Having seen the miracle of a blind man regaining his sight, the crowd chanted and sang praises to God. They brought this din through the newer Jericho. In the city that day was the district Chief Tax Collector, as Jericho was on a major trade route, and was a major city in that area. Herod the Great had built up a very fine winter playground for the rich and powerful in the balmy year round climate. The main route was lined with large Sycamore trees, which would have grown larger and faster here than almost anywhere in Palestine.
This Chief Taxman was named Zaccheus. All tax collectors were rich, but the Chief all the more so. Jewish peasants naturally hated any tax collector regardless for whom they were collecting taxes, but the Jewish leadership regarded them as complete apostates, Gentiles, sinners regardless of any other factor in their lives, because it was somehow religious treason to collect on behalf of Gentile rulers. Such was the arrogance of the Pharisees, though, they had one other motive for their hatred: Tax collectors were rich without jumping all the hoops Pharisees did. It was embarrassing a Jew could be wealthy, showing God's favor, when clearly they could not be said to actually be in God's favor by Pharisaical reckoning. Zaccheus was the chief outcast in Jewish society, too.
He wanted to see this Jesus of whom he surely had heard much. However, the rabbi was obscured by the tightly packed entourage crowded around Him, and Zaccheus was quite short. He ran ahead of the crowd and climbed up onto the low sprouting limbs for which Sycamores are known. What Zaccheus did not know was Jesus also wanted to see him. The Lord stopped under the tree and called out to Zaccheus, informing him he was to host the rabbi and His disciples for lunch that day. Zaccheus jumped down from the tree, and leaped at the chance to be honored by a famous rabbi.
So great was the impact from the rabbi's teaching and demeanor, Zaccheus stood up and made a bold declaration before witnesses. Such a man would have amassed a great deal of wealth, not only taking his cut from the collections of his agents, but from smart investments he knew of from his taxing of businesses. The actual work of directing other tax collectors didn't demand much time, so he was a man of leisure, able to engage in all sorts of business opportunities. He swore he would first give half of his property to the poor.
Next, he would make the highest rate of restitution for fraud. Tax collection was the business of buying a concession from kings and other officials by paying them whatever they demanded, then receiving the power to regain that payment back, plus some interest, over a set period of time by having sole authority to collect taxes in the government's name. It was rare when tax collectors didn't gouge, both by collecting more than actually authorized, and taxing things and people not exactly authorized. There would surely be an element of vengefulness against anyone who dared to indicate their contempt for "traitorous" tax collectors. However, the behavior Zaccheus addresses here is the power to confiscate property when that may not be entirely justified. Jewish law called for a 20% interest in fraud cases, but Zaccheus volunteered to consider it robbery, by offering to repay fourfold (Exodus 22:1).
All of this says Zaccheus was no longer a rapacious little traitor to his nation. Instead, he was just a fellow with an unpleasant job. More importantly, his allegiance was no longer the cash nexus between himself and some earthly ruler, but an allegiance of faith to a spiritual King. Jesus noted salvation had descended from Heaven upon the man's household, because something lost to the spiritual household of Abraham had been reclaimed, much like a stray sheep. No one said anything about changing careers, but changing his commitments. His secular work was immaterial.
Zaccheus was a member of the team. With such a wealthy backer, and symbolically taking a chunk out of the current political regime by stealing away the allegiance of a major official, Zaccheus, surely they were about to wipe the slate clean and declare the Messianic reign in Jerusalem? There's no doubt the disciples were thinking that way, and no telling how many others. Jesus tried to put the brakes on that. He told a parable, taken from a well known historical event.
Shortly after Jesus was born, Herod the Great died. He divided his large kingdom among his sons. To his son Herod Antipas, he left Galilee and Perea (east bank of the Jordan). There was a counterclaim filed with the imperial Roman Court by the brother of Antipas, Archelaus. This latter man had significant backing from some Jewish leaders. So it was Antipas had to go off to Rome and defend his inheritance. It took quite some time, and he did succeed. Naturally, some of his enemies died when he returned.
