Zacchaeus

As Jesus approached Jericho, he was very likely tired and his mind elsewhere. He had just predicted his impending death and was focused on going straight to his probable doom in Jerusalem. It’s likely that his apostles thought they were being compassionate to him as they kept the crowds away, letting him be thoughtful.

You can imagine they wanted the blind man to be quiet instead of yelling at Jesus, but the more they tried to quiet him, the louder he yelled. The apostles probably felt like failures when Jesus stopped and called for the blind man to be brought to him. Where the apostles saw an inconvenience, Jesus saw an occasion for God to be glorified.

You can glean how quickly the news spread through the small town that one of their own blind men had been healed by Jesus. The man famous for doing miracles and healings had come to their town! Zacchaeus was used to getting news first, so it is likely he knew about Jesus as soon as anyone else, but rather than fight for a place in the crowd, he took advantage of this knowledge and raced ahead to climb a sycamore-fig tree so he could easily see Jesus. He probably didn’t realize that it made him a target for Jesus to see.

Can’t you imagine the different reactions when Jesus told Zacchaeus to come down quickly? Many in the crowd must have been wondering why such a respectable man was up in a tree, and maybe laughed as he scrambled to the ground. The apostles must have wondered why Jesus singled out the man and been astounded at Jesus’ need to eat at his house. Zacchaeus would have been bewildered to hear the stranger call him by name. What a sight that must have been!

The Parable of the Minas sounds a lot like the Parable of the Talents in Matthew, but with some meaningful differences. The Parable of the Minas also combines a story of an unpopular rich man going away, which very possibly was a vague reference to Herod’s trip to Rome to retain his kingship, and his retribution to his enemies when he returned. The crowd must have been very surprised that Jesus would reference that event in public. Keep in mind that Jesus told this parable because the people expected the kingdom of God to appear immediately.