JESUS AND THE TAX COLLECTOR Luke 19:1-10

BACKGROUND: In Israel, tax collectors, i.e. publicans, were known for their dishonesty. They served the Roman invaders and usually also put money in their own pockets, becoming rich at the expense of their fellow countrymen. In verse 7, we can see how disliked also Zacchaeus was. As far as we know, Jesus only visited Jericho once, a week before he died. By that time, he had preached publicly for three years. Many people knew that he had chosen a tax collector as one of his disciples.

1.
• Can someone be happy if people around them think they are a thief?

• How may Zacchaeus’ height have impacted his early life (verses 1-3)?

• How can you get over being bullied in your childhood and youth?

2.
• Why do you think Zacchaeus had chosen the tax collector’s occupation?

• How had tax collectors possibly justified their actions when taking the last sheep or penny of the poor?

• Zacchaeus had eventually become the head of the tax office. List the characteristics needed for rising to that position in a large, occupied country. (Do you think that a man with a kind heart could have found success in such an occupation? Why/why not.)

3.
• How had Zacchaeus perhaps reacted to being despised by all of Jericho (verse 7)?

• By that time, Zacchaeus was likely to be nearly fifty years old, since it takes time to reach a managerial position. His children must have been quite big. What may his children have thought about their father’s occupation?

• It is common for people to re-think their values when they are in their fifties. What do you think Zacchaeus wanted most at this point in his life?

4.
• Tax collectors usually wanted nothing to do with religious people, and vice versa. Think about different reasons for Zacchaeus wanting to see Jesus so badly.

• In the Middle East, no self-respecting man runs. Why did Zacchaeus act as unconventionally as described in verses 3 and 4?

• A sycamore tree can grow up to a 10 meters high, dense tree. What do you think: did the tax collector want to be seen or stay hidden in the tree? Why/why not?

5.
• This was the first time Jesus visited Jericho. What had Zacchaeus possibly thought when hearing Jesus suddenly call his name?

• For Jews, eating together was usually a sign of friendship. When did Jesus decide to visit Zacchaeus and become his friend (verse 5)? Think about different possibilities.

6.
• How might Zacchaeus have reacted if Jesus had said to him from under the tree: “I will visit you if you abandon your dishonest ways” (verse 5)?

• How would you react if somebody said to you: “I’ll be your friend if you first become a good person”?

• Why don’t people change even if they are told to do so?

7.
• Why was Jesus in such a rush (verse 5)?

• Do you think Zacchaeus felt embarrassed when climbing down the tree in front of everybody? Why/why not (verse 6)?

• What in Jesus’ behavior annoyed the people of Jericho most (verse 7)?

7.
• What suddenly changed Zacchaeus’ greedy heart (verse 8)?

• Let’s say that Zacchaeus owned a million euros, of which he had cheated €100,000. How much was he left with in the end?

• What did the people of Jericho think when the tax collector used half of his possessions to build an elderly care home, for example, and went around town paying back the townspeople fourfold? Cf. verse 7.

8.
• Abraham was an ancestor of the Jews and patriarch of Christian faith. What did Jesus mean by Zacchaeus being a son of Abraham (verse 9)?

• When did Zacchaeus become a believer (point out the verse)?

• What happened to the punishment that God had laid down for thieves?

9.
• Who was looking for whom: Zacchaeus for Jesus or Jesus for Zacchaeus (verse 10)?

• What may Zacchaeus have thought when he heard that Jesus had died on the cross a week later? What about when he heard about his resurrection?

GLAD TIDINGS: On his way to Jerusalem to be crucified, Jesus visited Jericho particularly because of Zacchaeus. As Jesus forgave Zacchaeus his sins, he knew that he had to suffer the punishment of those sins on the cross. Zacchaeus received forgiveness for free, while it cost Jesus his life. What does this fact mean to you?

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