HE SUN BAKED THE small group as it slowly made its way from the Jordan River up to the hills of the Judean wilderness, small clouds of dust rising from each footstep, covering everything. And there was silence, heavy silence, falling over the entire scorched earth, broken only by the man walking in the center of the dusty group.

His tall, lithe body—covered with a simple tunic of rough cloth, the color of which was nearly indistinguishable from the surrounding desert—moved smoothly and easily.

It told of a life of foot travel, of a man whose home was the road.

As they walked, Jesus talked.

The mood was somber. The disciples and those with them had just witnessed a disturbing scene. A man, well known for his purity and devotion to his Jewish religion, had been to see Jesus. A bright young man with a promising future, he’d sought public affirmation of his righteousness.*

“Good master,” he had asked, “what must I do to receive eternal life?”

“You know the commandments,” replied Jesus, and He began to list them.

“I have done all these things since I was a youth. Do I lack nothing else?”

The gentle dark eyes of Jesus pierced him. “One thing is lacking. Sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow Me.”

Unwilling to pay the price, the young man had left dejected—causing Jesus to make the intriguing statement: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven.”

In amazement the people looked at one another. “Who then can be saved?” they wondered out loud. Did He really expect them all to do that? And if not, then why did He ask it of this man?

Jesus went over with them yet again the importance of priorities. Wealth was not the problem. Abraham, Job, and many others had stayed true to God despite their wealth. The issue was worship. Which did they value more, the love of God and others, or the love of money?

A Camel in the Way
The outline of walls emerged from the shimmering desert as they approached the crowded eastern gate of Jericho. As the commercial traffic made its way to Jerusalem through that city, Pontius Pilate, the Roman procurator for Judea, was sure to extract every possible tax. Situated near one of the few crossings of the Jordan, Jericho had become a major center for tax collection.

Jesus and His followers found the gate blocked by a camel caravan loaded heavily with dates and nuts. The shrill voice of the Arab owner rose and fell in protest of the tax. Soon it rose louder yet as the tax collector levied his own administration fee. Slowly the traffic began to move again, and the crowd around Jesus eased through the gate and into the narrow street. Stone walls rose closely on either side, at points so near that a person could stretch out their arms and touch both sides. The dense crowd was suffocating, the clamor dizzying.

At length Jesus emerged from the west gate and stepped into the hot sun.

Ahead the road climbed into hill country. And beside it stood a sprawling sycamore on which the weather had taken its toll, leaving the ancient tree nearly void of leaves or signs of life, except for a few large gnarled limbs. As the small procession swept past beneath one of these that bent low over the road, Jesus stopped and looked up directly into the eyes of a man.

Short Man Surrenders
He was a peculiar sight, that man. His colorful scarlet tunic, with elaborate gold edging, spoke of Roman wealth. And yet he was obviously of Jewish heritage. The crowd gathered even closer as they recognized Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector for the area, and their contempt was universal. As far as they were concerned, Zacchaeus had sold out his loyalty to his nation for Roman wealth.

“Zacchaeus, come down,” said Jesus. “I would like to stay at your house today.”

As if in a dream Zacchaeus unceremoniously slid from the branch. But the shock quickly wore off as amazement gave way to joy. Jesus actually wanted to spend time with him!

As the group started back into the city, a murmur of discontent flowed through the crowd. And soon the religious teachers became loud in their displeasure.

“He is going to eat in the house of a sinner,” they said in voices etched with scorn.

But Zacchaeus finally made the decision that had been haunting him ever since he’d heard the Nazirite John preaching by the Jordan three years earlier. Turning to Jesus, he said in a loud voice, “Lord, I will give half of what I own to the poor; and if I have taken anything unfairly from any man, I will pay him back four times as much as I took.”

Jesus, eyes sparkling with pleasure, responded to the bold commitment: “This day salvation has come to this household; you also are a son of Abraham.”

“How can this be?” the crowd wondered. But not Zacchaeus. Instead, he walked a little taller and with a bounce in his step as they made their way toward his house. An outcast of society had become the chosen of God. A man of riches had refused to let pride or wealth separate him from heaven any longer. A camel had passed through the eye of a needle.

And the disciples began to understand.

*The story is found in Luke 18:18-26. Quotations have been paraphrased.

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Jerry Stanley is an entrepreneur and freelance writer in McBride, British Columbia.