Zacchaeus - A Short Lesson in God's Love

From the Pulpit - GraceToAnderson Sermons - Grace Baptist Church | Anderson, IN

Notorious gangster, Mickey Cohen, was a big crime boss in the city of Los Angelos from the late '30s to the 60s with close ties to the mafia. In 1957, the Time magazine ran an article about a brief encounter Cohen had with evangelist Billy Graham. Billy Graham and some of those with him talked to Cohen about salvation, but Mickey Cohan made no commitment to Christ at the time.

A while afterwards, a Christian friend talked to Cohen about the gospel. He asked the gangster, "Do you want Christ and salvation?" Cohen answered, "Yes, I do." The news made the headlines, but one small problem remained: there was no change in Cohen's life. The friend confronted Mickey about the lack of change in his life. The gangster replied, "You never told me that I'd have to give up my career and my friends. There are Christian movie stars, Christian athletes and Christian businessmen. What's the matter with being a Christian gangster? If I have to give up my life, you can count me out."

In the story of Zacchaeus, we have an account of a man who, like Cohen, was known as a wicked man. Yet, unlike Cohen, Zacchaeus truly received the gospel of Jesus Christ and his life was never the same.