Zacchaeus, the Tax Collector (Luke 19:1-10)⤒🔗

¹Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.  ²A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.  ³He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd.  ⁴So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

⁵When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” ⁶So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

⁷All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’”

⁸But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

⁹Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”Luke 19:1-10

The Lord Jesus now enters Jericho. He does not plan to stay in Jericho for any length of time, for his purpose is to go to Jerusalem. But he stays longer because of a man named Zacchaeus.

There was much ado about Jesus going through Jericho. The streets were lined with people. Because Zacchaeus was very short, he could not see the Lord. And so he ran ahead of the crowds and climbed a sycamore tree, so he could see Jesus (19:1-4).

About Zacchaeus we read that he was a chief tax collector and wealthy. Since Jericho lay on a main road, there were many publicans collecting taxes, and Zacchaeus was their chief or supervisor. His wealth came from the fact that he had overtaxed those who passed by. He was a small man with a large bank account.

Why would Zacchaeus be so eager to see the Lord?  Tax collectors were hated by the public and by the Jewish leaders. They were considered to be “sinners”, a lost category. But Zacchaeus had heard that this Jesus was different than other Jewish leaders, much more sympathetic and kind. Perhaps he was curious to see such a man and maybe he was looking for redemption, too.

The amazing thing is that when the Lord Jesus comes under the sycamore tree, he knows that Zacchaeus is in the tree. The sycamore tree was not high, easy to climb into, and had many branches where a man could comfortably sit and be well-hidden from sight. But the Lord knows he’s there, stops and looks up, and says, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” (19:5) So Zacchaeus “came down at once and welcomed him gladly” (19:6).

I am sure that most people in that area knew very well who Zacchaeus was. The people knew him as a “sinner”. People did not associate with such sinners, who were hated outcasts. And here is Jesus publicly inviting himself to the publican’s house. This was incomprehensible for most Jews who witnessed how happily Zacchaeus welcomed the Lord.

We read, “All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a “sinner”’” (19:7). Notice how Christ addressed him: I must be at your house today. The Lord says: it’s a matter of destiny, of God’s sovereign choosing. This is why I came through Jericho. There is a force that moves Jesus, and that force is the love of God. That love will not wait another day.

Zacchaeus greeted Jesus gladly. He took the Lord into his home. He said, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (19:8).That is a most unusual pay-back.

Most explainers suggest that Zacchaeus’ pledge to give half of what he has to the poor plus restoring the amounts unlawfully gained with forty percent (a very high amount hardly ever charged) came after he and the Lord had eaten dinner. This may very well be the case. Zacchaeus had listened to the word of God, and, moved by Christ’s speaking, was led to repentance. The “here and now” refers then to the time following the dinner, as Jesus and his disciples were preparing to leave. Repenting and restoring is not a matter that can wait. Note the Saviour’s use of the word “today”.

The Lord said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham” (19:9). This means that Zacchaeus’ place in Israel was restored. He is no longer considered to be a write-off or a cast-away. We may never write someone off. We must keep hoping, praying, and working, also with and for those who may be considered as lost. Perhaps God in his mercy will grant them repentance and new life. Whoever thought that Zacchaeus would still repent? The ways of God are above our ways and possibilities.

Our Lord says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost”. This is what the Messianic ministry of Jesus is all about. To save what was lost is the mandate that will lead him to the cross. But by this mandate being fulfilled millions will be eternally saved.

This statement has been recognized as being a key statement in the Gospel of Luke. Luke writes about the Messiah, the Holy One of God, who came only for one reason: to save the lost. The account of Zacchaeus is therefore one of the best-known and most-loved portions in the New Testament.

The Parable of the Ten Minas (Luke 19:11-27)←⤒🔗

¹¹While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. ¹²He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. ¹³So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’

¹⁴“But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’

¹⁵“He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.

