Inductive Bible Study: Luke 19:1-10
Kayla Gaughan
Bible 350-004
Professor Rhoads
December 4, 2022
Textual Analysis- Comparing Translations
Key:
Similar to CSB
Different from CSB
Similar across all translations
Different across all translations
Luke 19:1-10 (ESV)
He entered Jericho
and was passing
through. And
behold, there was
a man named
Zacchaeus. He
was a chief tax
collector and was
rich. And he was
seeking to see
who Jesus was,
but on account of
the crowd he
could not, because
he was small in
stature. So he ran
on ahead and
climbed up into a
sycamore tree to
see him, for he
Luke 19:1-10
(NIV)
Jesus entered
Jericho and was
passing through. A
man was there by
the name of
Zacchaeus; he was
a chief tax
collector and was
wealthy. He
wanted to see who
Jesus was, but
because he was
short he could not
see over the
crowd. So he ran
ahead and climbed
a sycamore-fig
tree to see him,
since Jesus was
Luke 19:1-10 (CSB)
(Base Translation)
He entered Jericho
and was passing
through. There
was a man named
Zacchaeus who
was a chief tax
collector, and he
was rich. He was
trying to see who
Jesus was, but he
was not able
because of the
crowd, since he
was a short man.
So running ahead,
he climbed up a
sycamore tree to
see Jesus, since he
was about to pass
Luke 19:1-10 (NLT)
Jesus entered
Jericho and made
his way through
the town. There
was a man there
named Zacchaeus.
He was the chief
tax collector in the
region, and he had
become very rich.
He tried to get a
look at Jesus, but
he was too short to
see over the
crowd. So he ran
ahead and climbed
a sycamore-fig
tree beside the
road, for Jesus
was going to pass
that way. When
was about to pass
that way. And
coming that way.
that way. When
Jesus came to the
place,
Jesus came
when Jesus came
When Jesus
he looked up and
by, he looked up
to the place, he
reached the spot,
said to him,
at Zacchaeus and
looked up and said
he looked up and
“Zacchaeus, hurry
called him by
to him,
said to him,
and come down
name.
“Zacchaeus, hurry
“Zacchaeus, come
because today it is
“Zacchaeus!” he
and come down,
down
necessary for me
said. “Quick,
for I must stay at
immediately. I
to stay at your
come down! I
your house today.”
must stay at your
house.”
must be a guest in
So he hurried and
house today.” So
So he quickly
your home today.”
came down and
he came down at
came down and
Zacchaeus quickly
received him
once and
welcomed him
climbed down and
joyfully. And
welcomed him
joyfully. All who
took Jesus to his
when they saw it,
gladly. All the
saw it began to
house in great
they all grumbled,
people saw this
complain, “He’s
excitement and
“He has gone in to
and began to
gone to stay with a
joy. But the people
be the guest of a
mutter, “He has
sinful man.”
were displeased.
man who is a
gone to be the
But Zacchaeus
“He has gone to
sinner.” And
guest of a sinner.”
stood there and
be the guest of a
Zacchaeus stood
But Zacchaeus
said to the Lord,
notorious sinner,”
and said to the
stood up and said
“Look, I’ll give
they grumbled.
Lord, “Behold,
to the Lord,
half of my
Meanwhile,
Lord, the half of
“Look, Lord! Here
possessions to the
Zacchaeus stood
my goods I give to
and now I give
poor, Lord. And if
before the Lord
the poor. And if I
half of my
I have extorted
and said, “I will
have defrauded
possessions to the
anything from
give half my
anyone of
poor, and if I have
anyone, I’ll pay
wealth to the poor,
anything, I restore
cheated anybody
back four times as
Lord, and if I have
it fourfold.” And
out of anything, I
much.” “Today
cheated people on
Jesus said to him,
will pay back four
salvation has
their taxes, I will
“Today salvation
times the
come to this
give them back
has come to this
amount.” Jesus
house,” Jesus told
four times as
house, since he
said to him,
him, “because he
much!”Jesus
also is a son of
“Today salvation
too is a son of
responded,
Abraham. For the
has come to this
Abraham. For the
“Salvation has
Son of Man came
house, because
Son of Man has
come to this home
to seek and to save
this man, too, is a
come to seek and
today, for this man
the lost.”
son of Abraham.
to save the lost.”
has shown himself
For the Son of
Man came to seek
and to save the
lost.”
to be a true son of
Abraham. For the
Son of Man came
to seek and save
those who are
lost.”
