The story of Zacchaeus has always fascinated me. Perhaps that fascination has been enhanced because of my visits to Jericho. Luke 19:1-10 tells of an occasion when Jesus was passing through Jericho. On this day, word began to circulate that Jesus was coming to town, and Zacchaeus wanted to get a glimpse of Him. He was not the only one. The crowd was so large, and Zacchaeus was so short, that he had to climb a tree to see Jesus when He passed by. Imagine his surprise when Jesus stopped right in front of the tree Zacchaeus was in, looked up at him, and said, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”

It not only shocked Zacchaeus, it shocked everyone else, and not in a good way. Did Jesus not know who this man was? Zacchaeus was a tax collector for the Romans, and the people saw tax collectors as greedy traitors who took advantage of hardworking local citizens. And yet, this visit to this sinner’s home resulted in Zacchaeus becoming a follower of Jesus. Salvation came to his home.

Unlike some who are ashamed to make a public confession, the transformation of Zacchaeus was obvious to everyone. He gave half of all he possessed to the poor, and he paid back four times the amount of money to those he had cheated.

This whole scene was different from most of Jesus’ interactions with other people. Jesus didn’t heal Zacchaeus from a physical illness. He didn’t give Zacchaeus food or water. In fact, Jesus asked Zacchaeus for something. He asked to be invited to his home, and ultimately, into his life. He’s still asking the same today.