Lesson 110 - Elementary

Memory Verse

 "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed" (John 20:29).

Notes

The Tax gatherer

 Zacchæus was a Jew who collected tax money for the Romans who ruled over the land. The people who paid it were Jews and they hated to pay money to the Romans, for they wished they could rule themselves. Since Zacchæus was the one who took money for the Romans, it made his own people dislike him very much, perhaps more than any other man in Jericho. He had a chance, too, to cheat because he could tell the people they owed more money than they really did. Jesus did not want Zacchæus to do that, because it was wrong. He wanted to save him so he would not do bad things.

Wonderful News

It was against the law for the people to leave the city with their loads of fruit and vegetables without paying the money " the tax. At the city gate many people gathered to pay their taxes. The news of the city was often heard at this place. One day Zacchæus heard a wonderful thing. It was so exciting that perhaps he lost interest in the clinking of the coins he was collecting. Someone told him that Jesus was to pass through that city of Jericho. Soon the murmur of many voices may have been heard saying, "Jesus is coming! Jesus is coming! They say a great crowd travels with Him. Come; let us get a place where we can see Him as He passes by."

Zacchæus, too, wanted to see Jesus, but he could not because he was such a little man that he could not look over the shoulders of taller people. Though he was small yet he worked his way through the crowd and ran on ahead. He looked down the road and saw a tree and then no doubt he thought: I know what I will do; I will climb that sycamore tree and get out on one of the strong branches and watch from there; I have heard how He heals sick people; perhaps he might heal someone as He passes by. Zacchæus saw the great crowd of people coming toward him. In the centre of all the people was a man that Zacchæus knew must be Jesus. He came closer and closer. Then just as Jesus came to the sycamore tree, He stopped. He looked up into the tree at Zacchæus and called him by his own name, "Zacchæus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house." Think how excited Zacchæus must have been! He must have come down out of the sycamore tree in a hurry, all the time thinking: How did He know my name? We know that Jesus knows all our names. He knows your name. He knows my name. He sees us all the time. He sees us when we are kind to other children. He sees us, too, if we are naughty and unkind to anyone. He knows all about us. He tells us that even the hairs of our head are all numbered.

The Murmuring Crowd

Zacchæus was very happy! When Jesus called him he came down from the limb on which he was sitting and Jesus and he went down the road together. The crowd murmured because Jesus had gone to eat with Zacchæus, a sinner. They did not understand that Jesus loved the sinners and wanted to save them. A great thing happened to Zacchæus when Jesus called him. He accepted Jesus joyfully, and Jesus quickly gave him a new heart. He saves us, too, when we receive Him joyfully and let Him come into our hearts. Zacchæus said, "Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor." He also said that if he had taken anything that belonged to others, he would give back four times as much as he had taken.

Very Rich

Zacchæus was very rich. Just think how many people were made happy when perhaps he bought clothes and food and took them to the homes of those that were poor! How those little children of Jericho must have loved Zacchæus and held him by his hand if he bought them a new dress or a new suit. Sometimes we have things we can divide with others and make them happy too. How good it is to see children share their fruit and candy and cookies with other children who may be too poor to have any! Some children are selfish and do not want to share their toys. They say: "Well, those are my toys; I can do as I please with them." They can, but they will find that they will be much happier if they share with others. No one wants a selfish child for his friend or playmate.

Salvation

When Zacchæus was saved, he wanted to pay back all the money he had taken wrongfully. When Jesus saves us we, too, want to make everything right. If we have said unkind things to others we want to go and ask them to forgive us so they will love us again and will not feel hurt.

This made Jesus very happy to hear Zacchæus say these things, and it must have been the most wonderful day of all Zacchæus' life. Then Jesus said that the Son of Man came into this world to seek and save that, which was lost. He saved Zacchæus; and He will save all who really want Him to save them if they do what He tells them to do.

Questions

1. Whom did Zacchæus want to see? [LUK:19:3].

2. What did he do that he might see Him? [LUK:19:4].

3. Who saw Zacchæus in the tree? [LUK:19:5].

4. Whose house did Jesus go to that day? [LUK:19:5].

5. What did Zacchæus say he would do with his money? [LUK:19:8].