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Zacchaeus the Tax Collector (Luke 19)

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Zacchaeus the Tax Collector (Luke 19)

Introduction

The setting of the scenario leading up to the time under consideration may aid us in

determining which interpretative path to take. When Jesus comes to Jericho, he is nearing the

conclusion of his trip to Jerusalem and is traveling through the town. One among the residents of

that town is a man called Zacchaeus, who is a tax collector and the town's top tax collector,

which implies, as Luke's Gospel points out, that he is very wealthy. He wants to see Jesus, but

since he is small, he cannot see him above the crowd, so he climbs a tree to view him better.

When Jesus arrives at the location where Zacchaeus has taken up residence, he calls him down.

He extends an invitation to himself to Zacchaeus' house, which both gives delight to Zacchaeus

and scandalizes the audience, who is well aware that Zacchaeus is an unrepentant sinner.

Background Paragraph

Three elements in this tale, which is recounted exclusively by Luke, stand out, especially

in light of the passages that have gone before it and that follow it. First and foremost, sight is

essential once again. As previously stated, the tenth leper realizes that he has been cured,

prompting him to change his path of action (17:15). When a blind man gets sight in the chapter

immediately before this one (which is excluded by the lectionary), he follows Jesus and praises

God as a result of his transformation. Now, Zacchaeus longs to meet Jesus, but even as he tries to

get a glimpse of this prophet, Jesus appears above him, invites him down, and praises him by

inviting him to stay at his house.

Analysis
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In Luke 19, Zacchaeus expressed a genuine desire to meet Jesus, most likely out of a

sense of curiosity. We are struck by how small and inconsequential things God uses to bring a

person to their redemption ultimately. In Zacchaeus's case, it seems that his primary motivation

was a simple one of curiosity. We must never lose sight of the fact that "the day of little things"

exists (Zechariah 4:10). God often selects the "weak things of the earth to confuse [bring to

disgrace] the things that are mighty" to accomplish this (1 Corinthians 1:27). God moved the

heart of Pharaoh's daughter with a single tear from a newborn infant. He overthrew the Philistine

giant with the help of David's sling. He relied on a widow and a handful of food to provide

sustenance for the prophet Elijah. He used a little kid to teach His followers a valuable lesson in

humility, which they desperately needed. He utilized Zacchaeus's genuine interest as a method of

delivering the gospel message of salvation to man. This demonstrates to us that God often

employs minor things to achieve His objectives.

It should be understood that not everyone was thrilled when Jesus decided to spend the

evening in Zacchaeus's home. When the people saw what was occurring, they grumbled, "He had

gone to be a guest with a sinner" (verse 7). Undoubtedly, those who grumbled (verse 7) were the

Pharisees. The inhabitants of Jericho were taken aback when Jesus invited himself to be a guest

of this infamous scoundrel. In Palestine, publicans (tax collectors) were seen as dishonest greedy

individuals. They were perplexed as to how Jesus could interact with sinners such as Zacchaeus.

This was nearly identical to Billy Graham visiting town and living with the proprietor of a

downtown liquor store! The inhabitants of Jericho were oblivious to the fact that Jesus had a

special place in his heart for Zacchaeus. We must all remember that God's salvation is available

to everyone, not only the religious elite. The narrative does not specify what Jesus said to

Zacchaeus when they arrived at his home. Zacchaeus was so moved that he got to his feet and
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said (in exact Greek), "Here and now, I am giving up half of my wealth!" He also pledged to

repay whatever he had wrongfully stolen from others and 400 percent of the money he had

wrongfully taken. We detect a generous attitude and a sincere desire to rectify any past wrongs in

these remarks. Both views indicate a shift in Zacchaeus's heart. These acts sprang spontaneously

from a heart cleansed by the Holy Spirit. These acts demonstrate that Jesus came to earth to save

sinners, not the virtuous and that as sinners, we must be prepared to receive Jesus into our hearts

and abstain from our bad habits.

Also, although Zacchaeus occurs just once in Luke's Gospel, his short tale has garnered a

great deal of interest. Luke's strong account links to the wider context of the Gospel, building on

many themes that have previously emerged throughout Jesus' career to create a compelling

narrative. Zacchaeus's introduction ("he was a top tax collector who was wealthy"), for example,

encourages readers' interpretations of him in light of the other characters. Previous passages in

Luke have grouped "tax collectors" and "sinners" together as a single category. Jesus has been

critical of the affluent, and a wealthy ruler has refused to accept Jesus' offer to become a follower

of his (18:18-25). People are asking themselves, "Who can be saved?" at the same time.

Zacchaeus appears in the story around the 18:26 mark, and he seems to be an odd choice. The

meaning of Zacchaeus' remarks in 19:8 is a critical issue in this tale and one that ought to be

addressed. In his conversation with Jesus, he employs verbs in the present tense, which may be

interpreted as Zacchaeus asserting that he routinely donates to the needy and makes restitution. If

this is the case, it would seem that Zacchaeus is defending himself against the charges of others

(19:7) as well as against a poor reputation that may have caused the audience to exclude him

from the discussion in 19:3. This suggests that Zacchaeus' "salvation" consists of restoring his

dignity within the society and that this restoration serves to educate readers that they shouldn't
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immediately attribute corrupt or immoral behavior to the rich. Zacchaeus' "salvation," on the

other hand, will entail a new way of life if he declares in 19:8 that he is, at this moment in time,

altering his conduct and transitioning from corruption to kindness as he does in the book of Acts.

His riches no longer serve the impoverished and oppressed (see 16:13), but he generously gives a

part of his fortune away to them. It is not beyond the reach of Jesus' attempts to recover the

losses that even such an improbable candidate for redemption may be saved.

Conclusion

The reality is that chances to reconcile with God do not always present themselves day

after day, year after year. Nevertheless, many individuals spend their lives putting off responding

to God's call. Instead, they plan to deal with God immediately—next week or next year. "Right

now" is never handy. This attitude is hazardous because we never know when we may have

another opportunity to hear the Gospel and accept Christ as Savior.

In current times, some individuals, like the despised tax collectors of the New Testament,

are classified as sinners due to their political beliefs, moral conduct, or lifestyle choices. We

cannot ignore these people—Jesus loves them, and they need to hear the Gospel message. Many

of us would have little interest in Zacchaeus since he was a dishonest tax collector seen as a big

offender by society. God, on the other hand, cared about this guy and desired his salvation.

Zacchaeus seemed to be beyond salvation to the majority of people in Jericho. We may have

been tempted to write him off as well. However, God's redemption is available to everyone, not

just the religious elite—and therefore, we should never give up on anybody, even those we

believe are hopeless and too deeply set in immoral ways of life.
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Reference

Testament, N. (1976). Good News Bible.