Dictionary of all Scriptures & Myths

ZACCHEUS, A CHIEF PUBLICAN 

A symbol of the soul exercised about the things of this world, but actuated by better motives in regard thereunto than is ordinary.

“And he (Zaccheus) sought to see Jesus who he was; and he could not for the crowd, because he was little of stature. And he ran on before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him." - LUKE xix. 3, 4.

The well-intentioned mind desired to raise an ideal, and, as it were, to catch a glimpse of the "King in his beauty (the Self), but is too much entangled with the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of desires to be able to do so, except by adopting the expedient of "climbing up a tree," that is of getting a view in advance of the means whereby progress could be accomplished. This “bird's-eye" view corresponds with an intuition of a condition beyond the state actually arrived at. It therefore answers to an aspiration of the subjective mind upon the devachanic plane, which had not yet been realised in the world of effects. Zaccheus is one little of stature," that is to say, a soul not up till now raised beyond a certain point or degree of development: yet one who shall surely rise eventually and claim his inheritance. The "crowd" signifies the lower mental qualities which obscure the view of that which is higher.

"Zaccheus being small of stature, ascended a sycamore, and saw the Lord, because they who humbly choose the foolishness of the world, do themselves minutely contemplate the wisdom of God. For the crowd hinders smallness of stature from beholding the Lord, because the tumult of worldly cares keeps the infirmity of the human mind from looking at the light of truth." - ST. GREGORY, Morals on the Book of Job, Vol. III. p. 259.  

See Also

CROWD
DEVACHAN
NICODEMUS
RICHES (lower)
SYCAMORE
TREASURE