Luke 19, side by side

Our retelling next to the Bible text it comes from. Each row lines up one scene with the verses it retells.

Scene 1: The Richest Man in JerichoVerses 1 to 2

Scene by Scene

Jesus came into the city of Jericho. He was passing through on his way to Jerusalem.

A man named Zacchaeus lived in Jericho. He was the chief tax collector, and he was very rich.

Tax collectors worked for the Romans, the foreign rulers of the land. People saw them as traitors. Many tax collectors also cheated, taking more than they should.

The Bible doesn't say how Zacchaeus got rich. But he was the boss of the tax collectors.

Modern

1Then Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2And there was a man named Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, who was very wealthy.

Scene 2: Up a TreeVerses 3 to 4

Scene by Scene

Zacchaeus wanted to see who Jesus was. But the crowd was in the way, and Zacchaeus was short.

So he ran ahead of the crowd. He climbed a sycamore tree beside the road. Jesus was about to walk that way.

A rich, important man ran down the road and climbed a tree like a child.

Modern

3He was trying to see who Jesus was, but could not see over the crowd because he was small in stature. 4So he ran on ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see Him, since Jesus was about to pass that way.

Scene 3: Jesus StopsVerses 5 to 6

Scene by Scene

Jesus came to that spot. He looked up into the tree.

Jesus said, "Zacchaeus, hurry down, for I must stay at your house today" (19:5).

Jesus called him by name. The Bible doesn't say how Jesus knew it.

Zacchaeus hurried down. He welcomed Jesus into his home, full of joy.

Modern

5When Jesus came to that place, He looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6So Zacchaeus hurried down and welcomed Him joyfully.

Scene 4: The Crowd GrumblesVerse 7

Scene by Scene

The crowd saw what happened. They began to grumble. To grumble is to complain in a low, unhappy voice.

They said, "He has gone to be the guest of a sinful man!" (19:7).

Back then, eating in someone's home meant you accepted them. The crowd did not want Jesus to accept Zacchaeus.

Modern

7And all who saw this began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinful man!”

Scene 5: Zacchaeus RespondsVerse 8

Scene by Scene

Zacchaeus stood up and spoke to Jesus. "Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold" (19:8).

Fourfold means four times as much. If Zacchaeus had taken $10 unfairly, he would pay back $40.

Zacchaeus says "I give," in the present tense. Some readers hear a brand-new promise. Others hear him describing what he already does. Either way, Jesus did not wait for it. He came to the house first.

Modern

8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold.”

Scene 6: FoundVerses 9 to 10

Scene by Scene

Jesus said, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham" (19:9).

Salvation means being rescued. A son of Abraham is part of God's family. Abraham was the father of the Jewish people.

Then Jesus said why he had come. "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost" (19:10). "Son of Man" is a name Jesus used for himself.

The crowd called Zacchaeus a sinful man. Jesus called him a son of Abraham.

Modern

9Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Between scenesVerses 11 to 48

Scene by Scene

This part isn't retold as its own scene.

Modern

11While the people were listening to this, Jesus proceeded to tell them a parable, because He was near Jerusalem and they thought the kingdom of God would appear imminently. 12So He said, “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to lay claim to his kingship and then return. 13Beforehand, he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Conduct business with this until I return,’ he said. 14But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’ 15When he returned from procuring his kingship, he summoned the servants to whom he had given the money, to find out what each one had earned. 16The first servant came forward and said, ‘Master, your mina has produced ten more minas.’ 17His master replied, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ 18The second servant came and said, ‘Master, your mina has made five minas.’ 19And to this one he said, ‘You shall have authority over five cities.’ 20Then another servant came and said, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have laid away in a piece of cloth. 21For I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man. You withdraw what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.’ 22His master replied, ‘You wicked servant, I will judge you by your own words. So you knew that I am a harsh man, withdrawing what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23Why then did you not deposit my money in the bank, and upon my return I could have collected it with interest?’ 24Then he told those standing by, ‘Take the mina from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’ 25‘Master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’ 26He replied, ‘I tell you that everyone who has will be given more; but the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 27And these enemies of mine who were unwilling for me to rule over them, bring them here and slay them in front of me.’” 28After Jesus had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29As He approached Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, He sent out two of His disciples, 30saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’” 32So those who were sent went out and found it just as Jesus had told them. 33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34“The Lord needs it,” they answered. 35Then they led the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks over it, and put Jesus on it. 36As He rode along, the people spread their cloaks on the road. 37And as He approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to praise God joyfully in a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen: 38“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!” 40“I tell you,” He answered, “if they remain silent, the very stones will cry out.” 41As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it 42and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes. 43For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side. 44They will level you to the ground—you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.” 45Then Jesus entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were selling there. 46He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be a house of prayer.’ But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” 47Jesus was teaching at the temple every day, but the chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people were intent on killing Him. 48Yet they could not find a way to do so, because all the people hung on His words.

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