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Zaccheus indicates th a t Jesu s has recog nized in him , on account of his eager desirë to see th e Saviour, th e host whom th e F a th e r has chosen for Him in Je r icho. There is a lost sheep to be found. Jesus unites th e en tire consecration to th e Divine work w ith sovereign inde pendence of hum an opinion. The re sponse of Zaccheus indicates his con version. When was he converted and where? May it no t have been between th e tree-top and th e ground? The com mon understanding of th e reply of Zac cheus makes it a vow inspired by g rati tude for th e sovereign grace he has ex perienced. The h alf of his goods means h alf of his yearly income. In th e case Of a wrong done to a neighbor, th e law exacted, when restitu tio n was voluntary, a fifth over and above th e sum taken away. Num. 5:6-7. Zaccheus went much farth er. Perhaps th is self im posed restitu tio n was th a t which was forcibly exacted from th e detected thief. W ithout allow ing any m erito r ious value to these restitu tion s and bene factions, Jesu s declares th a t Zaccheus is th e object of Divine grace as much as those can be who accuse him . The Son of Man came to save th e lost, not only the m iserably lost like th e wander ing sheep, or insensibly lost like the piece of silver, or w ilfully lost like the prodigal. Man is lost to heaven and to God as long as he is under th e power of sin. This saving quest began in Èden. “Adam, where a rt th o u ?” The Maker came to re-ad ju st man as a spir itu a l mechanism w ith Himself. When th e Son of Man came to save th e lost, He came prepared to sacrifice all th a t he had to secure th is end. He made Him self of no repu tation and became obe dient even unto th e death of th e cross. Moreover He has come into our world, into our very natu re, into th e curse th a t was our due and into th e death penalty of our sins, to give H is life as a ransom for many. He still carries on th is m in istry of seeking. SATURDAY, Oct. 18. John 12:1-8. In the Home at Bethany. A t th e beginning of th e la st week of H is life on ea rth our Lord is found again in B ethany in th a t beloved home where He desired to spend as much tim e as possible before He suffered. The village nestled among the olive trees of Olivet and it was easy to go across to Jerusalem in th e early morning and re tu rn in the cool of th e afternoon. At th e supper which was given in His
THURSDAY, Oct. 16. Mark 14:1-9. In the House of Simon the Leper. When th e chief priests and scribes were seeking to tak e Jesus by cra ft and p u t Him to death, th ere was a loving woman seeking an opportunity to honor H im by pouring th e precious spikenard upon His head. She found such an op po rtun ity in th e house of Simon, the leper, and she did w hat she could, and did it a t a tim e and in a m anner which shows her deep in sigh t into the char acter and purposes of her Lord. This g reat work m ight have been the out come of sitting a t H is feet and learn ing of Him. Luke 10:39. All testi mony for God m ust have its source in secret communion. I t was a work of love. The emptying of th e liquid per fume upon the head of Jesus was an expression of th e affection of h er h ea rt freely poured ou t on Him. No service is of any value unless th e h ea rt is in it. The first and g reat commandment is “Thou sh a lt love, etc.” I t was a work of sacrifice. Its cost in our money m ight have been sixty or seventy-five dollars. She did no t give to Christ th a t which cost h er nothing. Our service is not acceptable if it costs us nothing. God does not w ant some th ing yau can spare. If you can •spare it you may keep it. He does not w an t you to spare anything. He w ants you to share everything. There is a g reat difference between sparing and sharing. Spare moments and odd pen nies reveal a loveless, thankless heart. I t was a work of faith. “ She is come aforehand to ano in t my body to the burying.” How did she know th a t He was so near H is death and bu rial? She had doubtless' believed th a t th e Son of Man came not to be m inistered unto b u t to m inister and to give His life as a ransom for many. She had an in sight th a t few if any of th e other disci ples had. It was a work in season. The ^Master said: “Me ye have no t always.” She embraced the p resen t passing op portunity. She m ust be etern ally glad th a t she did so. We may honor Christ now by serving Him, b u t th e brief hour of privilege will soon be past. How sad it will be to m eet th e Lord w ithout hav ing made a single sacrifice for th e glory of H is name! 1 John 2:28. FRIDAY, Oct. 17. Luke 19:1-10. Jesus in Zaccheus’ Home. Zaccheus sought to see Jesus and Jesus sought to save Zaccheus. The form of address w ith which Jesus greets
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