Zacchaeus The Innocent

But we have to remember that Zacchaeus’ name in Hebrew means “innocent.” How would you like to live your entire life with a name like innocent?

(There are biblical examples that teach us that a person’s name is often given to a child based on the circumstances of the family or mother. See for example the name Jabez found in 1 Chronicles 4:9.)

The truth about the bible with all its stories and parables and teaching of Jesus is that underneath the surface of the drama, there is a deeper plot, an often hidden factual moral that Jesus is trying to teach us a truth, a reality, a real life lesson based on facts not fiction.

What if we translate the Greek word give “didomi” δίδωμι as indicative present active tense, as "I am donating" or "I am giving" which has the force of "I not only have been giving half of everything I have to the poor but I plan to continue to give in the future."

This turns the story on its ear because this now means Zacchaeus is actually a more "righteous" man than the religious leaders in the crowd who excluded Zacchaeus. They would not even give him a place in line to see Jesus pass by. They made a barrier and between him and Jesus because of Zacchaeus’ profession was a tax collector. They judged him, convicted him, and denied that he even to be allowed to see Jesus. Zacchaeus was shunned and mocked and excluded and had to climb up into a sycamore tree just to get a glimpse of this Messiah Jesus.

Imagine living your whole life with the name "Zacchaeus" or Hebrew your name is "Innocent" imagine if you were a good and honest tax collector (which was almost unheard of in those days) but you had lived up to your name and was good, honest, and a moral person, present indicative active tense, parsed grammatically as linear in contextualized translation. Meaning Zacchaeus was a good moral person, he was a generous giver, was an honest businessman. He was a philanthropist, a humanitarian, a charitable donor. There wasn’t anything he needed to change about his life except one thing and that was to meet Jesus.

How many good, honest, moral, Zacchaeus' do you know who need to meet Jesus?

You can be hated by the crowds and be innocent. You can be innocent by standards of the world and be lost and bound for hell.

This story about Zacchaeus happens at an important place and at an important time. Jesus is in the city of Jericho which about seventeen miles from Jerusalem. So in just a few short days Jesus will be entering the Holy City followed by a parade like none that has ever been seen in Jerusalem before. It is a few days before Palm/Passion Sunday and Holy Week.

Jesus has already predicted his death in Luke chapter 18. Three times Jesus has told the crowd of Jews. The crowd of religious people. The crowd of moral elites. The crowd of decedents of Abraham. The richest, the best the most powerful Jews are being told by Jesus that their physical birthright as honorable as it maybe will soon be null and void. The Old Covenant will be done away with and a new Kingdom will be ushered in.