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Heavenly City · 6. Jesus heals and welcomes

Hall of treasures

Read it in the Bible: Luke 19:1–10

A marble hall overflowing with gold. A rich tax collector named Zacchaeus climbed a tree to see Jesus, and his life was changed.

Read it
Luke 19:1–10
Where
Jericho
Key words
"To seek and to save the lost"
Real world
Jericho, one of the oldest towns in the world

Find it on the map

Part 22 of 35 Zacchaeus

In the city of Jericho lived Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector who was very rich. Tax collectors were disliked, because many took more money than they should. Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, but he was short and could not see over the crowd, so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree.

When Jesus reached the tree, he looked up and said: "Zacchaeus, hurry down, for I must stay at your house today" (Luke 19:5). People grumbled, but Zacchaeus welcomed him joyfully and said: "Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold" (Luke 19:8).

Jesus said: "Today salvation has come to this house… For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:9–10).

Tell es-Sultan, the mound of ancient Jericho, where people lived more than 10,000 years ago. Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Imagined The hall

Chests of glowing gold spill out onto the steps of this great hall, but no one guards them, because in this city no one needs to steal, and everyone is glad to give.

An old sycamore fig tree in Jericho, shown to visitors as the tree of Zacchaeus. Photo: James Emery from Douglasville, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Real world Jericho

Jericho, near the Jordan River, is one of the oldest towns in the world: people have lived beside its spring for more than 10,000 years. It lies about 250 meters below sea level, lower than almost any other town on Earth.

Real world Giving and happiness

In a study published in 2008, psychologists gave people a small amount of money in the morning. Some were told to spend it on themselves and others to spend it on someone else. By the evening, the people who had spent the money on others felt happier.

Art In this artwork

The illustration shows a grand marble hall with tall gold doors, gold columns and open chests of glowing gold on the steps.

Look closer

  • Find the open chests of gold.
  • Look at the doors. What are they made of?

Think about it

  1. Why do you think Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus so badly?
  2. What changed in Zacchaeus after he met Jesus?
  3. What kind of "treasure" could you give that doesn't cost money?

Key words

Tax collector
Someone who collects money that people must pay to the government.
Salvation
Being saved and made right with God.
Fourfold
Four times as much.

Sources

Bible quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible, which is in the public domain. The other facts on this page come from these sources:

  • The Bible, Gospel of Luke
  • Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Jericho"
  • Dunn, Aknin and Norton, "Spending money on others promotes happiness", Science (2008)

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