Article May 19, 1934 Issue

"He that shewed mercy"

NELLIE B. MACE

By his words and his deeds Christ Jesus made plain the fact that life, intelligence, and health are not subject to matter. His healing power evidenced the unchanging perfection of God, who governs His creation through His law of harmony. Not only did he thus reveal the nature of the divine Being, but by instruction, parable, and example he showed men that if they would know the tender compassion of God and be at peace they must themselves in their living manifest the divine qualities which God expresses in man, His perfect likeness.

The Master made this fact clear in his parable of the good Samaritan, so that the lawyer who had asked him, "Who is my neighbour?" was led to answer his own question. Having illustrated the point, Jesus asked his questioner which, in his opinion, "was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves," and the lawyer replied, "He that shewed mercy." It is recalled that Jesus presented in this parable several types of thought, showing the selfish and the indifferent attitude held by the priest and the Levite—neither of whom did anything to help the one in need—and the better condition of thought which was manifested by the Samaritan, in his quick recognition of another's need and his ready effort to share with the wounded man what he himself possessed of good. He "bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine," took the man to the inn, and when he departed he promised the host that he would repay him for any further needed expenditure.

The benevolence realized by the Samaritan was made evident in his deed. Consideration of the typical mental conditions portrayed in the parable, however, would make it clear that this particular incident did not explain the inception of the Samaritan's kindliness. Obviously, he had cultivated the quality until it had become habitual in his thought. He had first shown mercy to himself. Presumably, he had allowed any possible errors of belief to be superseded by this quality and others of a like nature. Bunyan said, "He that forgets his friend is ungrateful to him; but he that forgets his Saviour is unmerciful to himself." The priest and the Levite had not been merciful to themselves; they had not let the truth which they professed to serve release their own thoughts from selfish indifference, and had therefore "passed by on the other side" still, in belief, submissive to matter; they had not attained to the status of neighbor—"he that shewed mercy."

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