The Bible In Paintings: ✝️ JESUS SAVES ZACCHAEUS THE TAX COLLECTOR ✝️

[Hebrews 11:6]

The Bible In Paintings
~ Encouragement for Appreciating and Applying God's Word ~

JESUS SAVES
ZACCHAEUS THE
TAX COLLECTOR

֎ Featuring 30 Paintings, 1 Photograph and 4 Windows ֎

L U K E
Chapter 19

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’ ”

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. FOR THE SON OF MAN CAME TO SEEK AND TO SAVE WHAT WAS LOST.”

1
CANDELARIO CERVANTEZ
"Zacchaeus, I Must Stay at Your House Today"

2
Source

3
MUNIR ALAWI
"Zacchaeus"

4
CLIVE UPTTON
"Jesus Christ Forgives a Thief"

5
LEIF SODERGREN
"Zaccheus in the Tree"

6
NIELS LARSEN STEVNS
"Zacchaeus"

7
"ZACHAEVS IESVM RECIPIT"
"ZACCHAEUS RECEIVES JESUS"

8
JAN LUYKEN
"Zacchaeus"

9
"Jesus und Zachäus"

10
"The Tax Collector Zacchaeus and Jesus"

11
"Hurry Down, Zacchaeus"

12
Source

13
Source

14
JACOPO PALMA
"Christ Calling Zacchaeus"

15
Source

16
Source

17
Source

18
Source

19
Source

20
Source

21
Source

22
Source

23
BERNARDO STROZZI
"The Conversion of Zacchaeus"

24
Source

25
JAMES TISSOT
"Zacchaeus in the Sycamore
Awaiting the Passage of Jesus"

26
WILLIAM BRASSEY HOLE
"Zacchaeus Being Called down from the Tree"

27
Source

28
Source

29
Source

30
GIOTTO DI BONDONE
"The Entry into Jerusalem –
Christ at the House of Zacchaeus"

31
Master of Antwerp
"Meal in the House of Zacchaeus /
Zacchaeus in the Fig Tree"

32
Source

33
"Christ Feasts in Zacchaeus's Well-Stocked House"

34
Source

→ a n d     f i n a l l y ←

35
"The Tree of Zacchaeus, Jericho"

New International Version ©1984, EMPHASES added

[thecodont]

I like #4.

[InkStone]

Hi thecodont; #4 is nice indeed! Bright colors!

[AnAmericanMother]

Just a note - not your fault because the German original identifies the stained glass window in No. 9 as " Darstellung: Jesus und Zachäus" = 'depiction of Jesus and Zacchaeus'

That appears incorrect because the ribbon reads, "Herr ich bin nicht wurdig dass Du eingehest [? subjunctive of eingehen] unter mein Dach" = "Lord I am not worthy that you would enter under my roof." That is clearly the Centurion in Luke 7:6, not Zacchaeus. Note also that the kneeling figure is wearing chain mail shoes! appropriate for a Roman but not a tax collector.

[AnAmericanMother]

Tissot's biblical scenes are phenomenal.

The only painter who comes close is Henry Ossawa Tanner - an amazingly modern painter for his time (b. 1859, d.1937).

[xp38]

It might be but likely not. When I was in the Holy land an awful lot of religious sites seemed to be good guesses. They are fine as far as they go and if they help one visualize the Biblical stories for someone great. There is also the tourist trap aspect going on with many sites as well. There are ancient olive trees which are said to be old enough to have been in the Garden of Gethsemene where roughly the Garden would have been. Again maybe but likely not.

Now not everything is a good guess. When I was on the Temple Mount I was quite aware I was walking on ground that Jesus no doubt trod in and around the Temple. That was awesome and humbling.

[InkStone]

Much appreciate your input.
On Tanner, yes he had tremendous talent. Just looked thru ‘images’ and found some which were displayed here in the past.
Do you know if he was a believer in Jesus as Redeemer?

[InkStone]

Do you think that Solomon’s Temple could have been located in the ancient City of David?

[xp38]

I don’t know. It would be a bit below where the mosques are now so there is that aspect. Also possible the topography is all different now than way back then. The buildings and walls of ancient Jerusalem have changed many times as well up to today. It’s all very fascinating though.

[InkStone]

You probably know that the ‘Third Temple School’ in Jerusalem is training priests (are they Levites? And how would anyone know?) on how to make the ancient sacrifices.

If you love architecture, a new temple would be a stunning accomplishment!

[Hebrews 11:6]

Thanks for that correction. I stumble around in the Romance languages, but not German.

I've posted many Tanners and admire his work, although for me he can't carry Tissot's pallette in several notable respects.

At the end of this series, i.e., after Revelation, I am planning two further sub-series which are artist-specific. The first is Tissot's Life of Christ, consisting of 330 of his works in eleven installments. The second is a survey of two dozen other significant artists and what I consider to be their best biblical illustrations--that will comprise several hundred works. Tanner is included.

[InkStone]

This surprised me on the ‘How would they know’ question:

https://free.messianicbible.com/news/school-jewish-priests-prepares-third-temple-service/

Dr. David Goldstein, human geneticist, says, “For more than 90 percent of the Cohens to share the same genetic markers after such a period of time is a testament to the devotion of the wives of the Cohens over the years. Even a low rate of infidelity would have dramatically lowered the percentage.”

[Hebrews 11:6]

Shall I wrap it up for you?

[InkStone]

“I am planning two further sub-series which are artist-specific”
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Yay Dan! Can’t wait for those!

[Hebrews 11:6]

What a blessing it is for to know certainly that, while the memorabilia of Jesus has shaky provenance, we shall spend eternity with the actual Him.

[xp38]

Amen

[thecodont]

< grin >

I like this one not only for its bright and arresting colors, but also because it puts the viewer at eye level with Christ and the other onlookers, right in the crowd.

Zacchaeus was a little guy and so there is a touch of the comic in here. Some commentator said also it was (comic) apt that he was in a sycamore tree, as it is a rather “silly” tree with its dangling pom-pom fruits. But they were confusing the tree with the American sycamore (plane tree), the tree of the Bible is Ficus sycomorus, the sycomore fig.

[Hebrews 11:6]

You may have noticed that I grouped the pictures by their perspective: from-the-ground-up at first, and then from-the-tree-down.

My favorite is Tissot's, with Z spread out precariously.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Suck it up, Buttercup! If I have to wait, then I want everyone to be miserable waiting with me.

[AnAmericanMother]

Yes, he clearly was. From a religious family, he moved to Paris because of prejudice against a serious, academic African-American artist (he was born in Pittsburgh; his mother was born into slavery but escaped via the Underground Railroad; his father was a free man of color and a bishop in the AME Church.)

While in Paris, he wrote to his parents that he intended to "serve God more faithfully." That is when he moved from painting genre scenes of black families in the South (e.g. "The Banjo Lesson") to painting Biblical scenes. His paintings focus on moments of decision in Scripture - i.e. the Annunciation, the visit of Nicodemus to Christ, etc.

So while we cannot know any man's heart, it seems clear that he was a believer.

[AnAmericanMother]

German is really my second language; I read Greek fairly well and stumble around in Latin.

It's difficult to compare Tissot with Tanner, since they are from different eras and schools - while Tissot is immensely talented and can meticulously represent his subjects in a way that Tanner does not attempt, many of Tissot's scenes are somewhat static and the light is expressed in a narrow range. Tanner experiments more with light and atmosphere, and I personally prefer his freer drawing style.

I don't think we should split hairs - - - *both* are wonderful artists and far, far above the ordinary herd of Sunday-School illustrators.