We find the biblical account of the conversation between Jesus and Zacchaeus in the New Testament, in Luke 19:1-10. There we are told how Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector of his city, met Jesus. Meeting Jesus transformed his life and at that moment Zacchaeus decided to change his way of living. He decided to correct what he had done wrong before God and before others.
Who was Zacchaeus?
Zacchaeus was a rich man. He was a publican and was in charge of collecting taxes from his city. The townspeople hated him because he worked for the Romans, the occupying force. To make matters worse, the tax collectors were not very honest, they used to collect more taxes than they were supposed to. They increased their personal wealth at the expense of the people. To say that a tax collector was rich was to say that he was corrupt.
His encounter with Jesus
One day, Jesus passed through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem. Zacchaeus lived in Jericho. Apparently he had heard about the miracles of Jesus and longed to meet him. But because Zacchaeus was short, it was difficult for him to see Jesus in the midst of the crowd. That’s why he decided to climb a sycamore tree, something a bit ridiculous considering that he was an adult with a certain social position. But Zaccheus didn’t care about that. He longed to meet Jesus and put aside his sense of ridicule. The most important thing was to see Jesus!
From his branch Zacchaeus could see well the path of Jesus. At the moment, Jesus approached the tree, looked up and said to Zacchaeus: “Zacchaeus, come down right away. I have to stay at your house today” (Luke 19:5). Zacchaeus was very happy. Of all the houses in the city, Jesus had chosen to go to his! What a privilege! However, the other people began to murmur. They could not understand how Jesus had chosen to stay with Zacchaeus.
Seeing this, everyone began to murmur: “He has gone to stay with a sinner.”
(Luke 19:7)
Zacchaeus’ joy was immense and he received Jesus in his house full of joy. But the presence of Jesus had a deeper effect. ¡Something changed in the heart of Zacchaeus! To begin with, he called Jesus “Lord” (Luke 19:8). He Acknowledged Jesus as God and Lord of his life!
However, the transformation of Zacchaeus’ heart was not only internal; the effect of it was seen immediately. He made a decision: he would give half of his assets to the poor. And not only that. He also promised to return up to four times the amount of money defrauded to other people. Zacchaeus’ life had undergone a great transformation. Money was no longer the most important thing for him. His greatest desire was to please God and do his will.
Jesus, seeing Zacchaeus’s reaction and his response to his presence, said:
Today salvation has come to this house, Jesus told him, since he is also a son of Abraham. Because the Son of man came to seek and save what was lost.
(Luke 19:9-10)
Jesus’ visit to Zacchaeus had been for that purpose: to bring salvation. Only through Jesus do we obtain the forgiveness of our sins and the salvation of our souls. The presence of Jesus in the house and in the life of Zacchaeus freed him from the sin of greed and that was manifested in his words and in his actions.
What is salvation and how is it obtained?
Jesus also affirmed the identity of Zacchaeus calling him “son of Abraham.” Perhaps many looked down on Zacchaeus because of his work. They may have seen him as a traitor or a bad Jew. But Zacchaeus immediately recognized Jesus as Israel’s awaited Messiah and opened his heart to him. He showed great spiritual sensitivity in the presence of the Savior, something that Jesus highlighted by calling him “son of Abraham.”
Jesus explained that his mission was to seek and save what was lost (Luke 19:10b). He sought out Zacchaeus when he looked up at the tree and then offered the salvation of his soul. Jesus was not swayed by what others thought or what they thought about Zacchaeus. He looked at his receptive heart, not at his past or his actions up to that point..
Out of all the crowd, Jesus knew that Zacchaeus’ heart was the one that was open and willing to receive the salvation that he came to give. So she turned her attention from him to him and decided to spend time in his house, in his surroundings, sharing with him the truth of the Gospel.
What can we learn from Zacchaeus’ attitude?
Zaccheus went humble and went out in search of Jesus. Apparently he had heard about Jesus, but he wanted to meet him personally. He behaved like a child by climbing the tree and God is pleased that we approach him with a tender heart like that of children (Matthew 18:3).
Zacchaeus he persevered, he did not give up. He wanted to see Jesus and he worked hard until he did. In Genesis 32 we see another person who was very persevering in seeking God’s blessing for his life: Jacob. He physically wrestled with God one night and exclaimed “I won’t let you go until you bless me!” (Genesis 32:26b). God blessed him and changed his name to Israel. His life was not the same from that moment on.
Finally, Zacchaeus showed with actions what had happened in his heart when he met Jesus. He did not let that moment pass as a beautiful experience and that’s it. He was moved to action as proof of the change that had come in his heart as he met Jesus and recognized Him as Lord of his life.
to reflect:
Do we approach God with humility? Are we persevering in faith and in our pursuit of the Lord? Do we show with our actions that Jesus has transformed our lives?
Let’s learn from the example of Zacchaeus and live as Jesus wants.
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