Bible Text

Luke 19:1-10 (ESV)

¹ He entered Jericho and was passing through. ² And behold, 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 in 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.”

• How is Zacchaeus described? In Jesus’ day, tax collectors were considered traitors who often overtaxed their own people for personal gain. In attempting to see Jesus, what obstacles—internal and external—did Zacchaeus have to overcome? What does this reveal about his heart?
• What internal and external obstacles get in my way of “see[ing] Jesus”?

Luke 19:5-7

• What can I learn about the heart of God through Jesus’ response to Zacchaeus?
• Contrast this to the crowd’s view of Zacchaeus.  What does their response in v. 7 reveal about how they saw themselves?

Luke 19:8

• Contrast Zacchaeus’ response to Jesus with the rich ruler’s response in Luke 18. How was Zacchaeus able to so decisively give up his wealth?