Luke 19:1-4 1He after entering he was passing through Jericho. 2And behold, there was a man called by the name of Zacchaeus, and he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. 3And he was seeking to see who Jesus was but could not due to the crowd because he was small in stature. 4So running on ahead he climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see him because he was about to pass that way.
The next story, which takes place near the scene of the previous story, follows a similar outline as the healing of the blind man. This story is unique to Luke. Its location directly after the healing of Bartimaeus is intentional because it compares the healing of two forms of blindness. Zacchaeus’ blindness was spiritual. There are three key movements in the story. The first movement is given in verses 1-4 with the desperation of someone who wanted to see Jesus. In verses 1-2, Luke sets the scene for the story that follows. On the surface, it appears that Jesus only intended to pass through Jericho and not stay. But there is more intention in his stopover there. Since Luke moves quickly past Jericho in verse 11, it would seem that Jesus wanted to go to Jericho to bring salvation specifically to Zacchaeus.
Verse 2 describes the main character. Unlike the previous story, the man in this story is given a name. His name must have become famous in the early church so that Luke would know it and write it down in his Gospel. Zacchaeus had the notorious job of being a tax collectors. Tax collectors have never been well liked in any society, and this was true in the first century. The Jewish religious elite grouped them with sinners (7:34). Zacchaeus was the chief or leader of them all and probably the most corrupt of them all. Luke also states that Zacchaeus was rich, which will be a key point later in the story. He embodied everything that would have left him repulsed by others, especially by a blind beggar.
Like the blind man, Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was coming into town and wanted to see him. Whereas the blind man had to shout to get Jesus’ attention, Zacchaeus was too short and could not get through the crowd to see what was happening. He was looking but could not see. Like the blind man, the crowd became an obstacle to getting to Jesus. No one would give way. So Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree by the side of the road so he could see this famous Jesus of Nazareth. God’s prevenient grace had been preparing the soil of his heart for this encounter with Jesus. Both the blind beggar and Zacchaeus were wrapped up in a broken, fallen, sinful world. They were blind, though in different ways. Neither of them could adequately see the saving grace of Jesus that was passing by. However, both hoped in the one who had the power to pronounce salvation in their lives.
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