Good News to the Outcasts
Seeking Jesus: A Story of Joy and Redemption
How do you feel about insurance companies using algorithms to deny care to patients? What about when, instead of improving access to care, AI systems drive up rejection rates, burdening patients, and squeezing healthcare providers? Or what about CVS Health Corporation, a complex healthcare services giant that owns CVS Pharmacy (the largest pharmacy chain in the U.S.), CVS Caremark (a pharmacy benefit manager), Aetna (a major health insurance provider), MinuteClinic (a network of walk-in clinics) as well as Oak Street Health and Signify Health (which are primary and home-based care providers). This allows CVS Health to control multiple points in the healthcare delivery chain, enabling data sharing and cost management across its subsidiaries. This leaves the patient essentially trapped and forced to pay whatever they charge and take whatever they prescribe. This company was projecting revenues of about $400 billion for 2025. (For a deeper dive, I recommend looking up “Break Up Big Medicine Act.)
How do you feel when you become aware of the many different ways the rich and the powerful grow rich at the expense of others? I am not opposed to people doing good and prospering as a result of the value they create. What bothers me is when people profit from the oppression of others. I find myself wondering more and more about how much human suffering is caused by us, humans. By our selfishness and greed and hunger for power and control.
With this in mind, let us consider Jesus' earthly ministry.
Good News to the Outcasts
All of us probably agree that Jesus came to save the outcasts, the downtrodden, the forgotten, the widows, the orphans, the immigrants. And indeed, the Bible has much to say about all of these vulnerable segments of the population.
Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”
—Zechariah 7:10 ESVReligion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
—James 1:27 ESVLearn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.
—Isaiah 1:17 ESVThe Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
—Psalm 146:9 ESV“‘Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
—Deuteronomy 27:19 ESV
One account that crystallizes this principle is found in Luke 4, after Jesus returns from being tempted by Satan in the wilderness.
16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
—Luke 4:16-22 NKJV
I love the idea of Jesus saving, healing, restoring, and setting free. I remember, as a child, thinking that God was rather mean to destroy the wicked with fire. It just didn’t seem to fit my idea of a loving God. As I grew older and became more aware of how much pain and suffering in the world is caused by greed, I began to understand that perhaps some human beings might deserve fair punishment that is equivalent to the pain and suffering they willingly caused.
It may be odd, but passages like Malachi 3:5 gave me a measure of comfort that there would one day be justice in the world.
“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.
—Malachi 3:5 ESV
Jesus’ earthly ministry
Luke 18-19 provides us with a glimpse of what Jesus’ earthly ministry was like. It seems to me like the events described in Luke 18-19 happened as Jesus was making His way to Jerusalem (Luke 17:11). Luke 18 begins with Jesus telling the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8), followed by the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14), then Jesus blesses the little children. These accounts all highlight how God cares for the outcast. Then there is a shift in verses 18-19 where Jesus counsels the Rich Young Ruler. The story ends with a very interesting phrase describing how, when the Rich Young Ruler heard Jesus’ words, “he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.” (Luke 18:23b)
How often do you hear about someone becoming very sorrowful because they are very rich? Jesus even adds, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” (Luke 18:24). Jesus is not saying that the rich won’t be saved; what Jesus says is that “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” (Luke 18:27)
With these stories in mind, I want you to consider the story of Zacchaeus, found in Luke 19:1-10.
Zacchaeus
Have you ever heard the Zacchaeus song?
Zacchaeus was a wee little man,
And a wee little man was he.
He climbed up in a sycamore tree,
For the Lord he wanted to see.
And as the Savior passed that way,
He looked up in the tree,
And He said, “Zacchaeus, you come down,
For I’m going to your house today!”
Zacchaeus had the honor of having his story recorded in the Bible, and two thousand years later, here we are gathered together to read and study it. But I wonder how he would feel if he knew about the song, and how, thanks to it, the only thing many would know about him would be that he was not very tall.
Though many of you may be familiar with the song, I would like to direct your attention to the biblical text. Let us dive deeper into this story and see what we can learn.
Luke 19
Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.
—Luke 19:1-2 NKJV
Though the song describes Zacchaeus as primarily a man of short stature, the biblical text introduces him as a chief tax collector (publican) who was very rich.
[Zaccheaus was a] Jewish chief publican who hired assistants to collect taxes at Jericho. He perhaps secured this position by purchasing the exclusive right to collect revenue in that region or by working as a subcontractor for another affluent official. In either case Zacchaeus himself accrued great wealth (largely by illegitimate means) from his customs enterprise at Jericho, a significant center of commerce, stationed along a major trade route connecting Jerusalem and its environs with the lands east of the Jordan.
—Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Zacchaeus, Zaccheus,” in Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 2175.