For this assignment, I compared the NIV, ESV, and NLT translations of Luke 19:1-10, to
the CSB translation. I found that the ESV and NIV actually had more similarities to eachother
than the rest of the translations. Towards the end of the passage, there was an exact wording
similarity when it says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” It was similar all
around which was very surprising to me since there is usually some sort of wording difference
even if some things are similar. The main big differences that I noticed were only in small
adjective details such as comparing the words “joyfully” and “gladly”. I noticed there weren’t
many differences in context or things that made me infer something different when reading
through the different translations.
I learned that different translations help you understand the passage deeper. Even though
the differences were small, it helps paint the picture for you in your head way easier when
reading 2-3 different variations of the story. It helps you capture the true feelings and adjectives
that are describing the scene. It was mostly adjectives and small adverbs that were slightly
different if anything. The CSB is definitely more to the point and more condensed than the other
translations.
Textual Observations: Luke 19
Key Questions:
Why was he passing through Jericho?
Where was Jesus on His way to?
Why was it significant that Zacchaeus was short and had to climb a tree?
Why did he need to stay with Zacchaeus specifically?
When did this take place?
Who is the audience?
Where did this take place?
Who is Zacchaeus?
How long did it take for Jesus to spot Zacchaeus?
How did the crowd react?
Were people around Jesus when he asked Zacchaeus to come down?
Why was Jesus staying with Zacchaeus necessary?
Why was it necessary to include Zacchaeus job and wealth?
Why does Zacchaeus immediately begin to say he will give half of his possessions to the poor?
Why did he welcome Jesus joyfully?
Who is the Son of Abraham Jesus is referring to?
Why did salvation come to Zacchaeus home specifically?
Key Relationships:
Time:
Jesus said He needed to stay with Zacchaeus today, and that today salvation had come to
this house.
Jesus was passing through Jericho, assumed to be on His way to Jerusalem.
Place:
Passing through Jericho
Zacchaeus climbed up a sycamore tree
Emphasis:
“...today it is necessary for me to stay at your house.”
Purpose:
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost.”
“come down... because it is necessary for me to stay at your house today.”
“Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham.’
Result or Summary:
“So he quickly came down from the tree”
Contrast: “He was trying to see Jesus, but he couldn’t because of the crowd”
If then, statement:
“Look, I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord. And if I have extorted anything from
anyone, I’ll pay back four times as much.”
Figures of speech: Salvation has come to this house
Significant Terms: Historical, Theological, Contextual, Textually Uncertain, Figurative,
S
Jericho
Tax Collector
Sinful
Extorted
Salvation
Son of Abraham
Son of Man
S (also Theological)
T l (also Theological)
Laws of Structure:
Continuity
Zacchaeus seeing Jesus and wanting to climb a tree to see Him better since he was short. Jesus
coming over to the tree and calling Zacchaeus down.
Climax
Jesus asking to stay at his house for the day.
Continuation
The crowd ridiculing Jesus for talking to and wanting to stay at a “sinful man’s” house. But Jesus
counters this.
Jesus begins to explain that salvation has come to this house today and that He came to
seek and save the lost (sinners) like Zacchaeus.
Story Shifts/Pivots
Story shift/ pivot was around Jesus asking a sinful man, Zacchaeus, to stay with Him was a big
pivot and what the passage revolved around.
Dialogue
“Zacchaeus hurry and come down, because today it is necessary for me to stay at your house.”
