Luke 19
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.’
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’
9 Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’
As a tax collector, Zacchaeus cheated, stole, and likely threatened those around him. He was not a good man. His only concern was his personal wealth, at the detriment to fairness, justice and integrity. In fact, he was so good at corruption, his abilities so valued or his tactics so underhand, he was a Chief within his area.
And yet Jesus chose him, of all others in Jericho, to be worthy of a personal visit. Jesus chose Zacchaeus because he is capable of restoration, because He saw Zacchaeus and loved him despite his lifestyle.
Perpetrating injustice is not always obvious: Zacchaeus, after all, was ‘just making a living’ in order to survive and thrive. But everything changed when he met Jesus.
We must remember this. It’s easy to see and desire to assist victims, but the perpetrators of injustice need Christ too. Working with perpetrators will bring opposition, the example of Zacchaeus shows us this, and perhaps naturally so. But Jesus disagreed with those who criticised him and instead deemed Zacchaeus worthy of time and investment. And so we must do likewise with those in need of redemption around us. Perhaps this occurs in grand ways – working directly with human traffickers or lifelong criminals – or perhaps it means to love, befriend, educate, and lead to repentance people who passively participate in injustice through their naive choices or attitudes to others.
In doing so, it is important to acknowledge that Jesus did not condone the choices and attitudes of Zacchaeus, but instead called him to be a participant in his own redemption. Turning away from his old life and values, Zacchaeus took steps to make amends and right the wrongs he had made. Today, just as then, being faced with the consequences of your own sin is painful and sacrificial. But there is a greater reward when meeting the Messiah who brings about personal salvation – and with-it new life, an end to corruption and an end to injustice.
Download a printable file here: Saving Zacchaeus from His Own Corruption