Zacchaeus was a wee, little man, and a wee, little man was he. He climbed up in the sycamore tree, for the Lord he wanted to see.
If you grew up going to Sunday School or attending a Christian school, you’ve probably heard and sung this song before. The happy tune tells the biblical story of Zacchaeus, a strangely short man who wanted to see Jesus so much that he climbed up a tree.
However, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Zacchaeus was man who was lost, ostracized in his own community, desperate for hope and spiritual healing, and Jesus met him right where he was—yes, in a sycamore tree. If we want to know Zacchaeus’s story—the whole story—we must go back to Luke 19.
“He entered Jericho and was passing through.And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature.” Luke 19:1-3, ESV
In the first few verses of Luke 19, we learn a couple things about Zacchaeus. First, we discover that he was a chief tax collector. At this time in history, Israel was under Roman occupation, and the city of Jericho was a major center of Roman toll collection, as many people traveled in and out of the city. As a chief tax collector, Zacchaeus worked for the Roman empire, even though he was a Jewish man. The Jews hated Rome and were expecting a political Messiah to overthrow the empire and save them from Roman oppression. This means that they also would have hated Zacchaeus and viewed him as a traitor, working for the enemy.
The second thing we learn is that he was rich. It’s unlikely that Zacchaeus’s wealth was inherited or earned. How do we know this? Well, it was common practice for tax collectors to collect more tax than the empire actually required and keep all the extra money for themselves. So, not only would Zacchaeus be seen as a traitor, he was also a thief!
The final detail we can uncover about Zacchaeus in these verses is that he wanted to see who Jesus was. Perhaps after many years of stealing his neighbors’ money and being despised by his own community, he realized he needed to make a change. But how would this be possible? How could he make up for all the theft and fraud he had committed throughout his career? Could his friends and neighbors ever forgive him and accept him? He was lost, “…adrift, untethered, and cut off from the only sure and steadfast anchor for the soul.”[1]
A Man entered town, and crowds of people swarmed around him as he passed through. This Man was Jesus. Zacchaeus had surely heard of this Jesus, the Godman who performed miracles and changed lives. He was probably curious about who this Man really was and if all the rumors he’d heard about Him were true. But alas! Zacchaeus was too short, and the crowds prevented him from seeing Jesus. However, Zacchaeus was desperate enough that he didn’t let this stop him.
“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.” Luke 19:4-6
Zacchaeus scrambled up a nearby tree to catch just a glimpse of Jesus passed through town. But Jesus didn’t pass through. Instead, He drew near to Zacchaeus and invited Himself into Zacchaeus’ home. Surely Zacchaeus was astonished! Jesus wanted to stay with him? A traitor? A thief? A sinner? Zacchaeus quickly came down and gladly welcomed the Rabbi into his home.
The people of Jericho were also astonished at what had happened, but not quite in the same way.
“All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” Luke 19:7
These people knew who Zacchaeus really was. A traitor. A thief. A sinner. Why would Jesus dare to associate with this kind of man. He was a respectable Rabbi, after all. He should have been spending his time with those who were righteous and obeyed the Law rather than wasting it on a wicked man who couldn’t change. Zacchaeus was about to prove them all wrong.
“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.” Luke 19:8-10
Zacchaeus stood up in front of his neighbors and friends and declared that he was a saved and changed man. He promised to restore everything he had stolen fourfold and give half of what he had to the poor. He repented of his wicked ways and demonstrated that his life had been completely transformed. Was this because of anything that Zacchaeus had done? No. He could not change his own life. Only Jesus and the grace that He offers to those who are lost could so radically change the life of Zacchaeus. Author and Bible teacher Nancy Guthrie writes,
“Grace makes you want to conform your life to Jesus—to treat people like he treats them, to value what he values, to hate what he hates.”[2]
Do you feel lost today? Do you feel like you need to make a change in your life but you’re just not sure how to change or if change is even possible? Look to Christ. He is exactly who the Bible says He is. He is a miracle-worker. He is a life-changer. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done in your life, Jesus seeks you out and draws near to you. His grace is sufficient to transform your life and save your soul.
If Jesus can change the life of Zacchaeus—a traitorous tax collector, a prosperous thief, a wicked sinner—He can change your life, too. If you’re lost, draw near to Christ, because it is only in Him that you can be truly found.
“Amazing grace! how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch; like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.” -John Newton
[1] Nancy Guthrie, Saints & Scoundrels in the Story of Jesus (Wheaton: Crossway, 2020), 98.
[2] Ibid., 107.