Crowd complains, “He’s gone to stay with a sinful man.” (talking about Jesus)
Zacchaeus said to the Lord, “Look, I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord. And if I have
extorted anything from anyone, I’ll pay back four times as much.” Zacchaeus was trying to justify
himself by his works in a way.
“Today salvation has come to this house,” Jesus told him, “Because he too is a son of Abraham.
For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” Jesus was saying that salvation has
come to Zacchaeus’s home and Jesus was staying with a sinful man because He was intentionally
seeking Him.
Literary Context: Luke 18,19,20 CSB
The Parable of the Persistent Widow: Luke 18 CSB
1-3: A parable on the need to never cease from praying, and a widow asking a judge for justice.
4-5: The judge did not fear God or people but gave the widow justice merely from her persistent
spirit.
6-8: The Lord explains how if even an unjust judge grants justice to a persistent widow, how
much more will He grant his elect who cry out to him day and night.
Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9-12: The pharisee was praying in the temple exalting himself before God.
13-14: The tax collector was humbling himself in prayer before God begging for mercy. He is
justified over the pharisee because of his humble heart.
Blessing the Children
15-17: Jesus blessed the children that came to him because the Kingdom belonged to such as
these. We should receive God as if we had the minds of little children.
Rich Young Ruler
18-23: The rich, young ruler asked Jesus how he could obtain eternal life, and after the ruler
argues his case for keeping his youth pure, Jesus asks him to sell his possessions and follow
Him. The rich young ruler was not willing to lose his entire life for Jesus.
Possessions and the Kingdom
24-30: Jesus explained that it is hard for people with a lot of possessions to enter the kingdom
because they must be willing to lose it all for Christ’s sake, as He is more valuable than any
earthly riches.
The Third Prediction of His Death
31-33: Jesus was explaining to the 12 disciples what was about to happen to Him regarding His
death and resurrection.
34: The disciples did not understand the meaning behind what Jesus said.
A Blind Man Receives Sight
35-36: Crowd told blind man who was begging that Jesus was walking by as He was
approaching Jericho.
38-39: Blind man begged Jesus for mercy.
40-41: Jesus approached the man and the man said he wanted Jesus to make him see.
42-43: Jesus healed the man’s eyes and gave him sight because of His faith, and the man went on
to praise and glorify God.
Luke 19: Jesus Visits Zacchaeus
1-5: As Jesus enters Jericho with a large crowd, a rich man named Zacchaeus runs to climb a tree
to get a better look at Jesus. Jesus approaches the tree and requests that He stays at Zacchaeus’s
house.
6-7: Zacchaeus quickly came down and the crowd judged Jesus for staying with a sinful man.
8-10: Zacchaeus says to Jesus that he will give half of his money to the poor and pay back
anyone he has extorted. Jesus explains that salvation has come to Zacchaeus’s house
The Parable of the Ten Minas
11: Jesus begins to tell a parable because Jesus was near Jerusalem.
12-13: A nobleman gave ten minas to his ten servants.
14: His servants hated him.
15-16: The nobleman returned and asked his servants how much profit was made.
17-19: The nobleman rewards each servant equal to the profit they made.
20-21: A servant tells the nobleman that he kept his mina safe in a cloth and did not profit
anything.
22-24: The nobleman yelled at that servant and took his mina away and gave it to the one who
profited 10 more.
25: The other servants backed up the one who kept his 10 mina to the nobleman, since he did not
lose any.
26-27: The nobleman begins to explain that whoever does not want him to rule over them will be
slaughtered and those who have more will be given.
The Triumphal Entry
28-31: Jesus sent two of his servants into the Mount of Olives to untie a colt and bring it to him.
32-33: The servants were confronted by the owners while untying the colt.
34-38: They explained they were bringing it to Jesus and brought it to him to rise down the path
of Mount of Olives as people began to cheer and praise God.
39-40: Pharisee’s told Jesus to rebuke His own disciples.
Jesus’s Love for Jerusalem
41-44: Jesus wept for Jerusalem because they were blind to the peace that they could be
receiving but their eyes were not opened to God.