There are two words from Luke 19:2 that should catch your attention in light of Luke 18. Zacchaeus is a tax collector, and in Luke 18:9-14, Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. Jesus ends that parable stating how the tax collector went home justified, not the pharisee, and how “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:14b NKJV)
From this parable, it seems like things will go well for Zacchaeus. However, Zacchaeus is not just a tax collector; he is a chief tax collector, and not only that, Zacchaeus is described as rich. Rich is the second keyword that connects to Luke 18. In Luke 18:18-25, we read about Jesus’ encounter with the Rich Young Ruler. That encounter ended with the rich young ruler becoming very sorrowful because he was very rich.
So how will Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus play out?
Wanting to see Jesus
And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.
—Luke 19:3 NKJV
Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, but at this point, it is not clear why. Luke tells us of other people who wanted to see Jesus for different reasons.
Herod wanted to see Jesus out of curiosity - Luke 9:9; 23:8
Others wanted to see Jesus perform a sign from heaven - Luke 11:16, 29
We will have to continue to read the story to learn more about Zacchaeus’ intentions. Also, Luke 19:3 is where we read the reference to Zacchaeus’ stature. In Zacchaeus’ defense, you don’t have to be very short to not be able to see over a crowd of people. I used to think of myself as fairly tall, until I moved to Idaho and realized there are some really tall people in Idaho. So poor Zacchaeus was not tall enough to see over the crowd that surrounded Jesus, and now we have a song about him being a “wee little man.”
Here we begin to learn more about Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector, rich, and not very tall. How will Zacchaeus respond to this challenge? How dedicated is he to seeing Jesus? Will he just go home? After all he tried but was unable to see Jesus.
Reading this story makes me wonder about myself. How dedicated am I to seeing Jesus? How much effort do I dedicate to seeking Him? Do I make time for spiritual disciplines? To read my Bible or a devotional book? How much time and effort do I dedicate to prayer? If I were in Zacchaeus’s shoes, would I have just gone home and called it a day?
Think through this with me. Most of the people who surrounded Jesus seem to be the sick, lame, poor, and those who needed something from Him. Many also expected Jesus to start a rebellion and overthrow the Romans. Zacchaeus has plenty of money, and he works for the Romans. What could a man like Zacchaeus be missing? I would not be surprised if Zacchaeus simply turned around and left after trying and failing to see Jesus.
Not easily deterred
So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.
—Luke 19:4 NKJV
Zacchaeus was not easily deterred. He analyzed his situation, made a plan, and sprang into action. Zacchaeus analyzed Jesus’ path and identified where He would pass and ran ahead of the crowd. Have you seen a rich person run? I am not talking about doing it for exercise. Usually, those who run are desperate, in great need, and lack options. I have seen people run to catch a bus, to talk to someone who is leaving. Rich and powerful people don’t seem to run; others run to them. They don’t run to catch the bus, they own a car, if they are riding the bus, they don’t have to run, the driver would never leave them behind. If they want to talk or meet with someone, the person will wait for them. You get my point: running can be seen as unbecoming, as a sign of weakness. I am not sure how you run, but I do not like seeing pictures or videos of me running; it is not pretty. Yet here we see a rich man running in public, and if that was not embarrassing enough, he also climbs up a tree!
I don’t know about you, but I have done a great deal of tree climbing. As a child growing up in Brazil, I loved climbing trees. I loved climbing guava trees because the bark was so smooth and the branches would bend but not break easily. I also loved climbing mango trees because they were huge and offered plenty of space for games. I am no expert in trees and probably could not point out a sycamore tree, but you can look up ancient sycamore tree in Jericho.
Regardless of what the tree looked like, the fact remains that Zacchaeus running and climbing a tree demonstrates determination and no small effort on his part. This gives us a glimpse into his ability to assess a situation, make a plan, and execute successfully. If this is how Zacchaeus tackles challenges, I can begin to see how he became a chief tax collector and rich.
When Jesus came
And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”
—Luke 19:5 NKJV
The primary driving force in this story so far has been Zacchaeus’ desire to see Jesus, but now Jesus looks up to where Zacchaeus is. I imagine Zacchaeus making every effort to see Jesus while feeling invisible and unimportant. I base this on Zacchaeus’ decision to run and climb a tree rather than try to make his way through the crowd. Zacchaeus probably did not want to disturb Jesus or keep Him from the very important things He had to do. Zacchaeus apparently would have been content with just seeing Jesus. But Jesus had other plans.
Jesus looks up and calls Zacchaeus by name. We are not told how He knew Zacchaeus’ name. It could have been due to Jesus’ supernatural knowledge, as we see in John 1:47-48, or something as simple as people in the crowd recognizing Zacchaeus and mentioning it to one another, “Hey, isn’t that Zacchaeus? What is he doing up in that tree?”
