{"id":289,"date":"2023-11-08T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-08T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/?p=289&2023"},"modified":"2023-11-06T17:00:12","modified_gmt":"2023-11-07T00:00:12","slug":"the-real-truth-zacchaeus-learned-luke-19-1-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/the-real-truth-zacchaeus-learned-luke-19-1-10\/","title":{"rendered":"The Real Truth Zacchaeus Learned: Luke 19:1-10"},"content":{"rendered":"
Focus Passage: Luke 19:1-10 (NCV)<\/div>

\u00a01<\/sup> Jesus was going through the city of Jericho.\u00a02<\/sup> A man was there named Zacchaeus, who was a very important tax collector, and he was wealthy.\u00a03<\/sup> He wanted to see who Jesus was, but he was not able because he was too short to see above the crowd.\u00a04<\/sup> He ran ahead to a place where Jesus would come, and he climbed a sycamore tree so he could see him. 5<\/sup> When Jesus came to that place, he looked up and said to him, \u201cZacchaeus, hurry and come down! I must stay at your house today.\u201d <\/p>\r\n

\u00a06<\/sup> Zacchaeus came down quickly and welcomed him gladly.\u00a07<\/sup> All the people saw this and began to complain, \u201cJesus is staying with a sinner!\u201d<\/p>\r\n

\u00a08<\/sup> But Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, \u201cI will give half of my possessions to the poor. And if I have cheated anyone, I will pay back four times more.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

\u00a09<\/sup> Jesus said to him, \u201cSalvation has come to this house today, because this man also belongs to the family of Abraham. 10<\/sup> The Son of Man came to find lost people and save them.\u201d<\/p>

Read Luke 19:1-10<\/a> in context and\/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!<\/p><\/div><\/div>\r\n

Have you ever had an impression of someone, simply from what other people have said about them, but then found out later that they were not what you had thought? In some cases, the person you meet came as a high recommendation from someone you trust, but you find out after meeting them that they are not as great as you imagined.<\/p>\r\n

In other cases, the rumor mill has run wild and someone has a horrible reputation \u2013 whether it is because of their occupation, their friends, or simply because they are in the spotlight \u2013 when in reality, they are a much better person than their reputation suggests.<\/p>\r\n

When I read this story of Zacchaeus, I am presented with two sides of a coin. On one side, we have the traditional view, which Zacchaeus being the stereotypical cheat \u2013 the reputation that tax collectors had in those parts of the Roman empire. Looking at Zacchaeus from this view is easy and it is what people have done for years.<\/p>\r\n

On the other side of the coin, I am presented with a different picture \u2013 one that will take a little bit of math to explain. One morning, as I was reading and studying this passage, this other view changed how I saw Zacchaeus from that point forward.<\/p>\r\n

To begin this shift in thinking, I began with the logical assumption that Zacchaeus was good at math. As someone who was the head tax collector in the region, he would have had ample experience crunching the numbers \u2013 whether it was \u201ccreatively\u201d doing the math or accurately doing the math.<\/p>\r\n

Next, I looked at Jesus\u2019 positive response, which affirmed Zacchaeus\u2019 response and generosity, and concluded that in Zacchaeus was being genuine and honest in his promise to give his money away. Jesus would not have reacted positively if Zacchaeus did not mean what he was saying, or if the promise was empty.<\/p>\r\n

Then, I crunched the numbers of what Zacchaeus promised. First he starts by allocating half his wealth to go straight to the poor, and then secondly, he promises to repay anyone he cheated four times the amount that was cheated. Let\u2019s do the math:<\/p>\r\n