Jesus draws upon this story, symbolizing the way things work in His Kingdom. Jesus was not going to proclaim some earthly Messianic kingdom right away. He had to go away to His Father. The Kingdom was not uncontested, and the Jews would certainly reject His rule. Thus, it would be awhile before Jesus came on the clouds to redeem all Creation. While He was gone, there must be a winnowing process to see who would serve and who would not. Some would be more successful than others in building on Kingdom resources, but the only failures would be those who did nothing. The man who returned his mina (100 days' wages for a peasant laborer) intact thought he was faithful, but missed the point entirely. In the Kingdom of the Spirit, it is not about having, but about using. Those who had the Spirit would end up with an abundance from the normal activity of walking in conviction. Those who didn't have the Spirit had nothing that mattered.
Those who dared to actively oppose the Kingdom were doomed. Jesus left of the parable with the warning the Jews who rejected Him, as they surely would, must suffer God's wrath. Just having to discuss this again would leave a sore spot on Jesus' heart as they approached the City.
It was easily an all day hike up from Jericho, climbing some 3000 feet (over 900m) in just the space of a few linear miles. Across a high and rolling tableland, the final climb up the Mount of Olives saw Bethany perched on the eastern slope, and another tiny village higher up, just below the brow of the hill. There, Jesus had pre-arranged with some supporters to supply a donkey. These folks knew Jesus, but didn't recognize the disciples on sight. Once they returned to the road, they placed their cloaks on the beast and on the path in front of Jesus as He rode to over the crest of the mountain.
It was a gesture recognized in many ancient cultures, placing your outer clothing to be trodden by your newly proclaimed ruler. The crowd with Jesus had seen the miracles and welcomed the idea of this rabbi as Messiah. Jesus permitted this ritual, even while He knew they didn't understand the significance. It had all been prophesied, but they barely grasped the mere outward details. As they crested the peak, the crowd was shouting and singing Messianic psalms. Oh, how they longed for that sort of peace! The Pharisees were embarrassed, for this could not possibly be the Messiah; He didn't signify it properly by jumping through their hoops. Their rebuke was met by Jesus' warning this fulfills the prophecies of God. If the crowd were silent, the stones themselves would burst out with the message. Not that it would have helped the Pharisees any.
As the road winds down from the crest of the ridge, there's a place where it turns and opens a broad view of Jerusalem from above. This brought tears to Jesus' eyes, for He knew the doom awaiting it, and why. Songs of peace had little meaning when the city was constant warfare in the hearts and minds of the residents. The only peace which truly mattered, the peace which had some hope of calming the riot of human sin, was the spiritual peace of turning to God in faith. Few souls in Jerusalem knew anything about God's peace. They could not receive the Messiah because He was from the Spirit. Death for Jesus would be victory everlasting. He embraced it. In rejecting Him, the Jews doomed the Nation of Israel. All too soon the city would be surrounded by siege mounds, then torn down level to the ground, neither stones nor citizens standing. God's own Son was coming in the gate today, and would not be recognized. Such a city was dead already, and didn't know it.
He knew it was futile, but He must fulfill the prophecies. Upon entering the Temple area, He saw the entrance plaza filled like a market place. Even as far as Rome, it was a notorious racket. Jews coming to Passover from around the world had to exchange their home currencies for the Temple shekel. If they waited until they reached the Bazaars of the Sons of Annas on the Temple grounds, they would be gouged on the exchange rate. Further, no animal offerings would make the trip in shape to be accepted, or so said the Sons of Annas and their associates in the priesthood. So they had to buy an offering from the Sons of Annas, paying an awful premium, but somehow it always passed inspection. Worse than all this, the corrupt market clogged the Temple grounds. Jesus drove them all out with a whip. All the while, He charged them with making God's own house a home for thieves.
Had Jesus merely been harassing the Romans, His nation might have had more interest in His message. Instead, He spent a lot more energy pointing out the flaws of the Jewish leadership. They didn't need the kind of Messiah who promised to sweep them away. Most galling was how very popular this very idea made Him with the people. Respect the rulers had, but love was something they never bothered to cultivate. They felt deeply threatened, but spoke in terms of His leading the people astray. And what would Rome do to those people if the Jewish leaders who kept Rome at a distance, those savvy politicians who knew how to handle the pagan empire, were gone? But they couldn't touch Jesus. Every day the man gathered a crowd in the Temple grounds, tearing down the leadership's position. The peasants loved Him.
Return to Luke Index
[<-- Previous]
[Next -->]
By Ed Hurst
11 October 2008
COPYRIGHT NOTICE: People of honor need no copyright laws; they are only too happy to give credit where credit is due. Others will ignore copyright laws whenever they please. If you are of the latter, please note what Moses said about dishonorable behavior -- "be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23)