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drunkards and prostitutes? Could the Christians bear
with a curate or parson of a similar conduct? Certainly
not. A spiritual guide may have intercourse with all sorts
of sinners in order to convert and reform then, providing
that he is sober, abstemious, and sincere. According
to the quotation just mentioned, Christ admits that his
behaviour had scandalized the religious leaders of his
nation. It was true that the officers of the Customhouse,
called “publicans,” were hated by the Jews simply
because of their office. We are told only two “publicans”[1]
and one “harlot” [2] and one “possessed” woman [3] were
converted by Jesus (pbuh) ; but all the clergy and the
lawyers were branded with curses and anathemas. [4] All
this looks awkward and incredible The idea or thought
that a Holy Prophet, so chaste and sinless like Jesus (pbuh)
, was fond of wine, that he changed six barrels of water
into a most intoxicating wine in order to render crazy a
large company of guests already tipsy in the wedding-hall
at Cana,[5] is practically to depict him an impostor and
sorcerer! Think of a miracle performed by a thaumaturge
before a rabble of drunkards! To describe Jesus (pbuh) as
a drunkard, and gluttonous, and a friend of the ungodly,
and then to give him the title of “the Son of Man” is to
deny all the Jewish Revelations and religion.

Again, Jesus (pbuh) is reported to have said, “The Son
of Man came to seek and recover that which was lost.”[6]

The commentators of course interpret this passage
in a spiritual sense only. Well, it is the mission and
the office of every prophet and the preacher of the

[1] Matthew and Zacchæus (Matt. ix. 9; Luke xix. 1- 11).

[2] John iv.

[3] Mary Magdalene (Luke viii. 2).

[4] Matt. xiii. etc.

[5] John ii.

[6] Matt. xiii. 11, Luke ix. 56; xix. 10, etc.