How do Zacheus, the servants and Jerusalem respond?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Zacheus receives Jesus and declares charity and conditional restitution; a parable reports trading and accounting; the approach to Jerusalem brings praise, tears and temple teaching.

Chapter breakdown

# Luke 19 Jesus walks through Jericho. Zacheus, a rich chief of the publicans, wants to see who Jesus is but cannot because of the crowd and his low stature. He runs ahead and climbs a sycamore tree. Jesus looks up, calls him by name and tells him to come down quickly because he must abide in his house that day. Zacheus comes down and receives him joyfully. All who see murmur that Jesus has become a sinner's guest. Zacheus says he gives half his goods to the poor and, if he has wronged anyone, restores fourfold. Jesus says salvation has come to this house because he too is a son of Abraham, and that the Son of man came to seek and save what was lost.

Because Jesus is near Jerusalem and his hearers think the kingdom will immediately be manifested, he adds a parable. A nobleman goes to a far country to receive a kingdom and return. He gives ten pounds to ten servants and orders them to trade until he comes. The separate currency annotation identifies the translated pound as Latin mina and values it in the annotator's coin at three pounds, two shillings and sixpence. Citizens hate him and send an embassy rejecting his reign.

Returning with the kingdom, the nobleman calls the servants to report their gains. The first says his pound gained ten pounds and receives power over ten cities; the second reports five and receives five cities. Another returns the pound kept in a napkin, saying he feared the master's austerity, taking what he had not laid down and reaping what he had not sown. Judging him from his own words, the master asks why he did not put the money in the bank for usury on return. He orders the pound given to the servant with ten. Bystanders object that he already has ten; the reply says more will be given to one who has, while even what the one who has not possesses will be taken. The nobleman orders his enemies brought and killed before him; the execution's completion is not narrated.

Jesus goes up to Jerusalem. Near Bethphage and Bethania at Mount Olivet he sends two disciples to the opposite town to bring a tied colt of an ass on which nobody has sat. They are to answer any question by saying the Lord needs its service. They find it as described, answer the owners who ask why they are loosing it and bring it to Jesus. They put garments on it and seat him there; garments are also spread in the way.

Near the descent of Mount Olivet the disciples praise God loudly and joyfully for the mighty works they have seen, blessing the king coming in the Lord's name and proclaiming peace in heaven and glory on high. Some Pharisees ask Jesus to rebuke them. He answers that if they are silent, the stones will cry out. Seeing the city as he draws near, he weeps and says the things pertaining to its peace are hidden from its eyes. He foretells enemies trenching around it, surrounding and straitening it, beating it and its children flat and leaving no stone upon stone because it did not know the time of its visitation. The enemies are not named here.

Entering the temple, Jesus begins to cast out both sellers and buyers, citing the house of prayer and saying they made it a den of thieves. He teaches daily. Chief priests, scribes and rulers seek to destroy him but find no course of action, because all the people are very attentive to hear him.

The story inside

Jericho and Zacheus precede the pounds parable, the colt and disciples’ praise, the city warning and the temple.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Zacheus gives half his goods; fourfold restitution is conditional on wronging someone.
2
The currency valuation belongs to the annotation’s time, and the nobleman’s execution is an order.
3
Jesus casts out buyers as well as sellers; the siege enemies are unnamed.

Test your recall

Zacheus receives; servants account; colt brought; disciples praise; city warning; temple teaching.

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 119571–119599
19:1. And entering he walked through Jericho. 19:2. And behold, there was a man named Zacheus, who was the chief of the publicans: and he was rich. 19:3. And he sought to see Jesus who he was: and he could not for the crowd, because he was low of stature. 19:4. And running before, he climbed up into a sycamore tree, that he might see him: for he was to pass that way. 19:5. And when Jesus was come to the place, looking up, he saw him and said to him: Zacheus, make haste and come down: for this day I must abide in thy house. 19:6. And he made haste and came down and received him with joy. 19:7. And when all saw it, they murmured, saying, that he was gone to be a guest with a man that was a sinner. 19:8. But Zacheus standing, said to the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have wronged any man of any thing, I restore him fourfold. 19:9. Jesus said to him: This day is salvation come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham. 19:10. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Lines 119601–119658
19:11. As they were hearing these things, he added and spoke a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately be manifested. 19:12. He said therefore: a certain nobleman went into a far country, to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. 19:13. And calling his ten servants, he gave them ten pounds and said to them: Trade till I come. He gave them ten pounds.... In the original, what is here translated a pound, is in Latin, mina, in value of our coin, three pounds two shillings and sixpence. 19:14. But his citizens hated him and they sent an embassage after him, saying: We will not have this man to reign over us. 19:15. And it came to pass that he returned, having received the kingdom: and he commanded his servants to be called, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading, 19:16. And the first came saying: Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 19:17. And he said to him: Well done, thou good servant, because thou hast been faithful in a little, thou shalt have power over ten cities. 19:18. And the second came, saying: Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. 19:19. And he said to him: Be thou also over five cities. 19:20. And another came, saying: Lord, behold here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin. 19:21. For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up what thou didst not lay down: and thou reapest that which thou didst not sow. 19:22. He saith to him: Out of thy own mouth I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up what I laid not down and reaping that which I did not sow. 19:23. And why then didst thou not give my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have exacted it with usury? 19:24. And he said to them that stood by: Take the pound away from him and give it to him that hath ten pounds. 19:25. And they said to him: Lord, he hath ten pounds. 19:26. But I say to you that to every one that hath shall be given, and he shall abound: and from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken from him. 19:27. But as for those my enemies, who would not have me reign over them, bring them hither and kill them before me.
Lines 119660–119710
19:28. And having said these things, he went before, going up to Jerusalem. 19:29. And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethania, unto the mount called Olivet, he sent two of his disciples, 19:30. Saying: Go into the town which is over against you, at your entering into which you shall find the colt of an ass tied, on which no man ever hath sitten: loose him and bring him hither. 19:31. And if any man shall ask you: Why do you loose him? You shall say thus unto him: Because the Lord hath need of his service. 19:32. And they that were sent went their way and found the colt standing, as he had said unto them. 19:33. And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said to them: Why loose you the colt? 19:34. But they said: Because the Lord hath need of him. 19:35. And they brought him to Jesus. And casting their garments on the colt, they set Jesus thereon. 19:36. And as he went, they spread their clothes underneath in the way. 19:37. And when he was now coming near the descent of Mount Olivet, the whole multitude of his disciples began with joy to praise God with a loud voice, for all the mighty works they had seen, 19:38. Saying: Blessed be the king who cometh in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory on high! 19:39. And some of the Pharisees, from amongst the multitude, said to him: Master, rebuke thy disciples. 19:40. To whom he said: I say to you that if these shall hold their peace, the stones will cry out. 19:41. And when he drew near, seeing the city, he wept over it, saying: 19:42. If thou also hadst known, and that in this thy day, the things that are to thy peace: but now they are hidden from thy eyes. 19:43. For the days shall come upon thee: and thy enemies shall cast a trench about thee and compass thee round and straiten thee on every side, 19:44. And beat thee flat to the ground, and thy children who are in thee. And they shall not leave in thee a stone upon a stone: because thou hast not known the time of thy visitation.
Lines 119712–119722
19:45. And entering into the temple, he began to cast out them that sold therein and them that bought. 19:46. Saying to them: It is written: My house is the house of prayer. But you have made it a den of thieves. 19:47. And he was teaching daily in the temple. And the chief priests and the scribes and the rulers of the people sought to destroy him. 19:48. And they found not what to do to him: for all the people were very attentive to hear him.