Forming Faith Blog

Two Different Outsiders (Luke 18, 19)

Posted on March 25 2025 by Gregory Rawn

In Jericho, Jesus encounters two outsiders, a blind man and a tax collector, whom the community thinks are unworthy of the great prophet’s attention. But Jesus extends grace to them both.

The Journey So Far
Zacchaeus up in a tree, a powerful tax collector. But both the blind man and Zacchaeus are outsiders.

Jesus is getting closer to Jerusalem. Back in Ash Wednesday’s reading, Jesus turned his face toward Jerusalem and the cross. After teaching about loving your neighbor, the importance of repentance, finding what is lost, and the dangers of selfish wealth, he has come to the city of Jericho. Here, he encounters two outsiders: one seemingly powerless and the other powerful.

The first man is blind. Luke doesn’t give him a name, though the Gospel writer Mark calls him Bartimaeus (which I’ll use here since I hate repeating “the man who was blind”). At this time, people with disabilities were often seen as dependent and powerless. On the other hand, we have Zacchaeus, a man who is almost the opposite through his wealth and influence.

Blindness and Begging

In first-century Palestine—as in many places then and now—a person with a significant disability was excluded from the traditional ways to earn an income. Given this, many people were forced to rely on the generosity of others by begging. As generosity (almsgiving) was a strong cultural virtue, a person might have been able to survive on this, but this form of support carried with it a significantly unbalanced power dynamic.

While a worker-employer relationship also has a power differential, the worker has some power: the worker earns their pay, and the employer owes it to them (and the employer loses out if the worker refuses to work). However, a person who must beg is completely dependent on the whim and conscience of those who happen to pass by. Compounding this, his disability might have required the man to rely on someone to bring him to and from his begging space. His society forced this man into a powerless situation, an outsider excluded from his community.

The Oppressive Traitor

Then we have Zacchaeus. His name is of Hebrew origin, so he is likely a local, a Jew. However, he became a tax collector, even rising to the rank of chief tax collector (in charge of a group of “street level” collectors). Nobody likes paying taxes, even today when we have (in theory) some say how this money is spent. However, at this time, a tax collector was hated. Why? A tax collector in first-century Palestine was an independent contractor working for the Roman Empire, the empire that had conquered and occupied the region, leaving troops, officials, and client kings to keep the populace in line—often violently. So, a Jewish tax collector was someone who turned their back on the suffering of their people and worked for the enemy occupiers, all to get rich. Zacchaeus is a traitor to his people.

Then, there was how the collector earned income. The empire assigned a tax or toll amount that the collector must pay (often ahead of time). To earn income, they would collect more than this amount, which is not itself necessarily unjust. However, they could use their position (with possible enforcement by the military) to fatten their personal treasuries at the literal expense of the mostly low-income populace, and there was nothing the people could do about it.

You can see why people hated tax collectors.

The People React

The residents of Jericho react to both Bartimaeus and Zacchaeus in different ways, but they exclude them both. They treat Bartimaeus like a child, to be seen (maybe) but not heard. They shush him. Then, they grumble at the attention this great prophet/rabbi gives Zacchaeus. I’m guessing it was only grumbling because they were prevented from doing anything worse.

Jesus Responds

Jesus treats both men with grace. He sees Bartimaeus, asks him what he wants, and then heals him. Jesus commends him on his confession of faith and heals him. He is now able to re-enter society.

Jesus then enters the city and sees a grown man in a tree, an odd sight. He calls the man by name (probably more evidence to the people that he is a prophet, as how else would he know this man’s name?). Jesus even invites himself over to Zacchaeus’ house, which was not socially acceptable then or now. Zacchaeus gives a statement of repentance, and Jesus commends him as well.

Faith and Repentance

In these two episodes, we see some of Luke’s main themes continue. Jesus empowers and welcomes people on the margins of the community who need healing and change, whether they choose that path (Zacchaeus) or not (Bartimaeus).

Curiously, Jesus accepts the repentance and faith of an outsider who is also a hated oppressor. Rich men have not faired well in many of his past teachings (Luke 6:24; 12:21; 16:19-31), though he does seem to have a strange fondness for tax collectors (Luke 5:27-32; 15:1-2; 18:9-14). Faith and repentance matter more to him than past sins or political allegiance.

Blessings,

Gregory Rawn (Publisher)

This post is revised from the original written for March 21, 2021.

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