Transformation: When Meeting Jesus Changes Everything

There is something extraordinary about transformation.

Think of one of nature’s most familiar examples: a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. We see the caterpillar, slow-moving and earthbound, and later we see the butterfly – colourful, delicate and capable of flight. What we rarely witness is the transformation itself: the remarkable process taking place between those two very different states.

Something that once crawled is transformed into something that flies.

And transformation is something God is remarkably good at.

Throughout the Bible, we encounter ordinary, flawed and sometimes deeply broken people whose lives are completely changed through an encounter with God. That same transformation continues today.

As a church, we believe that the deepest and most lasting change in a person, a church and ultimately a community is found through meeting Jesus.

One particularly powerful example is found in Luke 19:1–10, where Jesus encounters a man called Zacchaeus.

It is a familiar story, but within these few verses we see transformation operating on three different levels: a transformed individual, a transformed church and the possibility of a transformed community.

A Transformed Individual

Transformation begins personally.

Church can provide community, teaching, encouragement and support. Other Christians can pray for us, walk alongside us and help us explore faith. But ultimately, our relationship with Jesus cannot be inherited or outsourced.

There comes a point where it is between us and Him.

That is why one small detail in Zacchaeus’ story matters enormously.

Luke tells us:

“He wanted to see who Jesus was.”Luke 19:3

That desire changed everything.

Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and a wealthy man. Tax collectors were widely despised because they collected taxes on behalf of Rome and could profit by taking more than was actually owed. Zacchaeus was not simply part of that system; he was a chief tax collector.

Yet something about Jesus drew him.

Perhaps he had heard about Jesus’ reputation. Perhaps news had already travelled through Jericho about the blind man Jesus had healed shortly before. Perhaps he had simply been swept up in the excitement of the crowd.

Whatever his motivation, Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus.

There was just one problem.

He was short, the crowd was large, and he could not see over them.

So this wealthy and presumably important man did something rather undignified: he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree.

Then Jesus stopped beneath it.

“Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”Luke 19:5

And Zacchaeus’ response is beautiful in its simplicity:

“So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.”Luke 19:6

He wanted to see Jesus.

Then, when Jesus called him, he came down and welcomed Him.

Sometimes we make encountering Jesus far more complicated than it needs to be.

There may even be something significant in Zacchaeus having to come down.

We can spend our lives climbing things we believe will support us, fulfil us or give us significance. Success. Money. Status. Relationships. Approval. Possessions. Experiences. We climb higher hoping that eventually we will find what we are looking for.

Yet sooner or later we discover that the things we have climbed cannot carry the weight of our deepest needs.

Sometimes we need to come down from the things we have trusted so that Jesus can lift us into something entirely different.

The question is whether we are willing.

Perhaps fear holds us back. What would becoming a Christian change? What would other people think? What would Jesus ask us to surrender?

Perhaps we have preconceived ideas about Christianity.

Perhaps we simply feel inadequate.

But Jesus already knows us.

He knew exactly who Zacchaeus was before Zacchaeus ever climbed the tree. He knew his reputation, his choices and his failures – and still Jesus stopped beneath that tree and called him by name.

Jesus knows us inside out, and He loves us anyway.

So perhaps the question Zacchaeus’ story asks us is very simple:

Do we want to see who Jesus is?

And when He calls us, are we willing to come down and welcome Him?

A Transformed Church

The next part of the story presents a rather uncomfortable challenge to those of us who already consider ourselves followers of Jesus.

Because while Zacchaeus responds wonderfully to Jesus, the surrounding crowd does not.

Luke tells us:

“All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.’”Luke 19:7

They muttered.

And this was not the first time the people around Jesus had failed to recognise what He was doing.

Immediately before the story of Zacchaeus, Luke tells us about a blind man sitting beside the road near Jericho. When he heard that Jesus was passing by, he shouted:

“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”Luke 18:38

You might expect those travelling with Jesus to recognise an incredible opportunity. Here was someone openly crying out to Jesus for mercy.

Instead:

“Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet.”Luke 18:39

Think about that.

A man cries out to Jesus, and the people travelling with Jesus try to silence him.

Then Zacchaeus encounters Jesus, and the people around Jesus begin muttering because Jesus has chosen the wrong sort of person.

It presents a sobering question for the Church today.

Are we mobilised by the mission of Jesus, or are we muttering about the people He has come to reach?

We can become so familiar with church that we forget the extraordinary mission we have been invited to join.

Before Jesus ascended, He told His disciples:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”Matthew 28:18

How much authority?

All authority.

Jesus has authority over what is happening in our communities.

