Luke 19:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

It is significant that he chose to climb the tree, symbolizing the idea that a good tree bears good fruit, and as he was severed from his natural wild olive heritage and joined to the good olive tree, he could produce the fruit of the law. Though the tree's root is sanctified, its branches may be unworthy; nevertheless, in faith, the Gentile believers surpassed the vanity of the Jews, as if they had ascended in body.

And behold, a man named Zacchaeus (Luke 19:2). Zacchaeus is akin to the blind man on the roadside, one awaited by the Lord for mercy, while the other is honored by the glory of His visitation. The Lord seeks to inquire about him, intending to heal one and blessing the other with His presence, knowing that great blessing awaits the one who welcomes Him. Although the Lord did not hear the invitation, He discerned the sincere disposition of Zacchaeus’s heart.

It is significant that the narrative of this chief tax collector is shared; who could lose hope knowing that even one who gained wealth through deceit can attain salvation? And he was rich (Lk. 19:2), emphasizing that not every wealthy person is avaricious.

Why does Scripture highlight particularly the short stature of one Zacchaeus (Lk. 19:3)? Could it be indicative of minimal malice or perhaps a developing faith within him? When he climbed the tree, he hadn’t yet made pledges or glimpsed Christ, remaining, in a just sense, small. In contrast, John is esteemed for having seen both Christ and the Spirit resting upon Him, as he testified: I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and remaining on Him (John 1:32).

What, then, is a crowd but a chaotic assembly of uninformed individuals who fail to grasp the depths of Wisdom? While Zacchaeus mingled within the throng, he could not see Christ; yet when he rose above it, he was finally able to behold the One he yearned for.

It is aptly noted that the Lord was to pass by there (Luke 19:4), meaning where the sycamore stood or where faith was set to thrive. This illustrates how the Lord maintained mystery and sowed grace; He came forth so that, passing through the Jews, He could reach out to the Gentiles.

He spied Zacchaeus perched high: already he was raised to the heights of faith amid fruits of new deeds, as if atop a fruitful tree. We find joy in this since it is pleasing, in the midst of a harmonious assembly of believers, to rejoice and celebrate on Sunday. Zacchaeus upon the sycamore is presumably new fruit of the new season, fulfilling the saying, The fig-tree has produced its early fruit (Song 2:13); for Christ arrived so that trees might not just bear fruit, but men. Elsewhere we read: When thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee (John 1:48). Nathanael remained under the tree, symbolic of being near the root— for the root is holy (Rom. 11:16); while Zacchaeus is on the tree, above the law. The former awaited Christ through the law; the latter, already transcending the law, was prepared to forsake his wealth to follow the Lord.

Rahab aided Joshua, who guided the people into the land of promise, just as Zacchaeus received the true Christ, who leads us into the heavenly kingdom. This parallels Joshua, who foretold the downfall of Jericho, much like Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem, as noted by Matthew, who states, ‘There shall not remain here a stone upon a stone, which shall not be destroyed’ (Matthew 24:2). Rahab welcomed Jesus, who ushered the Israelites through the Jordan into their promised land, and Zacchaeus embraced the true Christ, who by baptism leads believers to the realm that eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor heart comprehended (1 Cor. 2:9). Rahab received Jesus, who brought forth a vine from the earth on the tree, and Zacchaeus received the true Christ, who brought the thief into paradise.

The spring of Jericho was once a source of desolation, known for its contaminated waters. It had a wide flow, smooth and silent, yet it did not quench the thirst of those who looked upon it; its toxic water was unsafe to drink. The appealing appearance of the spring led many to desire it, but fear of its danger stifled that aspiration. Consequently, water that flowed aimlessly made those nearby suffer, as they were burdened by thirst not due to a lack of water but because it was rendered useless. They lamented to the spring, ‘O spring, why do you flow without any benefit? It would be preferable if you were hidden from sight, or flowed through desolate mountains and deserts, where the evidence of evil would not be witnessed.’ Why was the water undrinkable? It brought death to those who consumed it; a husband rendered unable to father children if he drank, and a woman deprived of motherhood lost her ability to bear offspring. Even the land that took in this water could not produce its usual fruit, the palm trees lost their lush coverings, and everything became barren if it was tainted by this water. Such was the condition of the spring in ancient Jericho until the prophet Elisha came, cast salt into it, and restored its waters. For it is written, 'I have healed these waters' (2 Kings 2:21). Thus speaks the One who continually acts upon His words: ‘There shall not be among you barren or childless' (Deuteronomy 7:14). With His words, the waters were transformed; mothers gave birth, the earth yielded crops, grapes flourished, and olives bore fruit. Those who lived in the vicinity became reconciled to the rejuvenated spring, moving from enmity to joy, forging friendships anew.

What significant truth does the mystery of this spring reveal to us? Though once it flowed with waste and barrenness, now it embodies the life-nurturing essence of the Church. Before Christ’s arrival, even a husband who drank from its waters jeopardized his very humanity, losing his rational soul amid illusions, while the woman was unable to nurture virtues, give rise to humility, or exude the nourishing milk of piety. Yet, despite its previous condition, the Lord arrived and set it aright, rendering it drinkable by infusing it with the presence of the apostles, akin to salt. As Christ declared, ‘You are the salt of the earth' (Matthew 5:13). The prophet foretold the transformation of the barren, declaring: ‘Rejoice, you barren, you who do not bear; shout for joy, you who are not in labor, for more are the children of the desolate than those with a husband’ (Isaiah 54:1). Jesus came to Jericho, the source of life, to those nourished by the spring, the Almighty Grace, to a city abundant in trees and springs. A word concerning Zacchaeus:

Just as God declared, “Let there be light: and there was light” (Gen. 1:3), and the void lay over the deep, so too before Jesus spoke to Zacchaeus, “Today in your house it is fitting for Me to be” (Luke 19:5), the grave darkness of greed oppressed his soul. His thoughts were ensnared, buried alongside his riches in the shadowy corners where the avaricious conceal their wealth: ‘Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also’ (Matt. 6:21), the Lord teaches.

