Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-02-15
Golden Text: '.FOr the Son of
Man came to seek and to save that
which was lost" Luke 1910.

Man came to seek and to save that
which was lost" Luke 1910.
| The 31st verse of the 18th chap
| ter begins 81 new section Of Lukes
story of the Man who lived and
| died and rose again. It begins
the narration of these events which
marks His last journey to Jerusa-
| lem and His sufferings there. Jesus
had been in Perea just prior to
| this; a good many of the events
| of His ministry there Luke onnits
He does tell us one thought that
| has a very important bearing up
on the incident we study today and
we shall therefore revert to it
after a bit.
AS He began His last journey to
Jerusalem He took His disciples
aside and told them what was
ahead of them and Him. They
were to start for Jerusalem now,
and there would be fulfilled all that
the prophets had spoken concerning
the Son of Mantle would be de-
livered into the, hands of the Gen
tiles, Knocked, spit upon, spitefully
treated, scourged, and crucified;
and on the third day He would
rise again.
The disciples looked at Him in
blank amazement; they didn't un-
derstand anything that He was
talking about, because it was hid
den from them. How kind God was
to hide these things from them!
They would have been perfectly
miserable had they understood Him
fully; they would certainly have
made efforts to prevent it, and
would only have made matters
worse instead of better; because
they would have been impotent
against the powerful Roman gov
eminent and the plan of God Lat
er they recalled it all, however, and
understood, and appreciated Him
the more keenly because they knew
He had gone to Jerusalem, knowing
beforehand exactly everything that
| would befall Him; and yet He had
gone willingly, for the love that
He had to them and to u.s.
Their road from Perea led them
through Jericho AS they neared
the city they were joined by great
crowds that were also on their way
to Jerusalem to keep the feast of
the Passover. 1t was just a week
before the Great Day. AS they en-
tered the city a blind man sat by
the wayside begging. Hearing the
multitude he asked what it meant,
and learning, began to cry, Jesus,
thou Son of David, have mercy on
me-" He kept it up all through the
city and could not be silenced. AS
they went out of Jericho, he was
Joined by another. Jesus called them
to Him. gave them their sight, and
was Joined by them as part of the
crowd that followed Him.
Zaccheus, the Chief Publican
Jericho was situated $50 feet be-
low sea level, and therefore had
tropical climate It's surroundings
lands were very fertile, and its crops
were large and lucrative. A large
number of Roman tax gatherefs
were necessary to collect the taxes
and the matter was farmed out to
| underlings to do the actual work.
Zaccheus was a Jew who was the
chief of these publicans, and had
large opportunities to accumulate
wealth. His practices were not al
ways honest, but he was in 1t for
all that the game would bear. lie
had therefore grown very rich.
With all his wealth, he was not
| happy. He had a lovely home in
| the suburbs, furnished with all that
| the heart could wish or that money
could buy. But he lived lonely
| life; no one came to visit him; be
was q despised publican, an outcast.
| He had tried to buy happiness. He
| had become one of the city's largest
| givers to charity, even to the half
| of his goods he gave to- the poor.
| But that did not produce happiness
or peace of heart. He decided that
| he would not have any tainted mon
ey: and if he found that any of it
had come by fraud, he did what the
| law required of a thief, he restored
| it NfCurfold. For notice in verse 8
| that he is not making any promise
of what he will do in the future, but
| he is stating a fact as to what he is
doing now. The verbs are in the
present tense. .N-
He had heard of Jesus; he had
| probably heard of the criticism that
had been made against Him very re-
Gently when He had gone to eat
with some publicans in another
| place, for news like this travels
| fast from one group to another sim
liar group. He had probably heard
of Levi, the publican who had left
all to follow this Man Jesus, and of
the supper that he. had given Him.
| And there had grown in Zaccheus
heart great desire to see this Man
Jesus what He was like. He had
| never heard of any one who treated
| publicans like they were folks be-
fore; he was curious to see how such
man looked.
/ He edged into The crowd, elbowed
here and there; but in the narrowed
streets of the city he didn't have a
| chance; he was too small; he
couldn't get a glimpse of Him He
| knew the road to Jerusalem well,
| though, and so he ran ahead and
| climbed up a sycamore tree, an
! Egyptian fig tree, that grew on the
side of the road. There, from his
point of vantage, he waited to get
| first-class view of the Man. To
| be sure, it was not a very dignified
| position for one of the city's
| wealthiest men to occupy, nor for
| the one who was probably the larg-
est giVer to charity; but what did
he care for dignity? He was al
ready despised and cast out; they
| couldn't do him much more harm
| by ridiculing him. He must have
| that sight of the Man, and he did.
There He came, walking in the
! midst of the crowd. Zaccheus had
never seen such a face - such a
kindly eye, such tender, yet firm,
mouth, such a smile, such love dis
| played And yet there was some
| thi7o Vary cad about it, He Hooked