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As is my practice on occasion, the post this week is a fictional first-person account as told by Zacchaeus about the events and circumstances of his life leading up to his encounter with Jesus. Though some of the characters and details contained in the story are fictional, you will find the truth conveyed to be very REAL!
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I did not always want to be a tax collector. I was the second son of a merchant by the name of Hiram. He fully expected both his sons would follow in his footsteps.
My mother was very ill as she carried me to term. The midwife had warned her that I might not survive childbirth. But she and I did survive my birth; however, she died soon thereafter. I was sickly as a baby and required constant attention, so my father arranged for a nurse to care for me. As I grew, I continued to be chronically ill, which caused me to be feeble and stunted my growth.
My older brother, Joshua, five years my senior, was the picture of health and athleticism. He grew to be a handsome young man with great physical strength and confidence. He was also quite popular, and well-liked by all who knew him. But Joshua was also a kind brother who was always attentive and protective of me. As I grew, the other boys would often belittle and torment me. But they never did it when Joshua was around!
Understandably, my father favored Joshua. Though my father would never admit it, it was obvious in the different ways he treated the two of us. He always said that he hoped both of us would become successful merchants like him, helping him with his trade, and one day taking over the business. But he held out greater prospects for Joshua’s success than he did for mine. As a result, he invested more time and effort into Joshua.
Though I was always viewed as the one who would be less likely to succeed, I had a keen and inventive mind. I persevered through a life of physical limitations with that strong mind and a determined will. As I grew into a young man, I discovered what I lacked in brawn I could make up for through my wit. I have always loved and appreciated Joshua, but I was determined to not live in his shadow. I knew I needed to find my own way.
I also knew it would not be as a merchant. I realized others would always try to take advantage of me due to my slight stature. And I recognized I needed to pursue a trade that would not require great physical strength, but rather, a quick wit. Growing up as I did, I never particularly cared what others thought of me. From a young age, I had developed a pretty tough skin.
I also had carefully studied the tax collectors as my father dealt with them over the years. I watched as they extracted their duty for the goods my father transported out of Jerusalem. And I watched their fellow tax collectors extract their portion as my father brought his goods into Jericho. As long as goods were being bought and sold, the tax collectors appeared to be in a good position to accumulate their own wealth.
The Romans had grown accustomed to having the rest of the world pay for their comforts and amenities. The citizens of Rome knew the more their empire expanded, the less tax needed to be extracted from their own pockets. The motivation for expanding their empire was more power and more riches. The strategy for achieving this was more soldiers and more taxes.
Rome did not conquer the Judean provinces out of a love for the Jewish people. They despised us and thought our notion of worshiping one God was unnatural and primitive. They had conquered our lands in order to enlarge their tax base. They then divided their conquests into taxing districts from which they extracted an assessment they believed the population could support. Those taxes were considered a tribute to Rome for the support and protection the empire provided, albeit unsolicited.
Tax collectors were required to pay the amount of that assessment to Rome up front, and then recover their money by collecting taxes from the local citizens. The tax collector would charge extra to provide for his own living and welfare. As you can well imagine, the system lent itself to the practice of extortion and usury. Rome received her taxes. The tax collectors became wealthy. And the whole system was protected by the Roman soldiers.
Towns like Jerusalem and Jericho contained multiple districts with multiple tax collectors. In each of those towns, there was a chief tax collector, who not only collected taxes from his own district, but also collected a portion from the other tax collectors in his town. Every tax collector aspired to be a chief tax collector.
When I became an adult, I set my sights on that goal. I announced my intentions to my father and brother and walked away from my portion of the family business. To be honest, neither of them believed I would be successful. Tax collectors were hated and despised by everyone. Despite their wealth, they were viewed as the lowest form of sinner – right alongside prostitutes and thieves.
My father and brother doubted I would be able to endure the treatment I would receive. But they had forgotten how thick-skinned I had become over the years.
I began my career working as an apprentice to a tax collector so I could learn how to become successful at it. I caught on quickly and became highly valued by my mentor. I was able to accumulate a modest savings due to my unpretentious lifestyle, which enabled me to acquire the tax rights for a small district in Jericho. Over time, through my efforts, I was able to leverage my profits in order to acquire the rights for a more lucrative district. At that point, I was beginning to enjoy financial success, but with it came the ever-increasing disdain of the local townspeople. In my mid-forties, I became the chief tax collector for the town of Jericho.
