Many of us grew up singing about Zacchaeus – the “wee little man”- in Sunday School. His story is found in Luke chapter 19. Jesus was passing through the city of Jericho on his final journey to Jerusalem. He had captured the attention of virtually everyone in Israel and the crowds were eager to catch a glimpse of the prophet from Nazareth.
Zacchaeus “was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.” The gospels rarely call attention to someone’s physical appearance, but Zacchaeus is an exception to that rule. He was a man of short stature and was unable to see above the throngs. But what he lacked in height, Zacchaeus made up for in resourcefulness. He ran ahead of Jesus’ route and climbed a sycamore tree so that he might observe the proceedings.
Turns out, Zacchaeus got much more than he bargained for.
Zacchaeus was a Jew, but ultimately, he was an agent of the Roman Empire. The Romans had taken control of Judea in 63 BC. when Jerusalem was conquered by the famous Roman general Pompey the Great. Judea became a client kingdom of Rome, to whom the Jews were forced to pay regular tribute.
The Romans eventually granted authority over the region to King Herod the Great in 37 BC. Upon his death in 4 BC, Herod’s territory was divided among his sons Archelaus, Antipas & Philip. The land just east of the Jordan River (Perea) fell under the control of Antipas. (Antipas is somewhat confusingly also called “Herod” in the New Testament. Sons often took their father’s name as part of their own name, so Antipas could be referred to as Herod Antipas or simply Herod.) The land west of the Jordan – including Judea and Samaria – was given to Archelaus, but he was such a poor ruler that the Romans quickly deposed him. Judea was then made a Roman province under the direct control of a Roman prefect, or governor.
The Romans imposed various forms of taxation. The head tax (tributum capitis) was a payment required of all men aged 14 to 65. The head tax might have been one denarius, which was the equivalent of one day’s wage. The Romans determined the total amount due by conducting a periodic census, such as the well-known census described in Luke 2 which required Joseph and Mary to register in the town of Bethlehem.
The silver denarius pictured below is the same kind of coin shown to Jesus when he was challenged with a question about paying taxes to Caesar. (Luke 20:20-26) The front of the coin bears the image of Caesar Augustus, a feature which was deeply offensive to Jews, who considered this a form of idolatry.
The coin’s reverse side portrays the “Julian Star,” an extremely bright comet which appeared in 44 BC, just after the assassination of Julius Caesar. The Romans believed that the comet signified apotheosis of Julius Caesar (his exaltation to divine status). The comet consequently carries the inscription “Divine Julius.” Since Augustus was the adopted son of Julius Caesar, this would have granted him the title “the son of a god.” Such claims of divinity were considered patently blasphemous by the Jews.
Roman also levied taxes on the transportation of goods. This would have been important in Jericho since the city was located near the Jordan River, which separated the territory of Herod Antipas from the province of Judea under the direct authority of the Roman governor. Zacchaeus undoubtedly had a hand in collecting revenue from merchandise passing between these jurisdictions.
Roman governance had two main goals: collect tribute and avoid major uprisings. As long as they obtained their money and avoided riots, the Romans had little interest in local justice. Tax officials would collect enough money to satisfy the Romans, but they also had authority to determine and demand additional revenue as their own compensation. This system virtually guaranteed corruption, for the tax collectors could readily extort money from their neighbors.
It’s not difficult to envision why tax collectors were so despised. Roman taxes were a constant reminder that the Jews were not a free people; they lived under foreign domination. Moreover, some of their fellow Jews had opted to collaborate with their oppressors. Even worse, these traitors enriched themselves at the expense of their own people.
Unsurprisingly, the tax collectors were total outcasts in Jewish society. They were a complete disgrace to their families and were shut out of the synagogues. It seems that the only people they could fraternize with were their fellow sinners – other tax collectors or prostitutes!
This was the sad reality confronted by the Lord Jesus that day in Jericho. It’s worth pausing to consider exactly what was wrong: God’s creation had been horribly marred by a toxic mix of injustice, greed, enmity, and resentment.
Herod and the Romans had little concern for the welfare of the local population; they lost no sleep contemplating the unjust tax burden they thrust upon the rabble.
The tax collectors colluded with the Romans and betrayed their own people. Infected with greed, they pilfered their neighbors by demanding far more than was appropriate. This created tremendous bitterness and animosity. Although they became flush with material wealth, tax collectors were impoverished in every other way. Cut off from family and friends, they were undoubtedly lonely and isolated.
The quality of a person’s life is heavily dependent upon the quality of their relationships. But the tax collectors had only empty relationships of a purely transactional nature, lacking any true affection. One might say that the price they paid was just as high as the price they exacted.
The Jewish people were rightly infuriated with the greed and injustice of Zacchaeus and his ilk. As time went on, it likely became more and more difficult to see tax collectors even as fellow human beings; they were reduced to objects worthy only of hatred, derision and disgust.
When Jesus reached the spot where Zacchaeus was perched in the tree, “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.”
At this moment, we don’t know what Zacchaeus thought about Jesus. We do know that just a few years before, John the Baptist had gained a great deal of attention for his preaching in this very place. Luke tells us that some tax collectors came to be baptized in the Jordan River by John, who instructed them, “Do not collect any more than you are required to.” Since Jericho is only a few miles from the Jordan River, we can be virtually certain that Zacchaeus – a chief tax collector – knew some of these men. Perhaps Zacchaeus afterwards witnessed a change in their character?
Earlier in his ministry, Jesus had sternly warned: “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Perhaps Zacchaeus had reflected on these words and begun to realize that his avarice had ultimately brought him misery.
Luke does not elaborate on what transpired between Jesus and Zacchaeus, but the result was a startling change. “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 responded, “Today, salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.”
This account is one of the most memorable in the gospels. It’s a poignant scene, full of meaning which we shall continue to unpack next week.
Earlier in his gospel, Luke presented the story of a man possessed by an entire legion of demons. This shadowy figure dwelt among the tombs, naked and alone. On the surface, the story of Zacchaeus seems to present a contrast, for a chief tax collector undoubtedly lived in a luxurious home and adorned himself in fine clothes.
But the similarities far outweigh the disparities. Dark and deceptive forces had managed to badly mar the image of God in both men. One had been “driven by the demon into solitary places.” Although Zacchaeus still lived among the people of Jericho, he was every bit as much an outcast, driven from polite society.
Thankfully, Jesus is a specialist in healing and restoration. Zacchaeus would regain his full image-bearing humanity. Likewise, the demoniac: “They found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind.”