¹⁶“The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’

¹⁷“‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’

¹⁸“The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’

¹⁹“His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’

²⁰“Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. ²¹I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’

²²“His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? ²³Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’

²⁴“Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’

²⁵“‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’

²⁶“He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. ²⁷But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them — bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”Luke 19:11-27

The place and content of this parable certainly make it one to be reckoned with. That is true of all of Christ’s teaching, but this parable hits home for various reasons. We first note that while the parable is connected to the account of Zacchaeus, it is also one that was told near Jerusalem (19:11). Luke writes, “While they were listening to this (i.e. the messianic proclamation of Christ), he went on to tell them a parable because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.”

Let’s take good note of this passage. Christ was coming near Jerusalem. People were very excited and there was great expectation in the air. Many were convinced that “the kingdom of God was going to appear at once”. Suddenly it would be there, with the Messiah seated on the throne of David! That explains the reason for the triumphal entry also described in this chapter.

This parable is then partly meant to correct the false expectation that the Messiah would sit already now on his throne. We will discover that much yet has to happen before the Lord comes in triumphant glory.

The parable is about a man of noble birth, a veritable aristocrat, who is going to a “distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return.” (19:12) That may sound strange, for should you not be elected and appointed in your own land? But in the Roman Empire, such was sometimes the case. For example, the sons of Herod went to Rome to plead their case to be appointed by imperial decree as rulers over Judea and Galilee. There were no elections; positions were filled by decree from the emperor.

Some explainers also note that Jesus was going to heaven to sit as king at God’s right hand, being appointed a king forever after the order of Melchizedek. So in a way, this also applies to the Lord Jesus. But that is not really the point of the parable. It is more about three of his servants to whom he gives different amounts of minas.  In other versions we read about “talents”, one talent being around 10 minas. The mandate that he gives is, “Put this money to work until I come back” (19:13). The money was for them to use in a business venture in which there would be some profit for the master.

For some reason, the subjects hated the master, and they sent a delegation after him to state, “We don’t want this man to be our king.” (19:14). This had also happened before. When Herod the Great’s son Archelaus was made king over Judea (Matthew 2:22) there was much rebellion because Archelaus was ruthless and exploited the people, and so the Romans deposed Archelaus and appointed governors from Rome instead to rule over Judea.

Despite his people’s protest, this nobleman was made king, and returned home to take possession of his kingdom. Of course he also summoned his servants to whom he had given money to learn what they had done with it (19:15).

We know the outcome of this inquiry. The first servant came and said, “Sir, your mina has earned ten more” (19:16). The second came, and said, “Sir, you mina has earned five more” (19:18). Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in, and reap what you did not sow.” (19:20,21)

The master’s words closely follow the servants’ reports. The first man who doubled the minas hears this compliment, “Well done, my good servant.  Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.” (19:17) The second servant is also rewarded, “You take charge of five cities.” (19:19)

But to the third servant he says, “I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back I could have collected it with interest?” (19:22,23) The master would have received some gain. It’s not the money itself that counts; it’s the principle of service.

The man is very angry with this servant because he tries to cover up his own laziness by accusing his master. If he truly feared his master, he could at least have put the money in a bank account, rendering the master some profit.

Then the master said to those standing by, “Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.” “‘Sir’, they said, ‘he already has ten!’ He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.’” (19:24-26)

This is a rule, then, in the Kingdom of Heaven. The more you have, the more you must promote the Kingdom of God. We have to work with the talents and responsibilities given to us. We may not live for ourselves but for the coming of the kingdom, and we will be greatly blessed by it. Each of us must use the “opportunities of fruitfulness”¹that are given to us by God. We may not waste our time and ignore the master’s trust. God never asks from us what we cannot do. But when he places us before a challenge we go forward in his service and in his strength.

In this parable the Lord adds one more sentence.  Do you remember that the servants sent a delegation to say, “We don’t want this man to be our king”? This is just before the Lord will make his entry into Jerusalem, where he will be denounced as king and people will say: “Crucify him! We have no king but Caesar.”

