Zacchaeus

 He [Jesus] entered Jericho and…there was a man named Zacchaeus.

Luke 21:1-10

Jesus goes to Jericho. This is the Jericho God destroyed before Joshua and the Israelites who had just crossed the Jordan river into their promised land. Though that ancient city was not rebuilt, Jericho was built close to the one destroyed and had become a center of trade and an oasis from the environment of Jerusalem, some 18 miles away and 1700 feet higher than Jericho. Travel to and from Jerusalem and Jericho would have been very difficult in Jesus’ day. This route is the setting for the parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10. The route provided places for robbers to hide and take from whomever they desired possessions and the victim’s life. It was on this road that Jesus encountered Zacchaeus in our story today. This was a real life meeting and not a parable. Zacchaeus had heard that Jesus was coming to his town. We learn some things about Zacchaeus- he was a chief tax collector, position in which he had other tax collectors working for him and through this taxation of his own people, he had become a rich man. Of course, Jewish tax collectors were hated by the Jewish people because they exacted exorbitant taxes from their own to give to the occupying Roman government and lined their own pockets in the process. So, in order for Zacchaeus to see Jesus, he would have to try to see Him before He entered Jericho and, because Zacchaeus was “small in stature,” he climbed a sycamore tree just outside of town as Jesus was approaching. Jesus, knowing all men, stops at the sycamore tree and addresses Zacchaeus by name. Surprisingly, Jesus invites Himself to Zacchaeus’ house for Jesus would use it to minister to the people who came around and Zacchaeus could prepare a meal for the group traveling with Jesus. But, Scripture tells us the peoples’ reaction was one of grumbling that Jesus associated Himself with “sinners.” Zacchaeus makes a bold statement of faith by telling Jesus, and the others present, saying that he gives a large amount of financial aid to the poor and that he fulfills the Old Testament law for restoration of anyone whom he has defrauded. Zacchaeus’ faith is that faith which the Living God imparts to His Chosen ones. Jesus praises God by telling Zacchaeus that “salvation has come to Zacchaeus’ house, now formerly a “lost sheep” of Israel. Jesus came to seek and save the lost, regardless of ancestry. He is still seeking today. Christians are charged with telling all people about our Savior and Lord, Jesus. If you claim to be a Christian, obey your Savior and Lord!

Source: S C Ball March 14, 2023