ZACCHAEUS THE TAX COLLECTOR Summary ... - Fosse Deanery

Narrator
Zacchaeus
“Jesus is coming!”
“Jesus is coming!”
That’s what everyone was shouting, that day in Jericho.
Everyone was so excited because Jesus was coming to town.
Well, nearly everyone…
I wasn’t excited. I was sad.
Narrator Poor little Zacchaeus. He did want to see Jesus - he really did -
but he was scared.
Zacchaeus
Narrator
Zacchaeus
Narrator
Zacchaeus
Narrator
Zacchaeus
All those people! That huge crowd! All shouting together:
“Jesus is coming!”
I did so want to see him. But I knew he wouldn’t want to see
me. Nobody wanted to see me. It was my job, you see.
Zacchaeus was a tax collector. That meant he went round
collecting money from people, to give to the Romans who were
in charge of Jesus’ country. Nobody liked giving money to the
Romans.
And I didn’t just collect the money they had to pay to the
Romans. I cheated. I asked them for more money than I was
meant to - and I kept what was left for myself. No wonder
nobody liked me.
When Zacchaeus saw the crowds of people, and heard how
excited they were - “Jesus is coming!” - he felt so alone. He
couldn’t be part of the crowd. There were too many people in
it who’d been cheated by him.
And anyway, even if they didn’t all hate me, there was no point
me going out in the crowd. I’m too short. I wouldn’t be able to
see Jesus anyway.