The Lord says, “But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them –bring them here and kill them in front of me.” (19:27) Are you surprised at these words? Do you find these words vindictive? Well, there is a day of reckoning for all who have rejected the Messiah of God. In 70 A.D. the Roman army burned Jerusalem to the ground. All people today face the Day of Judgment.  Those who rejected the Christ and had him nailed to the cross also had to face the destruction of all that they held holy and dearly.

Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (Luke 19:28-44)←⤒🔗

²⁸After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. ²⁹As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, ³⁰"Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.'" 

³²Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. ³³As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" 

³⁴They replied, "The Lord needs it." 

³⁵They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. ³⁶As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. 

³⁷When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 

³⁸“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" 

³⁹Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" 

⁴⁰“I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

⁴¹As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it ⁴²and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes. ⁴³The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. ⁴⁴They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls.  They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you."Luke 19:28-44

After the Lord has spoken the parable of the Minas, he proceeded further on his own. The text says, “He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem” (19:28). We do not read why the Lord went on ahead, and nowhere does the text indicate what might be the reason. It is best not to speculate.

The Lord approaches Bethpage and Bethany which lay at the foot of the Mount of Olives. From the text it does appear that at this point he has disciples with him, for it says, “He sent two of his disciples, saying to them, ‘Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” tell him, “The Lord needs it.”’” (19:30,31)

From the version in Matthew 21:4 we discover that this took place “to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet.” The prophet indicated is the prophet Zechariah, who said, “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9)

One would normally expect a king to be seated on a stately war horse, leading his troops with weapons high and banners blowing in the wind. The expression “your king” in Zechariah 9 means the Messianic King, the royal son of David, the Lord Jesus Christ. The glorious Messiah is coming to his great city, Jerusalem. He is said to be riding on a colt, that is a young donkey, and this means that the colt or foal is not saddle-broken or used to a rider, and perhaps acts very skittish and confused. To see a king riding in this fashion is comical rather than regal. Perhaps this is added to demonstrate all the more that Christ is gentle and humble. David and his sons rode trained mules. Even Solomon came into the city on a mule. (1 Kings 1:33) Christ merits only a donkey colt.

Do not see this humility as ineptitude. What the Messiah has is righteousness and salvation. He has come to redeem his people from their sins and deliver them from the power of the devil. For this he does not need a warhorse; “his pleasure is not in the strength of the horse” (Psalm 147:10). In this way he will bring peace and hope to all the nations. He will rule from sea to sea and from the river (Euphrates) to the ends of the earth (Zechariah 9:10). Such a King has never been seen before!

You see something of Christ’s royal power in the fact that everything is as he said it would be. They find a colt tied and when they untie it, people do ask why they need it, but let them go unhindered. As the colt is brought to Jesus, it appears that there is no saddle. So they throw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. All in all, it is not a very royal impression. The heading in the NIV may be “the triumphal entry” but there is very little triumph about it. Actually we should not see this event as being glorifying to the Lord but rather as a part of his suffering.

There is something pathetic about the scene. Here comes the king, seated on a young donkey. Indeed people are spreading their cloaks on the road as a gesture of festive acclamation. When the “road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen” (19:37). Christ is not recognized as the great Saviour or Messiah; but certainly his miracles are brought to mind.

The disciples take up the praise from Psalm 118:26, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Psalm 118 is a doxology for salvation from Israel’s enemies, also prominent in the liturgy of the feast of tabernacles (see Psalm 118:27, “with boughs in hand”). Matthew adds the detail that the crowds going ahead before Jesus and following after him sang, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” (Matthew 21:9)

The word “hosanna” is of Aramaic origin and is an exclamation of praise to God for his work of deliverance. It is not clear if the people said this out of their own understanding or were led by the disciples. Later in the temple when Jesus chased out the money changers and healed the blind and lame who came to him in the temple, the children shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David” (Matthew 21:15).

