Religion & Spirituality
DINING WITH THE HATED— Luke 5:27-32 HATED GROUP OF PEOPLE In Jesus’ time, tax collectors were pretty much hated by the people. These were Jews who were taking advantage by collecting Rome’s taxes plus a surcharge to line their own pockets THEY TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE DISADVANTAGED TAX COLLECTOR. The Gk. word telōnēs (av ‘publican’) means a collector of tax or custom on behalf of the Romans The system was very open to abuse, and the publicani seem to have been prone to extortion and malpractice from the very beginning Lk. 19:2 seems to imply that Zacchaeus was the contractor for the whole of the taxes of Jericho and had collectors under him WHEN SINNERS REPENT UP TO HALF MY KINGDOM I WILL GIVE I WILL REPAID 4 TIMES OVER - WOW!