Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-12-07

you will have great respect for his
ability, and for his careful study Of
the law.
The tragic fact, however, is that
he had entirely missed the spirit Of
it. He was like some students of the
Bible who know the book, but who
do not let it's teachings govern their
lives. Had he known practically
anything OF that whole-hearted love
to God or to his neighbor, he would
never have been there trying TO
catch his neighbor in a trap. There
was hatred in his heart toward Jesus,
rather than love; he had entirely
missed the mar kwhich he knew so
| thoroughly intellectually. This the
story is not a parable, but real in
cident which Jesus described. Jericho
was a city where a great many
priests and Levites lived, although
it was a city under the curse. God
| had said that any one who attempt
ed to rebuild it after He threw the
walls down should lay the founda-
ton with the death of his first-born
and finish the walls with the death
of his youngest son. This had been
literally fulfilled In spite OF this
Levites made it their home between
their periods of service at the tenn.
pie in Jerusalem.
The road from Jerusalem to ericho
was precipitous and offered many op'
portunities for robbers to hide in the
| crevices, and thus suddenly surround
travellers before they could defend
| themselves. 1t has always been
40
The very interesting question is
why a Samaritan should be travelling
! in Judaia. The Samaritans were
descendants of Mongrel race.
| When Tigluth-pileser captured Sa-
maria he deported all of the best of
| the people and left only the scum,
those not worth carrying away. He
repopulated the province with peo-
piles from other places he had cap
| tured, and the Samaritans were the
! descendants of the intermarriage of
| these foreigners with the Israelites
who had been left. They had taken
| their religion from both, but had
chung more closely to the God Of
! Israel than to the heather gods.
| When the temple was being rebuilt
under Zerubbabil they had offered
to help, but this offer was refused.
The opposition growing out of this
had but increased the feeling be-
tween the two peoples, which grew
until at the time of Jesus the breach
was so great that they had no deal
ings with each other at all. In fact,
! in going from Judaea to Gallllee, or
return, the Jews would not even
pass through Samaria. but would
cross the river twice to avoid even
this contact.
Imagine, therefore. the surprise of
this Jewish lawyer when he heard
the story. Picture that poor Jew
robbed and beaten and left dying
on the road, utterly unable to help
himself. Watch the priest returning
from his service in the holy temple:
see him look intentlv at the half
dead Jew. bleeding and grooming in
pain, and Their lass by on the OPP
posite side of the road. Then Wis
ualize the Levite just thoruch with
his service in the city OF God, going
leisurely down to his home: see him
catch sight of the sufferer, look at
him carefully a7d then pass by on
the opposite side of the road 1t
wasn't ignorance or lack of time in
either case; but indifference to the
need of the sufferer.
Then comes along another traveller.
He stops, examines the sufferer, too,
but he pours Oil and wine in his
wounds, bind them up, puts the fell
low on his own beast. while he
walks the rest of the way to the
| nearest inn, entirely oblivious to any
danger he might be in from the rob
bers who might waylay him any
moment. At the inn he pays two
days wages, and tells the .eeper