The only rich man that Christ said received salvation

[unworthyservant]

In Luke 19:1-10 we read the story of Zacchaeus, the only "rich" man who Christ ever said received salvation. In the KJV it reads;

1And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. 4And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. 5And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. 6And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 8And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

So, why did Christ tell Zacchaeus "This day is salvation come to this house"? Christ famously said in Matthew 19:23 "That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven." This was after his encounter with the rich young man. The young man had asked Christ "what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" Christ first answered him "keep the commandments" and listed a few of the Old Testament commandments of God. When the rich young man told Christ "All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?" is when Christ replied; "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." Of course we are told that the young man went away sorrowful because he had "great possessions" and was unwilling to give them up. 

When Christ relayed the Parable of Lazarus and the rich man, in Luke 16:19-31 we read in verses 22-23 "22And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments," So, why is it that Lazarus went to "Abraham's bosom" and the rich man went to hell. I've heard people say that the rich man went to hell because he didn't help poor Lazarus. First, nowhere in the story does it say that he never gave him anything. Secondly, it doesn't make sense from a logical standpoint. If he never gave him a handout, why was Lazarus still hanging out, begging at the rich mans gate. One would think if the rich man never gave him anything he would have found greener pastures. All we know from Christ's telling is that Lazarus was poor and went to heaven and the only thing we know about the rich man is he was rich and went to hell. So, without reading between the lines, we have only the fact that he was rich to explain why he was in hell. 

So, what was different about Zacchaeus? I think it;s obvious. Zacchaeus told Christ that he had given half his goods to the poor and anyone who he had cheated, he repaid them fourfold. Zacchaeus had heard Christ's teachings and acted upon them by giving away his wealth to the poor and making restitution to those he had cheated. I find it interesting that he gave half to the poor before making restitution. That meant more for the poor since they got theirs off the top and still the restitution to those he had cheated was the same. At any rate, Zacchaeus was the only rich man to actually act on what Christ taught and thus Christ said he had received salvation. This leads one to conclude that the only way a rich man can receive Christ is to give away their riches to those less fortunate and the vast majority of rich people will never do that. Thus the admonition that a rich man can hardly ever get to heaven.

[enoob57]

God gave us understanding of why not many rich

Matthew 19:24 (KJV)

[24] And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

When one spends all their life gathering the worlds goods with focus, energies, purpose ...

1 John 2:15 (KJV)

[15] Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

[16] For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

[17] And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

So, when God removes the world and all that it holds what of the heart that yielded only to the acquiring of those things?

[Vine Abider]

A verse comes to mind when I think of earthly riches: "Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong."  1 Cor 1:26

 @unworthyservant You concluded your OP thusly: 

Quote

 This leads one to conclude that the only way a rich man can receive Christ is to give away their riches to those less fortunate and the vast majority of rich people will never do that. Thus the admonition that a rich man can hardly ever get to heaven.

It is an interesting passage in Luke regarding Zacchaeus and one might infer from that that doing those things was a requirement for a rich man to achieve salvation (coupled with the passage regarding the rich, young ruler).  But this would certainly seem to fly in the face of the rest of the gospel of Christ, which strongly states that no works of man will bring him salvation - only faith & belief in Christ alone. 

I think it was more about Zacchaeus's heart, that is, he experienced a change of heart in looking away from his riches to the living Christ.  Jesus didn't tell him to do those things and Zacchaeus did it freely out of the joy of seeing and apprehending Christ.  I would say the important thing is in looking to Christ, but in everyone's circumstance there is also something they are looking away from and denying to do that.  But in all instances, we see the One of Peerless worth, and realize how lowly all those things we've been hanging onto actually are!

[unworthyservant]

 

2 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

But this would certainly seem to fly in the face of the rest of the gospel of Christ, which strongly states that no works of man will bring him salvation - only faith & belief in Christ alone. 

I agree, faith and not works are the way to salvation. I also believe that "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." James 2:26 (KJV) This verse highlights the idea that a professed faith, without corresponding actions, is not a genuine. Living our faith was also taught by Christ. In Matthew 7:20 Christ said; "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." In the same chapter verses 24-27 Christ says; "24Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." As I noted, in Matthew Chapter 25, Christ tells us how we will be judged. He didn't say, did you have faith, but rather did you have faith enough to do what I taught you and help those less fortunate.

For some reason it won't quote it but you go on to say "Jesus didn't tell him to do those things and Zacchaeus did it freely out of the joy of seeing and apprehending Christ." I'm not sure what is meant by "apprehending Christ" but how did Zacchaeus know that giving away his money was something that Christ taught if not that he had heard Christ's message and was following it?

2 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

Jesus didn't tell him to do those things and Zacchaeus did it freely out of the joy of seeing and apprehending Christ.