But more significant than Jesus calling Zacchaeus by name is Jesus’ statement that He must stay at Zacchaeus’s house that day. This statement reminds me of when Jesus said that He must be about His Father’s business (Luke 2:49). And when He said: “I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” (Luke 4:44 bold mine)
Jesus’ mission was synonymous with His Father’s business, and it included preaching the kingdom of God and also going to Zacchaeus’ house, and all His efforts to seek and save that which was lost, which includes you and me.
In seeking Jesus, in our search for God, we might feel insignificant and invisible, but make no mistake, God knows you by name (Isaiah 43:1; 49:16; John 10:3 compare with Psalm 139:13-16) and desires a personal relationship with you (1 John 4:19; John 3:16; 14:16-17; 15:15; Revelation 3:20; Zephaniah 3:17; Romans 5:8; etc.).
Full of Joy
So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.
—Luke 19:6 NKJV
Zacchaeus was overjoyed to receive Jesus in his house! Earlier that day, Zacchaeus was hoping to just see Jesus; now he was receiving Jesus as a guest in his house. What a joy and privilege to have the Messiah, the Son of God, as a guest in his house.
Also, on a somewhat random note, I wonder if Zacchaeus was married. Not only that, I imagine what his wife thought when Zacchaeus showed up with Jesus at the house. I don’t know what other marriages are like, but in my house, my wife likes to know if I am bringing someone over for dinner, and I imagine she would be particularly interested if I were bringing God incarnate over. But alas, this detail is not included in the biblical narrative.
“They” complained
But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”
—Like 19:7 NKJV
This is the second time that the crowd that is following Jesus interferes with Zacchaeus’ access to Jesus. At first, they made it so he could not see Jesus (Luke 19:3), and now they complained. Reflecting on these instances made me wonder how often people surround Jesus and become barriers for others seeking Jesus. How often do religious people become an obstacle to sinners who are trying to catch a glimpse of Jesus? How often do religious people complain about Jesus spending time with sinners?
But as I thought about this, my mind circled back to my first point about the insurance companies and complex healthcare services giants causing and increasing suffering for the sake of profit. How would I feel if Jesus were spending time talking to someone who was profiting from the oppression of others? I don’t have much of an emotional reaction to someone who works for the IRS coming to Jesus. But maybe I would be uncomfortable if I saw Jesus going to the house of a multimillionaire who made his fortune from denying treatment to patients who were paying for health insurance.
But even here in the US, which is the best country to live in that I am aware of, I know there are those who consider taxes as theft, because taxes are compulsory and collected under threat of penalty—such as fines or imprisonment—they constitute a non-consensual taking of property, which is the definition of theft. We know that the Jews in Jesus’ time especially disliked tax collectors, and Jewish tax collectors were considered among the worst of sinners. I was unable to find an exact amount of taxes that the Romans collected since there were so many variables, but for those who want to go deeper, I came across an interesting paper from the Accounting Historians Journal on “Monetary system, taxation, and publicans in the time of Christ” by Alan D. Campbell. You can read it here.
All this to say this, imagine someone who you see as benefiting from the oppression of the masses having Jesus over for dinner in their mansion. How would you feel about that? I am in favor of Jesus blessing the children, healing the paralytics and those suffering from leprosy, restoring sight to the blind, and rebuking the religious leaders of His time. But I can imagine myself being at least a little uncomfortable with Jesus “cozying up” to a rich man who made his wealth from oppressing the defenseless multitudes.
I can imagine Jesus walking with Zacchaeus to his house and someone from the crowd yelling, “No taxation without representation!” But that’s just my imagination. What about you? How do you feel about Jesus extending salvation to the rich and powerful?
For more on the Pharisees complaining about Jesus mingling with sinners, see Luke 5:30-32; 15:1-2,7; 7:39.
Look, I give!
Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”
—Luke 19:8 NKJV
You might be wondering when Zacchaeus stood and said these words. Was it right after he jumped down fro the tree? Was it inside his house? Maybe after dinner? For Luke, this is not important; what matters is that Zacchaeus spoke these words.
Diving Deeper (bonus)
The key issue in this account involves the interpretation of the verbs found in 19:8. How should the present tense (in Greek) of the verbs “give” and “pay back” be interpreted? Are they “customary presents” that reveal what Zacchaeus had been doing for some time? Was Zacchaeus claiming “I have been in the habit of giving half my goods to the poor and paying back fourfold”? If so, Jesus’ words in 19:9 serve more as a vindication of Zacchaeus’s faith than as a statement of his conversion. On the other hand, the verbs can be translated as “futuristic presents,” which reveal what Zacchaeus was about to do, because of his encounter with Jesus, i.e., due to his conversion. Then we should translate these verbs “[As a result of my coming to faith] I shall give half of all I own … and restore fourfold.” The grammar permits either interpretation.
—Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 466.
