Bible Passage
Luke 19:1-10
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
All scripture quotations taken from
The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
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Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Background
At this stage in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, and Jericho is the last big city they pass through on the way. The crowd that’s travelling with him would have had a growing anticipation about what would happen when they got to Jerusalem; that the Romans would be thrown out, that God’s rule and reign would be established, and the kingdom of Israel would, once again, rise to greatness.
We can see that Jesus’ reputation is immense, and expectations are high. We know that crowds follow him, and, as word of him goes ahead of his arrival, crowds line the streets of Jericho, looking to catch a glimpse of him. Perhaps some of them just wanted to witness this moment, but there are likely to have been others that wanted to join him.
This is where Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, enters the scene.
Throughout history, tax collectors have been unpopular and are still today. In Jesus’ time, they were reviled even more as they were seen as collaborators with Rome, and chief tax collectors even more so.
Rome stayed out of the details of collecting taxes; they worked through intermediaries… the tax collectors.
A chief tax collector would bid to take on an area of Israel and agree on a level of tax that they would send to Rome. The chief tax collector would then appoint local tax collectors in the key towns/villages in their area and negotiate with them for the amount of tax they would collect and send to the chief tax collector.
These local tax collectors would take in the money owed by the local people and, after they had taken their cut, pass on the required amount to the chief tax collector. In turn, he would pass on the agreed amount to Rome and keep the difference for himself. That is why the tax collectors were hated, not only because they were the channel for funding the Roman Empire, but also because they were getting rich in the process.
As in most countries, I expect that the wealthy had preferential rates and special relationships with the tax collectors, but the vast majority of the country saw them as Roman lackeys.
Tax collectors were in poor standing with the religious authorities too… We often see the Pharisees bracketing them with ‘sinners’… people they regarded as being out of favour with God. The fact that Jesus included tax collectors among his followers may be one of the reasons that the religious authorities couldn’t believe he was the Messiah.
Understanding why tax collectors were despised also helps us understand the crowd's reaction when Jesus goes to eat at Zacchaeus’ home.
But there is so much we don’t know… What happens over the meal? What prompts Zacchaeus to say what he does at the end? Does he have a long conversation with Jesus? Is he trying to earn Jesus’ approval, or is it just a guilty conscience that makes him want to do right in front of Jesus? If the latter, why would Jesus say, ‘salvation has come to this house’?
As we imagine ourselves in the story, we can perhaps get new insights into these questions.
Before reading on, read the passage from Luke’s Gospel again (Luke 19:1-10)… and then imagine that you have Zacchaeus with you, sharing his story, witnessing directly to what he saw and felt on that day.
1. As you read through the Bible passage and the story:
2. Take time to notice how you feel about what you are reading.
3. Are there things in the story that jar, or resonate with you? Why is that?
4. How would you react if you put yourself in Zacchaeus’ shoes?
5. At the end of the story, before moving on to the thoughts and questions for reflection, pause and ask God what he wants you to take from this story.
6. If you find it helpful, make notes in a journal as you read and pray.
Zacchaeus’ Story:
I never saw it as wrong… I knew that someone would profit from all this interaction with the Roman empire, so I thought it might as well be me. I was good at negotiating, had a few connections, and could make things happen.
And through it all, I became wealthy… Very wealthy.
When I passed through the streets of Jericho, I could see (and smell) some of the poverty. I rationalised that God was obviously against them, that their sinfulness or sloth had landed them in their position. I hardened my heart against them… and refused to acknowledge any part that Roman taxes might have had to play in their stories.
I’d throw lavish parties, inviting the wealthy of Jericho and the other tax collectors from around the region. They would constantly affirm what an amazing servant of the city I was… and… and I would lap up their praise – convincing myself that it was all true and that they really liked and respected me.
But even then, I knew something was missing.
Deep down, I knew that the wealthy, and the other tax collectors, only came because of the power and influence I held… I don’t think I had even one genuine friend… no one that really cared. Despite all my money and power, I always felt on the outside looking in. The solution? Hah… well, I drove myself to make even more, as if I could somehow buy my way into being accepted.
I’d heard about this Jesus of Nazareth… about all the miracles he’d done, that he ran rings around the Pharisees and Sadducees, that he’d cast out demons, that he spoke with authority… that he might be the Messiah… that he would set Israel free.
I’d heard all the things said about him, and it all sounded very impressive. However, what truly fascinated me were the accusations made against him by the Pharisees… They denounced him, saying he spent time with sinners and tax collectors!
This Jesus, this powerful Rabbi, included and welcomed tax collectors!… included and welcomed people like me!
When I heard that he was coming to Jericho, I had to see for myself.
The news of his impending arrival in the city went before him like a wave. People gathered and lined the streets. By the time I ventured out, the crowd by the road was already several people deep. I’m not known for my height, and I couldn’t see a thing.
Gasps and shouts went along the crowd as they saw him coming up the road. And the closer he got, the more the noise level from the crowd increased.
The desire to see him became overwhelming… he was so near… I thought I’d never get another chance and didn’t want to miss out. I wanted to see him… and, perhaps more importantly for me at that time, I wanted to see this strange group of followers with him.
Until that moment, I don’t think I’d realise just how intense that feeling was… how utterly desperate I was to find out if all I’d heard about this group was true.
I looked around for an opening in the crowd, but any small gaps disappeared as people pressed forward to see him.
Then, I saw the sycamore tree… just a bit further up the street.
