“Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.” (v 1) Jericho was a very profitable place. The aristocracy had winter homes there, and it was a major crossroad for agriculture and trade. Zacchaeus lived right on the main road in town, probably close to the gates so he could collect taxes as the merchants came to… Read More »

“He was a chief tax collector and was rich.” (v 2) Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector. That’s actually the first thing Luke thinks of when he has to describe Zacchaeus. His entire life was defined by his occupation, because it was his occupation that made him what he was. Because of his job, Zacchaeus… Read More »

“…but on account of the crowd he could not…” (v 3) Crowds are not houses. In your house, you have control. In a crowd, you are just a part of a thing that isn’t yours at all. You don’t get to decide what the crowd does or where you get to stand. If you’re a… Read More »