Palm Sunday is a Bust←↰⤒🔗

At both occasions the Pharisees were very angry and said to the Lord, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”(19:39) But he replied, “I tell you if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (19:40). Matthew records a similar answer later in the temple when the Pharisees demand that the children cease their shouts of “Hosanna” (Matthew 21:16). The Lord also makes a reference to Psalm 8:2, “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise”.

This entry into Jerusalem (on what is now often referred to as “Palm Sunday”) caused a gathering of crowds and festive praise. But we should not overrate this event. A crowd easily gathers, and is also soon dispersed. Shout of praise or anger can be very spontaneous. We should not forget that the very same people who now shouted “hosanna” later en masse shouted “Crucify him”, less than a week later. The favor of the crowd is spontaneous but fickle. The one moment you’re “in”, but the next moment you’re “out”. The people had wrong expectations which the Pharisees shrewdly used to their advantage. All in all, Palm Sunday was a big bust.

Christ’s Weeping Over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44)←↰⤒🔗

Perhaps this explains Christ’s weeping over the city of Jerusalem. How can you cry when you are cresting a huge wave of support and enthusiasm? It says, “As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and your children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognise the time of God’s coming to you.” (19:41-44)

It was difficult for him to enter the beloved city of God, knowing that soon it would be razed to the ground. The Romans who conquered Jerusalem were ordered to kill any one still alive in the city. Indeed, Palm Sunday was a sad day for our Lord because it brought him grief and drove him onward to Golgotha.

Homiletical Horizons←↰⤒🔗

There are times when God comes to us particularly. This is not always properly recognized. You need to be spiritual to understand spiritual things. “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14)

This means that we need to open ourselves to the Word of God, be faithful in prayer, zealous in meditating on God’s Word, and have an awareness of the Holy Spirit’s presence. True faith is saying yes to and accepting fully what God says in his Word.

We must not, however, elevate our spiritual experiences above the promise in the Word of God. Then we fall into mystical waters, where certainties are not based on the Word of God but on human experience. The order is not experience, faith, and certainty. The order is faith, certainty and experience.

Jesus at the Temple (Luke 19:45-48)←⤒🔗

⁴⁵Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling. ⁴⁶"It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be a house of prayer'; but you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" ⁴⁷Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. ⁴⁸Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.Luke 19:45-48

From the moment the Lord entered Jerusalem there was much work for him to do, work that would not gain him favor or support. We read, “Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling.” (19:45)

Right away there is a severe clash. John writes about a similar event that took place in Christ’s early ministry. He watched the wheeling and dealing, and saw how people were being cheated and robbed. He carefully made a whip of leather thongs. The he overturned the money tables and said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” (John 2:16)

Some explainers have difficulty with the fact that the clearing of the temple is mentioned twice, once at the beginning and once toward the end of Jesus’ ministry. But there could very well have been two cleansings. Christ began his ministry by restoring the temple to its proper place. Three years later, after his final entry to Jerusalem, he ended his ministry by doing it again.  Sellers keep coming back to a place where sales are lucrative. It takes multiple cleansings to bring across the simple point.

The last chapters of Luke tell us what Christ still did and taught in Jerusalem. We will follow the facts and the words that Jesus spoke in this period of time. There is a lot compressed in the account of Christ’s last days. His convincing refutation of all who oppose him in Jerusalem is made very clear. It is also increasingly clear that things are inexorably leading to his cross.  In this way Luke carefully brings his account to its proper close.

Questions←⤒🔗

1. Why was Zacchaeus eager to see the Lord Jesus?
2. Why is Zacchaeus called “a son of Abraham” (cf. Luke 13 where a woman is called a daughter of Abraham. Review answer to Luke 13 question 6.)
3. What is the context of the parable of the Ten Minas?
4. Why is the “triumphal entry” (NIV) actually a “bust”? How are we to receive Jesus?
5. Where did the Lord stay when he had entered Jerusalem? During the day? During the night?
6. How do we explain the two accounts of the cleansing of the temple?