434

THE GOOD SAMARITAN.

CCXCVIL.

[HE foop pPAMARITAN,

NBELIEVING people oft-

en came to Jesus to try
“| to perplex him with hard
questions. One day a
lawyer stood up, and said,
“Master, what shall I do to have
eternal life?” Jesus answered,
“What is written inthe law? How
readest thou?” This man knew
the law very well, so he said directly,

 

“Thou shalt love the Lord with all |

thy heart, and thy neighbor as thy-
self” Jesus answered, “Thou hast
said right; do this, and thou shalt
live.”

But this man, proud and self-
righteous, asked Jesus again, “And
who is my neighbor?” Then Jesus
told him this parable.

A certain man went from Jeru-
salem to Jericho, and fell among
thieves, who robbed him, and
wounded him, and went away, leay-
ing him half dead. As the poor

wounded man lay in the road, |
-parakle, he turned to the lawyer,

covered with blood, a priest came
by. This priest knew that it was
right to be kind to those in trouble ;
yet, instead of showing kindness to
the poor man, he passed by on the
other side. Soon after, a Levite
came to the place; and he looked at
the wounded man, but did not stay
to help him. Perhaps he was afraid
that the robbers might come and
attack him, so he passed by on the
other side. After these two selfish
hard-hearted men were gone, a
Samaritan, who was taking a

 

}
|

 

journey, came near the place where
the wounded man was stil] lying.
The Samaritan did not know the
man; they were not friends nor
neighbors; for the Jews, you re-
member, “had no dealings with
the Samaritans.” But this Samari-

-tan was so kind, that, when he saw

the poor man lying half dead, he
ran to him directly, and bound up
his wounds, pouring in oil and wine;
and then he set him on his own
beast, and brought him to an ina,
and took care of him. Did he stay
to nurse him? No; perhaps his
family were waiting for him at
home, and so he might have been
unable to stay; but before he went
away, he called the innkeeper, and
gave him two pence, and said, “ Take
care of this poor man; let him have
all he wants; and whatsoever thou

_spendest more, when I come again I
_ will repay thee.”

When Jesus had finished this

and said, “Which of these three,
thinkest thou, was neighbor to the
man who fell among the thieves 2”
The lawyer answered, “He who

showed mercy to him.” Then said
Jesus, “Go, and do thou likewise.

Jesus meant to teach the lawyer that
all men are our neighbors; not only
our friends, and relations, but. all,
even our enemies, or people we have
never seen.

This parable may teach us ®
lesson, as well as the lawyer