Big Idea: Two incidents at Jericho demonstrate Jesus’s mission to save the lost, whatever their place in society, whether oppressed or oppressor.

Understanding the Text

The journey that began in 9:51 is near its end, as Jesus and his disciples cross the Jordan and enter Jericho before the final climb up to Jerusalem. Two events in Jericho illustrate again the deep social divisions that came to our attention in 18:14–30, and the issue of the salvation of the rich (18:18–27) is explored further in the story of Zacchaeus, which provides a poignant contrast to that of the rich ruler. It also takes up again, and brings to a climax, the recurrent theme of Jesus’s willingness to mix with “tax collectors and sinners” (5:27–32; 7:29–35, 36–50; 15:1–32) in order to bring them his message of salvat…