Luke 19.1-10 - Jesus seeks out Zacchaeus, by Jeremy Stephens (adapted from John Teter)

Some Basic Rules: enjoy each other, be honest, be open to growing, be curious

Introduction

Potential movie clips:

Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade - where father and son are captured by Germans and being questioned on the whereabouts of Marcus Brody (before they set fire to the castle).

The Matrix - Trinity finds Neo in the dance club, "You've been looking for something your whole life ... It's the question that drives us."

• Do you remember the last time you really searched for something? Or Someone? Describe the experience. What was that like and why? [When we are driven we will do crazy things]

Explore the cultural background of a Tax-collector and how utterly reviled they were in this culture:
1. They were traitors to the nation of Israel
2. They were common thieves and earned their money from skimming funds off the top
3. They were so unashamed of their vileness; they are similar to our child molesters today

[May be a good spot to demonstrate how people treated them by everyone in the group turning their backs to one individual, while still speaking to each other.]

Read passage

• What do we learn about Zaccheus from his description? What can we imply about his personality?
• Has there ever been something that you "just gotta do" (see celebrity, ride space mountain, get a date) so much so that you would do anything to accomplish it? What "tree" did you climb to do it?
• What are you pursuing in your life now? What "tree" are you in right now?
• Notice the crowds responses to Z. in v3 & 7. How would that have made him feel? (May be a good place to demonstrate how people treated him by everyone in the group turning their backs to one individual, while still speaking to each other. Refer back to previous demonstration if it was done) Have you ever felt that way?
• How might Zaccheus of felt when Jesus stopped, called him by his name and invited himself to lunch at his house?
• How would you feel if that happened to you? (You can refer to back turning demonstration)
• Why were the crowds angry and murmuring when Jesus hangs with Zaccheus?
• How would you describe Zaccheus' actions with his money, especially in light of his background and job?
• What has happened for Zaccheus that would cause him to do something so drastic?
• What does Jesus' salvation look like in the life of Zaccheus?

• Jesus stops in the middle of his busyness for non-Christians
• He loves (really loves) people who are the complete outcasts of society and wants to bless them, be with them (hang out)
• He knows people by their name and calls them to get out of the tree and check him out...Today!
• Jesus will help you in the most difficult issues in your life and calls for your cooperation in his plan for the world
• Religious people will murmur when God is on the scene loving sin-filled people

• What is your reaction to Jesus going and "hanging out" with a "sinner"? Does it surprise you that Jesus wants to be in relationship with people like Zaccheus (child molesters)? Does it give you hope or des it anger you?
• How does Jesus offer of salvation, freedom, friendship and transformation sound to you?

The leader is encouraged to give his/her personal testimony: how he/she was like the person of Zaccheus before Jesus, and then how Jesus changed him/her as was Zaccheus.

• How do you respond to Jesus' call to "come down immediately, I must stay (hang out) at your house today?"
• What must you do to get out of the "tree" and really get to know Jesus?

Background Info - use only if it helps

Tax collectors:
The "chief" tax gatherer would be the one who contracted for sales and customs taxes and hired collectors under him. Given this role, Zacchaeus could have become rich without cheating; but it seems that he had cheated anyway (19:8).

Eating customs:
No matter how high their status, people did not normally invite themselves to someone else's home. Pious Jews would also be loath to enter the home of a tax gatherer or to eat of his food (which Jesus' language also implies); because someone unreligious enough to collect taxes would not be careful about tithing his foodstuffs, Pharisees would not trust what he offered.⁴