The Sabbath-School by Editor

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jan 5, 1882

The Sabbath-School.

By Editor

Comments on Lesson for January 14.

The subject of this lesson is the man who fell among thieves, while on his way from Jerusalem to Jericho. The following comments on different passages we take from Dr. Clarke:—

A lawyer—Nomikos, a teacher of the law. What is called lawyer in the common translation, conveys a wrong idea to most readers: my old MS. renders the word in the same way I have done. These teachers of the law were the same as the Scribes, or what Dr. Wotton calls letter-men, whom he supposes to be the same as the Karaïtes, a sect of the Jews who rejected all the traditions of the elders, and admitted nothing but the written word. See Wotton’s Mishna, vol. i. p. 78. These are allowed to have kept more closely to the spiritual meaning of the law and prophets than the Pharisees did.

Verse 29. Willing to justify himself—Wishing to make it appear that he was a righteous man, and that consequently he was in the straight road to the kingdom of God, said, Who is my neighbor? Supposing our Lord would have at once answered, "Every Jew is to be considered as such, and the Jews only." Now as he imagined he had never been deficient in his conduct to any person of his own nation, he thought he had amply fulfilled the law. This is the sense in which the Jews understood the word neighbor, as may be seen from Lev. 29 : 15-18. But our Lord shows here, that the acts of kindness which a man is bound to perform to his neighbor when in distress, he should perform to any person, of whatever nation, religion, or kindred, whom he finds in necessity. As the word πλησιον signifies one who is near, this very circumstance makes any person our neighbor, whom we know; and if in distress, an object of our most compassionate regards. If a man came from the most distant part of the earth, the moment he is near you, he has a claim upon your mercy and kindness, as you would have on his, were your dwelling-place transferred to his native country. It is evident that our Lord uses the word πλησιον (very properly translated neighbor, from nae or naer, near, and buer, to dwell) in its plain, literal sense. Any person whom you know, who dwells hard by, or who passes near you, is your neighbor while within your reach.

Verse 30. And Jesus answering—Rather, Then Jesus took him up. I believe to be the meaning of the word υπολαβων, he threw out a challenge, and our Lord took him up on his own ground.

A certain man went down from Jerusalem—Or, A certain man of Jerusalem went down to Jericho. This was the most public road in all Judea, as it was the grand thoroughfare between these two cities for the courses of priests, twelve thousand of whom are said to have resided at Jericho.

Fell among thieves—At this time the whole land of Judea was much infested with hordes of banditti, and it is not unlikely that many robberies might have been committed on that very road to which our Lord refers.

Verses 31 and 32. Priest and Levite are mentioned here, partly because they were the most frequent travelers on this road, and partly to show that these were the persons who, from the nature of their office, were most obliged to perform works of mercy; and from whom a person in distress had a right to expect immediate succor and comfort; and their inhuman conduct here was a flat breach of the law. Deut. 22 : 1-4.

Verse 35. Two pence—Two denarii, about fifteen pence, English; and which probably, were at that time of ten times more value there, than so much is with us now.

Verse 36. Which—was neighbor—which fulfilled the duty which one neighbor owes to another?

Verse 37. He that showed mercy—Or, so much mercy. His prejudice would not permit him to name the Samaritan, yet his conscience obliged him to acknowledge that he was the only righteous person of the three.

Go, and do thou likewise.—Be even to thy enemy in distress as kind, humane, and merciful as this Samaritan was. As the distress was on the part of a Jew, and the relief was afforded by a Samaritan, the lawyer, to be consistent with the decision he had already given, must feel the force of our Lord's inference, that it was his duty to act to any person, of whatever nation or religion he might be, as this Samaritan had acted towards his countryman. It is very likely that what our Lord relates here was a real matter of fact, and not a parable; otherwise the captious lawyer might have objected that no such case had ever existed; and that any inference drawn from it was only begging the question; but as he was in all probability, in possession of the fact himself, he was forced to acknowledge the propriety of our Lord's inference and advice.