Zacchaeus' Real Power

In her book, Grateful: The Subversive Practice of Giving Thanks, Diana Butler Bass provides an insightful reflection on how Zaccheaus rose to become chief tax collector of Jericho: 

Since Zacchaeus was a Jew and not a Roman citizen, there was only one way he could become wealthy. In lands that they conquered, the Romans offered some political positions at auction to local inhabitants. The tax collectors were the main agents of the patronage system. It was a good job. While governors ensured that peace and prosperity flowed down from the emperor, tax collectors made…