Cleansing the Temple
45-46: Jesus went into the temple and began throwing people out who were not honoring it.
47-48: Jesus began teaching every day in the temple and people tried to find ways to kill Him but
couldn’t.
Luke 20: The Authority of Jesus Challenged
1-2: Jesus’s authority is questioned by chief priests and scribes.
3-4: Jesus asks them back about John’s baptism being from heaven or human origin.
5-7: They admitted to not knowing the origin of John’s baptism.
8: Jesus said he will not tell by what authority that He does these things.
The Parable of the Vineyard Owner
9-12: Jesus began to tell a parable about a vineyard owner who leased his land to tenant farmers,
who beat every servant he sent to harvest the crop.
13: The owner decided to send his own son to harvest.
14-16: The tenant farmers decided to kill the owner’s son in hopes that they would get his
inheritance.
17-18: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
19: The scribes and chief priests knew Jesus had told that parable against them so they looked for
a way to kill Him that same hour.
God and Caesar
20-22: They sent spies pretending to be righteous to catch Jesus in what he says, to hopefully
throw him in prison. They asked him if it is lawful for them to pay taxes to Caesar.
23-24: Jesus knew they were trying to set him up.
25-26: Jesus said to give the things that are Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God and
the people were amazed at His answer.
The Sadducees and Resurrection
27-33: Some of the Sadducees asked Jesus about brothers taking their wives and after all seven
brothers die, who will the wife be married to?
34-38:
39-40: The scribes said Jesus spoke well and never asked him a question again.
The Question about the Messiah
41-44: They asked how the Messiah could be the son of David.
Warning Against the Scribes
45-47: Jesus gave a warning against the scribes and how they will reap a greater punishment.
My particular passage is Luke 19: 1-10 when Jesus visits Zacchaeus. In the passage prior,
Jesus tells multiple parables, which I believe was building up to the purpose of visiting
Zacchaeus. Luke 18 begins with the parable of the persistent widow and unjust judge. Jesus is
explaining that our persistence in prayer is heard and honored, and He will grant us that much
more than an unjust judge to a persistent woman. Then, Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee
who exalted himself while praying, and the tax collector who humbled himself before God.
Then, He continues to use the rich young ruler as an example of being willing to lose
everything for Christ. Right before Jesus visits Zacchaeus, He is entering Jericho and while on
the path He stumbles upon a blind man begging. Jesus goes up to the man and heals His eyes.
The crowd and blind man begin to glorify and praise Jesus as they enter Jericho.
On their way in, this is the crowd that Zacchaeus sees and could not spot Jesus in, so he
runs ahead to climb the tree. Jesus intentionally seeks him out and asks if He could stay at
Zacchaeus’s house that day. Zacchaeus then quickly climbs down the tree, and the first thing he
says to Jesus is how he will pay back anyone he has extorted 4x the amount and give half of his
earnings to the poor. This directly reflects the rich young ruler parable that Jesus told in the
chapter prior, regarding losing your possessions and anything for Christ.
I believe the buildup to Jesus visiting Zacchaeus was intentional. In verse 10, Jesus ends
with telling Zaccheus that “salvation has come to this house today.” Jesus was showing us in the
parables prior, how to walk in our salvation. For example, by being willing to lose it all for
Christ, staying consistent in prayer, and recognizing Him as our healer, etc. Jesus was bringing
salvation to Zacchaeus's house.
After leaving Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and begins to tell more parables. He tells
the story of the vineyard owner who kept sending servants to retrieve his harvest, but they kept
returning beaten. He eventually sends his only son who is shown no mercy, and ultimately killed.
This is foreshadowing for the death of Jesus. Throughout the rest of Luke 20 Jesus is constantly
being questioned to prove Himself. This relates to the story of Zacchaeus because it is affirming
Jesus as the son of God and when He told Zacchaeus that salavation has come to his house, He
truly meant it.
Project Assignment 5 – Studying Words
Step One: What could the word mean?
