In | Zacchaeus and Discipleship

The parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector is a powerful illustration of the importance of humility and the degree to which God values this virtue. After the tax collector beats his chest and prays for mercy Jesus says:

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. 
Luke 18:14 (ESV)

But this parable is only part of the picture. You may think that God asks for nothing more than repentance or an attitude of humility. God does want these things, but He wants them in the context of a personal encounter with him. Following Jesus requires more than a disposition, it requires us to act and to live as His disciple. The story of another tax collector Zacchaeus, a chapter later, expands on the earlier parable. 

Read Luke 19:1-10

It’s difficult to spot in a single reading, but this brief narrative actually includes repetition of a single sequence that hinges on Jesus’ command and Zacchaeus’ obedience. His obedience then leads to a more significant encounter with Jesus and true repentance evidenced by Zacchaeus’ actions.

First Sequence (19:2-5)	Second Sequence (19:6-10)
Zacchaeus seeks to see Jesus (19:3)	Zacchaeus meets Jesus (19:6)
The crowd interferes (19:3)	The crowd objects (19:7)
Zacchaeus overcomes this obstacle (19:4)	Zacchaeus overcomes this obstacle (19:8)
Jesus speaks—“Today” (19:5)	Jesus speaks—“Today” (19:9)
The Narrative Hinge
“Zacchaeus, come down immediately.” (19:5)

Source: David E. Garland, Luke: Zondervan exegetical commentary on the New Testament, 2011, p. 745.

Luke alone provides the narrative episode of a man “small in stature” who wanted to see Jesus. Little did Zacchaeus expect just how up-close and in-person his encounter was going to be.

The focus of the Zacchaeus story is not a disposition but an encounter with Jesus. Twice Zacchaeus attempts to find access to Jesus; twice the crowd gives Him trouble. Both times Zacchaeus overcomes the crowd and each time Jesus offers an immediate response that results in the arrival of God at the tax collector’s home. 

Zacchaeus was “a chief tax collector and he was rich” (Luke 19:2, NASB). In spite of his questionable yet advantaged socio-economic stature, he climbs a tree to get a view of Jesus. Zacchaeus is instructed to come down out of the tree before Jesus invites Himself over to his house. Salvation comes to the house of the “sinner.” This repentant sinner responds by giving back four-fold to those he defrauded through unjust tax collection.

Salvation is not something God confers on us, or something we earn with virtues. Rather salvation is something that we’re able to participate in through a relationship with Jesus—and that personal encounter is bound to change a person just like it changed Zacchaeus.