Luke 19:1 - 10

Today's story is about a man many people didn't like. They called him a "sinner", which is funny because aren't we all sinners? Don't we all make mistakes and do things we shouldn't?

The story starts with Jesus entering a town called Jericho. These days Jesus had been going around telling parables and performing many miracles.

The word was spreading about ... Jesus and the amazing things He was doing and saying. So, it was common, when Jesus came to a place people would rush to see Him.

Just imagine if a famous person came walking into your town or down your street. People would be telling their friends and very quickly there would be a large crowd gathered around them. This is how it was for Jesus. He couldn't go anywhere without attracting a huge crowd of people.

In this town that Jesus was entering lived a man named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in this place and had lots of money.

The word "taxes" is probably not a word people like very much. Everyone that works pays taxes to the government or the people that run the city and country you live in. In some countries taxes help pay for doctor visits or to make or fix roads, pay for parks, or help those who can't work.

Taxes, for the most part, help us live better so they really are a good thing. The problem is that sometimes (and that include Biblical times, over two thousand years ago) people who got the tax money didn't always spend it properly or they took some of the money for themselves (which is stealing).

So, the people from Jericho didn't like Zacchaeus very much, especially because he had lots of money and a big house. They figured he had taken some of the tax money for himself.

Zacchaeus had heard a commotion and soon realized that Jesus was in Jericho, so he rushed like everyone else to see Him. When he got to the crowd he couldn't see anything. He figured Jesus was in the middle of it somewhere, but standing on his tiptoes he still couldn't even see Jesus.

Zacchaeus was extremely short and couldn't ask someone to pick him up to see better, that would've been ridiculous!

Zacchaeus saw a sycamore tree out of the corner of his eye and decided to climb it so he could see Jesus.

We wonder if Zacchaeus thought it might be strange for a grown man to climb a tree? Especially since he was an important person in government. Whatever he thought, he did it anyway and didn't seem to care.

When Jesus reached the spot Zacchaeus was, He looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." So he came down right away and welcomed him gladly.

This is so cool! First, Jesus knew Zacchaeus' name without asking him first. Second, Jesus didn't care that other people didn't like Zacchaeus, He wanted to visit with him at his house anyway. Third, Jesus said that He MUST stay at his house today. This means that Jesus knew that God wanted Him to go there and Jesus obeyed.

Jesus asked to go to Zacchaeus' house in front of everyone and as soon as they heard this they all started murmuring among themselves. They were shaking their heads and saying "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner'."

After the attention that Zacchaeus got from Jesus, he said, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my money to the poor, and if I have cheated or stole anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."

The important part about this is that Zacchaeus had a change of heart. We don't know if he was already thinking about repaying people back or he just knew what he should do when he saw and talked to Jesus.

He also said that he would pay back people four times the amount. Zacchaeus didn't have to do this, but he wanted to make things more than right.

When Jesus heard this He said, "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 what was lost."

Jesus meant that He had forgiven Zacchaeus' sins and that even though people didn't think Zacchaeus was good, God loved him too and knew that his heart was willing to change.

Jesus said that He came to seek and to save the lost. This was the whole point as to why God sent His son Jesus to come to earth. To find those who didn't know God and were lost and to show them who God is so they could live forever in Heaven with Him.

Source: http://www.dltk-bible.com/cv/zacchaeus.htm ~ by Sharla Guenther

Discussion Questions:

• 1. Describe Zacchaeus' appearance and character.

  2. Are there groups of people in our society today that we don't like because of their job, skin color, physical appearance, or religion?

  3. What did you learn about Jesus?

  4. What does Jesus mean when he said that "He came to seek and to save the lost."?

  5. Who are "the lost"?

  6. What is new or interesting to you about this story?