Zacchaeus was a wealthy Jew who had made his money by working
as a tax collector for the hated Romans. For that, and because he and
other tax collectors exacted more tax than was really due, Zacchaeus
was hated and called a “sinner.”
Zacchaeus lived in Jericho, which sat on a trade route with much
business commerce. The meeting of Zacchaeus and Jesus was not a
coincidence. Zacchaeus had apparently come under spiritual conviction
and wanted to make some changes in his life. He had heard about Jesus
and wanted to see Him. Word must have gotten out that the group Jesus
was traveling with would arrive in Jericho that day. Jesus needed to pass
through Jericho from Galilee, on His final trip to Jerusalem. Christ’s
first words to Zacchaeus revealed that, even before entering the town,
Jesus knew all about him.
Read Luke 19:1–10. What were the differences between this rich
man’s experience with Jesus and that of the rich young ruler?
Zacchaeus and the rich young ruler had some things in common.
Both were rich, both wanted to see Jesus, and both wanted eternal life.
But here the similarities stop.
Notice that when Zacchaeus said that he would give “half of my
goods” (Luke 19:8) to the poor, Jesus accepted this gesture as an expres-
sion of a true conversion experience. He didn’t say to him, Sorry, Zac, but
as with the rich young ruler, it’s all or nothing. Half is not going to cut it.
Why? Most likely because, though Zacchaeus surely liked his wealth, it
wasn’t the god to him that it was to the rich young ruler. In fact, though
we don’t know what Jesus said to him, Zacchaeus is the one who first
speaks about giving money to the poor. In contrast, Jesus had to tell the
rich young ruler specifically to give it all up; otherwise it would destroy
him. Though Zacchaeus, as any wealthy person, needed to be careful
about the dangers of wealth, he seemed to have had his relationship to it
under better control than did the rich young ruler.
“When the rich young ruler had turned away from Jesus, the disciples
had marveled at their Master’s saying, ‘How hard is it for them that
trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!’ They had exclaimed
one to another, ‘Who then can be saved?’ Now they had a demonstra-
tion of the truth of Christ’s words, ‘The things which are impossible
with men are possible with God.’ Mark 10:24, 26; Luke 18:27. They
saw how, through the grace of God, a rich man could enter into the
kingdom.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 555.
