New Testament · Luke 19:1–10
Zacchaeus Meets Jesus — Bible Story for Kids
Zacchaeus was a short tax collector who climbed a tree to see Jesus. Jesus called him by name and came to his house, and Zacchaeus changed his ways.
This is a retelling for children, written by BibleKenya from the Bible passages shown on each picture. It is not a Bible translation.
In the city of Jericho lived a man named . He was a chief , and he was rich.
entered and was passing through Jericho. There was a man named . He was a chief , and he was rich.
Bible explorer Tax collectors often took more money than they should (Luke 3:12-13).
wanted to see , but he was short and the crowd was big. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree!
He was trying to see who was, and couldn't because of the crowd, because he was short. He ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way.
Bible explorer A sycamore here is a kind of fig tree that is easy to climb.
stopped, looked up and said, ", hurry and come down! I am coming to your house today." Zacchaeus hurried down, full of joy.
When came to the place, he looked up and saw him, and said to him, ", hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house." He hurried, came down, and received him joyfully.
Some people grumbled. " is going to the house of a sinner!"
When they saw it, they all murmured, saying, "He has gone in to lodge with a man who is a sinner."
said, "I will give half of what I have to the poor. If I cheated anyone, I will pay back four times as much!" said, "Today has come to this house."
stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor. If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone, I restore four times as much." said, "Today, has come to this house. For the came to seek and to save that which was lost."
Bible explorer Paying back four times was more than the law required (compare Leviticus 6:5).
The end of the story
Read it in the Bible
This is the Bible text itself, from the version shown. Scripture in WEBWorld English Bible — Protestant Edition
Luke 19:1–10 WEB
1He entered and was passing through Jericho. 2There was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3He was trying to see who Jesus was, and couldn’t because of the crowd, because he was short. 4He ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was going to pass that way. 5When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6He hurried, came down, and received him joyfully. 7When they saw it, they all murmured, saying, “He has gone in to lodge with a man who is a sinner.” 8Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor. If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone, I restore four times as much.” 9Jesus said to him, “Today, salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Who is in the story?
- Zacchaeus A rich chief tax collector in Jericho (Luke 19:2).
- Jesus He called Zacchaeus by name and stayed at his house (Luke 19:5).
Words to learn
- Repentance
- To repent means to be sorry for doing wrong and to turn around and go God's way. When Zacchaeus met Jesus, he gave back what he had taken.
- Salvation
- Salvation means being rescued. God rescued Israel at the sea, and Jesus came to rescue people from sin.
- Son of Man
- A phrase meaning "a human being", used of the prophet Ezekiel; in Daniel's vision a "son of man" receives an everlasting kingdom. Jesus often called himself the Son of Man.
- Tax collector
- A tax collector took money from people for the rulers. Zacchaeus was a tax collector who changed after meeting Jesus.
What can we learn from this passage?
Jesus called Zacchaeus by name when others only grumbled about him. Meeting Jesus changed Zacchaeus, and he chose to give generously and repay those he had cheated. Luke 19:5Luke 19:8–10