Luke 19:7
And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The grumbling crowd focused on Zacchaeus's sinfulness, completely missing that Jesus’s visit was precisely because Zacchaeus, despite his reputation, was exactly the kind of "lost sheep" Jesus came to find and save. Their judgment reveals their own blindness to God's mission of rescue, while Jesus demonstrates His purpose by entering the very place they deemed untouchable.
Jesus has just healed a blind man named Bartimaeus on the road into Jericho, an act that draws a crowd. As Jesus passes through the city, he specifically seeks out and calls Zacchaeus, a notoriously wealthy but despised chief tax collector, inviting himself to stay at Zacchaeus's home. This unexpected invitation sparks outrage and grumbling from the onlookers who cannot fathom Jesus associating with such a "sinner."
Why did the crowd get so upset when Jesus simply went to dinner? It highlights a fundamental difference in how we see people and how God sees them.
The crowd in Jericho was outraged that Jesus would associate with Zaccheus, a tax collector. They saw him as a 'sinner,' a term that in that culture often meant an outcast, someone morally corrupt, and in Zaccheus' case, likely greedy and oppressive.
This tension between human judgment based on outward appearances and God's mission to save the lost is a recurring theme throughout Jesus's ministry.
Zaccheus was rich and likely influential, yet he went to extreme, even embarrassing, lengths just to catch a glimpse of Jesus. What drove him?
The crowd's anger and Jesus's gracious invitation to Zaccheus's home overshadow another crucial element: Zaccheus's own deep-seated desire.
Understand the original words
hamartōlos · Greek Noun
In the New Testament, this often refers to those who openly oppose God’s law, are morally deficient, or are considered social outcasts because of their lifestyle; in this context, it reflects the religious leaders' judgment of Zacchaeus as one outside the covenant community.
The intense societal condemnation of tax collectors in first-century Judea, viewed as collaborators with Roman oppressors and notorious sinners, provides the stark backdrop for Jesus' radical inclusion of Zaccheus. The 'murmuring' of the crowd wasn't just personal dislike, but a reflection of deep-seated religious and nationalistic prejudice against those who served the occupying power.
Early 1st century AD
Roman occupation of Judea
Judea was under Roman rule, with local leaders like tax collectors (publicans) enforcing Roman law and collecting taxes, often leading to resentment among the Jewish population.
Early 1st century AD
Jesus' public ministry in Galilee and Judea
Jesus traveled throughout the region, teaching, healing, and gathering disciples, attracting large crowds but also facing opposition from religious leaders.
Early 1st century AD
Jesus' final journey to Jerusalem
Jesus was making his way towards Jerusalem for Passover, knowing his arrest and crucifixion were imminent. His entry into Jericho marked a significant stop on this journey.
Early 1st century AD— this verse
Jesus' encounter with Zaccheus in Jericho
Jesus, despite his growing fame, chose to enter the home of Zaccheus, a chief tax collector, an act that shocked the onlookers.
calvinLuke 19:1-10: "And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho."
- And having entered, he passeth through Jericho. [674] 2. And, lo, a man named Zaccheus, and he was chief of the publicans, and was rich. 3. And he sought to see Jesus who he was, [675] and could not on account of the multitude; for he was of small stature. 4. And running before, he climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him; for he was to pass that way. 5. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said to hi…
vincentLuke 19:7: "And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner."
To be guest (καταλῦσαι)More correctly, Rev., lodge. See on Luke 9:12.A sinnerSee on Luke 3:12.
The grumbling crowd focused on Zacchaeus's sinfulness, completely missing that Jesus’s visit was precisely because Zacchaeus, despite his reputation, was exactly the kind of "lost sheep" Jesus came to find and save. Their judgment reveals their own blindness to God's mission of rescue, while Jesus demonstrates His purpose by entering the very place they deemed untouchable.
Jesus has just healed a blind man named Bartimaeus on the road into Jericho, an act that draws a crowd. As Jesus passes through the city, he specifically seeks out and calls Zacchaeus, a notoriously wealthy but despised chief tax collector, inviting himself to stay at Zacchaeus's home. This unexpected invitation sparks outrage and grumbling from the onlookers who cannot fathom Jesus associating with such a "sinner."
Jesus has just healed a blind man named Bartimaeus on the road into Jericho, an act that draws a crowd. As Jesus passes through the city, he specifically seeks out and calls Zacchaeus, a notoriously wealthy but despised chief tax collector, inviting himself to stay at Zacchaeus's home. This unexpected invitation sparks outrage and grumbling from the onlookers who cannot fathom Jesus associating with such a "sinner."
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Luke 19:7 is available in the Sola app.
This encounter shows that God often initiates contact, but He also responds to a sincere, even if unarticulated, longing in people's hearts. Zaccheus's actions were a 'preparation for faith,' a sign of a spiritual hunger that God was about to satisfy.
Early 1st century AD
The crowd's reaction to Jesus' visit
The onlookers, viewing Zaccheus as a sinner due to his profession, grumbled about Jesus associating with him, revealing their prejudice and misunderstanding of Jesus' mission.
Early 1st century AD
Zaccheus' repentance and transformation
In response to Jesus' presence and the crowd's criticism, Zaccheus publicly declared his repentance, promising to restore fourfold to those he had wronged and give half his wealth to the poor.
Early 1st century AD
Jesus declares salvation has come to Zaccheus' house
Jesus affirmed that salvation had come to Zaccheus' household, highlighting that his mission was to seek and save the lost, embracing even those the religious establishment scorned.
"And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”" — The grumbling crowd focused on Zacchaeus's sinfulness, completely missing that Jesus’s visit was precisely because Zacchaeus, despite his reputation, was exactly the kind of "lost sheep" Jesus came…
