JESUS AT JERICHO

We are told in Luke's gospel that Jesus ate in Jericho, at the house of a tax collector called Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10).

It was an astonishing thing to do, in the context of that time and place. 

Zacchaeus was a tax-collector, a quisling, a collaborator who gave his service and loyalty to the enemy - in this case the Romans.

Since he lived in Jericho, it is fair to assume he was part of the group of public servants who served the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.

Reconstruction - Ancient House

Zaccaeus'  home in Jericho must have been reasonably affluent, probably two-storey with a central courtyard and a number of rooms opening off it.  The rooms would have seemed very small to us. They would also have been stuffy, since there was a minimum of windows.

Perhaps the whole party, including Jesus, ate in the courtyard that night.

There was virtually no privacy in Zacchaeus' house, and it would certainly have been crowded the night that Jesus visited - packed to bursting point.

It may well have been the last evening that Jesus laughed and talked with friends.

                 Jerusalem and the Cross awaited him...