The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-05-19


their commands. The Jews were
Woodworking, thrifty, Industrious peo-
pie, and the Romans were lazy, lust
full and indolent, and so the Jews
were required to come into the tenn
pie every year and bring their money
and lay it before these money-chang-
ers. 1t was only a single taxation
system, the only one have ever heard
Of that was in working force.
The Jews used to go to the temple
and give all his money to the money
changers and the money-changers
would scoop it all up and give none
of it back.
Jews Became
ShreWd.
The Jews became shrewd, so in
stead Of taking it all, they used to
take a small portion of it and hide
the rest of it and the Roman gov
eminent began to feel the effects OF
that system and they said, I'VE have
to change this system or we will go
into Bankruptcy"
And so here is what they did and
it was the law that was in force
when Jesus came on earth. The Ro-
man government figured out how
much money they had to have from
Palestine and from the Jews and
they took no chances. They said
1T takes Jew to catch a Jew"
So they figured up and they sold the
privilege of collecting the taxes to a
gang of fellows who paid the Roman
government the full amount that
they figured they had to have from
the Jews. For example, supposing
that / should buy from the legisla-
ture of New York, the right to col
lect the taxes and I paid ten million
dollars for the privilege then I would
make fifteen to twenty million on it.
The Roman government gave a
certain figure and they didn't give a
| rap how much beyond that the Jews
| paid, just as long as they got their
money. So Zccchaeus was the leader
of that gang of publicans who pur-
! chased the privilege of collecting the
1 taxes from the Roman government.
! So that was the way he had made
! his fortune.
| So here is a man rich in money
( wanting to see a man rich in popu-
1 larity, Jesus. Here is a man who is
wealthy considered in what he had
| stolen from the Jews. Here is a
man, Jesus, wealthy in blessing and
! benediction which he had bestowed
upon man. Jesus Christ was the
really, truly rich man although he
didn't have two coats on his back
/ Jesus didn't have enough money to
! pay his taxes and Peter had to 90
down to the sea and catch a fish and
| they found gold in the fish's mouth
which he used to pay the taxes, and
yet Jesus was the richer man.
I Great Crowd
/ In Street.
And there was a great crowd in
/ the streets. Zacchaeus was a man
short of stature and he could not
/ see over the heads of the crowd but
he saw that the route which Jesus
was taking would take him down tc
/ the famous sycamore tree.
/ should think when you read the
! obituary notices in the newspapers
or see funeral procession you would
remember that you have to pass by
that way and you would be sready
for it and you would be prepared fol
the time is coming sooner or later
when we will all pass that way.
! So he saw the route that Jesus
was taking would take him down tt
the famous sycamore tree and he
/ took circutous route around the
crowd and made for the sycamore
tree.
And Jesus came down the stree
and seeing Zacchaeus he said "Zac
chaeus make haste, for to day l mus
!, abide at your house for the Son O
Man has come to save that which
was lost"
And 1 can imagine Zacchaeus say
, ing to himself, Il wonder who ha
been telling him about me-"
The reason for the command wa
that he wanted to dine at his hom,
, Jesus, honoring the most unpepula
; man of his day, the most unpopula
man you could have found in tn,
, kingdom!
why, how-do-you-do, Jesus. I
i, had had the slightest idea that yol
were coming up here 10 see me
would have had my limousine her
but I didn't know you were COMING
! Too bad, for l just bought a ney
Pierce-Arrow. 1t isn't very far owe
> or l would Phone the chauffeur Il
) bring it over, but you don't min,
walking, do you?"
!, Jesus Goes
, Into House.
And | can see them going dow
the street of Jericho, Zacchaeus AM
,. Jesus with his disciples going up t
!, the house. l have often tried to i'm
: agine what kind of a woman Mrs
| Zacchaeus was. There isn't a wor
+ said about her. l imagine the chi
: dren were out in the front of tn
q house playing and they saw thei
! father coming and they said, an
!, here comes Pa with a lot of men,
K That was not unusual then, the
had no hotels. People invited then
+ selves up to Zacchaeus' house, tina
r was the custom in those days.
And so Jesus said, This day mus
abide at your house" so it was u
e to Zacchaeus to come across with til
I grub.
> And so I can see the childre
!, when they see their father go bac
into the house and say Ma, he
;, bringing them all into the house."
And she would say, Here, TAX
your hobby horse, and put tina
chair out of the way" and I can sc
i her fixing herself up, busting aroun
to get the house looking presentabi
g and in comes Zacchaeus and he says
This is Jesus of Nazareth and thi
4 is Mr.. Peter, Mr.. John, Mr.. Nathanie