He has authority over the households around us.

He has authority over the lives of our neighbours, friends, colleagues and families.

And He has authority over our lives.

That authority was demonstrated decisively through the cross and resurrection.

If we genuinely believe that, it should change how we see the people around us.

Instead of assuming someone would never be interested in Christianity, we can invite them.

Instead of deciding someone is too far from God, we can pray for them.

Instead of seeing only someone’s reputation or past, we can remember Zacchaeus.

Instead of muttering, we can mobilise.

A transformed church is a church whose vision matches the mission of Jesus.

It looks at the people around it and genuinely believes that Jesus can change lives.

A Transformed Community

And when transformed individuals become a transformed church, something else begins to happen.

Communities can change.

Look at what happened when Zacchaeus encountered Jesus.

He stood up and declared:

“Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”Luke 19:8

Imagine living in Jericho that day.

Imagine being one of the people Zacchaeus had cheated and suddenly discovering that the local tax collector was going to repay four times what he had wrongly taken.

That would get people talking.

His generosity did not purchase salvation. Zacchaeus was not attempting to earn Jesus’ approval by giving money away.

Rather, his actions demonstrated that something had already changed inside him.

Jesus had transformed his heart, and the transformation of his heart began to affect the people around him.

That is how genuine Christian transformation works.

It begins internally but does not remain there.

When Jesus transforms individuals, relationships change.

Priorities change.

The way money is used changes.

The way people treat one another changes.

Forgiveness becomes possible.

Generosity grows.

Hope appears where previously there was despair.

And gradually, transformed people begin transforming the places in which they live.

This is why the Church should care deeply about its community.

We should long to see people come to know Jesus, not simply because we want more people attending services, but because we believe Jesus genuinely transforms lives.

There are people around us searching for something more.

Some have climbed the tree of success.

Others have climbed relationships, money, experiences, career, popularity or possessions.

Yet many are discovering that the things they expected to fulfil them simply haven't.

There is an emptiness and, perhaps increasingly, an openness to something different.

That presents an extraordinary opportunity for the Church.

But we must not assume somebody else will take it.

Courses such as Christianity Explored can provide an excellent environment for people to investigate Jesus, ask questions and discover what Christians actually believe. But a course cannot invite your friend for you.

Perhaps there is someone you could invite.

Someone you could message.

Someone you could offer to come with.

They may have said no before.

Invite them again.

Perhaps their answer this time will be, “I’m thinking about it.”

We do not transform anybody. That is God's work.

Our task is simply to help people encounter the One who can.

Who Will Tell Them?

There is another fascinating detail in Zacchaeus’ story.

Jesus was passing through Jericho.

He was travelling towards Jerusalem.

The cross lay ahead.

Jesus would not remain physically in Zacchaeus’ community for long. Once He had continued His journey, Zacchaeus would be left among the people of Jericho.

Who would encourage him?

Who would help him understand what following Jesus meant?

Who would welcome this formerly despised tax collector into the community of believers?

Scripture does not tell us what happened next.

Perhaps Zacchaeus continued following Jesus. Perhaps he witnessed the events in Jerusalem. Perhaps he became part of the growing community of believers after the resurrection.

We simply do not know.

But we know this:

His life would never be the same again.

And neither should ours be.

Jesus still sees people whom others overlook.

He still stops for people with complicated histories.

He still calls people by name.

He still saves.

He still heals.

He still restores.

He still transforms.

When we look at our streets, schools, workplaces and neighbourhoods, we are looking at people whom God sees with compassion.

People who may simply need an opportunity to discover who Jesus really is.

But who will tell them if we don't?

Transformation Starts Here

The story of Zacchaeus leaves us with three challenges.

First, be a transformed individual.

Do not settle for knowing about Jesus. Zacchaeus wanted to see who Jesus was, and when Jesus called him, he responded. Ultimately, every one of us must decide what we will do with Jesus.

Second, be part of a transformed church.

Let us not become people who mutter from the sidelines while Jesus is at work. Let us be mobilised by faith, ready to pray, invite, welcome, serve and believe that Jesus can transform people we might never expect.

And third, believe for a transformed community.

Look at the people around you differently.

The person you have been praying for.

The neighbour who seems uninterested.

The young person searching for meaning.

The family going through difficulty.

The colleague who has questions.

The friend who has already declined your invitation.

Jesus can save.

Jesus can help.

Jesus can heal.

Jesus can transform.

The caterpillar does not remain a caterpillar forever.

And when Jesus truly encounters a human life, we should never underestimate the transformation that can follow.

Click here to watch the sermon this article was based on.