A Real Scuzzball
He entered Jericho....And there was a man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today."...And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." Luke 19:1-7, RSV.
Zacchaeus was the most hated man in town. And for good reason. He was not merely a tax collector but a chief tax collector. To put it another way, he was very rich. As a result, he had one of the biggest houses in town, he had fine clothes, and he had a full house of servants. And the people knew that he was wealthy only because he had unjustly taken their money.
Jericho was a wonderful place for a tax collector to get rich. Located in the Jordan Valley, the town served as a crossroads for trade from east to west and from north to south. But even more important were the huge number of palms and a balsam grove that perfumed the country for miles around. Josephus called Jericho "the fattest in Palestine." And the Romans carried its dates and balsam to the ends of their empire.
It was a great place to be a tax collector, especially given the way taxes were collected. Unfortunately, the system lent itself to abuse. Romans at that time farmed out the business of collecting taxes in a region. They assessed a region to be worth so much, then sold the right to gather taxes within that area to the highest bidder. Any extra that the collector could obtain was his to keep. And if people didn't like the taxes he set, he always had the Roman soldiers to back up his demands. Pay up or else.
Zacchaeus had risen to the top of his field. A chief tax collector, he had others under him, raking off a percentage of their gains also. A good racket to be sure. But one that made him the most hated man in town.
And when Jesus came to Jericho we find the most disliked man in town meeting the most popular one. Zacchaeus may have been rich, but he was also lonely and knew that something was desperately wrong. He wasn't sure what his problem was, but he had heard about a new prophet who even had a tax collector among His disciples.
As with all who feel their need, Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus.
He entered Jericho....And there was a man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today."...And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." Luke 19:1-7, RSV.
Zacchaeus was the most hated man in town. And for good reason. He was not merely a tax collector but a chief tax collector. To put it another way, he was very rich. As a result, he had one of the biggest houses in town, he had fine clothes, and he had a full house of servants. And the people knew that he was wealthy only because he had unjustly taken their money.
Jericho was a wonderful place for a tax collector to get rich. Located in the Jordan Valley, the town served as a crossroads for trade from east to west and from north to south. But even more important were the huge number of palms and a balsam grove that perfumed the country for miles around. Josephus called Jericho "the fattest in Palestine." And the Romans carried its dates and balsam to the ends of their empire.
It was a great place to be a tax collector, especially given the way taxes were collected. Unfortunately, the system lent itself to abuse. Romans at that time farmed out the business of collecting taxes in a region. They assessed a region to be worth so much, then sold the right to gather taxes within that area to the highest bidder. Any extra that the collector could obtain was his to keep. And if people didn't like the taxes he set, he always had the Roman soldiers to back up his demands. Pay up or else.
Zacchaeus had risen to the top of his field. A chief tax collector, he had others under him, raking off a percentage of their gains also. A good racket to be sure. But one that made him the most hated man in town.
And when Jesus came to Jericho we find the most disliked man in town meeting the most popular one. Zacchaeus may have been rich, but he was also lonely and knew that something was desperately wrong. He wasn't sure what his problem was, but he had heard about a new prophet who even had a tax collector among His disciples.
As with all who feel their need, Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus.
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