Zacchaeus

The Transformed Tax Collector

READ Luke 19:1–10

Zacchaeus was a wealthy man, and he was also an outcast. This was not because of the size of his bank account, but rather because his wealth was gained from being a tax collector—the “chief tax collector,” in fact. As mentioned earlier, tax collectors were hated by the Jews because they took money from their own people on behalf of the Roman government. It didn’t help that many of them were also known to charge people too much money, skimming off the extra for themselves. Tax collectors were the predatory lenders (the folks with payday loan operations charging crushing interest rates) of the ancient world. Their wealth came at the expense of their neighbors.

By the time we meet Zacchaeus in Luke’s gospel, we are near the end of a long section some have called “the gospel to the outcasts.” This section of Luke is a travelogue, documenting Jesus’ journey from Galilee to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51; 19:28), where he was ultimately crucified. The intervening text is full of parables and stories illustrating Christ’s heart for outsiders and outcasts, and Zacchaeus is the final one. While we usually think of outcasts as the poor or the foreigners, we know Zacchaeus was an outcast for other reasons. Who would want to befriend the chief betrayer of the community? Zacchaeus received no dinner invitations or birthday cards.

Yet something stirred him to want to see Jesus when Christ passed through Jericho. Jesus was often surrounded by throngs of people, which posed a technical challenge to Zacchaeus, who happened to be quite short. He climbed up a sycamore fig tree to cast his eyes over the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jesus.

We ought to wonder what drew Zacchaeus to Jesus. Quite likely his interest in the Lord had been ignited by stories he’d heard that depicted Jesus as someone who loved outcasts and ignored conventions, someone unafraid to eat with sinners and engage with tax collectors. Perhaps word had reached Zacchaeus that Jesus had even called a tax collector to be one of his disciples! Whatever the case, Zacchaeus was longing for something.

Zacchaeus certainly didn’t anticipate what would happen next. Jesus walked straight to the tree he was perched in, looked up, and said, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today” (Luke 19:5). Can you imagine? Jesus, a famed rabbi, wanted to go to the house of the chief tax collector. This man ignored conventions indeed!

While the crowd muttered at Jesus’ choice of homes to visit, Zacchaeus professed a new life in Christ. He announced he would give half his possessions to the poor and repay anyone he had cheated four times over. A moment with Jesus transformed his life and softened his heart. Christ affirmed Zacchaeus with powerful words: “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (vv. 9–10).

Whether you are wealthy in the eyes of others or not, Zacchaeus’s story provides a witness to the transforming power of Christ, and to what that transformation should effect in each one of us. When Christ accepts you and you experience the full joy of his grace, your heart and your attitudes will change. You no longer cling to the things of your old life because you’ve found a new life in Christ. Zacchaeus did what the rich young ruler could not (Mark 10:21–22). He resolved to give his possessions away and turn from his former life.

Your response to God’s acceptance of you in Christ may look different from that of Zacchaeus. After all, you are not a first-century tax collector despised by your neighbors for consorting with Rome. Yet, once we find new life in Christ, each one of us should demonstrate repentance and show forth the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). We should become people of generosity, not preoccupied with material wealth but instead ready to give and to serve others out of love for Christ.

Ask yourself today: How has your encounter with Christ changed your life? How has Christ’s Spirit adjusted the way you treat others and relate to material wealth? How are you demonstrating the fruit of righteousness and repentance through faithful obedience with your money? The same Christ who welcomed tax collectors welcomes you, and he calls you to live a new life for him.