In Saint Luke, tenth chapter, twenty-fifth to thirty-seventh verses, we have mercy spoken of by one who understood all the divine attributes, as most indispensable in fulfilling the law of Love, and as a key to the Life eternal.
The parable whereby the Master illustrates this great fact is given to silence a contentious lawyer, who thinks to confuse Jesus by his questions or tempt him into some misstatement and thereby catch him in error. Jesus was not deceived by plausible argument or seemingly innocent questions.
With that sweet yet lofty dignity which characterizes all our Master's sublime sayings, he replied to the lawyer's question, "Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" by another question; namely, "What is written in the law? how readest thou?" The lawyer, evidently well versed in the letter, quickly replied, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself." Jesus said, "Thou hast answered right: this do and thou shalt live;" but not willing to let the matter rest there, and wishing to justify himself for not having obeyed the divine demands, the lawyer asked the momentous question, "Who is my neighbor?" which received its reply in Jesus' great exposition of divine mercy, known as the parable of the Good Samaritan, which classes mercy first among the divine attributes, and nearest Love—Love being God, and thus proving mercy to be inseparable from the divine law of loving one's neighbor as one's self, and indispensable to this law.
As the summing up of this parable is mercy for the unfortunate, and as it has helped me so much in my search for the Spirit of Jesus' teachings, I will give my interpretation of the entire parable. It teaches us to help any fellow-mortal who is afflicted or in distress; it shows that such are our neighbors; it teaches us, also, never to turn a cold shoulder, or give a heartless, unsympathetic word or glance to those who are suffering or in trouble, but to be sweet, and helpful, and comforting, and patient, no matter how transparent (to us) are their beliefs of misery. To them their suffering is real, and they must be tenderly and gently lifted above their fears and woes, before they can see their unreality and laugh with us at the absurdity of having been frightened by ghosts. Before they can laugh at the ghosts, though, they must realize that they were ghosts—nothingness. The Master "had compassion" on all who suffered, or trembled with fear at these same ghosts of beliefs, and lifted them into a sense of love that knows no fear; then they were secure and their fears fled.
Did the Samaritan judge his poor, fallen brother harshly for having fallen into the hands of robbers? The parable says that when he saw him he was moved with compassion for the poor creature in his half conscious condition, and poured "oil and wine" on his wounds, the oil of mercy, the wine of helpfulness and comfort which restored the sufferer. Then the Samaritan saw that he was housed and tenderly cared for before he left him, and promised when he returned to reward those who would nourish and care for the afflicted. What a glorious lesson in mercy it is! Sweet mercy,—whose quality is not strained, but droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath. Sweet mercy,—which blesses all, both "him that gives and him that takes!"
Dear readers, I went from "Jerusalem down to Jericho" and fell among unscrupulous robbers, who would have robbed me of my sense of Truth, beaten me with cruel hate, stripped me of all I had, and left me to perish alone, "without hope and without God in the world." The priest and the Levite saw me and passed coldly by, with haughty, unsympathetic stare, and harsh, cold judgement; but at last came the "Good Samaritan." She bound up my wounds and healed my bleeding heart, and taught me what it was to love one's neighbor as one's self. She taught me sweet mercy, and, refreshed and strengthened, and comforted, I rose to a higher, better, purer sense of Life and Love and Truth!
We may talk of our faith to the world's end, and if our faith do not mean obedience, we talk delusion. There is no way of entering on the path of salvation but one, and that is by forsaking sin.—
