Cedric Pisegna - From Seeker to Disciple (01/21/2026)
Father Cedric Pisegna shares the story of Zacchaeus from Luke chapter 19, showing how this rich tax collector sought Jesus desperately, encountered him personally, and was transformed. Jesus calls Zacchaeus by name, invites himself to his home, and brings salvation, leading Zacchaeus to repent and give generously to the poor. The key message is that an authentic encounter with Jesus changes everything, fulfilling our deepest search for meaning and calling us to let him into every part of our lives.
Introduction: What a Difference Jesus Makes
What a difference Jesus makes. Welcome, I’m Father Cedric Pisegna, the host of «Live with Passion»! Thank you for tuning in. This series is about being an authentic disciple, and in order to be a disciple, really, there has to be some type of a meeting, an encounter with Jesus, and I wanna share with you a story from Luke chapter 19. Jesus entered Jericho. He was passing through.
The Story of Zacchaeus
There was a man in Jericho named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and rich. He sought to see who Jesus was but could not on account of the crowd and because he was small of stature, so he ran ahead, climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for Jesus was to pass that way, and when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and he said to him, «Zacchaeus make haste. Come down, for I must stay at your house today,» so he made haste, and he came down and received Jesus joyfully, and when they saw it, they all murmured: «He has gone into the house of a sinner.» Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, «Behold, Lord, the half of my goods, I give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone, anything, I restore it fourfold.» And Jesus said to him today, «Salvation has come to this house, for Zacchaeus also is the son of Abraham, for the Son of Man came to seek and to save those who are lost.»
We Are All Seekers
Growing up, my parents had a treasure finder. These are interesting little devices. Perhaps you’ve seen some people on a beach with one, and they basically go and they scan for gold coins or silver coins or even dollar bills, and what happens is the machine makes a little noise every time they go over a place where there’s a coin. They have found gold rings. They have found watches. They found money. They had a little treasure chest. It was really fun to see all the things that they came upon, and it made me think that, in a way, that’s kind of how life is. Everybody is a seeker, looking, searching.
Now, you may not have a treasure finder, but really, we all go throughout life. We’re looking for pleasure. We’re looking for fulfillment. We’re looking for meaning. We’re looking for a treasure. We’re all searching. We are all searchers. You have to understand that Zacchaeus also was seeking. He heard that Jesus was passing by, and he wanted to see him. He was seeking because he was looking for something. Jesus, by the way, taught, «Seek, and you will find». That verse changed my life, by the way. That’s Matthew 7:7. Seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened, ask and you shall receive. Really important words because Jesus understood that we are all searching. We’re all seeking. That’s the beginning of discipleship. You have to be looking and seeking.
Overcoming the Crowd
That’s what authentic discipleship is. It’s a continual looking, if you will, searching for Jesus, and it says that he couldn’t see Jesus because of the crowd. The crowd clouds Jesus. Do you understand that? We live in a hedonistic, materialistic society: into travel, pleasure, gambling, addictions, shopping. Every Christmas we go through this. Many ideas about Jesus. He was a good man, great teacher, healer, religious figure. Gotta go to church. That’s our culture. They aren’t quite sure, but they know Jesus was somebody special. Jesus is more than going to church, more than a statue, more than a painting, more even than the Crucifix. He’s the Son of God and the living Lord.
Don’t live on your grandfather’s Jesus or what the crowd is telling you. Search and seek for yourself. Establish a deep relationship with him on your own. What I love about Zacchaeus is that he was proactive. He was passionate. He was audacious. What do I mean by that? He ran ahead. He was being blocked because of his shortness and because of the crowd, but that didn’t stop him. Don’t let anything stop you from seeking, searching, knocking, asking. Be audacious. Be passionate. He ran ahead and he climbed a tree. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that the reason why he climbed a tree was because he wasn’t happy. You think? He was wealthy, it says. He was rich, but as we know, as we know, money doesn’t do it. Wealth does not buy happiness. That has been proven over and over and over again. The more money you have, the more you want. It doesn’t satisfy completely. He was wealthy, but money doesn’t do it no matter how much you have. It’s never good enough.
