caught nothing. Yet the Lord Jesus told him, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” (v. 4). The fishermen let down the nets and caught a great number of fish. Before this they caught nothing. Now, surprisingly, they enclosed a great number of fish. Peter fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord” (v. 8). In John 21 we find Peter and other disciples fishing again. The Lord asked them, “Little children, you do not have any fish to eat, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat” (vv. 5-6). Then they caught many fish. The fishing in Luke 5 revealed the glory of the Lord Jesus to Peter. When this great glory broke upon him, he saw that he was a sinner who was unworthy of the Lord’s presence. In the fishing expedition after the Lord’s resurrection, Peter jumped into the sea and swam ashore when he recognized the Lord (John 21:7). He had no more interest in fishing when he recognized the Lord. In both cases he had the same revelation. But in the first case, the revelation caused the man to know himself and to beg the Lord to depart from him, having previously known nothing of himself. In the second case, the revelation drew this man who already knew the Lord to a more intimate relationship with Him. Once we identify the differences between these two cases, we have a proper impression of the facts. In all these matters, we need a solid impression of the facts.
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