Luk 19:5-6, 5…, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully
A chapter earlier, Jesus was presented with an impossible situation without His intervention. A rich young ruler had just left sad upon hearing the cost of following Jesus. In response, Jesus said to His disciples “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!.” (Luk 18:24) which was followed by a question from the disciples, “26 Who then can be saved? 27, “But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” (Luk 18:26). Only One person was qualified to give response and assurance to that question.
The salvation of every man depends on God’s intervention and it is beautifully displayed in the next chapter. Jesus saves this RICH tax collector to qualify His statement in the last chapter. Zacchaeus appears to be the seeker of Christ until you read the end Luk 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Christ knew and called Zacchaeus by name to come down to Him. Then Christ invited Himself to Zacchaeus’ house as his guest, and Zacchaeus received Him joyfully. It’s not what saves but Who saves. He invites Himself to fellowship and dine with Him. In response we receive His invitation joyfully.