What does Luke 19:1 mean?

Jesus and a crowd of His disciples are passing through Jericho, east of Jerusalem, on their way to celebrate the Passover. "Jericho" consists of a city and a set of ruins. The ruins are what's left of the original city which God destroyed when Joshua and the Israelites marched around it (Joshua 6). The city was rebuilt hundreds of years later (1 Kings 16:34).

This short section (Luke 18:35—19:27) contains three powerful stories. In the first, Jesus completely changes a man's life by restoring his eyesight. The man started his day as a beggar on the side of the road; now his future is wide open (Luke 18:35–43).

Here, Jesus meets Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector: a Jewish man who supervises payments from other Jews to the occupying Romans. Men in this position were generally hated by their fellow Israelites; the fact that many were corrupt and deliberately overcharged for their own benefit made this reputation even worse. Yet Zacchaeus is eager to repent, including whatever greed and theft he might have committed. Jesus gives him just a little attention and he readily gives half his possessions to the poor and compensates his victims fourfold in keeping with the Mosaic law (Luke 19:8–10; Exodus 22:1).

Jesus' disciples have just seen two impressive restorations: sight to the blind and godliness to a fallen Jewish man. It's no wonder the disciples are more convinced than ever that Jesus is going to Jerusalem to take His rightful place as king. But Jesus responds that there's much more to do. He is leaving soon, but He is entrusting His followers with His business. Their faithfulness with His charge will reveal their faithfulness to Him. When He returns, they will be rewarded—or punished—accordingly (Luke 19:11–27).