The National tribune., 1895-02-07
SUNDAY MEDITATION
A Study of the International Sunday
School Lesson Appointed for Feb.
IL. 1895. %

Subject. Chrisps Definition of the Word
Neighbour. st. Luke, 10; 1851.
Zone reading these notes should first carefully
study the paragraph from the Holy Scriptures M
indicated above.l
INTRODUCTION.
We have a question answered by parable.
The question WAS "Who Is my neikhbor2 T"
The answer is, The Parable of the Good Sauna
ritan. So the lesson is divided into two parts !;
verses o5-29 developing the question. verses
3O-37 giving an answer In the form of a parable.
ST. LUKE, 10: 25-29. NEteHBoK DEFINED.
ST. Luke gives the only account. The ques-
toner was a Scribe, man learned in Jewish
law: indeed. teacher of that law. We are able
to imagine he was sincere in asking she ques-
ton. 1t is said in Y. % he tempted him. The
word can be rendered in the sense of tried.
He wanted to see if there were any thing in the
teachings OF Christ which he could utilize in
his own teachings. Or he might, as a sincere
instructor. ont OF anxiety rs to Christ's correct
ness OF doctrine, wish to satisfy himself
whether Christ was right, with q view of aid
ing Jesus in getting more correct notions.
But the attitude Of the man, the tone of the ac-
count, seems to imply the scribe was not set on
mischief Trench thought tho object of the
scribe was to test the ability OF the new Teacher.
Many commentators do not. at any rate, see in
this Scribe the yiciOusDess of tho Pharisees
who later on, deliberately set out "to catch
something ont Of His lChrists) mouth that
they might accuse Him."
Whichever way We consider the scribe We
must admit he asked the most woighty question
for n mortal to raise: What shall / do to in
herit eternal life?" This was a mooted test
question of that day among the Jews. 1t is
even yet asked with great concern all over the
world.
The emphasis does not OF course. lie on the
fact of eternal life. but in the condition of be-
ing in that eternal life. Eternal life might in
certain conditions be dreadful. and one might
rather cry out in EXTREMIST desire, How can
i die and remain dead forever and forever"
Jesus had at hand an answer for the Scribe's
question. See st. John, 6: At; 1913. at is
the knowledge, experience, enjoyment, and
practice of spiritual things; il is to live truly,
grandly. frutfuliy. When Jesus said later,
this do and thou shalt live he meant to affirm
that this yielded the element of life that made
it worth having, and constituted its very sa-
vor."
Another good feature about the Scribe is that
he adopted the method Of learning by asking
questions. This shows he knew a very impor-
tant pedagogic art.
The Scribe was not ignorant Of tho law. lie
was able to answer Christ correctly. He COM
bined Deu., 6 8. and Lev. 10: 1S. giving in the
briefest way the entire Ten Commandments
the first four showing our duties to God. and
the last six our duties 10 our neighbor At
an earlier date our Savior had reduced the Ten
Commandments 10 two. st. Matt, %: 37-40.
/. Love of God. 2. Love OF neighbor. Indeed.
had reduced the Ten to one, making the priu-
pie OF love cover all ethics. ] John, 4 90 81.
Compare VS.. l6. 10. Every Pharsee land the
SERIES were Pharisees) wore on his forehead
little eathern kind of Textbook (phylactery).
on which were inscribed certain Bible verses.
among which were the two verses which the
Scribe united in his reply'to our Savior. to wit.
Deu.. 8: 5. aud Lew, 10: IS. TO be effective,
it tleve) must dominate all the counsels Of our
being. /. With all tho heart affections
and the will. 9. With all the soul tho es.
sential being and ground work of character. 3.
With all tho strength 1.-The full and united
consent and energy OF all the powers. d. With
all the mind the acquiescence of reason aud
intellect"
The real good sense or the Scribe land sin
cerity, too seems implied) is apparent in v 81.
giving reply to Cbrist's question growing ont
from the parable. 74EEs
THE PARABLE. ST. LUXE, 10: 3O-37.
]. Data
This parable is given only by st. LIKE. It
is most beautiful incident. 1t has served the
world usefully. We are pleased st. Luke wrote
his Gospel when we notice the important facts
omitted by the other three Gospels. but stated
by him. 1t is singular that. while SITS. Matthew
and john in all probability heard Christ stale
the parable. it remained for a writer to report it
who possibly never saw the Speaker. We learn
tho revelations of the Gospel did not depend on
the historic facts having been actually seen or
heard by the narrators, bnt on inspiration. 2
Pet, /: 81. We sec the need of reading all tho
Gospels if one would learn every particular
revealed.
g Time.
We may date this parable October, A. d. 90.
Jesus was in his Saith year of life and in the
fourth year Of his ministry. 1t was little
over three years after his baptism and about
five months prior to his cruci6xion. 1t was
during the Feast Of Tabernacles. to attend
which Christ had gone up to the Capital and
Temple. Geik dates the parable in the last
month OF Christs life, hut students in general
prefer to place it just after the return OF The
Seventy.
We have no way Of determining how long it
was before Christ mentioned the facts of the
parable, that they occurred. IL We have before
Us a mere parable it may he the incident is
purely imaginary aud hence dateless. If Jesus
referred to specific incident as having really
taken place, we cannot give the date Some
thing Of the kind developed Ia the parable is
all the time occurring.
3. Places
The parable was uttered in the neighbor-
hood of Jerusalem. Just before the parable was
spoken Christ WAS in the Temple. Next we
found him at Bethany. We may suppose he
gave utteranre to the parable between Jerusa-
lem and Bethany. Hence we place the incident
OH the Mount OF Oivet.
4. Scene Of the Robbery.
The road between Jerusalem and Jericho
has always borne very bad name. Midway
it is utterly perilous.
Rev. J. K. g. Peek, pastor of Watervlle,
N. Y, writing t1SS3) of his experience said:
"The road from Jerusalem to Jericho is just as
dangerous now it was when the young man
mentioned by st. Luxe went down and fell
among thieves. Our party of seven eight
had an escort Of about 40 Arabs. A large escort
is absolutely necessary"
In 1889 party, the principal Of whom was
the Bishop OF Tennessee. Dr. e. T. Quintard,
visited Europe Egypt, Palestine, etc. Refer
ring 10 the trip. the Bishop said: "We travelled
on horseback from Jerusalem to the Jordan
aud the most of the way was made mp of sterile
gullies and the only iuu we found between the
Jordan and Jericho was the one on the spot
where tho Good Samaritan is supposed to have
taken in the robbed man whom he fonnd by the
wayside."
B. Characters in the Parable.
/. Man. V. 30. Not probably a GENTLE
Such seldom in that vicinity. Not Samari-
tan. Such not allowed in Jerusalem. We
may say he was Jew.v We know nothing of
his name. age, business, domestic relations
wealth, etc. He may have had repute for
riches, and thus have become victim to attack
BIZ robbers beggar would not have bean