1. Identify: Find the correct Greek word for the word you are studying: πλούσιος, α, ον
a. Strong’s Number: G4145
b. Transliteration: plousios
c. Number of times is used in the New Testament: 28
d. English words represented by this Greek word: rich, abounding in, wealthy; a rich
man.
2. Study: How is the word used in your passage? Summarize (150-300 words) how the author of
your passage uses this word.
Rich is used in this passage in the context of being materialistically wealthy. The author
is describing Zacchaeus as a rich, tax collector to give us background before telling the story.
Typically, chief tax collectors were hated by most people and people resented paying taxes to
them. This was crucial background information for what Jesus does later in the story. “It is easier
for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
The word rich in this context is very important in letting us know that Zacchaeus was wealthy
money wise.
3. Study: How does the author use this word in other books he has written? List the verses and
summarize (150-300 words) how the word is used.
Luke has only written Acts and the gospel of Luke. The word "rich" does not appear in
the book of Acts but it is repeated several times in the book of Luke. For example, in Luke 18:25
it reads, "For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to
enter the kingdom of God.” In this context the word "rich" is being used in the same way that it
is used in the passage with Zacchaeus; to be wealthy in money or material possessions. But in
this verse, Jesus is saying that it is difficult for a rich man to enter heaven, not because of
anything on God's part, but because of their hesitation and inability to be willing to give up their
life and possessions for the sake of Christ. Therefore Jesus makes the example that it is easier for
a camel to enter through the eye of a needle (which is impossible), than for a rich person to enter
the Kingdom. This connects directly to Luke 19 where Jesus visits Zacchaues, because in that
context, Luke immediately describes Zacchaeus as a rich tax collector so we are aware of his
status, and then he begins to offer his possessions to the poor once Jesus visits him, and then
Jesus brings salvation to his house. The word rich here is not only symbolic in it's meaning but
the reason why it is used in passages.
4. Study: How is this word used in the other books of the New Testament. List the verses
and summarize (150-300 words) how the word is used.
Ephesians 2:4 reads, "Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn’t God choose the poor in
this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love
him?" In this context, the word "rich" is defined as plentiful, abundant, or abounding in. God is
abounding in mercy. He has so much of it that although we were dead in our sin, he saved us by
His grace because of His mercy. In this context, the word rich is not describing God as having a
lot of money or material possessions, but that He has an abundance of mercy. Similarly, in James
2:5 it reads "Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be
rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?" God is using
"rich" in this context as the same as He was in Ephesians 2:4. But, He is using it in comparison
to the word poor. So, He is saying that he chose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs
of the Kingdom. This not only means to be abounding in faith but to be rich in faith as a wealthy
person is rich in money, therefore, to have a lot of faith.
Step Two: What does the word mean?
1. Are there any usages that can be rejected immediately? If so, why? Be detailed and specific in
your explanation (200-300 words).
There are many definitions and uses of the word "rich". Some definitions include: to have
a great deal of money or wealth, for something to be strong in taste, or plentiful/abundant. We
can immediately rule out for something to be strong in taste. The word "rich" is being used as an
adjective in this verse, so it is describing Zacchaeus. It is definitely not describing him as being
rich in taste. There is a chance it could be describing Zacchaeus to have an abundance of
something, so we should look at the context. The verse reads, "There was a man named
Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich." Since the word rich is describing
Zacchaeus after they acknowledge that he is a tax collector, we can infer that it is in terms of
wealth, since tax collectors are known for having a lot of money.
