There are some theories that he was not actually short and crowd was conspiring to block him out because of his low stature socially, or that he was already an honest saved man who had heard the preaching of John the Baptist, but these are both unverifiable and irrelevant. The point is that Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector at Jericho. As such, he would have been very rich, but considered corrupt, a thief, and a traitor by his own people for giving the Jews’ tax money to the Romans. The crowd was shocked when Jesus talked to him, much less went to his house and ate with him.
The story of Zacchaeus is only mentioned in Luke, but it is clear why when one understands why Luke wrote his Gospel. Luke was a Greek doctor and the only non-Jewish New Testament writer. Luke was a companion of Paul, so much of the book of acts is written from firsthand knowledge, but the Gospel of Luke was written based on first hand testimony of others. His writing of Luke and Acts as 2 volumes is written in the style of and has many parallels with Greek historians. His writing is the salvation history of Jews and gentiles alike. He emphasizes Jesus forgiving tax collectors and sinners as well as ministering to the poor, outcasts, etc… He focuses on Jesus as savior of the lost through forgiveness and mercy to sinners. It’s all about Christ’s sacrifice for us who don’t deserve it. This is exemplified in Luke 19:10, where he states, “For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Why is it mentioned that it was a sycamore-fig tree? The word for the tree in Greek is sukomorea and was known for bearing much fruit and being an important part of the local economy. They symbology of trees bearing fruit can be found here.The word for how Zacchaeus was described as an extortioner is sukophantes (from which the word sycophant comes from). That word literally means fig shower, after sellers in the market who cheated. Therefore, these two words create a play on words. Also, paradoxically, the name Zacchaeus means “pure or righteous.” Therefore, a man named “righteous”, who was considered a sycophant climbed into a sycamore-fig tree, which bore much fruit, to look at the righteous one who bore much fruit and would hang on a tree for us sick with sin to look up at.
What happened to Zacchaeus after that meeting? A Zacchaeus is mentioned by Clement of Rome (Clementine Homilies iii.63) as having been a companion of Peter and appointed bishop of Caesarea. The “Apostolic Constitutions” claim this is the same man. Later Clement of Alexandria states the Zacchaeus was Matthias, who took the place of Judas after Jesus’ ascension. Early church legends often equate people mentioned in the Bible and continuing in professional church work, but the other option is that he just remained a tax collector and served God through his vocation.
