haps one of the disciples voiced them directly in the Saviour's ear. But Jesus undertook the defence of Zacheus, and it was a crushing defeat for the murmurers. To the Master the publican needed not to defend himself had he but known it, for the commission of every crime against Heaven would not hinder Jesus from the company of the criminal. But Zacheus had the best possible justification any sinner can have repentance, reparation, and amendment. Zacheus, therefore, halted the movement to his house; and "standing, said to the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have wronged any man of anything, I restore him four-fold." This touched the sore spot with a healing balm. The hand that loosens its grip on another man's money is the hand of a hero. Most thieves hang on till hand and money and body and soul are cast into hell. The penance of the miser who makes sure of pardon by four-fold restitution is heroic, especially when it overflows the measure by gifts to the poor. Such was the penance of Zacheus.

For this reason the Lord loved him, and singled him out for public favor. As they came to this chief publican's home, "Jesus said to him This day is salvation come to this house," and then turning to the multitude: "because he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." The Lord might especially praise Zacheus because he had not waited to be sought, but, "running before," had, with that simplicity which our Saviour so much prized, climbed a tree to see and hear Him the better; had already made amends for his rapacity by giving away half

his fortune; and had, upon the least scrude of unjust dealing, made sure of pardon by reparation four times over. All this is the admirable defence of Zacheus as he hindered the Master from entering his house and breaking his bread till he had shown that it was not spotted with the blood of his victims.

An ancient tradition tells us that after our Saviour's death and resurrection and the coming of the Holy Ghost, Zacheus gave up all things for Christ's sake, became a distinguished disciple of St. Peter and was made Bishop of Cesarea.

CHAPTER V.

THE PARABLE OF THE TEN POUNDS.

Luke xix. 11-28.

BUT neither the incident of Zacheus nor the miracle of the blind men made at the time a deep impression on the followers of Jesus. Their minds were preoccupied with the Kingdom of God, which they thought would be manifested by the Messias at the coming Passover in Jerusalem. Their thoughts about that kingdom were widely unlike those of Jesus, as we know. The most striking difference was in point of time. "As they were hearing these things, He added and spoke a parable, because He was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the Kingdom of God should immediately be manifested." Jesus knew that a terrible trial must intervene, a trial unto death for Himself, but for His disciples a literally crucial test of their fidelity; and for the leaders of the Jewish nation a final and fatal loss of their place as citizens of God's Kingdom.

As was His custom, He taught the right view by

a payable that of the Ten Pounds: Jesus is going to enter into His kingdom and to return; that is, He will enter through the cruel gate of death into His Father's palace to be invested with His eternal kingship, and then come back in triumph at the Resurrection. As He departs, the Jews cry after Him, "Away with Him! Crucify Him!" In the hearts of His disciples, however, He has left His teaching, the prophecy of His Resurrection and of the founding of a spiritual kingdom, just as a rich man entrusts his capital to his agents for investment. When Jesus rises from the dead, He expects to find among His followers an increase of love and of faith, the gold and the silver of His treasury.

Some set about their Master's work with zeal. The Apostles and disciples were not required to do much in comparison with what He would do and suffer for them; but they must at least stand the test of the Saviour's condemnation and death, and thus increase their faith and love-" faithful over few things." To these faithful servants the superabundant graces, the high dignities of office, should be distributed.

Others, who were not equal even to this, must suffer the penalty of spiritual sloth. These were cowards, time-servers, sluggards. It availed them little to say that they feared their Master too much to risk His money by trading: that is, spiritual sloth shall not be allowed the excuse so commonly offered, "I fear I am not worthy, therefore I will lie quiet." Many a Christian thus veils his indolence. Their opportunity, their grace, their honor, all go to the faithful who have had to take their places and must be rewarded accordingly. Against the slothful and the cowardly Jesus turns their own words into a con

clusive argument. It is a lesson to those whose indolence misuses such maxims as, "It is better not to try than to try and to fail"; especially those whose over-prudent advice dampens the energy of others; above all to superiors who, for fear of failure, will neither act themselves nor let others act.

In a subsequent repetition of this parable, Jesus says that the unprofitable servant was "wicked and slothful," and was cast out into exterior darkness amid weeping and gnashing of teeth. In the present application of it He merely dismisses him, stripped and disgraced.

Then comes the terrible ending -the fate of the rebels against the new-crowned King: "But as for those my enemies, who would not have me reign over them, bring them hither; and kill them before me.”

It is the divine sentence upon the Jews, executed by themselves. and their chosen rulers, the Roman governors. They will refuse the kingship of Jesus; they will imprecate His blood upon themselves and their posterity; they will publicly and officially prefer Cæsar to rule over them instead of the Son of God. And Cæsar will rule over them indeed; he will scourge them into revolt, destroy their priesthood, massacre the bulk of the race, and scatter the remnant to the ends of the earth.

"And having said these things, He went before, going up to Jerusalem."

He said therefore: A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And calling his ten servants, he gave them ten pounds, and said to them: Trade till I

us.

come. But his citizens hated him: and they sent an embassage after him, saying: We will not have this man to reign over And it came to pass that he returned, having received the kingdom: and he commanded his servants to be called, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. And the first came, saying: Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said to him: Well done, thou good servant; because thou hast been faithful in a little, thou shalt have power over ten cities. And the second came, saying: Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said to him: Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying: Lord, behold here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin. For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up what thou didst not lay down, and thou reapest that which thou didst not sow. He saith to him: Out of thy own mouth I judge thee, thou wicked servani. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up what I laid not down, and reaping that which I did not sow: And why then didst thou not give my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have exacted it with usury? And he said to them that stood by: Take the pound away from him, and give it to him that hath the ten pounds. And they said to him: Lord, he hath ten pounds. But I say to you, that to every one that hath shaii be given, and he shall abound; and from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken from him.

J

CHAPTER VI.

SIX DAYS BEFORE THE PASSOVER."

John xi. 55, 56; xii. 1.

ESUS could count six days before Him now; then all would be over. It was the

eighth day of the month Nisan and the Sabbath when He reached Bethany. At sundown of the thirteenth of the month the Passover festival would begin, and then His life would be done and His body in the grave. Those six days stretched out before Him as the concluding week of a long campaign appears to a general on the eve of battle; the events which decide the fate of the army and the country crowd together more interest than all the many months or even years of marches and countermarches that have gone before. Jesus knew that He was soon to raise the Cross, the standard of His Kingdom, to rally about it the elect of all nations, and to abide the result of the conflict.

There is no reason to suppose that He allowed Himself to ignore His prophetic knowledge of His sufferings. We know that His soul rose up in a great act of courage, equal to His love for men, as He contemplated what the Father had revealed to Him-the betrayal, the trial and condemnation, the scourging, the mockery, the Cross.

While His soul beheld all this with the mingled terror of the man and joy of the hero, He led His disciples from Jericho over the difficult and dangerous road to Bethany. Loving hearts awaited Him there; hateful ones awaited Him in Jerusalem, where His enemies were set upon putting an end to His