Which tax collector climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus?

Which tax collector climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus? Zacchaeus did, according to the Gospel of Luke.

Luke 19 places Zacchaeus in Jericho and describes him as a chief tax collector. Because he was short and a crowd blocked his view of Jesus, he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree along Jesus’ route. Jesus then called him down and announced that he would stay at Zacchaeus’s house.

Tax collectors worked for Rome and were widely distrusted by many Jews, partly because the system could permit exploitation. Zacchaeus’s position in Jericho may also have been especially lucrative because the region was associated with balsam production and trade.

A common mix-up is Matthew, another New Testament figure associated with tax collection. Matthew became one of Jesus’ Twelve Apostles, but it is Zacchaeus—not Matthew—who is specifically described as climbing a tree. The story concludes with Zacchaeus promising restitution and generosity.