Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-09-05
ZACCHEUS THE PUBLICAN
LESSON X, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. ?.

xix, 1O-Commentary by Rev. ID. NJ.
Stearns.
compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per
mission of H. S. Hoffman, publisher, Phiadel-
phia.l
/. And Jesus entered and passed
through Jericho" The last verses of the
previous chapter tell of His healing a blind
man as He came nigh to Jericho; while
Matt. Xxx, 1894 tells of His healing two
blind men as He departed from Jericho.
2. And, behold, there tDds q man named
Zdcchgus, tUhtch tras the chief among the
p,bltcdns and nc tods rich" We are not
told whether the other publican was rich
or poor, but we are sure that he was poor
in spirit. Instead of a rich ruler, esteemed
by the people as in the last lesson, here is
a rich publican, one of the class whom the
Pharisee thanked God that he did not be-
long to; but presently we shall find this
rich chief among the publicans, in the com
pany of the healed blind men, follower of
the meek and lowly Jesus.
8. "And he sought to sec Jesus, acho He
,Dds; and could not for the press, because
he tCds little of stature" His motives are
not given, but we infer from the rest of
the story that he, too, would be a follower
of Jesus if He would have him. Perhaps
up to this moment he was merely curious
TO see this great Teacher and worker of
miracles, as when people go to church to
hear new preacher. But how many have
thus gone, just to see and hear something
new or even to scott, and there they were
found of Him whom they sought not.
a. and he ran before, and climbed up
into sycamore tree to sec Him: for He
aUds to pass that ,odv." He was in earnest
to see Him, he came out from the crowd,
and unconsciously hid himself. In listen
ing to the preaching of the gospel or the
teaching of the Sunday school lesson, all
are too apt to lose themselves in the crowd,
instead of taking the truth home to them
selves. If we are to profit our own souls it
must be by separating ourselves from
others and by believing that He means me.
8. And aphen Jesus came to the place,
He looked up and sdtU him." He who
knows our down sitting and uprising
and understands our thoughts afar off Ops
cxxxix, q; who saw Nathaniel under the
fig tree John 1, 49,, saw also this man
when he left the crowd and climbed up
into this tree. The leaves of the sycamore
could not hide him any more than the trees
of the garden could hide Adam and Eve.
He saw also the desires of his heart, for He
knows the things that come into our mind,
seeking sinner and seeking Saviour face
TO face. What a glorious meeting The
Holy Spirit brought it about. He does all
these things.
And said unto him, ZdcchGus, make
haste and come dOacn; for TODAY must
abide at thy house" How Zaccheus' heart
must have leaped at these words; and then
He called him by name, there was no mis-
taking it, He surely meant him.
6. AND he made haste, and came dolcrl,
and received HIM joUully." Thank God
for that. However, he came down; he
came quickly and received Christ gladly
AS the angel hurried Lot out of Sodom
saying: Escape for thy life; haste thee, es
cape thither" Gen. xix, II, 22), so we who
are saved would urge the unsaved to make
haste and come to Jesus, if we only heartily
believed what we profess to believe
Z. And lDhen they sdiD 1t, they all mur
INJURED, saying, that He lCds gone to b.
guest 10Th a man that is a sinner" Here
is Satan resisting, the devil angry because
he has lost a captive. In Zech. ill., l, we see
a man clothed with filthy garments stand
ing before God and Satan at his right hant
to resist him, but little further on in the
chapter the filthy garments are gone, ant
Satan is gone, too; there is a glorious change
of apparel and the angel of the Lord stands
by. Whenever a sinner comes to Christ
the devil is sure to find fault and point t.
the filthy garments. He did so through
Simon, the Pharisee, when the poor WON
an came to Jesus duke vii, 800, and agaiI
in chap XIV, 2, when the publicans and sin
ners came near to Jesus. He is Away
doing it; it is his business to resist every
thing truly good; to hinder sinners from
coming to Christ, and to hinder saints from
serving Christ. He is the devil Il. e., tn
accuser or slanderer) and Satan H. e., tn
adversary) he is n serpent, for he is subtl
and his ways are crooked and he is
dragon, having great power; but he has no
all power Jesus has that and He, blesse,
be His name, will yet destroy all the work
, of the devil and the devil, too. Let hin
resist and accuse all he has a mind to; w
wiki overcome him by the Blood of tn
Lamb, and by the word of our testimony
even if we die for it.
& "And ZacchGuS stood, and said unit
the Lord" He could not walk with Chris
q till this was settled. With sin on the col
Q science there can be no true fellowship wit
God. But here comes the evidence of tn
sincerity of his conversion. His faith b,
!, comes manifest in his works. He show
that he has truly repented.
"BehOld, Lord, the half of my goods
:. gtpe to the poor and If have taken am
). thing from any man by false accusation
1 restore him tourtold" These things wei
neither his salvation, nor the ground of il
but rather the evidences that he had passe
from death to life. We must keep in min
. and stand firm on this, that there is no sa
walton by works revealed In Scrptui
p (Rom iii, 20; Nv, g. Eph. ii, o. We res
! only and wholly in Christ for salvation
- but being saved we must prove it in GU
}, lives. Titus Iii, s, is just as faithful sayin
g as Tim, /, Is: This is a faithful saying, an
40 these things l will that thou affirm col
stantly, that they who have believed
- careful to maintain good works"
8. And Jesus said unto him, THIS dd
~ Is salvation come to this house, forSomuo
~ as he also Is q son of Abraham" "Salv,
ton is of the Lord" Behold, God is m
!. salvation" Neither is there salvation /
- any other" Jonah ii, o; lisa. xii, 2; Acts T.
12). God manifest in the flesh had come
IL that man, and to that house, and had bee
~ received; and where Jesus is there is sa
vation 1t is all in Him, and apart froi
15 Him there is none. He that hath the So