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fixed the schedule of taxation. A pre scribed amount must be turned over to the government. Beyond this no questions were asked. (4) He was little of stature. (5) He was a man of energy. We see him running and climbing and making haste. 2 . "For today I must abide at thy house" (v. 5). What does this mean? We kqow that Jesus never thrusts Himself •unwanted into any life or ■home. The Greek word here translated “must” may be translated “it is proper, it is right, or it ought to be.” Thus this statement may very well read, “ Today it is proper, it is right for Me to abide at thy house,” or even better, “Today I ought to abide at thy house.” In Luke 18:1 the same Greek word is translated “ought,” namely, “Men ought always to pray.” Jesus spoke as He did to Zaccheus because He had -some definite plans for the welfare of his - home. He had salvation to leave there. He had a witness that He would have radiate from that fire side. Christ "ought” to abide there but, of course, He could not abide there unless that household opened its doors to Him. There are other homes where Jesus ought to abide today. He will abide in these hom^s when He finds such a welcome as He found in the home of Zaccheus. Who else has such right to dwell in the homes and hearts of men but the Lord Jesus Christ? 3. "He was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner" (v. 7). This was *the taunt of the Pharisees as Jesus went into the home of Zaccheus. But how wonderfully true it was! They spoke far more than they knew. They expressed the very purpose of the coming of Jesus into this world. That is why He left the ivory palaces for this earth of sin and shame. He came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (v. 10; cf. Mk. 2:14-17). Golden Text Illustration E xodus 20:15 “Please do hot come here for the next two weeks. We like to have you come, but you see the next two weeks is our,special time for thieving, and your message of Jesus creates in ,us a desire to be honest and righteous. If you continue to come we will not have the courage or desire to steal.” This was the tribute paid to Jesus and His message by some Ahir people of a criminal tendency in Ballia, India, and reported by Methodist missionary, Her man J. Shutz. —The Sunday School Times. At Zaccheus' House E xodus 20:15; L eviticus 19:11, 13; L uke 19:1-10, 45, 46 MEMORY VERSE: “We pray to God that ye do no evil . . . but that ye. may do that which is honorable” (2 Cor. 13:7).
I give to the poor; and If f have taken arw thing from any man by false accusa- ti«i, I restore him fourfold. » A nd Jesus said unto him. Th is day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as He also I.s'a son 'V f Abraham ,/ 10 For the Son of man Is come to seek and to save that which w as lost. 19:45 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought;. 46 Saying unto them, It Is. written,. M y house is the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den oj thieves. G O L D E N T E X T : 'VThou shalt not steal7’ (Ex. 20:15). D E V O T IO N A L R E A D IN G ! Matt. 6:24-33. Outline and Exposition T he C ommand by G od (Ex. 20 :15 ; Lev. 19:11, 13) S TEALING is a crime that reveals the absence of that love which Is enjoined In the second table of the law. While usually connected with material things, the law against it embraces much more than the taking of money that belongs to another. Thought, time, and even reputation can be stolen. This command is against stealing in every form. The'passage from Leviticus adds all false d e a l i n g to the prohibition against stealing. Lying, oppression or defrauding, robbery, and usury are likewise included with stealing. Thus this command of God demands .hon esty in all transactions between man and man, group and group, and na tion and nation. While the believer must recognize constantly the dispen- sational setting and character of every passage of Scripture, he must be re minded also that every one of the Ten Commandments, except the fourth, is repeated and enjoined upon Chris tians in the present generation by the New Testament Epistles. . II. , T he C onversion of Z accheus (Lk. 19:1-10) 1 Using the story of Zaccheus 'to en force the teaching of honesty, the Lord Jesus exposed the underlying wrong of taking advantage of an official position for personal gain. Even today, graft and chicanery are all too often present in the administration of public works. But every position which pre sents the possibility of either whole sale or petty forms of thievery—how ever camouflaged by the use of such terms as “prerequisites”—offers temp tation to the individual to trample upon the command of God against stealing, and the exhortation to hon esty in all things. The words that Jesus used, “This day is salvation come to this house,” should not be construed to mean that Zaccheus was s a v e d because he would restore what he had wrong- fully taken away, or because he would give to the poor. Zaccheus was saved because he exercised faith in Christ, and faith led to his obedience to the command against stealing. His faith
BLACKBOARD LESSON.
saved him; his actions proved the reality of his faith. in. T he C ontention with D ishonesty (Lk.. 19:45, .46) The buying and selling of animals within the precincts of the temple was a legitimate business. It was a custom instituted for the convenience of wor shipers from a distance, to relieve them of the necessity of bringing their sacrificial animals with them at the expense of much time and trouble. But those who were carrying on this business in the days of the Lord Jesus were taking advantage of their breth ren by overcharges and underweights. It was not the mere presence of these tnen, nor their business, that defiled the house of God. It was the character of the men that made the house of God to be a house of thieves. Their character issued from their spirit of dishonesty. Jesus emphasized that whatever else was found in the house of God, prayer was to be preeminent there. No one. can really pray while he is being dis honest and ready to defraud his neigh bor. To become and remain honest, there is required a new heart which only the Lord Jesus Christ can give— a heart that is lifted up to God in the spiritual exercise of prayer. "There was a man named Zac cheus" (Lk. 19:2). Of . such interest is this man that several things about him should be noted: (1) He was a Jew. His name signifies - this. The name appeared in the Old Testament as Zaccai (Ezra 2:9; Neh. 7:14), and meant “pure” or “innocent.” Rabbinic writers mention a Zaccheus living in Jericho about this time, the father of a famous rabbi, Jochanan or John. (2) He was a publican— that is, he was, a hated taxgatherer. Being “the chief” publican of that area means that under the Roman system he had other taxgatherers under him from whom he received revenue. He was sort of a middleman between the Ro man system and the actual collectors of the taxes. (3) He was rich. He doubtless became rich by foul means. The Roman system of gathering taxes never .permitted a man to become rich except he did it by extortion. Rome Points and Problems 1.
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