What would it profit you, Jesus said, if you gain the whole world, you lose your soul? How sad. Sad thing is, most people lose their soul for a little piece of the world, not for the whole thing, but the thing about unhappiness is, and this happened in my life, it can motivate you to search. We all have a happiness meter in us. I’ve preached about this in some other episodes, and that happiness meter, when you’re not happy, you want to be happy. It drives you. It motivates you. It pushes you, if you will to search, and if you’re not happy, then please, let it push you. Search, knock, ask. Jesus was divine. He is divine. He had a gift of knowing, and as he’s passing through, nobody else knew it, but he looked up. He saw Zacchaeus up there, and he called his name. He calls your name. Before you were born, he named you. He knows your name. You’re not arbitrary. You’re specific. You’re intentional.
Jesus Calls Us by Name
God created you for a purpose. He knows your name, and discipleship is all about a call. He called to Zacchaeus, and through this program, he’s calling to you. He called them by name, and he came down from the tree. That’s what Jesus does. He calls us. He says, «Come to me, all you who are burdened and heavy laden. I’ll give you a rest. Abide in me. Learn from me. Connect with me. Get to know me». Whether you go to church or not, he’s calling to you. Come to Jesus. Make a move. He will bring fulfillment and meaning and happiness, and most people go to church and they have some relationship with Jesus, but remember what I said: discipleship, authentic discipleship, is a 24/7 thing of deepening relationship with Jesus. We can encounter him, meet him over and over and over again and receive his touch. He’s calling you. Jesus wants to stay at our house.
Making Room for Jesus
That’s what he told Zacchaeus. He says, «Zacchaeus, I must stay at your house today». What an invitation. He isn’t barging his way in, but he wants to stay at our house. Remember the Christmas story? Mary and Joseph went to the inn, and there was no room for him at the inn. Is there room for him at your house? Hopefully so. I heard a story about a man who had a dream, and in the dream, Jesus came to his house and wanted to come in, and the man welcomed him and let him into the foyer to the front hallway. He welcomed Jesus into his house. Jesus started looking around, and he saw all these different rooms: TV room, the library, the recreation room, the closet, and the man started getting nervous, and Jesus said to him, «What’s in that room»?
And it was the TV room, and the man got nervous because he watched a lot of TV, and some of what he watched on TV wasn’t appropriate, and then Jesus looked around and he saw another room and he goes, «What’s that room»? And the man said, «Well, that’s my computer room». And he was embarrassed because he didn’t wanna show Jesus that because he played a lot of video games in the computer room, and some of the sites that he visited in the computer room weren’t appropriate, and then Jesus looked over and he saw another room. He goes, «What’s that room»? He says, «Well, that’s my library». And he was ashamed to show Jesus that room because it was symbolic of his thoughts and his fantasies, and he didn’t wanna show Jesus that room. Then Jesus said, «What is that smell? Where is that coming from»?
And it was coming from the closet. Jesus said, «What’s in there»? And the man didn’t wanna show him that either because that foul odor was his bitterness and unforgiveness and the meanness that he’s had toward people and the things that he wouldn’t let go in his life. You see, most people are willing to let Jesus into the foyer, welcome him into the house, but then they have trouble letting Jesus into every room. Pray that prayer: «Jesus, I surrender all». But most of the time it’s, «Jesus, I surrender some».
