Zacchaeus, a Despised Tax Collector

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.  Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.  And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.  So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. Luke 19:1-4

The account in Luke 17 tells us that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. He had already passed through Galilee and Samaria, and now He had chosen to go through Jericho to get to Jerusalem. I wonder if he had chosen this route just to meet Zacchaeus!

Jericho was a rich and flourishing town. Despite its surroundings being dry and desert like, Jericho was beautiful due to underground springs that kept it lush and green. There were many affluent people living in this desirable town, and one of them was Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector.

The tax collectors worked for the Roman Empire. In addition to collecting taxes from their countrymen, they also extorted additional money to keep in their own pockets. While being a chief tax collector would have been a powerful and wealthy position, the Jewish people including the religious crowd would have despised these people for being loyal to the Roman government and for taking advantage of them.

When Zaccheus heard about Jesus coming, He was curious about Him. I wonder if he had heard that one of Jesus’ followers (Matthew) used to be a tax collector. Maybe he hoped that he wasn’t going to be rejected by this man as so many others had rejected him.

The scripture tells us that he climbed a tree because he was short. Common decency would make people give room to those who are less privileged to have an opportunity to get in front and observe what is happening. However, Zaccheus knew better; he was not naïve. He knew that not only people wouldn’t let him get in front of the line, but they also may hurt him because of their hatred towards tax collectors.

Zaccheus’ wealth and power may have gained the recognition of the Roman authorities, but he didn’t have the respect of his fellow countrymen!

How do we use our position? Do we use it to bless others? Is it enough to have the recognition of our authorities? What do our countrymen think of us? Do we take advantage of our position/power when opportunity arises? Or do we serve and love others as ourselves?

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.