2. In light of context, what do you believe this word means? Explain. (300-500 words).
In light of context, I know this word means rich in means of wealth and money. The main
indicator is how they describe Zacchaeus as a chief tax collector first. In this time, tax collectors
were hated by the Jews and regarded as "sinners". They were Jews themselves, but worked for
the Roman empire, so they were seen as traitors. They were so hated that other Jews did not want
to even be seen with them. They were a symbol of foreign oppression. The Jews were required to
pay an expensive amount of taxes to the roman empire and hated it, and hated even more that
their own people were helping the Romans tax them. Tax collectors gained their wealth by ill-
gotten gain. In other words, they would over-tax their own people and keep the excess. Tax
collectors made a lot of money this way and that is why they were especially hated. In Luke
19:1-10, Zacchaeus was described as a chief tax collector for the city of Jericho. Therefore, he
had a lot of money. He was seen as sinful, self-enriching, corrupt and traitorous to the Jewish
community; but not to Jesus. The word rich in this context means wealthy. It was strategically
included to provide us with background info of Zacchaeus so we were aware of the type of
person Jesus was visiting. Jesus asked to stay at his house specifically, showing the crowd that
even the most wealthy, hated tax collector was loved by Him.
Passage Principle
Identifying Passage Principle:
Jesus loves even the worst of sinners and has come to bring them salvation.
Correlating the Principle to Scriptures:
1 Timothy 1:12-20 reads, I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened
me, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry— even though I was
formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted
out of ignorance in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love
that are in Christ Jesus. This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. But I received mercy for this
reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary
patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life.” In this passage of
scripture, Paul is writing about how he was the worst sinner of them all, yet Jesus loved him and
poured His grace and mercy out on him so Paul could be rescued and saved for eternity. This is a
perfect example of Jesus loving us unconditionally and coming to seek and save the lost not
based on our sin but based on His mercy and grace alone. This connects to Zacchaeus in Luke 19
because Jesus sought Zacchaeus out and despite him being rich, tax collector that was despised
amongst the Jews, Jesus brought salvation to his house anyway. Jesus has no conditions on who
He came to save, and this verse in 1 Timothy is another example of that.
Titus 2:11 reads, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people.”
This is another verse where the passage principle is taught. Jesus came to bring salvation to all
people, not a select few, or those who sinned less, or any other condition, simply all people. Jesus
asked Zacchaeus if He could stay at his house. There was a crowd around him that began to
complain, they said Jesus had gone to stay with a sinful man. Yet Jesus did not see Zacchaeus as
sinful. HE came to seek and save the lost, and Zacchaeus was no more sinful than the next. Jesus
showed the crowd that He came to save all, even the worst of sinners.
Romans 8:38 reads, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers,
nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created
thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This
connects to the passage principle because it is explaining how nothing in this world could
separate God’s love from us. He loves us unconditionally, unlike how the world teaches us to
love. He came to save us because He loves us and there is no sin we could commit or anything
we could do to make Him love us any less.
Correlating the Principle to the Person and Work of Christ:
2 Corinthians 8:9 reads, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he
was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” Jesus
was the Son of God walking on Earth, yet He stooped to our level of humanity, yet with no sin,
and became poor. By this act of poverty and humility, He brought salvation. He made us rich in
salvation by turning His richness to poverty. This applies to the passage principle because He
humbled Himself to the point of a servant to save all sinners which is the most loving act of all.
Romans 5:8 reads, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were
still sinners, Christ died for us.” Christ died for us while we were sinners. This connects to the
passage principle because He loved us enough to die for us despite our sin. All have fallen short
of the glory of God and there is no sinner that is worse than the other that Christ did not die for.
Romans 2:11-12 reads, “For God does not show favoritism. All who sin apart from the
law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.”
This directly connects to the passage principle because it explains how God has no favorites. He
does not favorite one sinner over the other, or one child of God over the other. All who sin will
be judged. God does not favor someone or save someone who sinned less than another. He came
to seek and save the lost and even the worst sinners of them all.
