The teacher, Jesus, went into Jericho and was walking through the city. There was a man named Zac. He was the chief tax collector, and he had become very rich because of his work. People often disliked tax collectors in those days, because many of them took more money than was fair.
Zac wanted to see who Jesus was. But a big crowd was there, and Zac was a small man, so he could not see over the people. He ran ahead of the crowd and climbed up a tree, because Jesus was going to pass that way.
When the teacher, Jesus, came to the tree, he looked up and said, “Zac, come down quickly. I would like to stay in your home today.” Zac hurried down and gladly welcomed him.
The people saw this and were not happy. They said, “Jesus has gone to stay in the house of a man who has done bad things.”
Later, Zac stood up and said, “Listen! I will give half of everything I own to the poor. And if I have taken too much from anyone, I will pay them back four times as much.”
The teacher, Jesus, said, “Today good has come to this home. I came to find those who are lost, and help them find a new way.”
Word list:
- tax collector – a person who collects money for the government (often disliked in those days)
- rich – having a lot of money or possessions
- crowd – a large group of people gathered together
- gladly – happily, with joy
- pay back – to return money that was taken or owed
Discussion Questions.
- How did the teacher, Jesus, show care to Zac, and what change happened after that?
- Has anyone shown care to you when you wanted to learn more in your studies?
- How was Jesus’ care different from a normal teacher’s care?
Revised on 23.09.2025 (standard version 1)