Luke 19:1–10 presents the beloved story of Zacchaeus — a man “small of stature” who climbs a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus. According to Neville Goddard’s psychological interpretation, this is not an historical episode. It is a revelation of the inner arrangement of awarenese and the ascent of man from a limited self-concept into the awareness of I AM that I AM.
Zacchaeus — The Limited Self Still Seeking External Reward
Zacchaeus is introduced as a chief tax collector and a rich man.
Psychologically, his role as a chief tax collector is deeply symbolic. It represents the part of the self that constantly “taxes” itself — giving away inner resources in pursuit of external security, status, and reward, which ultimately prove futile. This posture shows how the self can become entangled in the outer world, consumed by appearances and worldly gains, while remaining unaware of its own creative power. Yet, despite these attachments, Zacchaeus is described as “little,” symbolising the inadequate, contracted concept of self that cannot yet perceive the indwelling I AM within.
This “smallness” prevents him from seeing Jesus — imagination in the act of saving, the inner Christ, the chosen 'I AM' in the act of saving. Thus Zacchaeus represents that mixed state in us all: outwardly dependent on appearances, inwardly longing to behold the truth of 'ask, believe, receive'.
The Crowd — The Pressure of Outer Facts
The crowd symbolises the accumulation of outer facts: the senses, circumstances, memories, fears, and long-conditioned reactions which obstruct the vision of the ideal. Neville teaches that the outer world always hides the truth until the individual rises above it. The crowd is everything that insists: “You cannot be what you desire to be.”
The Tree — The Tree of Life and the Inner Structure of the Mind
Zacchaeus “runs ahead and climbs a sycamore tree.” Running is speed and swiftness in thought and in the Greek interlinear, the word is sykomorea — a sycamore-fig tree known for its deep roots, longevity, and abundant fruit. Because trees in Scripture are rooted in a principle verse - Genesis 1:11and symbolise states of mind, and adopted patterns of thought, the choice of this specific tree indicates a well-established inner structure: a durable, fruit-bearing framework of thought capable of supporting an ascent in consciousness. Symbolically, the sycamore tree becomes the Tree of Life within — the elevated mental structure from which the individual gains a higher perspective.
This links directly to Genesis 1:11, where every conceived seed of thought contains its future. The tree represents the level of consciousness in which the seed of desire can be planted and perceived as already fulfilled. To climb the tree is to ascend into a revised and improved assumption — taking the vantage point where the I AM in the act of saving can be clearly seen.
Climbing — The Inner Ascent Into Imagination
In Neville’s system, every ascent in Scripture is psychological. Climbing the tree is the deliberate lifting of awareness above sense reasoning; it is the turning away from appearance and the movement into the inner world. By this ascent, Zacchaeus rises into imagination itself, the realm where Jesus — the saving activity — can be perceived.
This echoes the principle:
“And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me.”
The state you occupy draws your entire world. By climbing the Tree of Life, Zacchaeus raises his consciousness and beholds the ideal self.
Jesus Looks Up — The I AM Recognises the New State
Jesus looks up and sees Zacchaeus. Symbolically, the I AM always recognises the state that rises above limitation. “Looking up” signifies the divine awareness acknowledging the assumption you have taken. Your inner act is seen “in secret,” and once acknowledged, it must be made manifest.
“Zacchaeus, Come Down” — The Descent Into Feeling
Jesus says,
“Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.”
This is the a crucial moment psychologically. “Come down” does not mean return to the old level; it means descend from the imaginal vantage point into the felt experience of the assumption. You bring the ideal down into embodiment, letting it permeate your awareness as a living reality.
“To abide at thy house” means the new state must take up residence in your consciousness. Your “house” is your inner dwelling — the state you consistently occupy. When imagination abides in your house, the manifestation is assured.
The Murmuring Crowd — Resistance Within
The crowd murmurs that Jesus has gone to the house of “a sinner.” Psychologically, the murmuring crowd is the inner resistance — the doubts, the objections, the conditioned voices insisting that nothing has changed. Neville emphasises that these murmurs have no power unless you identify with them. They are merely the residue of the old state.
Zacchaeus’s Declaration — The Cleansing of the Inner State
Zacchaeus declares that he will restore fourfold whatever he has taken. Symbolically, this refers to the full and perfected application of the Law of Assumption, as expressed through the four Gospels. It is not only a continuation of the patriarchal teachings of Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, and Judah, but also a demonstration of improved, successive attempts to manifest the desired state — a New Testament embodiment of what the Law of Assumption achieves when fully realised. At the psychological level, this is the purification of the mind: the release of guilt, unworthiness, and the narratives of the former state. It is the natural inward adjustment that occurs when consciousness rises to a honourable level, now aligned with the completeness symbolised by “fourfold.”
“Today Salvation Has Come to This House” — The Fulfilment of the New State
Jesus proclaims:
“Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham” (Luke 19:9).
This is significant: Zacchaeus is not only ascending into imagination, he is rooted in the faith of Abraham — the original teacher of assuming the unseen as real. God's (Your I AM) promise to Abraham’s that his seed would be many represents the enduring potential within the individual to manifest through faith. In Neville’s language, salvation is the realisation of the wish fulfilled — the identity shift into the new state. It arrives “today” because the new assumption is accepted in the present moment. Zacchaeus’ story shows that, like Abraham, faith underpins the ascent of consciousness: the inner conviction that the promise, once assumed, must produce its visible effect. Salvation is not future; it is the immediate birth of the new consciousness, grounded in the faith inherited from Abraham and enacted through the climbing of the Tree of Life within.
The Son of Man Seeks and Saves the Lost Self
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost.”
Here “the lost” is the forgotten true self — the divine identity buried under years of conditioning and outward reliance. The I AM seeks to restore the self you abandoned through doubt and limitation. It rescues the ideal you once lost sight of.
Full Psychological Summary
The story of Zacchaeus is the story of inner ascent:
- A self still invested in outer reward (the tax collector)
- Yet feeling too small to behold the I AM
- Blocked by the press of outer facts
- Rising into imagination by climbing the Tree of Life
- Being recognised by the inner Christ
- Descending into the felt reality of the new state
- Letting imagination “abide in the house”
- Experiencing salvation as the assumption takes root
It is the psychological drama of every desire: the movement from limitation into the awareness of the saving power of imagination.