Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-12-07
SUNDAY SCHOOL. LESSON
For Dec. 1O-Luke 1O:25-37
BY DIR. MARION McH. HULL

Golden Text: Thou shalt love thy
neighbOr as myself" Lev. 1918.
The attitude of His own people to
Jesus is one of the most tragic facts
in history. He offered Himself to
them as their King. long promised,
who would fulfill all the pledges
that God had made TO them through
their prophets; we have seen that
this was the Gospel of the King
dom Of God which He and His mes
sengers preached to them. They
did not accept His offer. Today we
are brought face to face with the
opposition that He was encounter
ing. One of the opponents of the
Mosaic Law, a religionist high in
authority, came to Him one day
with question:: Master, what shall
l do to inherit eternal life?" If he
had been honest and sincere in his
question Jesus would have told HIM
that there was nothing that he
could do; but Jesus realized that he
was trying to involve Him in a dis
pute which the Rabbinical authori-
ties had not settled among them
selves. To trap Jesus and make
llIIll dppSdl dS OIle uDDOSlIlS the
Law was this lawyers real motive.
Therefore Jesus answered him by
asking him a question:: What says
the law"
Coming in a critical, hostile, I'M
believing spirit, as the exponent of
the law, attempting to tempt Jesus,
this lawyer found himself face to
face with a real problem. Jesus met
him on his own ground. He had
come asking what he must do
Jesus replied. What does the law
say that you must do? When he
answered, Jesus replied. That is
right: do that, and you shall live.
Now notice this: while the lawyer
came in an ugly spirit to Jesus
the very question he asked revealed
the real man. He was dissatisfied:
he wanted peace; he craved eternal
life and he had not found it. And
while he was attempting 20 tempt
Jesus in a trap. he was laying bare
unconsciously the secrets of his
own heart. What shall I do? The
very question showed that all that
he had done had tailed to bring
peace 10 his soul.
But the question also revealed a
very distorted vision. What shall
I do to inherit? If he had seen clear
ly, he would have known that in
heritance does not follow what a
man does, but what he is. I can't
inherit something from my father
because of what I do, but because
OF what | am. his son. Inheritance
follows relationship, not activity.
In coming to Jesus with this ques-
ton he put himself on the basis of
the law: therefore, seeing the in
EQUITY in his soul and it's unrest. hid
hatred OF Him and his dissatisfac-
ton with his own life, Jesus wanted
to show him his sin and the i'm
possibility Of his getting what he
wanted while he remained on tue
basis of the law; so He asked, What
says the law?'
The lawyers answer was remark.
able. Thou shall love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul. and with all thy
strength. and with all thy mind, and
thy, neighbor as myself" This was
the answer in almost the same words
that Jesus gave to another lawyer
who came to Him later and asked
which was the great commandment.
The difference is an interesting
study, which we will not discuss
now. The lawyers answer revealed
the fact though that he was a very
keen observer and a very earnest
student of the law. If you had never
heard it before daEesay you would
not have been ahfe to summarize
Leviticus and Deuteronomy in any
such effective manner. Read these
books again at your leisure and
make your own summary. forget.
ting this one for the time; then COM
pare yours with the lawyer sand