Zacchaeus was a Jewish tax collector who worked for the Romans in the city of Jericho. He became very wealthy by collecting taxes, often by dishonest means. He likely got this job either by paying for the right to collect taxes in that area or by working for another wealthy official. Jericho was an important city for trade because it was on a major road between Jerusalem and the lands east of the Jordan River.
The Gospel of Luke tells the story of how Zacchaeus met Jesus(Luke 19:2–8). Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he climbed a sycamore tree to watch Jesus pass by. Jesus surprised him by stopping under the tree. Jesus called to Zacchaeus and said he wanted to stay at his house that night. This changed Zacchaeus's life. He turned away from his dishonest ways and followed Jesus. He promised to pay back four times as much to anyone he had cheated. He also promised to give money to poor people. According to Clement of Alexandria, Zacchaeus later became a church leader in the city of Caesarea (Homily 3.63).