A SHORT STUDY ON ZACCHAEUS FROM LUKE CH.19:1-10 AS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW A MAN WAS BRANDED AS STIGMA OF THE SOCIETY, A SHAME TO THE COMMUNITY AND A THREAT TO THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH IN THE TIMES OF JESUS CHRIST

Zacchaeus is Model of personal transformation as a civil servant in overcoming the Shortcomings, Social Stigma and Ostracism after Meeting Jesus Christ who Restored his Identity from a SINNER to Son of Abraham. The Approach to the Topic is a Short Inductive Bible Study (Observation, Interpretation, Application) based on a New Testament Gospel Text taken from the Gospel of Luke Ch.19:1-10. (Taken from Mobile App-NKJV) We talk and listen about social change, community transformation and following rigorous religious piety. But in such contexts, we find people like a MAN Zacchaeus who happened to be the Chief Tax Collector and by that position he was a civil servant of the Roman Empire. We find people with high ranks and profound riches and still live under the crushing elements of Stigmatization, object of relegation and a target of hatred and violence. In the writings of two volumes, the writer Luke records several incidents, events and teachings of Jesus Christ. In this specific text context, the writer presents Jesus is the Son of Man being prophesied by the Old Testament writer Daniel in his book. Here what we witness is that Jesus had already predicted His Death and Resurrection and was walking from mount of Transfiguration to the hill of Calvary near Jerusalem with His Disciples and a crowd. He was passing by the town of New Jericho. But before moving on, He had healed a blind man of his blindness. So naturally, the news of such a miracle spread around the town, which was a famous commercial hub for exporting local goods to the international markets. Here we find Zacchaeus having his office of the chief tax collector on the highway leading towards the countries in Africa. The news about Jesus passing by his location, Zacchaeus runs for a sight, eventually ending up climbing a sycamore Tree from which he would have a glimpse of Jesus Christ. The story ends with an encounter with Jesus who requests Zacchaeus if he could host Jesus as his guest before He moves on to Jerusalem only to be crucified. The welcome with many guests and hospitality ends up in a Transformation of the Man Zacchaeus. Jesus blesses him with Salvation including his household and reattribution his lost identity back from a sinner to the son of father Abraham. The following is an exercise for a better grasp of the issues related to the society and stigmatization and explanation of certain aspects of transformation of human beings by Jesus.