Zacchaeus

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through the city. A man named Zacchaeus lived there. He was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.

Zacchaeus wanted to see who Jesus was, but he could not see because of the crowd. He was short. So he ran ahead and climbed into a sycomore tree because Jesus was going to pass that way.

When Jesus reached the place, he looked up and saw Zacchaeus. Jesus told him to hurry down because he would stay at Zacchaeus's house that day. Zacchaeus came down quickly and received Jesus joyfully.

The people who saw this began to murmur. They complained that Jesus had gone to be a guest with a man they called a sinner.

Zacchaeus then stood and spoke to the Lord. He said he gave half of his goods to the poor. He also said that if he had taken anything from anyone by false accusation, he would restore it fourfold.

Jesus said that salvation had come to that house and called Zacchaeus a son of Abraham. Then Jesus explained his purpose: the Son of man had come to seek and save that which was lost.

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. Luke then introduces Zacchaeus, a man who was chief among the publicans and was rich. Zacchaeus wanted to see who Jesus was, but the crowd blocked his view because he was short.

Instead of giving up, Zacchaeus ran ahead and climbed into a sycomore tree. Jesus was going to pass that way, so the tree gave Zacchaeus the view he could not get from the ground.

When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him. Jesus called Zacchaeus by name and told him to hurry down because Jesus would stay at his house that day. Zacchaeus came down quickly and received him joyfully.

The crowd's reaction was very different. Those who saw what happened murmured because Jesus had gone to be the guest of a man they called a sinner. The passage does not describe a private conversation inside the house. Instead, it records what Zacchaeus said openly to the Lord.

Zacchaeus said that he gave half of his goods to the poor. He also said that if he had taken anything from anyone by false accusation, he would restore it fourfold. His response involved both generosity and repayment.

Jesus then said that salvation had come to that house, because Zacchaeus also was a son of Abraham. Jesus finished by stating why the Son of man had come: to seek and to save that which was lost.

The account matters because the crowd had already placed Zacchaeus in a category. They saw a sinner and objected to Jesus being his guest. Jesus did not deny that lost people needed saving. Instead, he described seeking and saving the lost as the very reason he had come. Zacchaeus's own words bring money, the poor, false accusation, and repayment directly into the scene.

There is also a striking change in what Zacchaeus is doing. At first he is trying simply to see who Jesus is from a tree. Soon Jesus is addressing him by name, Zacchaeus is receiving him joyfully, the crowd is reacting, and Zacchaeus is speaking directly to the Lord about how he uses his goods and how he handles anything taken falsely.