The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-02-09
TEACHING POINTS.

INTRoDucTIoN.-Jesus has now left Galilee. He
has in the Temple in Jerusalem made his claim up
on his people. lie has sent forth the seventy to
summon Judea to the Kingdom of Heaven. His
courage has awed his enemies it has for the time,
as it were, taken their breath away. While he no
longer shuns, he does not hasten, the elimination
of his ministry in martyrdom.
~ V. z5-2o. Our lesson is in its beginning,
heresy-hunt. The lawyer deems it his duty to prove
that Jesus is recreant to the Mosaic Law. He is
astonished however to find him sound on the two
grand central affirmatons of the Law: }. Love
God understandingly, with the heart, supremacy;
2. Love thy neighbor as thyself. The heresy trap
here catches game.-But there is second OPP
portunity. The lawyer would know what breadth
Of meaning Jesus puts into the word neighbor. To
the Pharisees, whose cause the lawyer champions,
neighbor means only full-blooded fellow-Jew: all
other men enemies to be hated. The lawyer
would know whether Jesus is orthodox on this
point.
e. v. 3o-35. Was there ever greater triumph
in oratory than when Jesus replied to the lawyers
query by telling the story OF the Good Samaritan
We can easily see that the personality of Jesus awed
the lawyer, and for the moment made him forget
his acquired cunning. He was made to see the pam
oramic picture The lonely traveller down the gorge
toward Jericho the assault by the robbers his re-
sisance the robbers clubbing him into insensibilty,
and stripping him naked and leaving him as dead
OF 10 olS the plOuS priest, by coincidence, coming
along, and on discovering the needy man going by
the other side; likewise the Levite following the
example of his superior the appearance of the Sa-
marian, hated of all Pharisaic Jews, hereto in
ligon; the Samaritans compassion, his service, his
hazard in behalf of the fe!low-human being, his be-
coming his sponsor at the inn. In the brief graphic
telling of this striking story Of human life, the law
yer, with all other hearers, had become absorbed.
81 v. SO, 81. (which of the three showed him
self neighbor to the victim of robbersf" How could
any man reply otherwise than as the lawyer reped3
He could not yet pronounce the hated name "Sa-
maritan" but he was compelled to confess that he
that showed mercy was his neighbor.-Jesus by
his comprehensive answer changed the lawyers
question to this more practical form: To whom am
Ineighbori when Jesus gave the command to
the lawyer go, and do thou likewise" he dismissed
him with the obligation resting upon him to forsake
his Pharisaism and become follower of Jesus,
worshpper of the Father, lover of all men.
This story has cast friendly light upon the
whole Samaritan sect; Samaritan societies are now
innumerabe; to be like this good Samaritan is to
be an ideal Christian.
Jesus in this story, showed that right acts are
Of more value than orthodox belief. Jesus did not
approve the Samaritans creed Uohn 4 :22); but he
commended his spirit and his acts.
The magnanimity of Jesus appears when we
recall that only short time before he had received
scorn and contempt from the Samaritans Quke
q:s5)