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TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
November 1924
mother tongue gives a school-boy mastery of language and «expression, so the translation of moral precepts into altruis tic service, lifts us out of spiritual nonage into stalwart moral maturity, developing ând keèping alive the sense of responsibility. Here is the true criterionof character. If a man only does that which is formally laid down, and if, where the law leaves a blank to he filled in by circumstances, he acts as if there was no law at all, he does not know what love is and he does not know what the Bible is. The Bible is a book of moral inspiration rather than a book of moral information, So far as it gives information it is in the way of principles. It was never intended to be an immédiate guide to the distributive knowledge of duties. If it éver binds to any particular forms of external con duct, it is to such only as, apart from age or locality, it enjoins upon man as man. To read it like a nautical almanac or a set of rubrics, or as if it contained minute directions for every detail of conduct, will make us casiriets and Pharisees. To read it as a book of great and vital principles that are to have free course in all our actions, will make us free men in Christ Jesus. Vv25. He would test Him with a question that required considerable religious learning to answer, evidently expect ing this son of a Na^arene .carpenter to flounder around beyond His depth.—Péïoubét. ; There is a story in thé'Gesta Roina- COMMENTS norum of a king who lost his. crown and FROM THE his clothes. Somebody stole them while COMMENTARIES he was in bathing. And when he Thomas Ii. Colwell appeared hi the gate of his own palace his courtiers did not know him. They could not recognize a king except by a gold cap upon>his head and a velvet cape upon his back. So it was Jiere. ¡.The lawyer found it difficult to believe that any man could he great who was not attired in court, array.— Hodges. The*' question classifies the man. 'He'was a legalist, a man wlib’’ conceives of eternal life as an inheritance,—something to be received at some future time,, as the fitting reward, of H\e good, never dreaming that it is God’s free and immediate gift to the hopelessly bad. He was a tybe of millidbs who', after twenty centuries, do not yet understand the gospel.— Scofield. "V. 26. The lawyers of that time were Biblical experts, and this query was one of their familiar catch-questions. In all likelihood Christ pointed, as He spoke, to the phy lactery on the questioner’s forearm or forehead, in which was written the compendium of the law which the lawyer proceeded to quote.—-Burrell. _ .... Vi 28. There is, of course, not the smallest shade of quibble in this answer of our JLord’s. God is love, and in creating us He made us such that all we have to do is to love. For us eternal life is eternal love. Christ did not come to abolish this law, but to fulfill it; to make it pos sible to us to keep this eternal law of our being.-r—-Dods. V. 29. He wished to set himself right; not that anybody had found fault with him, but that some one was saying to him in his heart, “ learned lawyer as thou art, thou hast not kept the law;” and he wanted to silence that voice—it tormented him.—Maurice. V. 30. Jerusalem is nearly four thousand feet higher than Jericho, which is'eighteen miles to the east, and the rocky road winding down-hill passes many caves which for generations had been the lairs of robbers and cut-throats, and which are so employed today. This had once been one of the most fashionable roads in the world. Jericho was the resort of rich people who built their,.villas there. It was once a great fashionable resort, and as a result the litters and companies of fashionable people went up and down this road just as modern vehicles go up and down Fifth avenue today. Then the trade routes changed, and instead of the great highway from Arabia being the important thing, it was the road that led southeast to Egypt, or northwest to Cesarea, or northeast to thé Lake of Galilee, to get into communication with the gréât Eastern road; Well, the route of 'trade had changed, and fashion had. changed with
it, and therefore this was a deserted road filled.- with ban dits.;—Parks. A picture of need. Need is the basis, the challenge, the inspiration of neighborhood. Where there is no néed the neighborly spirit may exist, but it must of necessity be latent. It lacks all opportunity for exercise, for manifestation. Need is the gateway to neighborhood.— Hubbard. The wayfarer not only lost his money and his apparel, but nearly lost his life. His assailants were not only thieves but assassins. The scene of this lonely road from Jerusalem to Jericho is repeated every night in our great, cities—men falling among thieves, getting wounded, and left half dead.— Talmage. V.. 31;. A priest-T-the most holy man among the Jews— one who offered sacrifices to God for the people, came traveling that way. Thé wounded mail was there— one of his own countrymen—-one of those for whom he presented prayers and sacrifices and whom he was to bless.—-Maurice. Doubtless the Levite will succor the needy and helpless, for this was one of his specific duties. He cannot plead excuse on the ground of other obligations, because his was the more secular office: the care of the temple; the oversight of the poor, the doing works of charity and mercy.— Sum- merbell. . . . . . , ... .; ■ V. 34. In the Saviour’s day wine and olive oil were beaten together, and were then employed as an unguent for wounds. The Good Samaritan poured his wine outside thé man. It would be a good thing now to pour all the wine;'and all the rum, and all the beer outside of men-» the gutter would be a good place.— Summorbell. V. ¡55. The T is expressed, and is emphatic.- .[Trouble him not for the reckoning; I will repay.— Vincent. V. 37. He will not name-the Samaritan by name, the haughty hypocrite.— Luther. ‘ ; I - ¡■■a.oq.fa.r;; J g Probably no Bible story is more widely known than the parable of the, good Samaritan, The parable itself is re corded in Luke 10:30-35; but we miss the point, of it all unless we note carefully the preceding versés (25-29) and the following (36[ 37). ( l)KVi)Tl(WÀI, The whole . passage centers around COMMENT the lawyer’s two' questions (vs. ’25 and John A. Hubbard 29) and Jesus’ answers. The object of the lawyer’s first question was. to en tangle Jésus; and the object of the second to disentangle himself. .. .. , . .. ' ^ Question Í: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied with à question: “What is written in the law?’’— i. e., the Mosaic law. Being a “ lawyer,” that is, “ one versed in tbe law of Moses, of which he was the pro fessional interpreter” (not in our modern sense of “ an attorney at law” ),, the man ought to be able to tell what the law said. He was able, as his admirable answer showed; “ And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord tby God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all tby strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thy- sélï" (Luke 10:27). Then Jesus replied: ‘‘Thou hast An swered right: this do, and thou shalt live.” So far as Jesus is concerned, the discussion is at an end. Imagine the amazement of the lawyer! He had come to entangle Jesus; but in nineteen words (thirteen in Greek text) Jesus had completely shut, his mouth, and he found himself entangled. Conviction had gone home to his heart. “ Desiring to justify himself” (v. 29, R. V!)-^-justify him self for what? For not having kept the law! He hadn’t loved God and his neighbor as the law prescribed. No one ever has, except Jesus. : “ What must I DO to inherit eternal life?” This is the common thought the world over— doing something to merit eternal life; salvation by works! “What do?” Keep the whole law the whole time! But we have all broken the law, thereby, bringing ourselves under the curse, (Gal. 3:10; see also Rom. 3:19, 20). God’s holy law utterly condemns the best man. -“No one in his own power can fulfill the demands
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