Why do children love this story so much? Tom Wright offered one explanation:

“Sunday schools love Zacchaeus. At least they love to act out his story and sing about him. The little man who climbs up a tree to see Jesus provides one of the most vivid short stories in the Bible. Children can identify with Zacchaeus; they often find themselves at the back of a crowd and can’t see what’s going on. Many adults too, can identify with, they like to get closer to Jesus, but find it embarrassing to do so, and potentially costly.”[1]

Zacchaeus lived in Jericho, “the city of palms, situated at the base of the hill leading to Jerusalem. He was taunted and hated by everyone in Jericho because he was not only a tax collector but he was the chief tax collector in the region. Fred Craddock, biblical scho…