The Question of Duty
The question of duty is answered in Luke 19:1-10 by Jesus exemplifying how we should love
those who are lost and intentionally seek them out. In this passage, Zacchaues is hated among the
Jews because of his status as a rich, tax collector. He was seen as a traitor. As Jesus was walking
through town, He had a huge crowd surrounding Him. Zacchaeus was too short to see Him, so he
ran ahead to climb a tree just to get a glimpse. During that moment, Jesus approached Zacchaues
in the tree and called him down. He asked to stay at Zacchaeus’ house. The crowd began to
murmur and judge Jesus for staying with a “sinful” man. This is a perfect example of Jesus
intentionally seeking out the lost. He sought out Zacchaues in the tree and called him down
despite the crowd’s judgement of Zacchaues. This symbolizes how Jesus meets us no matter
where we are and offers us salvation despite our sin. Matthew 28:16-20 reads, “...Therefore go
and make disciples of all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and
the Spirit.” Going and making disciples is a duty Jesus calls us to do and He portrays this in Luke
19 by seeking out Zacchaues and offering salvation.
Another duty Jesus calls us to is repentance. Zacchaeus was a greedy, tax collector that was
taking extra money from his own people. When Jesus called him down from the tree, Zacchaues
was fully repentant and said, “…And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will restore it
fourfold.” (Luke 19:8). Zacchaues said he would pay back anyone he defrauded 4x more. This
shows his repentant heart. When following Christ, you are made new, and the old life has passed
away, therefore we are called to repent of our sin and follow Him fully. Repentance is essentially
doing a full 180 of your sin. It is also a new mindset. You recognize the need to die to self.
Zacchaues was brought salvation therefore made new in Christ and his old life has passed away.
He repented immediately and even offered to repay who he defrauded. This is the duty Jesus
calls us to when we start to follow Him.
Zacchaues was repentant of his idolization of money. We discover in Scripture an engagement
with the reality of money—and the longing for money—as it has signified power. Zacchaues
used his job as a tax collector for his people to feed his greed and take their money. In Matthew
6:24 reads, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one or love the other or you
will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Our
duty is to lay our lives down for God and not to idolize anything, especially not money. In this
situation, Zacchaeus was so touched that he was prepared to give up a significant idol in his life,
his money, to demonstrate his commitment to follow Jesus. It is our duty to put our idols to death
for the sake of following Christ, and Zacchaeus does exactly this, and even more by offering to
pay everyone back fourfold.
The Question of Character
First and foremost, our character should not be like the crowd surrounding Jesus and Zacchaeus.
The people complained when Jesus invited himself to stay at Zacchaeus' house. However, it is
clear from the narrative that the crowd was mistaken since Jesus did not criticize, but rather
showed compassion and kindness. This is noteworthy because it would have been usual and
acceptable to complain about anything like this in ancient times because it was culturally
common to despise tax collectors. Romans 12:2 reminds us that we are not to be conformed to
the patterns of this world, but rather be transformed by the renewal of our minds. In this case, it
would be easy to hate the tax collector, since it was culturally normalized. But Jesus is walking
out Romans 12:2 here by going against the pattern of the world. Zacchaeus also shows this by
repenting and giving his life to Jesus.
Christians should continue to pursue God, no matter the judgement from others. It is likely that
Zacchaeus was mocked, looked down upon, and ridiculed by his community for being a corrupt
tax collector. It must have been difficult for Zacchaeus to feel loved when everyone in society
despised him. This, however, did not deter him from pursuing Jesus when he saw him in the
crowd. Jesus even went up to Zacchaeus and asked to stay at his house. Jesus could have just
stopped after approaching Zacchaeus, but He went even further in bringing salvation to his
home. This shows character in Zacchaeus due to the fact that he did not feel influenced or
shamed by the hatred he got from the people. He still continued to pursue and seek God despite
not knowing Him and despite the ridicule he faced.
When the Lord called Zacchaeus down from the tree, Zacchaeus was immediately
eager to make peace with everybody he had harmed. Although the crowd was groaning in
disgust at him, he still told Jesus that he would repay back everyone he defrauded. Jesus
honors this and grants Zacchaeus redemption. This is essential because after making
atonement with those he has offended; God speaks to Zacchaeus. In terms of becoming
reconciled with one's brother, Zacchaeus accomplished just that. This reminded me of
Matthew 6:23-24 which reads the following: “23 So if you are offering your gift at the
altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift
there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer
your gift.”
