_THE SINNER'S GUEST_
"_He is gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner._"
--LUKE xix. 1-10.
It was hurled as an accusation; it has been treasured as a garland. It was
first said in contempt; it is repeated in adoration. It was thought to
reveal His earthliness; it is now seen to unveil His glory. Our Saviour
seeks the home of the sinner. The Best desires to be the guest of the
worst. He spreads His kindnesses for the outcasts, and He offers His
friendship to the exile on the loneliest road. He waits to befriend the
defeated, the poor folk with aching consciences and broken wills. He loves
to go to souls that have lost their power of flight, like birds with
broken wings, which can only flutter in the unclean road. He went to
Zacchæus.
Yes, the Lord went to be "guest with a man that is a sinner," and He
changed the sinner into a saint. The worldling found wings. The stone
became flesh. Gentle emotions began to stir in a heart hardened by
heedlessness and sin. Restitution took the place of greed. The home of the
sinner became the temple of the Lord. "To-day is salvation come to this
house forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham."