“Jesus said to [Zacchaeus], ‘Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost"
Luke 19: 9–10).
Bartimaeus was not the only person to whom Jesus brought restoration in Jericho (Luke 18:35–43; see Mark 10:46–52). As we see in today’s passage, Christ also saved Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector who was so eager to see the Lord that he climbed a sycamore tree so that he would not miss the Savior.
Luke says not only that Zacchaeus was a “chief tax collector” but also that he was “rich” (Luke 19:1–2). This is not surprising given how tax collecting worked in the ancient Roman Empire. Local tax collectors contracted with the imperial government to deliver a certain amount of tax revenue to Rome. To make their living, they would collect extra from the taxpayers and keep it as a commission, and there was very little oversight to keep tax collectors from defrauding people by collecting far more than was reasonable. A chief tax collector supervised several tax collectors in a particular area, taking a cut from what each collector gathered in taxes. All this made for a system wherein tax collectors could enrich themselves at the expense of the taxpayer. Thus, many Jews hated tax collectors and thought them outside the possibility of salvation.
As Jesus passed through Jericho, Zacchaeus wanted to see Him. Being short and unable to view Jesus because taller people in the crowd blocked his view, Zacchaeus ran ahead and climbed a “sycamore tree.” The sycamore tree is like an oak tree but with a shorter trunk and a wide expanse of branches, making it easy to climb and allowing Zacchaeus to get a bird’s-eye view of the procession (Luke 19:3–4). His willingness to go to such lengths says something about his zeal to know the Savior. Matthew Henry comments, “Those that sincerely desire a sight of Christ will use the proper means for gaining a sight of him, and will break through a deal of difficulty and opposition, and be willing to take pains to see him.”
Seeing Zacchaeus in the tree, Jesus called him out and said, “I must stay at your house today” (v. 5). He did not give Zacchaeus an opportunity to decline, for when the Savior intends to save a person, nothing can finally stand in His way, not even the person’s will. Many people grumbled when they saw Jesus go to Zacchaeus’ home, for they thought him a sinner beyond redemption, but the authenticity of his faith and salvation showed itself when he pledged to make restitution to those whom he had defrauded and to be generous to the poor (vv. 6–10). Jesus can save anyone, even the most grievous sinner.
CORAM DEO
Living before the face of God
Zacchaeus sought to make restitution to those whom he had harmed by his sin, providing for us an illustration of the fruits of true repentance. True repentance expresses sorrow to God and to those whom we have offended, and the fruit includes a willingness to make things right with the party against whom we have sinned insofar as we are able and it is possible to do so.
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