2 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

Jesus didn't tell him to do those things and Zacchaeus did it freely out of the joy of seeing and apprehending Christ. 

2 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

Jesus didn't tell him to do those things and Zacchaeus did it freely out of the joy of seeing and apprehending Christ.

[TheBlade]

Thanks.. but I can't find where Christ said "The only rich man that Christ said received salvation" :)  Heart.. 

[AdHoc]

19 hours ago, unworthyservant said:

In Luke 19:1-10 we read the story of Zacchaeus, the only "rich" man who Christ ever said received salvation. In the KJV it reads;

1And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. 4And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. 5And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. 6And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 8And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

So, why did Christ tell Zacchaeus "This day is salvation come to this house"? Christ famously said in Matthew 19:23 "That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven." This was after his encounter with the rich young man. The young man had asked Christ "what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" Christ first answered him "keep the commandments" and listed a few of the Old Testament commandments of God. When the rich young man told Christ "All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?" is when Christ replied; "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." Of course we are told that the young man went away sorrowful because he had "great possessions" and was unwilling to give them up. 

When Christ relayed the Parable of Lazarus and the rich man, in Luke 16:19-31 we read in verses 22-23 "22And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments," So, why is it that Lazarus went to "Abraham's bosom" and the rich man went to hell. I've heard people say that the rich man went to hell because he didn't help poor Lazarus. First, nowhere in the story does it say that he never gave him anything. Secondly, it doesn't make sense from a logical standpoint. If he never gave him a handout, why was Lazarus still hanging out, begging at the rich mans gate. One would think if the rich man never gave him anything he would have found greener pastures. All we know from Christ's telling is that Lazarus was poor and went to heaven and the only thing we know about the rich man is he was rich and went to hell. So, without reading between the lines, we have only the fact that he was rich to explain why he was in hell. 

So, what was different about Zacchaeus? I think it;s obvious. Zacchaeus told Christ that he had given half his goods to the poor and anyone who he had cheated, he repaid them fourfold. Zacchaeus had heard Christ's teachings and acted upon them by giving away his wealth to the poor and making restitution to those he had cheated. I find it interesting that he gave half to the poor before making restitution. That meant more for the poor since they got theirs off the top and still the restitution to those he had cheated was the same. At any rate, Zacchaeus was the only rich man to actually act on what Christ taught and thus Christ said he had received salvation. This leads one to conclude that the only way a rich man can receive Christ is to give away their riches to those less fortunate and the vast majority of rich people will never do that. Thus the admonition that a rich man can hardly ever get to heaven.

Your appraisal of this matter is good. A discussion might not solve all the points, but it will do us good. Let's be blunt and let's be accurate to the point of being pedantic. There is a reason fro everything but all might not see it.

The first thing, if salvation is the theme, is to define salvation. There is a vast difference between a Christian being saved from drowning and him being saved from the Lake of Fire. Israel were "saved" many times in the wilderness, but not from not entering the Good Land.

The second thing we have to settle - and then stubbornly apply is whether the text is talking of FAITH or WORKS. The rich man in Matthew 19 was asked to do WORKS. Zacchaeus offered WORKS. The rich man in the case of Lazarus was bound by Law - which is WORKS.

The third thing to be absolutely settled on is that in Matthew 19 our Lord Jesus made no difference between ENTERING LIFE, ENTERING THE KINGDOM and BEING SAVED. He used them interchangeably. Where He did make a difference was in the matter of HAVING LIFE which He based on the rich man's BELIEF in Who he was.

Fourthly, we have to appreciate that a totally un-mentioned point bears heavily on the matter. It was that the Law and the prophets were until John Baptist. God's "economy", or how He dealt with Israel changed right after John's execution. The rich man of Matthew 19 had gained his wealth under the "economy" of Law - which was God keeping His side of the deal. Jesus loved the rich man who had earned his wealth by keeping the Law (Mk.10:21).

I look forward to a passionate discussion.

[Vine Abider]

6 hours ago, unworthyservant said:

For some reason it won't quote it but you go on to say "Jesus didn't tell him to do those things and Zacchaeus did it freely out of the joy of seeing and apprehending Christ." I'm not sure what is meant by "apprehending Christ" but how did Zacchaeus know that giving away his money was something that Christ taught if not that he had heard Christ's message and was following it?

By "apprehending Christ" (comprehend perhaps better word) I mean that He realized Jesus was the Christ and therefore He was worth so much more than everything earthly.  Therefore Zacchaeus could give up everything he did, because he'd found the one of peerless worth.

And agree that something will be produced by faith in Christ, that is, good works.  (And all we really need to do is abide in the vine, and the life of the vine will flow through the branches to produce good fruit.)

