Verse 9
Jesus’ assessed Zaccheus’ promises as an evidence of saving faith. Salvation had come to that house because Zaccheus had exercised saving faith and had thereby proved to be a genuine descendant of Abraham, the spiritual father of all believers. [Note: Ellis, p. 220.] His faith and works proved that he was a spiritual son of Abraham and not just one of his physical descendants (cf. Genesis 15:6; Genesis 22:1-19). Now he could enter the kingdom, not because he was a Jew physically but because he was a believer in Jesus.
"This ["He also is a son of Abraham"] will seem to be an irrelevant remark unless we recognize that the principal tension in the story is caused by the rejection of Zacchaeus by the Jewish community." [Note: Tannehill, The Narrative . . ., 1:124.]
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