Luke 19:1-10 NRSVue

1He entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 8Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” 9Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”


Reflection on Luke 19:1-10

Inspiration from 2025-11-18 Daily Prayer

Zacchaeus showed a great desire to see Jesus. He ran and climbed a tree. In John 1:38, we read of the two disciples who asked Jesus, ‘Where do you dwell?’ And they spent the rest of the day with him. St Ignatius stresses the importance of our desire for God. To pray Psalm 62 slowly is a wonderful help in this.

Jesus looked up at Zacchaeus in the tree and said, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.’ In the moment that their eyes met, Zacchaeus recognised the love and compassion that was inviting him to a conversion of heart. We can now encounter in prayer this same Lord who looks lovingly upon us and is inviting us to come now and meet him.

Further reflection

Zacchaeus used his imagination to see above the heads of those who came between Jesus. Do I allow someone stopping me from seeing Jesus?


Jesus saw what was holding Zacchaeus back from living fully and freely. I ask Jesus to speak to me about my life, to help and to heal me.


Jesus made Zacchaeus' day, and everybody else began to grumble.


What is going on here?


What does it say to me?