426
The Desire of Ages
his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If
thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and
wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.”
Exodus
23:4, 5
. But in the man wounded by robbers, Jesus presented the
case of a brother in suffering. How much more should their hearts
have been moved with pity for him than for a beast of burden! The
message had been given them through Moses that the Lord their God,
“a great God, a mighty, and a terrible,” “doth execute the judgment
of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger.” Wherefore He
commanded, “Love ye therefore the stranger.” “Thou shalt love him
as thyself.”
Deuteronomy 10:17-19
;
Leviticus 19:34
.
Job had said, “The stranger did not lodge in the street: but I opened
my doors to the traveler.” And when the two angels in the guise of
men came to Sodom, Lot bowed himself with his face toward the
ground, and said, “Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your
servant’s house, and tarry all night.”
Job 31:32
;
Genesis 19:2
. With
all these lessons the priest and the Levite were familiar, but they had
not brought them into practical life. Trained in the school of national
bigotry, they had become selfish, narrow, and exclusive. When they
looked upon the wounded man, they could not tell whether he was of
their nation or not. They thought he might be of the Samaritans, and
they turned away.
[501]
[502]
[503]
In their action, as Christ had described it, the lawyer saw nothing
contrary to what he had been taught concerning the requirements of
the law. But now another scene was presented:
A certain Samaritan, in his journey, came where the sufferer was,
and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. He did not question
whether the stranger was a Jew or a Gentile. If a Jew, the Samaritan
well knew that, were their condition reversed, the man would spit
in his face, and pass him by with contempt. But he did not hesitate
on account of this. He did not consider that he himself might be in
danger of violence by tarrying in the place. It was enough that there
was before him a human being in need and suffering. He took off his
own garment with which to cover him. The oil and wine provided for
his own journey he used to heal and refresh the wounded man. He
lifted him on his own beast, and moved slowly along with even pace,
so that the stranger might not be jarred, and made to suffer increased
pain. He brought him to an inn, and cared for him through the night,