The latter interpretation fits the context best for several reasons:
If the two verbs in 19:8 are not interpreted as futuristic presents, they then tend to portray Zacchaeus as boasting (see Luke 18:11–12; 15:29; note also 18:21).
“My goods” (tōn hyparchontōn) is better interpreted as “what I have had all along” (As in Luke 8:3; 11:21; 12:15, 33, 44; 14:33; 16:1; Acts 4:32) rather than “my income.”
“I pay back” is best understood as “I shall restore” than “I have always been restoring what I have been defrauding.”
What wealthy man in Luke was not lost and in need of salvation when he met Jesus? (see Luke 6:24; 12:16–21; 16:19–31; 18:18–25.)
The statement “Today, salvation has come to this house,” when taken at face value, suggests that something had just happened to Zacchaeus that had brought him salvation that day. If the verbs are futuristic presents, they serve as signs of Zacchaeus’s repentance and conversion. If they are customary presents, there is no reason to understand why “today” salvation had come.
The previous passages (18:9–14, 15–17, 18–30, 35–43) all deal with individuals being confronted with the offer of salvation.
The final argument involves Luke 19:10. This serves as a summary for Luke not only of this account but of Luke 18:9–19:10. Jesus’ statements in Luke 19:9–10 are therefore best understood as bearing witness to the conversion of this man. Jesus came to Jericho to save a lost Zacchaeus, not to vindicate a righteous Zacchaeus. Although Zacchaeus’s repentance is not specifically mentioned, Luke intended his readers to understand his statement in 19:8 as a witness to fruit in keeping with repentance (3:8); and although faith is not specifically referred to, Luke 19:4, 6, 8 imply its presence.
Note how in Acts 2:38 “faith” is not mentioned but must be assumed, and how in Acts 16:31 “repentance” is not mentioned but must be assumed. (For further discussion, see D. Hamm, “Luke 19:8 Once Again: Does Zacchaeus Defend or Resolve?” JBL 107 (1988): 431–37.)
(Robert H. Stein, 466–467.)
Why are these words spoken by Zacchaeus so important? Because they indicate conversion, a change of heart. Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler to sell all that he had and distribute it to the poor, but as far as we know, he was unwilling to do so because he was very rich. (Luke 18:22-23)
By contrast, the disciples had left everything and followed Jesus (Luke 18:28-30; 5:11; Matthew 4:18–22; Mark 1:16–18). Jesus is not picking on the rich or giving them extra challenges; He is requiring what He requires of all full-hearted surrender. (When Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler to sell all that he had and distribute it to the poor, it did not mean that it is wrong to have possessions. Jesus was revealing to the Rich Young Ruler that he loved his possessions more than he loved God.) It is simply easier to give up everything when you don’t have much. Jesus never said it was impossible for the rich to be saved; He only said it was difficult (Luke 18:24-27). The rich have much more to give up and less of an urgency.
You could argue that it is easier for those who struggle to make ends meet to give up everything and to look forward to the kingdom of heaven. Those who are living more comfortably would have a lower sense of urgency. That is why this story is so important.
The story of Zacchaeus reminds us that even among the rich, there are those looking for what only Jesus can offer. We may see someone who seems to be doing just fine in this sinful world, or even profiting from the abuse of others, and deem them uninterested or unworthy of what God offers. But the story of Zacchaeus reminds us not to count anyone out. Jesus not only knew Zacchaeus by name, but He also had to go to his house. As a result of meeting Jesus, Zacchaeus freely chose to give half of his possessions to the poor, but also to restore four times what he stole. The fourfold restoration may sound random, but it was required in line with the Old Testament laws found in Exodus 22:1 (for less severe instances, see Leviticus 6:5; Numbers 5:7; 1 Samuel 12:3; and 2 Samuel 12:6).
Jesus is not recorded as saying that Zacchaeus had to do any of this. Zacchaeus’ words come as spontaneous and voluntary. He was not coerced; this was not a requirement for his salvation, but rather a response to being saved.
“It is a thank offering expressive of a changed heart.”
—Ellis, E. E. The Gospel of Luke. NCB. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1981.), 261
Zacchaeus’ response reminds me of the early church as described in Acts 4:32.
Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.
—Acts 4:32 NKJV
I like the way Robert Stein puts it.
Zacchaeus provides an example that whereas the demand to sell all (Luke 12:33; 18:22) is not obligatory for all believers, generosity is.
—Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 468.
Salvation
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
—Luke 19:9-10 NKJV
Jesus makes this declaration to Zacchaeus, but also for the benefit of those who had an issue with Him being a guest in the house of a sinner (Luke 19:8).
The lost Zacchaeus had been sought (Luke 19:5) and now saved (Luke 19:10). The promised salvation had come to Zacchaeus and his family (cf. Acts 16:31). Jesus came to seek and save the lost. And, despite the difficulty (Luke 18:24), He can save even a rich man (Luke 19:9).