Letting Jesus into Every Room
The thing about discipleship is Jesus wants to be Lord of the whole house, of all the rooms. That’s what it means to receive Jesus. Remember what it says in the Gospel of John? It says that his own didn’t welcome him. He came to his own people. They didn’t receive him, but to all who did receive him, he gave power to become the children of God. Wow, that’s what it means to receive Jesus, not just to welcome him into the front room, but to progressively, and I say progressively because discipleship is a journey. It’s a pilgrimage, it’s maturing, it’s growing. We all welcome Jesus in to some degree. Hopefully, you have welcomed Jesus into your life, but then there’s a continuous process. That’s why Catholics go to confession to let them into every area of our life. Jesus wants to be Lord of our life. He’s not a dictator. He’s not mean. He wants to take over our life for our own benefit. He wants to bring salvation and eternal life and that happiness that we’re all searching for.
Is there a room or many rooms where you’re not letting Jesus in? I invite you now. Jesus wants to come to your house and not just into the front foyer, not into the front hallway. He wants to come into your closet. He wants to come into the TV room, into your recreation room, your living room, your leisure room, in every room, your finances, your addictions, the shopping, your free time, where you look. Yes, there’s a cost to being a disciple. You are going to have to leave some things behind. I’ve talked about that in other episodes. He wants to be in your relationship, in your mind, your emotions, your decisions, your actions. This is welcoming Jesus. This is receiving Jesus, not just into a little bit of your life, into all your life, and I’m hoping you’re gonna make a surrender, a new surrender of everything to be all in. That’s authentic discipleship.
A Lifestyle of Generosity
And I have to say this, but discipleship isn’t about making a move once. It’s about a lifestyle of giving. You become a disciple of Jesus, an authentic disciple of Jesus. You are a giver over and over and over again. Zacchaeus didn’t just give half of his money to the poor that one time. For the rest of his life, if he followed Jesus, and the Gospel of Luke stresses poverty and the poor and generosity. For the rest of his life, he had to give. He would never have to extort anybody else, and if he did, he’d give it back four times again. Please understand that. Discipleship is a lifestyle, and there was a cost to following Jesus.
This whole series, it’s about authentic discipleship. Don’t turn me off. I know it’s hard, but when you do it, when you authentically follow Jesus, there’s amazing meaning and joy, and you’re on the way to heaven. This was a dramatic conversion here, folks. What would cause a man who is so wealthy to give all this away? It was an encounter, and he ends up calling him Lord. Zacchaeus called Jesus Lord. He was up a tree, he was unhappy, and now he’s got a Lord of his life that changed his life for good. It’s a success story. Movies and books and portraits and statues and icons have been done and promulgated and sculpted about Jesus, and none of them do Jesus justice. None capture this charismatic persona, this captivating presence that is the Son of God, this carpenter from Galilee, from the small town of Nazareth.
The Uniqueness of Jesus
Zacchaeus was in the presence of royalty, and he noticed it. He knew it. That’s why he changed so dramatically and gave all this money away because he saw what we know, hopefully, that Jesus is the Son of God. This is the carpenter who taught like nobody else has ever taught. They called him Rabbi, but he had never studied. He had never gone to school in Jerusalem, yet he taught things that no one has ever said. «I am the Resurrection». «I am the way, the truth, and the life». «I am the Good Shepherd». That’s just a small sample of the way Jesus taught. He spoke to a raging storm, and it stopped. So authoritative was his teaching. He walked on water, we all know that, healed the sick, raised the dead. When he prayed, they heard God’s voice answer him, and one day, as we know, this carpenter from this small town in Nazareth and Galilee would rise from the dead. Never has there been the like. Never will there be another. Jesus is the Son of God.
This is why Zacchaeus, face to face with Jesus, had such a dramatic conversion. This is what an encounter with Jesus will do. If you have never met Jesus, I wanna offer you this free booklet, and it’s called «Let Jesus In». This booklet will introduce you to Jesus and help you to receive him, to accept him as your Lord, and let him change your life. It’s a free booklet. Please write me, call me, or go to my website, and you can download it for free. It’s important that you have an encounter with Jesus. If you’ve already had an encounter with Jesus, remember what I said. Authentic discipleship is a lifestyle of a continual encounter. Jesus will continue to touch you and to help you to know him in a deep, intimate way. How can our young people, people that don’t go to church be converted? They need to meet Jesus.
