Luke 19:3 Commentaries: Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and They uncovered the roof where He was and let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. At the home of Zacchaeus, Jesus told the parable of the ten servants. 3Are you so foolish? Again I believe, for Jesus, this is an outward expression of an inward reality. The Son of Man came to look for the lost and save them.. The Lord be with you. The rich man must humble himself as Zacchaeus did. Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sins. The time has arrived for something fresh! To them, he was among the worst of sinners. This does not match the context or the tone of the narrative which is that of a shocking reconciliation of a traitor, nor does it match the immediacy of Jesus declaration that Today salvation has come. Additionally, Metzger argues for the possibility that Zacchaeus is not pledging to give half to the poor and keep half of his wealth but to give away his half of all that he owns, on the basis of an early Greek uncial that includes a possessive, genitive pronoun. The gospel is for everyone, both the jaded affluent and the desperately impoverished. T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria. 10For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for And Jesus wants everyone to trust in Him so that they, too, might be transformed into new creations! The sycamore has low horizontal branches, and so it is a relatively easy tree to climb. But he wanted to see him. Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all that has been prophesied by the prophets concerning the Son of man will be fulfilled, Jesus told the twelve disciples in a private conversation (verse 31). Even though the OP says "why" was he saved, I think he means it more in the sense of "how," given the rest of the question. The Jews knew that Jesus was making reference to this fact and it offended them. Tax collectors weren't viewed greatly among the people, so why would a man like him want to. He looked up and said, Zacchaeus, come down at once. He saw him and called him by his name! But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. But he was a short man. This gives precedence for this type of practice and what I will attempt to do below. On the surface, it was almost as if Billy Graham had arrived in town and decided to stay with the proprietor of a downtown bar! Zacchaeus hurriedly descended the ladder and greeted him with delight. The fact that you are seeking Jesus will not go unnoticed since He is aware of your existence, what you are doing, and where you are located. As a chief tax collector for the vicinity of Jericho, Zacchaeus, a Jew, was an employee of the Roman Empire. Zacchaeus is a Greek name that means pure or innocent. While working as a tax collector, Zacchaeus did not live up to his reputation. He thought he wanted to see Jesus by strategically positioning himself on the tree where Jesus was going to pass. However, we do not need to go to remarkable lengths in order to discover the truth that is written down for us on every page of the Bible in its entirety. But they didnt go away or stay outside complaining. I can see several possible interpretations of the text: Which of these (if any or many) is to be preferred? The general thought of the time was that tax collectors got money by misapplying their power and authority. Story: Zacchaeus Wants to See Jesus. She has also spent many years mentoring Middle School and High School girls. There is no sinner too lost to be saved. They began to whisper among themselves. Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold (Luke 19:8 NKJV). Thanks be to God for the fact that through Jesus, sinners may be forgiven and sinners can find their way into the kingdom of heaven. The self-righteous people in the audience were particularly skeptical of Jesus interest in a guy like Zacchaeus, yet Christ was exhibiting his purpose to seek out and redeem the wayward by engaging with him. Affected by Jesus teaching, the infamous sinner surrendered his life to Christ and his life was never the same after that. For the wealthy, it is much more difficult to join Gods kingdom! (18:24-25) (Luke 18:24-25) The disciples were concerned about this. 1-4 Since Zacchaeus is small he is overwhelmed by the crowd in his attempts to see Jesus. Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. kingdom, not because he was a Jew physically but because he was a The Bible story of Zacchaeus, a leading tax-collector of Jericho, is discussed only in the Book of Luke. @Jed - To my mind, I guess I feel it doesn't do justice to Luke's own voice to explain him simply by using Paul. Luke 19:1-10 NIV - Zacchaeus the Tax Collector - Jesus - Bible Gateway As a crowd forms around Jesus, Zacchaeus is too short to see Him through the crowd. As a response, Jesus informed the gathering of disciples that He would be making an even greater sacrifice shortly. Zacchaeus cannot see Jesus because he is too short, both physically and morally, and so the crowds impede his sight. Luke 19:3 says, And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature (NKJV).