Luke 19:1-10 The Tax Collector of Jericho

 Luke 19:1-10 Zacchaeus was a tax collector, like Matthew who was one of the twelve disciples (Matt 9:9) although Zacchaeus was very rich, which was never said of Matthew. This was in Jericho, which might be noteworthy for a few reasons, one being that the parable of the Good Samaritan is set on the road to Jericho (Luke 10:30), although nothing suggests that the tax collector was cut from the same cloth as the robbers along the road. The other is that Jericho as a city had been destroyed by the Israelites, burning everything, and a curse placed on the person who rebuilt it (Joshua 6:26). And when it was rebuilt, the curse came on that man who rebuilt it. (I Kings 6:34) This does not imply that there was a curse on the city at the time of Jesus, only that it had that history. Was there any significance to this in Jewish culture?

          There are several stories of Jesus eating with tax collectors and in every one of them, the grumbling of the Pharisees or their fellow-travelers is noted. (Matthew 9:11, Mark 2:16, Luke 5:30, 7:34, 15:2) Tax collectors are probably never popular with their fellow citizens, and possibly it is reflected in the kinds of people who took this job in Jesus' day - people who wanted the good income that such a job provides enough to live with the social ostracism that came with it. But Zacchaeus evidently either had a conscience or was being drawn by the Holy Spirit, since he said he would restore fourfold anyone he had cheated. This suggests that even though he had become rich through collecting taxes, he did so without defrauding those he taxed, or that he felt enough need to clear his conscience that he would pay restitution exorbitantly.  Giving half his wealth to the poor suggests Jesus had talked to him along the same lines as the rich young ruler mentioned in Luke 18:18-30, except that perhaps He had only told Zacchaeus to give up half his wealth.

          Jesus said that on that day, salvation had come to that house because he (Zacchaeus) was also a son of Abraham. Not something He said about the rich young ruler. It would be difficult to make a case on this passage alone as to whether Zacchaeus was saved because he gave away most of his wealth, or giving away his wealth was the fruit of him being saved. In any event, it does suggest that there were outward signs of Zacchaeus' change of heart. Luke does not record Zacchaeus saying anything about what he believed about Jesus. Only that he received Jesus gladly, and his promise about giving and restoring.