I hurried over to it and, sacrificing any semblance of dignity, gathered up my robes and climbed the tree. I was only a few feet off the ground, but it was enough that I was head and shoulders above the crowd.
When I close my eyes, I can recall every detail of the view down the street…
From my vantage point, I could see Jesus about 20 feet away. As he walked up the street, he was deep in conversation with a few men around him. Occasionally he looked up when someone in the crowd called his name, and he would smile and wave a blessing.
But the crowd that followed Jesus was the real focus of my attention.
This wasn’t the usual group of carbon copy disciples you expect to be following a rabbi; all pious and proper, all eagerly hanging on his every word… This crowd was different. It was a huge mixed bag of people all talking with each other. There must have been over a hundred of them, and the dust thrown up as they walked along filled the air behind them.
I was astounded by the diversity of the crowd… there were artisans and farmers… there were some people from more wealthy backgrounds and some that were clearly poor… and there were women! Women were also following him!
Then as he drew level with me, he stopped. He put his hand on the shoulder of the man next to him, asking him to pause in his conversation. Then he turned… and he looked straight at me!
Other eyes turned to follow his gaze, and they all looked at me. I blushed and wished that the earth would swallow me up. Some of the crowd began to whisper to each other and laugh… and my cheeks burned even more.
What had I been thinking? Climbing a tree… I’d be a laughingstock.
I froze… I couldn’t just climb down, as that would add to the embarrassment. For some reason, I decided to stay where I was and act like it was the most natural thing in the world to be halfway up a tree. So, I put on what I thought was a stern expression, and stared at the bark of the tree, like it was a farmer trying to avoid paying taxes.
That just caused the crowd to laugh even more. It can only have lasted a second or two at the most, but It seemed to go on for an eternity as I perched there, staring at this tree, and willing myself to disappear.
And then… Then Jesus spoke my name, ‘Zacchaeus.’
He didn’t shout... he spoke with a clear voice that carried over the crowd. The laughter quickly subsided as people turned to look at him.
“Zacchaeus,” he repeated, “Come down immediately… I must stay at your house today!”
He smiled as he said it, and I was so shocked I nearly fell out of the tree.
I scrambled down the tree, and the crowd parted before me, like the red sea before Moses, opening the way between him and me.
‘Of… of c-c-course master.’ I stammered, ‘Please come this way.’ And I led him and his followers to my house.
I’m not a tall man, but I think I grew at least 6 inches as I walked back to the house, with Jesus and about 50 of his followers coming on behind
When we got back, I set the servants to work… and many of his followers also went to help! Guests helping! Guests lending a hand! Men as well as the women!
As the meal was served, I remember watching in amazement as this incredible mix of people worked together, helping the servants, serving each other, and laughing and chatting with each other as they did.
And Jesus… Jesus didn’t sit there holding court like I’d seen other Rabbi’s do. He helped too!
He helped prepare the room, easily chatting with his followers and my servants as he did.
Then my heart took another leap for joy! I saw people that I knew were tax collectors! It was true! And they were there relaxed and in friendly conversation with others in the group… They were included!... They belonged!
There was no sense of order or hierarchy, no stiff formality… It was like a wonderfully chaotic large family gathering.
And they included me! They included me in their conversation, in their banter and in their laughter. It was so genuine, so natural, so easy. And for the first time in as long as I can remember, I felt as though I belonged. Even though it was in my own home, it was the first time I felt I belonged… that I was loved!
I realized how much this had been missing in my life. It was what I’d always longed for, a true sense of belonging and acceptance… the kingdom of God had come to my house, the love of God was here among these people, and they freely invited me to join… no condemnation… no judgement… just love.
As I looked around, I saw Jesus looking at me and smiling. He didn’t say anything…he just smiled, and my heart overflowed…
At that moment, it seemed like God spoke to me and said you are my child, and you are loved…
God loved even me!
I was wrapped in his love, and I belonged! I belonged.
I don’t know if I can ever properly express how that felt.
Compared to that love, all I’d ever achieved seemed so small. In that moment, I finally understood that I could do nothing to earn God’s love; it was freely given. No matter what I did or did not do, I would always be loved and included… I would always belong.
The love I felt was more than I could contain, and I wanted to share it. I wanted others to know this love that I’d been given. I stood and shouted over the noise of the gathering, ‘I will give ½ of all I have to the poor, and if I’ve cheated anyone… anyone… I’ll pay back 4 times the amount.’
Jesus smiled even more – ‘Today,’ he said, ‘Salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.’
Questions for reflection:
How did this story make you feel?
Were there things in the story that jarred, or resonated with you? Why is that?
Has life hardened your heart in places?
Do you sometimes feel that you’re on the outside looking in?
Do you long to feel loved and included, and to know so deeply that you always belong?
Take the time to imagine yourself in Zachaeus’ position, desperate to belong… longing to be known and to be loved.
How does it feel as Jesus stops to look at you and calls your name?
As Jesus meets you this day…
As he looks at you and smiles…
What are the things you need to tell him?
What are the things you need to hear?
Sit with this scene in your mind for a while, and when you are ready, finish with the prayer below.
Father,
We thank you for your love for us.
For your constant, open invitation into a relationship with you.
Help us open our hearts and receive the love you long to pour into our lives.
Help us to know that we are loved, and are precious, and that we belong, that we always belong.
And help us to share that love, living out the command that Jesus gave us, to love as he loved.
Amen
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