Jesus enters Jericho and passes through the city. A man named Zacchaeus wants to see who Jesus is.

Zacchaeus is not simply a tax collector but a chief tax collector, and Luke says that he is wealthy. Because he is short and cannot see over the crowd, he runs ahead and climbs a sycamore tree.

When Jesus reaches the place, he looks up and addresses Zacchaeus by name. He tells him to come down quickly because Jesus must stay at his house that day.

Zacchaeus comes down and welcomes him joyfully. The surrounding crowd reacts very differently. They complain that Jesus has gone to be the guest of a sinner.

Zacchaeus stands and announces that he will give half of his possessions to the poor. If he has defrauded anyone, he will repay four times the amount.

Jesus responds that salvation has come to this house, identifying Zacchaeus as a son of Abraham. He then summarizes his mission: the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.

The story turns a desire merely to see Jesus into a public transformation of hospitality, money, and restitution. The crowd sees a compromised tax official; Jesus’ response brings the question of repentance and restoration into Zacchaeus’s own home.