*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.
19:1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
19:2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
19:3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
19:4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
19:5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
19:6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
19:7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
19:8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
19:9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
19:11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.
19:12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
19:13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
19:14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
19:15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
19:16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
19:17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
19:18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
19:19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
19:20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: 19:21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
19:22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: 19:23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? 19:24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.
19:25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) 19:26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.
19:27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.