How can this be settled in an instant? One must not presume that God is able for no reason at all. The Lord shows us two reasons. First, Zaccheus was a son of Abraham; second, salvation came to his house. Zaccheus did not do this by himself. It was not because of Zaccheus himself that he heard the Lord’s commandment. He did not weep and pray repeatedly. He did not bargain with himself in numerous attempts to get through and then grit his teeth and do it. He did not give in a little one day, a little the next day, a little more the third day, until he no longer held anything back. The Lord said that it was not Zaccheus’s decision, struggle, consideration, or endeavor that made him willing to sell all. Why was his house, which had been built up through years of savings, gambles, and sacrifice of honor, stripped bare in an instant? It was “bankrupted” in an instant because salvation came to his house. Zaccheus did not save himself; the Lord saved him.
Salvation has come to this house! The Lord’s power has come to this house! When this happens, everything moves speedily and promptly. Please notice the two occurrences of the word house. In verse 5 the Lord said, “I must stay in your house,” and in verse 9 He said, “Today salvation has come to this house.” This clearly shows that the Lord is the very salvation that came to Zaccheus’s house. When the Lord comes to our house, salvation comes to our house. The Lord’s coming is salvation’s coming. Once He comes, everything becomes possible. The young ruler, in effect, said that God could not do it. Zaccheus, in effect, said that God could do it. No man can be freed from the bondage of money. Man will always turn away in sorrow. But when God shows mercy to a person and saves him, nothing becomes impossible.
In the end the Lord concluded, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10). This is a very familiar verse in Christianity. One chief reason that the Son of Man came is to seek those who are lost in riches. All those who love money are lost and estranged. Today the Lord is seeking. Zaccheus was found by the Lord. Today the Lord has also found us. Originally we were all lost. We were lost in money. But the Lord has found us, and all of our problems can go away. Once money leaves, all our problems go away.
Consider these two chapters, Luke 18 and 19. The Lord told the young ruler to sell all he had, and he went away in sorrow. But the Lord did not say anything to Zaccheus, yet something happened. When the Lord was on earth, He initiated this practice. After the church came into existence at Pentecost, this matter was practiced again. When a church is proper, all of these things will happen without much struggle.
The main thing we should note in Acts 2 and 4 is that the believers had all things in common at the beginning of the church life. No one said that he kept something as his own. In other words, the Lord’s hand was on every saved person. Once a man received eternal life, something happened. Among the ones who had this life, their sphere of possessions began to be diffused; their possessions began to move away from their private hands. The next thing we find is that men spontaneously sold their properties and houses. In chapter four the believers sold all their properties and houses. This is the way the Lord wants us to take. His commandment is that we should sell our all.
Before a man follows the Lord, he carries many things with him, such as his assets and daily necessities. Once he comes to the Lord and the Lord touches him, his possessions become common goods. From that point on, no one can say that a certain object belongs to him. No one can say that he is taking advantage of anyone else, and no one can say that anything is his own. The same object will be shared by all. The same money can be in your pocket, or it can be in my pocket. The same clothes can be worn by you, or they can be worn by me. Whatever our practice is, this should be the kind of flavor we carry. Such a practice has to do with one’s ordinary possessions.