Verses 1-10
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Zacchaeus obviously shows faith and determination to see Jesus, and Jesus noticed this about him. He stood out in the crowd.
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Be willing to stand out in your pursuit of Jesus! God is a “rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
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Verses 8-9. When Jesus first came to his house, Zacchaeus tried to show Jesus that he was a good person. He likely wanted to show that he was worthy of Jesus' presence.
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But Jesus stated that he was being offered salvation not because of his works, but simply because he was a lost Israelite, and Jesus came to save the lost.
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Always remember that Jesus came for the lost—for the sinner. He saves because He's a Savior, not because we deserve salvation.
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Verses 11-27
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Verses 12-14. After Jesus rose again and before He ascended to heaven, He entrusted His servants—believers—with His Word and His Spirit.
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All believers, in this sense, have the same responsibility, which is to do well with what Christ has given to us.
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The citizens that do not want Christ to reign over them are unbelievers, to be destroyed in the end (verse 27).
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Verses 14-18. While Christ is away, we “do business”. We are tasked with doing works in this world that will bring gain for Christ and for God's kingdom—which really means doing what will cause more people to be saved.
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But some believers do more or less work than others, bringing more or less gain to the kingdom with their lives.
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Verses 20-26. And there are some believers that take little action, doing nothing except barely maintaining their own faith.
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Believers that take little action often think that God is so powerful that He doesn't need them—that their efforts are insignificant. Such an attitude is wickedness.
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Do not think that your actions don't matter. God cares deeply about what you contribute to His purpose in this world.
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If we do not take action, we may remain saved, but we will enter God's kingdom with nothing to show but ourselves (1 Corinthians 3:15).
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And even in the kingdom, any reward we might have received could be given to someone else.
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All in all, understand that God has given you your time on earth with the expectation that you will bring gain for His kingdom while you're here. Your time is not your own.
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Treat your time seriously, and do everything with the ultimate goal in mind of bringing more people to salvation. People—souls—are the wealth that we can bring into the kingdom.
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Verses 28-40
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See teaching on Matthew 21 and Mark 11 for commentary.
Verses 41-44
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Jesus tells here the Jerusalem would be destroyed and many of the Jews slaughtered because they chose to ignore Jesus' teaching and thus did not recognize that the coming of Christ was in fact their peace and salvation.
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Even today, harm comes to us, at times, simply because we choose to ignore the truth that's right in front of us. Listen to the Word while you still can, and do not ignore its help!
Verses 45-48
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See teaching on Matthew 21 and Mark 11 for commentary.