Judging Zaccheus

Luke 19.1-10 describes Jesus entering Jericho on his way to Jerusalem with a huge crowd around him. The passage also describes a certain man there in some detail.

1. His name was Zaccheus, which means "pure, innocent"
2. He was a chief tax collector, and he was rich
3. He was of "small stature" (even Luke was politically correct!)
4. He was eager to see who Jesus was, to the point he climbed a tree for a good look
5. He welcomed Jesus into his house (right after Jesus invited himself in!)
6. He stood up for Jesus by giving half his possession to the poor and offered to pay back four-times for any money he had extorted

One, Luke mentioned him by name. IMHO, that indicates that became a well-known figure in the church; otherwise, Luke wouldn't have bothered with his name. This further indicates that Zaccheus' initial glad reception of Jesus lead to a deep repentance and a fruitful life.

Two, he had become rich by doing a dirty job. There were two kinds of tax collectors. The first refers to petty officials like the apostle Matthew, who collected tolls and tariffs for the Romans. Nobody liked them, but they weren't in a position to do anybody harm. The second kind, like Zaccheus, oversaw the collection of the taxes. Based on the census, the Romans set an amount of money owed by a district and contracted with chief tax collectors. As long as the tax collectors handed over the set amount, the Romans let the tax collectors gather the money however they wanted. The contracts no doubt paid well, but many chief tax collectors abused the system by extorting additional tax money and pocketing the difference, and there was little the locals could do about. I imagine Zaccheus never went out in public without bodyguards.

Three and four together show how eager Zaccheus was to get a good look at Jesus. Apparently, he wasn't too concerned about what people though about him, which probably came with his job. Imagine how he felt when Jesus stopped right under him, looked up, addressed him by name, and told him to hurry up and climb down!

Five, Zaccheus showed humility, confidence, and hospitality to Jesus. Jesus had just embarrassed him by telling him to come down from the tree and then invited himself to stay at Zaccheus' house. I can imagine the crowd bursting into laughter at Jesus remark, given the circumstances and the fact that they despised Zaccheus. Furthermore, Jesus was a religious teacher, and Zaccheus and his kind were no doubt the subject of unkind remarks during sermons at the synagogue. Last, Jesus had at least twelve disciples with him, all of whom had been walking all day, and Zaccheus would have to house, feed, and provide baths for all of them. Zaccheus responded by quickly climbing down from the tree and giving Jesus a warm welcome.

Six, Zaccheus made a grand gesture when the crowd began to grumble against Jesus. People considered Zaccheus a "sinful man"; when the term was applied to a woman, it meant she was a prostitute. I imagine Zaccheus was used to people talking bad about him, but Zaccheus suddenly felt the need to justify himself before Jesus. He gave half of his possessions to the poor, and he offered to pay back four times the amount of anything he had extorted from anybody.

So, what kind of person was Zaccheus? I have heard that he was greedy and that, after he paid back four-times on all his ill-gotten gains, he was deeply in debt. We might assume that, because many chief tax collectors were dishonest, Zaccheus was also dishonest. I disagree.

First, Zaccheus did not say he would pay back four times for all the amounts he had extorted from people. He said he would pay back four times if, anything, anybody. Zaccheus was plainly saying he dealt honestly in his business, and he challenged anyone to prove otherwise, putting his money where his mouth was. Giving away half his possessions up front shows how serious he was. Needless to say, the story would not have come down to Luke if Zaccheus had not immediately made good on his claim.

Second, Jesus knew who Zaccheus was and decided to invite himself to Zaccheus' house before Zaccheus said a word to him. Perhaps the Spirit inspired Jesus to see into Zaccheus' heart. Or, perhaps Zaccheus had a reputation for giving to the poor, and Jesus had planned in advance to reach out to him. Regardless, Jesus saw something in Zaccheus, this rich "sinner", that he did not see in a rich, religious ruler (Luke 18.18-30.)

What kind of person was Zaccheus? We really don't know. He had a dirty job, but we don't know how he started into it. One possibility is that his father was a chief tax collector, so he became one also. That was typical of the time. If so, he wouldn't have many other opportunities, because his father would have been a social outcast. People despised Zaccheus and called him a "sinner", but that was because of his job, regardless of how he handled it. His only relationships were with other outcasts or non-Jews. He would be excluded from the synagogue. But none of this speaks to his character. He immediately responded to Jesus, he gave his wealth to the poor, and he build a good reputation in the church.

My real point here is about judging others before we really know them. Zaccheus was a leader in a dirty business, and people generally despised him. It is easy to jump to the conclusion that he was greedy and dishonest. But the few facts point to him acting honestly in the face of huge temptation, that he was concerned for the poor, and that he desired to find God. The reality is that the man Jesus found perched in a tree was somewhere in the middle between saint and sinner. Just like the rest of us.