The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-04-30
Calnage
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee, D. D.

Los Angeles, Cal, april 2S.-That
Gods way of judging men and choos
ing them for some special task is total
ly different from mans way is EN-
phasized In this sermon, the text Of
which is taken from Luke xix. 5. ITO
day | must abide at thy house"
1t Is amazing how long tie world
compeIs some of it's most hoIo"eI chill
dren to struggle amid the quicilsands
of poverty, obscurity, misrepresenta-
ton and SANDER before it allows them
to climb the mountain tops of imnOr-
tally and fame. 1t Is hard to under
stand why some men have to spend SO
much of their lives fighting for a
mere existence when they would have
been able to do so much more good for
their fellow men if the world had only
been willing to encourage them in
stead of turning the cold shoulder
upon them. Every one remembers the
famous couplet by the poet Haywood;
Seven cities warred for Homer being
dead,
Who living had no roof to shroud his
head.
Well, that is the history of many of
the worlds greatest heroes and hero
ines. For years and years they battled
with poverty. For years and years
they had to fight for mere physical ex
istence. Then came wealth, fame, po-
sition, honor The world was bowling
at their feet to do their bidding.
The lot of the obscure peasant is
necessarily hard, yet when Christ was
to come into the world it was that lot
he chose, as If he desired to know by
experience the sorrow and hardship of
humanity. Christ for thirty years had
lived in poverty and obscurity. When
at last he started forth on his worlds
mission he was opposed at every step.
He was maligned and slandered. Then
there came sudden change which
placed him on the top wave Of popu=
larity We find him no longer the I'M
known peasant. All his countrymen
are talking of him, and many of them
call him a great teacher. His fame.
too, has gone abroad, and certain
Greeks have asked to see him. He Is
now on his way to Jerusalem, where
he will be acclaimed as the Son of Da-
vid. He has reached Jericho, and the
people turn out to see the young
prophet who may prove to be the long
expected Messiah.
The PubIican's Rome.
Who will have the honor of enter
tanning him? To which home does he
go? He can practically go and lodge
In any home that he will Does he go
to the home of the good and pure man?
Does he go to the home Of the aristo-
crat? No; he goes to the home of a
despised publican. When Christ stops
and looks up and sees the despised
publican Zaccheus perched upon the
overhanging bough of sycamore tree,
he seems to say: "Come, Zaccheus!
Come down! Come and let me so
home with thee! Come and let me
teach the world that my mission is to
save souls which are lost! Come and
let me lodge with one who Is universal
ly ostracized by his countrymen! Come
down, Zaccheus! Come down! For
today | must abide at thy house!'
Now, why did Christ choose to visit
Zaccheus' home in preference to all
the other homes Of Jericho which
would gladly have opened their doors
to receive him as their honored guest!
Christ lodged in Zaccheus' house In
the first place because 1t was the most
despised home in all Jericho. 1t rep
resented all that was bitter and cruel
and tyrannical and unjust. 1t repre-
sented extortion and dishonesty. 1t
represented the fiendish power which
would take community In It's viselike
grip and squeeze the last drop OF
financial blood out Of a man and then
turn him out of his home and let him
starve Murderer, thief, destroyer,
assassin, hangman, were names honor
ed and respected by the Jews-in COM
parison with that word publican" 1t
was a name the most hated of ali
names in the Hebrew language. There
was no indictment more opprobrious
which could be hurled against Christ
than that he was friend of publicans
and sinners, for of all sinners the worst
sinner In Hebrew eyes was the pub
lican. In order to understand why the
house of Zaccheus was the most ex-
coriated In all Jericho we must study
for q little while the attitude Of the
Roman government toward Its prov
inces.
The Roman government was like the
Turkish government. In the capital OF
Constantinople sits the "sick man of
Europe" He opens the map Of his
kingdom and says: Here is one OF my
provinces. l will sell this to the high
est bidder. Then l will make the tax
collector of this province pay me a
certain amount each year. All the
moneys he can squeeze out of those
people above that amount he can have