“Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he…”
Those of you who grew up going to Sunday School will remember the cute little children’s song about Zacchaeus – the short little rich dude in the Bible who climbed a tree to see Jesus.
What the song doesn’t tell us is how the rest of the story goes and Zacchaeus’ life altering encounter with Jesus and what happened to his money mindset after he met him.
On the weekends I like to provide a money lesson straight from the Bible along with study Bible notes for further reflection. Here’s the story of Zacchaeus:
Luke 19:1-10:
He [Jesus] entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small of stature.
4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”
6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
Here are three things we notice about Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus.
Zacchaeus’ Position
Zacchaeus was a tax collector. In those days, guys in this position would not only collect taxes, but would also charge additional taxes and skim those off the top. This is how they made their coin. Because of this, tax collectors were known as the lowest of the low in society.
Zacchaeus’ Possessions
The text plainly states that he was rich. Luke just throws it out there that this little guy had a big pile of cash. He had probably been working for quite a few years and managed to sock away a nice amount of money. This makes the encounter with Jesus and his reaction afterwards all the more intriguing.
Zacchaeus’ Provision
Zacchaeus knew deep down that he didn’t earn his money, but rather his wealth was a direct result of taking advantage of others.
Zacchaeus met his Lord that day, however, and he would not stay the same.
His reaction after meeting Jesus was one of generosity and restoration. He provided for the poor by giving away half his goods and promised to restore fourfold the money he had taken from others!
When the gospel changes our hearts – generosity oozes from us – or at least it should. Here’s the ESV study notes for further reflection:
Half of my goods includes Zacchaeus’s possessions (cf. 12:15, 33), not just his salary. I (shall) give to the poor (cf. 11:41; 12:33; 18:22). if I have defrauded . . . I (shall) restore it fourfold (cf. Ex. 22:1; 2 Sam. 12:6). Zacchaeus’s actions reveal that his repentance and faith are genuine (see Luke 3:8). The example of Zacchaeus, who gave away half of his goods, underscores the kind of openhanded generosity that characterizes those whose hearts have been transformed by the gospel.
So how about you? Have you embraced the gospel with genuine sincerity? If you have, how does your grip on money reflect that?
Are you living an openhanded, loose-gripped life with your money? Are you willing to give to others and use your wealth to advance the kingdom?
Zacchaeus was changed from the inside out and his handling of his money was a direct reflection of that change – those of us who have been changed by Jesus need to reflect the same.