[unworthyservant]

2 hours ago, AdHoc said:

Fourthly, we have to appreciate that a totally un-mentioned point bears heavily on the matter. It was that the Law and the prophets were until John Baptist. God's "economy", or how He dealt with Israel changed right after John's execution. The rich man of Matthew 19 had gained his wealth under the "economy" of Law - which was God keeping His side of the deal. Jesus loved the rich man who had earned his wealth by keeping the Law (Mk.10:21)

I didn't go into anything about the law because I was trying to keep it about Zacchaeus in order to keep it simple. Life's too short not to get right to the point, I say.

[unworthyservant]

3 hours ago, TheBlade said:

Thanks.. but I can't find where Christ said "The only rich man that Christ said received salvation" :)  Heart.. 

Christ didn't say that. I was referring to the totality of His ministry as recorded in the Gospels. In the Gospels, Zacchaeus is the only rich man that Christ said received salvation. What Christ said was "Today salvation has come to this house". That is the only time recorded in the Gospels that He ever said that to a rich man and it was only after Zacchaeus told Christ that He had given the bulk of his wealth to those less fortunate, just as Christ taught.

[Dennis1209]

On 4/27/2025 at 8:04 PM, unworthyservant said:

In Luke 19:1-10 we read the story of Zacchaeus, the only "rich" man who Christ ever said received salvation. In the KJV it reads;

1And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. 4And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. 5And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. 6And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 8And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

So, why did Christ tell Zacchaeus "This day is salvation come to this house"? Christ famously said in Matthew 19:23 "That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven." This was after his encounter with the rich young man. The young man had asked Christ "what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" Christ first answered him "keep the commandments" and listed a few of the Old Testament commandments of God. When the rich young man told Christ "All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?" is when Christ replied; "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." Of course we are told that the young man went away sorrowful because he had "great possessions" and was unwilling to give them up. 

When Christ relayed the Parable of Lazarus and the rich man, in Luke 16:19-31 we read in verses 22-23 "22And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments," So, why is it that Lazarus went to "Abraham's bosom" and the rich man went to hell. I've heard people say that the rich man went to hell because he didn't help poor Lazarus. First, nowhere in the story does it say that he never gave him anything. Secondly, it doesn't make sense from a logical standpoint. If he never gave him a handout, why was Lazarus still hanging out, begging at the rich mans gate. One would think if the rich man never gave him anything he would have found greener pastures. All we know from Christ's telling is that Lazarus was poor and went to heaven and the only thing we know about the rich man is he was rich and went to hell. So, without reading between the lines, we have only the fact that he was rich to explain why he was in hell. 

So, what was different about Zacchaeus? I think it;s obvious. Zacchaeus told Christ that he had given half his goods to the poor and anyone who he had cheated, he repaid them fourfold. Zacchaeus had heard Christ's teachings and acted upon them by giving away his wealth to the poor and making restitution to those he had cheated. I find it interesting that he gave half to the poor before making restitution. That meant more for the poor since they got theirs off the top and still the restitution to those he had cheated was the same. At any rate, Zacchaeus was the only rich man to actually act on what Christ taught and thus Christ said he had received salvation. This leads one to conclude that the only way a rich man can receive Christ is to give away their riches to those less fortunate and the vast majority of rich people will never do that. Thus the admonition that a rich man can hardly ever get to heaven.

You make some excellent, interesting observations. I want to expand this conversation and add to your thoughts.

It goes without saying that there is only one way to Salvation: through Jesus Christ our Lord, not by works or philanthropy. At the beginning of this narrative, Zacchaeus seems lost, seeking to find out for himself exactly who Jesus is. His reputation as a tax collector precedes him. As all other tax collectors did, he scams and increases taxes owed for his wealth, as I assume Matthew also did.

Works are dead without Salvation. I interpret the narrative because Zacchaeus became a believer in Jesus first during his encounter, and confession and repentance immediately followed.

Matthew 19:24 (KJV) And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

The synoptic Gospels include Jesus's words above for emphasis. Whether the walls of Jerusalem had a gate called "eye of a needle" has been debated. I think the emphasis is placed on the difficulty of changing worship and allegiance from mammon to Jesus, but it is not impossible, as in Zacchaeus' example.

Again repeated in the Gospels for emphasis, not to be missed:

Matthew 6:24 (KJV) No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Luke 16:13 (KJV) No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

The way I view it, Zacchaeus had an immediate change of heart and want to's after conversion:

Matthew 6:21 (KJV) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Luke 12:34 (KJV) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 2 Corinthians 9:7 (KJV) Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

I think little Zacchaeus saw the world's light perched up in that tree and believed first, then: Romans 10:10 (KJV) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation.

It is a beautiful, heartwarming testimony of the love of Jesus: Luke 11:9 (KJV) And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

Question: Did Zacchaeus seek Jesus, or did Jesus seek Zacchaeus?