Jericho had become the winter resort for Jerusalem aristocracy. Under Roman rule, a hippodrome stadium was constructed for horse and chariot racing, as well as numerous aqueducts for irrigation, which enabled the city to produce rich vegetation. It was considered to be a beautiful “city of palms” and was the site of one of Herod the Great’s palaces. As a result, it was a thriving city, frequented by the “rich and famous” of Roman, Herodian, and even Jewish society.
But the day Jesus of Nazareth arrived in Jericho even I knew He hadn’t come to see the rich and famous. His reputation for healing the sick and ministering to the poor was well-known throughout Judea.
When I saw the commotion as Jesus walked into town, I wanted to get a better look at Him, so I climbed a sycamore tree. Imagine my surprise – as well as everyone else’s – when Jesus looked up at me and said, “Zacchaeus, quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”(1) He hadn’t come to visit the leading citizens, or the chief Pharisee – He had come to spend time with a despised tax collector!
I quickly climbed down to lead Jesus and the rest of His followers to my home. I was beside myself with excitement as I greeted Him. Immediately I could hear the grumbling coming from the crowd around us: “Doesn’t He realize He is going to be the guest of that notorious sinner?” But I didn’t care what they said.
When we all arrived at my home, I directed my servants to bring fruit and bread as I invited Jesus and His followers to recline at my table. I sat immediately across from my Guest of honor.
I had never entertained a religious leader in my home, let alone a prophet and a miracle worker like Jesus! I knew I was a sinner. I had been taught the Scriptures when I was a lad. I knew the words of God’s Law, but I had chosen to disregard it in order to pursue my success, and had never given it much thought.
But when Jesus said, “Sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven,” I immediately believed in Him and did all that He had instructed me to do. I never stopped to think about it. I knew He was speaking truth; unlike the religious leaders I had heard speak in the past. And I knew that He knew everything about me – my past . . . my present . . . and my future.
I said to Him, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated anyone on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”(2)
I knew without any further word from Jesus I needed to make public restitution for my sin. I knew where I had cheated others, I must give back to them according to the Mosaic Law.(3)
My neighbors were astonished when I began to return fourfold all I had taken from them. They had heard about Jesus performing miracles, but they never imagined He could change the heart of a “crook” like me! It made me sad, though, to think how most of them were so overjoyed by their unexpected financial windfall but were unwilling to consider the life-changing miracle Jesus could bring about in their own lives.
I am an example that you can’t stay where you are – or how you are – and follow the Master. I could no longer cheat and extort. Jesus had now given me a heart to give instead of take. And there weren’t too many opportunities to do that as a tax collector! So a change in my heart required a complete change in my life. Jesus had come to seek and save me. And I knew on that day, that I must follow Him.
The next day, Jesus left Jericho and began His journey to Bethany, which was on His way to Jerusalem where He would celebrate the Passover. His work in Jericho was done. I had been the reason He had come to our city!
I quickly made restitution to the people I had wronged, before leaving Jericho to catch up with Jesus. I was determined to follow Him wherever He led. I had no idea His journey would soon lead Him to a cross. That day on the hill outside of the city, I looked up at Him in horror as He hung on that cross. He had never done anything to deserve any punishment, let alone death! I knew that to be true, because I had robbed and cheated. If anyone deserved to be crucified it was me, not Him!
I cannot begin to describe my sorrow when Jesus took His last breath. But neither can I describe my great joy the night He appeared to me and the rest of His followers in that upper room after He had risen from the dead.
I have often reflected on the fact that I once climbed a tree to see Jesus looking up at me . . . and one day, not that long afterward, He willingly looked down upon me, from another tree . . . on which He hung and died . . . in order to pay the price for my sin.
You don’t need to convince me I am a sinner who has been saved solely by the grace of God. I am well aware. And now that you have heard my story, you share in that awareness. But if you recall nothing else from my story, please remember that mine is a tale of two trees – one through which Jesus invited me . . . and one through which He saved me!
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You can read the story of Zacchaeus in the Gospel According to Luke, chapter 19, verses 1 through 10.
Also, I have excerpted portions of this story from my novel, Through the Eyes of a Shepherd. For more information about the book, click here.
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(1) Luke 19:5 (NLT)
(2) Luke 19:8 (NLT)
(3) Exodus 22:1
Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.
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