ZACCHÆUS, COME DOWN by H. A. St. John

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Mar 25, 1903

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 29, No. 12.

“ZACCHÆUS, COME DOWN.”

By H. A. St. John

“ZACCHÆUS, make haste and come down, for to-day I must abide at thy house.” Luke 19:5. It is not always best to come down, when invited or even commanded to do so. After the captivity and return of Israel to Jerusalem, and the work of restoration had begun, the builders on the wall were asked to come down, and counsel, and arrange with some enemies in disguise. The Lord dictated the reply, which was to the effect, “We are doing a great work, and can not come down unto you.” The Lord had called them to that work. And when the Lord calls us to a work, it is a high, holy, and exalted work, however it may appear to others, or even to ourselves.

And we ought to regard our service to God, whatever it may be, as a great work, and never hearken to any voice calling us down, excepting the same voice that called us to the work. And the Lord will not call us down, unless we have finished the work or He has another work for us.

Satan tried in vain to call Jesus down from the great work He came into the world to do, but Jesus’ ever ready reply was, “Get thee behind Me, Satan; for it is written.”

But when the Lord calls a man to come down, it is well for him to make haste and obey. After the transgression of Adam and Eve, they were called down and out,—down from their high and holy first estate; and out from their beautiful Eden home into the world under the curse of sin and death. It was a fearful coming down, but there was no other way up again.

Nebuchadnezzar, the proud monarch of a universal kingdom, stood on the top of his grand, kingly palace one day, and surveyed with swelling, selfish pride the beautiful and brilliant capital city of his mighty empire. While uttering words of self-praise for the might of his power, in building great Babylon for the house of his kingdom, and the glory of his majesty, the same voice that spoke to Zacchæus, rang in his ears, Nebuchadnezzar, come down from that magnificent palace. Come out from that city of which you boast. Come down on all fours like an ox, to the mind of an ox, to the diet of an ox. Go to grass for seven years, and learn a lesson of true humility. The Lord does not teach all people filled with vanity the same lesson the same way. If He did, the traveler in the country in these days would see many a form divine quietly grazing with the kine. Nebuchadnezzar instantly obeyed the summons, and learned the lesson well. And, as a result, the Lord called him to come up to his throne again, and he became one of the brightest and best of kings.

Everybody must first come down, before they can safely come up. “He that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” He that exalteth himself, and will not come down in obedience to the call of the Lord, will surely fall from the dizzy height sometime, and great will be the fall. “He that exalteth himself shall be abased.”

Zacchæus hastily obeyed the Lord, and came down from the tree, and took the Lord into his house, and into his heart. That was a happy day when salvation came to the penitent and obedient Zacchæus and his household.

Reader, do you wish you had been in Zacchæus’ place in the sycamore tree? Do you say you would have gladly and quickly obeyed His command to come down, and accepted of His invitation to abide in your house? If you feel so, the command, the invitation, the solicitation, is to you now. If Jesus is not with you, make haste and come down to Him, open the door of your heart, and invite Him to come in, and He will gladly accept, for He stands

waiting and knocking for admission. Let Him in, and He will sup with you, and you with Him—and He will abide with you to-day, and to-morrow, and the third day, and forever. O, divine and heavenly Guest, abide with us evermore!

H. A. ST. JOHN.