Good Samaritan
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had passed by on the other side were in the company that listened to
Christ’s words.
In journeying from Jerusalem to Jericho, the traveler had to pass
through a portion of the wilderness of Judea. The road led down a
wild, rocky ravine, which was infested by robbers, and was often the
scene of violence. It was here that the traveler was attacked, stripped
of all that was valuable, wounded and bruised, and left half dead by
the wayside. As he lay thus, the priest came that way; but he merely
glanced toward the wounded man. Then the Levite appeared. Curious
to know what had happened, he stopped and looked at the sufferer. He
was convicted of what he ought to do; but it was not an agreeable duty.
He wished that he had not come that way, so that he need not have
seen the wounded man. He persuaded himself that the case was no
concern of his.
Both these men were in sacred office, and professed to expound
the Scriptures. They were of the class specially chosen to be represen-
tatives of God to the people. They were to “have compassion on the
ignorant, and on them that are out of the way” (
Hebrews 5:2
), that they
might lead men to understand God’s great love toward humanity. The
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work they were called to do was the same that Jesus had described as
His own when He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because
He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me
to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and
recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.”
Luke 4:18
.
The angels of heaven look upon the distress of God’s family upon
the earth, and they are prepared to co-operate with men in relieving
oppression and suffering. God in His providence had brought the priest
and the Levite along the road where the wounded sufferer lay, that
they might see his need of mercy and help. All heaven watched to
see if the hearts of these men would be touched with pity for human
woe. The Saviour was the One who had instructed the Hebrews in
the wilderness; from the pillar of cloud and of fire He had taught a
very different lesson from that which the people were now receiving
from their priests and teachers. The merciful provisions of the law
extended even to the lower animals, which cannot express in words
their want and suffering. Directions had been given to Moses for the
children of Israel to this effect: “If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or