Jesus & Zacchaeus
A Short Man
Luke 19:1-10about 2 minutes to read aloud
Jesus came to Jericho and was passing through. In that town was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. His neighbors did not like him, because he had taken more than was owed.
He wanted to see who Jesus was, but he was a short man, and the crowd was thick. So he ran ahead of the road and climbed up into a sycamore tree.
When Jesus came to the place, He looked up. He saw Zacchaeus in the branches. He called him by name. "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down. Today I must stay at your house."
Zacchaeus climbed down quickly and welcomed Jesus with joy. But the crowd murmured. "He has gone to be the guest of a sinner."
Inside his house, Zacchaeus stood up. "Lord, here and now I give half of what I have to the poor. And if I have cheated anyone of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."
Jesus said, "Today salvation has come to this house. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." And a small man came home to the family of God.
Questions to talk about
Why did Zacchaeus climb the tree?
Show the answer
He was a short man, and he climbed the sycamore tree to see Jesus.
What did Jesus say to him?
Show the answer
Jesus called him by name and invited Himself to Zacchaeus's house.
What did Zacchaeus promise?
Show the answer
He promised to give half to the poor and to repay four times what he had taken wrongly.
The lesson
Jesus sees the ones the crowd does not. He calls them by name, and His welcome changes everything.
