Who Was Zacchaeus in the Bible?

Zacchaeus was a chief publican — a Jewish tax collector who served the hated Roman government and had grown rich, likely by extortion. When Jesus passed through Jericho, Zacchaeus, being short of stature, climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Him. To everyone's astonishment, Jesus stopped, looked up, and said, 'Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house' (Luke 19:5). The crowd murmured, but the meeting transformed Zacchaeus's life. He pledged to give half his goods to the poor and to restore fourfold what he had taken wrongfully. Jesus declared, 'This day is salvation come to this house... For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.' Zacchaeus's story is a beautiful picture of true conversion: repentance, restitution, and joyful generosity.