Let us first examine what the Gospel reveals about him. 'At the moment that Jesus entered, He passed through Jericho.' What does this moment signify? It was when He had healed the lepers, when He had granted sight to the blind, and as a result of their testimonies, He drew Zacchaeus with a longing to see Him. Thus, 'When Jesus entered, He passed through Jericho'; not merely Jericho, but also Judea, Galilee, and indeed the whole world, for He did not come to dwell here in bodily form, although for our sake He assumed our flesh—rather, He came to traverse our land and ascend to the heavens, from which He had descended, bringing our nature along with Him to lift it above all principalities and powers. Moreover, in His quest to teach, He journeyed through all regions of Palestine.

In the beginning, He gathered all the light into one source, making the sun the ruler of the day; He did not permit it to remain stationary but caused it to circle the earth. In a similar manner, He united the fullness of the Godhead within a physical body and established Himself as Sovereign over all—earthly and heavenly, visible and hidden, awe-inspiring and majestic. He chose not to be confined to a singular location, but blessed Himself to traverse the earth to fulfill salvation—eternal and unbreakable—among mankind, just as David prophesied: 'God our King before the ages: hath wrought salvation in the midst of the earth’ (Ps. 73:12). For in His journey around the earth, the Lord achieved redemption. As the sun completes its journey across the heavens, so the Sun of Truth, Christ (Mal. 4:2), traversed the central regions of the universe as was necessary—thus entering and passing through Jericho.

Their fellow Jews, who resented paying taxes to their occupiers, viewed them as collaborators, with the terms “publican” and “Gentile” carrying similar connotations of sinfulness. Zacchaeus, as a leader among tax collectors, was regarded by the people as one of the most prominent sinners. However, his recent actions indicated a transformation; he had grown weary of sin, detached from the allure of wealth, and he longed for the treasure of purity. In such a mindset, individuals often seek to reveal the wounds of their conscience to someone, and who better to heal them than Jesus? Zacchaeus felt an involuntary pull towards the Savior who could liberate him from the shackles of sin. Yet, he hesitated to hope for such mercy from the Holy One, feeling unworthy and merely wishing to see Jesus—to compare what he had heard of His compassion, majesty, and holiness against His actual appearance—hoping to find encouragement and consolation in His eyes as he pondered his own fate as a sinner.

This longing, however, seemed unattainable. Zacchaeus, being of short stature, was completely obscured by the throng surrounding Jesus. Yet he spotted a tree along the path where Jesus would pass and hurriedly climbed it, eager to glimpse the face of the Prophet—perhaps even the Messiah—who may soon render judgment upon him, wishing to remain as inconspicuous as possible. It is possible that Jesus had not previously seen Zacchaeus, nor was he known to Him. Yet, could anything truly be hidden from the depths of His compassionate Heart? Could the Merciful One not embrace a wandering soul that was beginning to seek its Shepherd? As they neared the sycamore tree where Zacchaeus was perched, Jesus stopped, looked up at him, and called out, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house."

However, upon hearing the remarkable accounts of Jesus Christ and His wondrous acts, particularly the miracle performed shortly before involving the blind man outside Jericho, he sought to catch a glimpse of Jesus, wishing to know who this glorious and miraculous figure was. Despite his desire to see Jesus, the crowd obstructed his view, and being of short stature, he found it difficult to see over the throngs of people.

Already believing in Christ, Zacchaeus committed to giving half of his wealth to the poor and to repaying anyone he had cheated four times over, pleading for the Lord's forgiveness for his previous transgressions. In response, the Lord proclaimed to Zacchaeus and to those who criticized His presence among sinners, “Today salvation has come to this house, for he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Such an open declaration could have provoked the Pharisees and incurred persecution for the blind man; many who were ahead attempted to silence him, yet he called out even more fervently, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” The needy blind man pleaded earnestly to Jesus, fearing he might miss the chance for healing from the divine healer. His cries pierced the noise of the crowd and reached the ears of the God-man. The Lord halted, instructed that he be brought to Him, and, preparing him to receive the grace of healing, asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” When the blind man replied, “Lord, let me see,” Jesus responded, “See, your faith has saved you.” Instantly, his sight was restored, and he followed Jesus, glorifying his healer. The crowd, having witnessed the miracle, also praised God. Word of Jesus Christ’s arrival in Jericho and the miracle he performed stirred the hearts of the city's inhabitants. Soon, the Lord was joined by a larger crowd that had gathered to meet Him. Everyone pressed closely around the divine traveler, eager to see and hear Him better. Among the curious was Zacchaeus, the leader of the tax collectors and a wealthy man. But his attraction to Jesus stemmed from more than mere curiosity. As a chief among tax collectors, a group despised for their dishonesty, he felt a profound sense of guilt before both God and people. Acknowledging his wealth had come at the expense of others, he recognized his life was far from righteous. The news of Jesus's arrival resonated not only in Zacchaeus’s ears but also in his heart; he yearned to see this exalted Friend of tax collectors and sinners, the marginalized, and to discover solace for his troubled spirit in the gentle and merciful visage of the divine. However, as he was short of stature, Zacchaeus was unable to see the Lord through the throng. Wasting no time, he ran ahead along the roadway and climbed up into a sycamore tree. There, he watched intently for the approach of the One before whom he was ready to reveal the wounds of his heart.