Encountering Jesus Today
It’s what changed my life. My missions, I go around the country and the Catholic church, preaching the Catholic version of a revival. It’s called the Parish Mission. They’re good people. They go to church. I try to help them to encounter Jesus through the music, the mood, the atmosphere, solid preaching. I want them to develop a relationship with Jesus. I want them to have a brand-new touch. That’s my prayer for you, as you’re watching this television program, that you will sense Jesus, the risen Lord, touching you, bringing you to new life just like he did Zacchaeus. Don’t let the crowd cloud your vision of what they say about Jesus. Don’t live on your grandfather’s Jesus or your mother’s Jesus. You encounter him right now.
Pope Francis’s definition of «church»: a field hospital that takes in the sick. That’s what church is. It’s not so much a gathering of perfect people. It’s a gathering of sinners and the sick who need Jesus, who need the touch, who go to communion, who go to confession. We give our lives to Jesus over and over and over again, and we pray for that touch, that encounter that raises us up. Right now, as a representative of the Catholic church, a Catholic priest, I welcome you. Whether you’ve been falling away, you’re not going to church. Whether you’re a nun, an atheist, an agnostic. A nun is a person with no denomination. You haven’t been coming. No matter what you’ve done, no matter how long it’s been, I welcome you back. Let Jesus in. He’s knocking at the door of your heart. Jesus himself said this. He said, «Salvation has come to this house».
Salvation for Everyone
This is a rich tax collector who made his money by cheating. He said, «Because this man is a son of Abraham too, no matter what you’ve done and how long it’s been, you are a child of God also, and Jesus has come for you. Jesus seeks you». He wants to bring us to salvation, and that’s exactly the motto of my ministry: touching lives, saving souls. Of course, I don’t do that. God does that through the preached Word, through the truth, through the Bible, through the Holy Spirit, calling you, wanting to touch you, raise you up, and save your soul. That’s what really matters, that you be saved and on the way to heaven, that more than anything else, and that’s why Zacchaeus was up a tree, and he wasn’t happy. Yeah, he had it going for him. I mean, they had a lot of money and a lot of relationships, but he was empty inside, and I’ll tell you, Jesus is the one who fulfills.
I invite you to welcome Jesus right now, not just into the foyer, into the hallway, but into the closet, into the library, into your mind, into your heart, into your decisions, into your actions. There is a cost to following Jesus, but there’s a blessing and reward to following Jesus: heaven itself. Holman Hunt was a painter. Painted this beautiful portrait of Jesus. Comes from book of Revelation. Jesus says, «Behold, I stand at the door and knock. Whoever opens, I’ll come in and sup with you». Supper, a meal in the Semitic world was time of intimacy. Holman Hunt painted that. Jesus, the light of the world, holding a lantern, knocking at the door. Critics, art critics saw it at a showing, and they went up to Holman Hunt and said, «Hey, that’s a beautiful rendition of Jesus knocking at the door from book of Revelation chapter 3. Wonderful job. However, you forgot to put a knob on the door».
And you look at the painting, there’s no knob at the door. Holman Hunt said, «I’m so glad that you noticed that. I did that purposely. I didn’t forget it». That door is the door of your heart. Jesus is knocking, and the only way he can get in is… this is where the knob is. It’s in the inside. You have to open it. Do you hear the… knock? He’ll never force his way in. He’ll never barge his way in. He’s a perfect gentleman. Receive Jesus. Welcome Jesus. Let Jesus in. He will bring fruitfulness, meaning, happiness, and eternal life: touching lives, saving souls. And I pray that you will be touched now and your soul will be saved. Jesus, I hear you knocking. I receive you. I welcome you into my life. I want you to be Lord of my thoughts, my moods, my decisions, my actions, my free time, my finances, my sexuality, my relationships, my entire life. Master, I receive you right now. Be lord of my life and save me, amen. Don’t just live. Live with Passion.