*Luke 19:1-27
In Jericho, Jesus encounters a despised tax collector seeking to see him, leading to an unexpected dinner invitation and Zacchaeus’ redemption.
- Encounter with Zacchaeus:
- Jesus enters Jericho, where Zacchaeus, a wealthy chief tax collector, desires to see him but cannot due to his short stature.
- Zacchaeus climbs a sycamore tree to get a better view.
- Jesus notices him, calls him down, and invites himself to Zacchaeus’s home.
- Overwhelmed with joy, Zacchaeus welcomes Jesus, but some people grumble about Jesus dining with a sinner.
- Zacchaeus’s Repentance and Restoration:
- Zacchaeus publicly pledges to give half his possessions to the poor and repay those he’s defrauded four times over.
- Jesus proclaims that salvation has come to Zacchaeus’s house, affirming Zacchaeus’s identity as a “son of Abraham.”
- Jesus reiterates his mission to “seek and to save the lost.”
- Parable of the Ten Minas:
- Because people expect the kingdom of God to appear imminently, Jesus shares a parable to provide clarity.
- A nobleman leaves to receive a kingdom, giving ten servants one mina each and instructing them to engage in business until he returns.
- Some of the nobleman’s citizens reject his authority and oppose his reign.
- Return and Accountability:
- Upon his return, the nobleman calls the servants to account.
- The first servant reports multiplying his mina tenfold and is rewarded with authority over ten cities.
- The second servant reports a fivefold return and is given authority over five cities.
- Another servant, fearing the nobleman, hid his mina and returns it as-is. The nobleman rebukes him, calling him a “wicked servant,” and orders his mina to be given to the one with ten.
- Lesson of the Parable:
- Jesus underscores that those who use what they have will receive more, while those who don’t will lose even what they have.
- As for the citizens who opposed the nobleman, Jesus says they will face judgment for their rejection.
Luke 19:1-27 teaches us about transformation and responsibility. Zacchaeus, a tax collector, met Jesus and changed his ways, showing that no one is too far from God’s love. This reminds us that when we truly encounter Jesus, our hearts and actions should reflect that change. The parable of the servants also teaches us to use what God has given us wisely. Instead of being afraid or holding back, we should actively do good, help others, and make the most of the opportunities we have to honor God in our daily lives.
Luke 19:1-27 (WEB)
19:1 He entered and was passing through Jericho. 2 There was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, and couldn’t because of the crowd, because he was short. 4 He ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 He hurried, came down, and received him joyfully. 7 When they saw it, they all murmured, saying, “He has gone in to lodge with a man who is a sinner.”8 Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor. If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone, I restore four times as much.”9 Jesus said to him, “Today, salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”11 As they heard these things, he went on and told a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that God’s Kingdom would be revealed immediately. 12 He said therefore, “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. 13 He called ten servants of his and gave them ten mina coins, and told them, ‘Conduct business until I come.’ 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent an envoy after him, saying, ‘We don’t want this man to reign over us.’15 “When he had come back again, having received the kingdom, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by conducting business. 16 The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten more minas.’17 “He said to him, ‘Well done, you good servant! Because you were found faithful with very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’18 “The second came, saying, ‘Your mina, Lord, has made five minas.’19 “So he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’20 Another came, saying, ‘Lord, behold, your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief, 21 for I feared you, because you are an exacting man. You take up that which you didn’t lay down, and reap that which you didn’t sow.’22 “He said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant! You knew that I am an exacting man, taking up that which I didn’t lay down and reaping that which I didn’t sow. 23 Then why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank, and at my coming, I might have earned interest on it?’ 24 He said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to him who has the ten minas.’25 “They said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ 26 ‘For I tell you that to everyone who has, will more be given; but from him who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away from him. 27 But bring those enemies of mine who didn’t want me to reign over them here, and kill them before me.’ ”