Zacchaeus

Overview

• Testament: New
• Role: Chief tax collector at Jericho; wealthy; sought to see Jesus; repented and made restitution
• Family: Not specified
• Key Books: Luke

Biography

Zacchaeus is introduced in Luke 19 as the chief tax collector (Greek: architelōnēs) at Jericho, which made him the highest-ranking tax official in a wealthy customs district controlling trade routes. He was rich. He was also short, and when he heard Jesus was passing through he could not see him over the crowd — so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree.

Jesus stopped beneath the tree, looked up, and called Zacchaeus by name: “Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.” Zacchaeus came down “joyfully” (19:6) — the word used elsewhere for response to the gospel. The crowd grumbled that Jesus had gone to be a guest of a sinner.

Zacchaeus stood before Jesus and made a public declaration: half his goods he would give to the poor, and if he had taken anything falsely he would restore it fourfold — far beyond what the Law required (which was principal plus 20%). Jesus declared: “This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.” The story illustrates Luke’s running theme that Jesus seeks the lost, the outcast, and those written off by religious society.

Key Events

• Encounter with Jesus in Jericho — Climbed the tree; called by name; hosted Jesus

Key Places

• Jericho — Site of the encounter

Important Verses

“And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” — Luke 19:9-10

Cross-References

• The Good Samaritan — Another Lukan story involving Jericho and boundary-crossing grace
• Related books: Luke

Notes

• Zacchaeus’s fourfold restitution goes beyond the legal minimum, demonstrating the generosity that genuine repentance produces.
• Jesus calling him “son of Abraham” reclaims him as a member of the covenant community — the same phrase used in Luke 13:16 of the bent woman.
• The story immediately precedes the Parable of the Minas (19:11), connecting personal repentance with faithful stewardship in anticipation of the kingdom.