The International Sunday School Lessons By J. H. S. LESSON III.—January 18.— T he G ood S amaritan .— Luke 10:25-37. G olden T ext : Thou Shalt love thy neighbor as thyself .—Mark 12:31. IS E xegetical and P ractical .
made the first convolution of the brain an interrogation point, and in the others im planted the capacity to answer. Not what a man hears but what he sees convinces him, and he sees with his mind by the light within. The way to cure a sceptic is to compel him to answer his cavils .—“ What is writtenf” The written law is easily agreed on. Grammar, dictionary, and custom settle this .—"H ow readest thouf" Here differ ence rises. All credal variations turn on this “ how.” They are right whose "what” is also their “ how.” V. 27. “ Thou shalt love” : The “ what,” then, is love. How plain! But the “law yer” read it, said it, yet did not see it, or feel it. Love is the feeling and filling of the Law (Rom. 13:10). The lawyer was conscious of neither. He was dead by the Law, not to it (Rom. 7:9-11; 4). Love less law is death; lawless love is .impos sible; the law of love is/ life. God, Thou art Love? then must it be That Love in loving loveth Thee; -And life is life without a flaw If life is love, since love is law. The man’s answer is a compendium of the whole Law: Toward God (Exod. 20:1-11), the First table; toward man, our neighbor (Exod. 20:12-17), the Second table .—“ With all thy heart .”—In Scripture usage “ heart" is the physical, emotional, and intellectual, i. e. the whole man specified in "all thy soul” (thy very self, or life) ; "all thy strength” (ability, pow er); “ all thy mind" (mental and moral faculties). The whole man should be devoted, with every faculty to Him .—“And thy neighbor as thyself.” V. 28. “ Right: this do and thou shalt live.” Did Paul contradict Jesus (Gal. 2: 16; see 3 :12)? No. Keep the Law and live. But one must first live. Men are dead (Col. 2:13). Hence no unregenerate man ever did, ever will, ever can “ do,” for the Law is spiritual and perfect (Rom. 7:14).
V. 25. "Lawyer” : Not a practitioner of the Law, but an expositor o f the Scripture by profession. Bred and read in the Law he lacked the life. Light in the attic, it was dark in the living room. His head, all right but his heart all, wrong. “ Teach er” : Though intended as a compliment it was Christ’s true title. Not the “ law yer” but the Law Giver is the teacher. He is “ The Word,” “ the Truth,” “ the Wisdom” (John 1:1; 14:6; 1 Cor. 1:24). The noblest calling is the teacher’s. Jesus was a teacher, a “ teacher sent from God” (John 3 :1 ), as every teacher should by his works prove to be. “ What shall I d of” Not an honest question but a quibble ( “ tempting” ). He did not want to get information from Him but to lodge infor mation against Him. Cavillers so question the written Word, they search it to smirch it, but as in this case it searches and smirches them.— “D o f" That is the religion of the flesh, and its condemnation. T o it eternal life is wages not a gift (Rom. 6:23). It feels it must d o ; it fails to thus d o ; it don’t do because it can’t d o ; it can’t do be cause it won’t do. The lawyer could have named upwards of 1000 recognized and classified precepts, and professed to do them, but his question confessed his con scious failure. Should he or any other do the 1000 a 1000 years he would still be asking, “What must I do?” — "When He from His lofty throne Doing is not the cause but the issue of life. Yet the question is the vital and there fore the primary question in life. V. 26. Jesus Questions the Questioner. The ,true art of teaching this! for not put ting in’ but drawing out is education. God Stooped down to do and die Everything was fully done. Hearken to His cry,— ‘It is finished.’ "
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