THOSE who travel in Palestine even now, are constantly struck by the similarity of the scenes witnessed, to those described in the New Testament. By the wayside the sick and distressed are constantly seen, and so, after a few words of sympathy and regret at our inability to administer remedies for the sick pilgrim, to whom we referred in our last paper, we left the distressed company and resumed our journey. How often it is thus with us in our intercourse with fellow-pilgrims in their soul troubles! If our own consciences were more “exercised by reason of use,” and our souls led by the Spirit through the Word into a deeper communion with the Great Physician, we should no doubt be often more quick to detect the needs of others, and privileged to become the messengers of a word of healing, exhortation, or comfort according to His discernment of their needs. In the case referred to it may be that if we had taken the trouble to search the saddle-bags we might have found something there that would have helped in a little measure in the alleviation of the sufferings of the sick pilgrim. I here recall that a few miles before we overtook this party my companion had pointed out to me a sycamore-tree with its wide-spreading branches reaching a good way over the road, so strikingly calculated to remind me of the narrative of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10. If we turn back to verse 31 of the preceding chapter, we read how the Lord “took unto Him the twelve and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished, for he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge Him, and put Him to death: and the third day He shall rise again.” Then follows the narrative of blind Bartimaeus, in response to whose cry we read that “Jesus stood and commanded him to be brought unto Him,” and Jesus healed him, and he “followed Him, glorifying God: and all the people when they saw it gave praise unto God”: and then succeeds the narrative of Zacchaeus, and how the Lord Jesus, when He came to the place beneath the boughs of the sycamore-tree, looked up and said to him, “Make haste and come down, for to-day I must abide at thy house.” Blessed Jesus! Thou when “going up to Jerusalem,” well knowing all the things that should be done unto Thee there, didst stay Thy footsteps to call to Thee the blind beggar of Jericho, that Thou mightest heal him, and bring glory to God: and again, didst stop beneath the sycamore-tree to call Zacchaeus down from thence, and make known to him the salvation Thou hadst brought to his house, ere Thou wentest on Thy way to where, at the place which is called Calvary, they crucified Thee, and Thy precious blood was shed which made these eternal blessings all sure for Bartimaeus, Zacchaeus, and every soul that obeys Thy loving call to come and receive salvation from Thy pierced hand. Oh, teach us by these Thy marvelous acts of grace to be more ready to tell others what a Saviour Thou art.
“Go with the Name of Jesus to the dying,
And speak that Name in all its living power:
Why should the fainting heart grow chill and weary?
Canst Thou not watch with Me one little hour?
“One little hour! and then the glorious crowning,
The golden harp-strings and the victor’s palm:
One little hour! and then the Hallelujah!
Eternity’s long, deep, thanksgiving psalm.”
T. J.