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Zaccheus was considered a “sinner” by his people because he was a tax collector, one who collected taxes from his own to give to the Romans. For all intents and purposes, he was a traitor. Yet, Jesus invited Himself to his home and spent time with him. During the course of that day, Zaccheus with fresh conviction makes a public declaration of a new lifestyle. One of personal integrity and public generosity. Why the sudden attack of conscience? Why the added burden of making public claims that people could hold you to? It may be safe to say that Jesus making time for Zaccheus, sitting with him and his friends and just loving them as they are changed everything. These were a despised lot. No one wanted to be with them other than their kind. Yet a rabbi, with eyes that saw the invisible people of society, changed everything when he invited himself into their circle.
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 coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “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.”
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