Jericho

Jericho

Luke 19:1-2, NKJV

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.

Setting the Scene

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record that Jesus passed through Jericho on his final journey to Jerusalem. But only Luke includes the encounter with Zacchaeus that took place there. This is the only instance mentioned in the Gospels when Jesus spent time in Jericho. The ten-mile road from Jerusalem descended to the wide Jordan valley and Jericho. Jesus mentioned the dangers of the desolate, mountainous area of the route in his parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37).

It was Herod the Great who had rebuilt Jericho in one of his grand architectural projects. Rather than add another layer to the traditional site of Jericho, the workers constructed a model city south of the old location. In Jesus’ day, the area around the city was known for its dates and balsam. As an agricultural and trade center, Jericho was a notable source of revenue for the Romans.

If Jesus had not approached Jericho with a traveling crowd, one certainly would have formed on the outskirts of town as he healed the blind man (Luke 18:35-43). Three years into his ministry, Jesus was widely known. His arrival and passage through Jericho may have caused almost as much excitement as the parade that erupted days later when the crowds of Jerusalem welcomed him as a king.

Luke introduces Zacchaeus as a “chief tax collector” who was “rich,” two descriptive points that would have put him on the unwanted list of many people. Zacchaeus would have been widely recognized and resented in Jericho. Not only was he a collaborator with the occupying Romans and therefore a betrayer of his own people, but he also compounded the offense by holding a supervisory role as chief collector. Mention of Zacchaeus’s economic status indicates that he had used his position to enlarge his wealth. Tax collecting under the Roman system was an entrepreneurial playground. Those collecting the tariffs, fees, and taxes kept a percentage for themselves. The larger the take, the more the agent kept for himself. Zacchaeus amassed a fortune and a reputation.

The people of Jericho would have despised Zacchaeus and seen him as a person who had put himself beyond God’s mercy. It would have been as difficult for his fellow residents to see Zacchaeus as an uncertain and terrified searcher after God as it is difficult for us to see certain people as candidates for genuine conversion. It is as easy today as it was in Jesus’ day to relegate certain people to a theologically untouchable category—too rich, too happy, too occupied, too successful, or too evil to reach with the gospel. The fact that we are all sinners means each of us has to deal with God’s visitations in our lives. For Zacchaeus, that moment began when he heard Jesus was coming through Jericho.

Getting Personal

At what points in your life have you experienced a jarring interruption by God?

What were the results of those encounters?

The structures of our lives—possessions, relationships, positions—can be our primary source of security. Sooner or later, we discover that whatever we have amassed, legally or otherwise, isn’t enough. It can be destroyed, lost, or taken away. We are all left looking for something we cannot lose. That quest should lead us to God.

Talking to God

The Lord knows how much we human beings want to depend on security we can see and touch, like money in the bank account. Come to him empty-handed, not depending on any of your earthly bulwarks or foundations, and accept the righteousness of Christ as your only hope for lasting security. Praise him that your life, present and future, is secure in him.