The Question of Goals
As believer’s we are commanded to spread the gospel, or good news, to others. "For the Son of
Man came to seek and to rescue the lost," Jesus says at the end of his interaction with Zacchaeus.
Jesus was continually sharing and exhibiting the heavenly kingdom. He exhibits the kingdom by
simply going up to Zacchaeus and defying cultural norms by loving him despite any sin. This
should be obvious in the lives of Christ's followers. We should reflect Jesus in all ways,
especially how we evangelize, love others, and bear fruit. Romans 10: 13-14 describes the goal
of evangelism perfectly. “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How
then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him
of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”. This
verse shows us the purpose of the gospel and the purpose in spreading it.
Believers should count all suffering as joy as they continue to follow Christ. Before heading to
Jericho, Jesus was in Galilee, preparing to ascend to Jerusalem. As previously described in this
article, there are two ways to Jerusalem from Galilee: a northern route through Samaria and a
longer path that circumnavigates Samaria. Jesus chose the longer, steeper road that goes through
Jericho. However, while travelling through Jericho, Jesus had divine appointments with several
of the people, resulting in their conversion. Jesus went on to Jerusalem, where he ultimately
suffered, was nailed to a cross, held the weight of every sin ever committed and to be committed
and died. Jesus was aware of the tremendous agony that awaited him in Jerusalem, but that was
His goal. Nonetheless, Jesus counted it all as joy. Hebrews 12:2 reads, “...For the joy set before
him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of
God.”
Lastly, we should seek out the lost. This is different than the goal of spreading the gospel,
because there is intentionality behind it. There is intentionality in spreading the gospel, but in
seeking out the lost, we use the picture of Jesus calling Zacchaeus down from the tree and asking
to stay at his house to set an example for how we should intentionally seek. “The Son of Man
came to seek and save the lost.” (Luke 19:10) We are not just called to spread the gospel so that
those may be saved, but we are called to intentionally seek, as Jesus did.
The Question of Discernment
Jesus looked at Zacchaeus with love and compassion despite his sin. However, the public viewed
Zacchaeus as the worst sinner of all. They could not understand how Jesus was talking to
Zacchaeus, let alone asking to stay at his house. “The natural person does not accept the things of
the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they
are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). However, Jesus deviates from the norm and
recognized Zacchaeus as lost, sought him out, and gave him salvation. As believers we should
have the discernment to look at people through the lens of Jesus and not through the lens of the
crowd.
Once Zacchaeus heard Jesus was in the crowd, he desperately needed another look. He
went out of his way to climb up a tree just to get a glance at Jesus. He didn’t know or even think
that Jesus would soon come up to him. Zacchaeus viewed himself as not worthy. There was no
clear answer as to why Zacchaeus may have been so desperate to see Jesus. But what we do
know is that Zacchaeus' heart was prepared to lay down his life for Christ. One's heart position
for following Christ should be full of passion and readiness to seek the Lord out and pick up your
cross to follow Him and whatever he desires you to do. Zacchaeus is an example of this by
climbing the tree and his immediate repentance.
A subtle misconception that believers have is that money will provide happiness. Now, it
is easy to deny this claim, but it is something that goes unnoticed at times. We rely too much on
money for our contentment and joy. Even if we don’t think we do, we would feel better and
“happier” if we had a nicer house, nicer clothes, and just more money in general. It gives a sense
of “security”. Jesus debunks this in Matthew 6: 19-21 which reads the following, “19 “Do not
store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves
break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin
do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there
your heart will be also.” This verse explains that our hearts will serve what we view as treasure.
Storing up things like clothes, money, houses, valuables, will run our hearts. Instead, we are to
regard Jesus as our one and only treasure and be content with that. God alone can really fulfill
one's spirit and heart. Paul explains this perfectly in Philippians 4:11-12, “19 “Do not store up
for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in
and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not
destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also.” Money cannot fulfill that supernatural peace and contentment. Understanding
this through the story of Zacchaeus would provide true happiness and fulfillment, which money
cannot provide..
