The Need of Shepherding. for the Holy Life. for the Church Life. Material for Morning Revival. 6 November November 2005

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1 WEEK 2 THE SHEPHERD AND OVERSEER OF SOULS Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 2:21-25; 1 Thes. 3:13; 5:23; Luke 10:30-35 The Need of Shepherding for the Holy Life for the Church Life Material for Morning Revival 6 November November 2005 Day 1 I. The Lord being the shepherd and overseer of our souls is our model 1 Pet. 2:21-25: A. Our soul is our inner being, including our heart. B. The Lord shepherds and oversees our soul so that He may establish it blameless 1 Thes. 3:13: 1. Our heart is changeable and movable. Both the old and the young are changeable in heart. 2. Only the Lord can establish our heart and cause our heart to be solidified and built up. C. The Lord shepherds and oversees our soul, guarding our hearts with the peace of God (Phil. 4:7), so that we may be sanctified wholly and preserved complete without blame 1 Thes. 5:23. D. The Lord shepherds us by caring for the welfare of our inner being and by exercising His oversight over the condition of our real person. Day 2 1 2

2 E. Christ's ministry for carrying out God's eternal economy includes shepherding outwardly and comforting inwardly John 14:16-17; 15:26; Ezek. 34:11-31; 36:25-27, 37. F. He has now become our model, writing copy, and underwriting (used by students to trace letters and thereby learn to draw them), reproducing Himself in us with all the riches of His life, so that we may become His reproduction 1 Pet. 2:21 note 2. G. By Christ's bruise our souls were healed v. 24. H. Having died on the tree, He is now supplying us in the resurrection life that we may follow in His steps according to the model of His suffering v. 25 note 2. Day 3 II. As the good Samaritan, the Man-Savior set an example of shepherding fallen ones by the highest standard of morality Luke 10:30-35: A. The parable of the good Samaritan is recorded in the second section of the Man-Savior's ministry, on the way from Galilee to Jerusalem, which shows the path of the Shepherd: 1. First, He was rejected by Samaritans 9: The foxes have holes, and the birds of heaven have roosts, but the Son of Man does not have a place where He may lay His head v The Lord of the harvest thrusts out workers to reap His harvest and to seek the lost sheep, the sons of peace Luke 10:1-6; Matt 9:36-38; 10:6, Day 4 B. The Lord portrays Himself as a Samaritan: 1. The Samaritans are people of mixed blood, despised by the Jews. 2. The Lord refers to Himself as a Samaritan (John 8:48), who was apparently a layman of low estate, despised and slandered by the self-exalted and self-justified Pharisees. 3. The Lord answered the lawyer by showing him that he did not need a neighbor to love. Instead, he needed a neighbor to love him. This neighbor is the good Samaritan. 4. The "certain man" in Luke 10:30 signifies the self-justified lawyer as a sinner fallen from the foundation of peace (Jerusalem) to the condition of curse (Jericho): a. Went down. b. Fell among robbers. c. Was stripped. d. Was beaten half-dead. e. Was left. 5. The priest and the Levite were unable to render any help to the beaten one: 4

3 a. The priest was one who should care for God's people by teaching them the law of God Deut. 33:10; 2 Chron. 15:3. b. The Levite was one who should help God's people in their worship to God Num. 1:50; 3:6; 8:19. Day 5 6. Such a Man-Savior, in His lost-one-seeking and sinner-saving ministry journey, came down to the place where the wounded victim was in his miserable and dying condition. 7. He was moved with compassion in His humanity with His divinity, and rendered him tender healing and saving care, fully meeting His urgent need. 8. In 10:34 and 35 all the points portray the Man-Savior's merciful, tender, and bountiful care for a condemned sinner: a. He came to the man. b. He was moved with compassion. c. He bound up his wounds, pouring on them oil (the Holy Spirit) and wine (the divine life). d. He placed the man on his own beast (by lowly means). e. He brought the man to an inn (the church). f. He took care of him. 5 g. He would repay whatever the innkeeper spent taking care of him. Day 6 9. In this parable, the Lord's divine attributes are revealed in the Spirit, the eternal life, the blessing, and the repayment; and His human virtues are shown in His compassion, love, sympathy, and care. 10. As a result, this man was brought into the New Testament Jubilee Luke 4: C. After we have been saved through realizing the Savior's compassion and love, we should serve Him according to His desire and preference Luke 10:

4 Week 2 - Day 1 Verses for pray-reading: 1 Pet. 2:24-25 Who Himself bore up our sins in His body on the tree, in order that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness; by whose bruise you were healed. For you were like sheep being led astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. 1 Thes. 3:13 So that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. Christ, Our Shepherd In verse 25 Peter goes on to say, For you were as sheep being led astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. Christ was our Redeemer in His death on the tree. Now He is our soul s Shepherd and Overseer in the resurrection life within us. Therefore, He is able to guide us and supply us with life that we may follow His model in His steps of suffering (v. 21). According to verse 25, Christ is the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. Our soul is our inner being, our real person. Our Lord, as the Shepherd and Overseer of our soul, shepherds us by caring for the welfare of our inner being and by exercising His oversight over the condition of our real person. Our problem was that we were like sheep being led astray. But now we have returned, turned back, to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. We should not think that in verse 25 Peter uses soul as a synonym of spirit. This is definitely not the case. A shepherd takes care of the physical needs of his flock, and Christ our Shepherd takes care of the needs of our soul. He is not the Shepherd of our body; He is the Shepherd of our soul, our inner being. We all have a spirit, and the spirit is our inward organ. But our being is a soul. Therefore, Christ mainly shepherds us by taking care of our soul. He takes care of our mind, emotion, and will. 7 We may think that our problems are with the body. No doubt, the body does give us many problems. Nevertheless, our real problem is in our soul. Our mind, emotion, and will all have problems. Unbelievers are wanderers in the soul, and they do not have a shepherd to take care of them. But our situation is different in that we have a Shepherd who takes care of our soul. Not only do we have the Lord s life within us, but we also have Him as our Shepherd. He is now shepherding us in our soul. I would ask you to consider this matter of the Lord s shepherding according to your experience. Do you experience the Lord s comfort and sense His comfort in your spirit or in your soul? In other words, where is the Lord s comfort, in our spirit or in our soul? If you say that His comfort is in the spirit, your answer is not according to the Bible. Before you came into the Lord s recovery, you may not have known that you had a human spirit. But since you have been in the church life, you have seen the revelation concerning the human spirit. But this revelation may have now become to you a new kind of tradition. To say that Christ s comfort is in our spirit is to speak according to a new tradition concerning the spirit. Many times we speak of turning to the spirit, perhaps expecting that when we turn to the spirit everything will be all right. Actually, even after we turn to the spirit, many things may not be all right. From experience Peter knew to say that Christ is the Shepherd of our souls. Therefore, Peter does not tell us in verse 25 that Christ is the Shepherd of our spirit or of our body; He clearly says that He is the Shepherd of our souls. This Epistle was written to Jewish Christians who were suffering much persecution. Apparently persecution is related to our body outwardly. Actually, persecution is aimed at the soul. Because it is our soul that suffers, it is our soul that needs the Lord s shepherding. It is not our body that needs this kind of care, nor is it mainly our spirit. It is our soul our mind, our emotion, and our will that needs the Lord as the Shepherd. 8

5 In our experience sometimes we just do not know what to think about. We do not know where to direct our thoughts. This is an indication that our mind needs the Lord Jesus as the Shepherd. I can testify that many times in this kind of situation the Lord Jesus has been a Shepherd to me. As a result of His shepherding our mind is directed and set in the right way. Our emotion, being complicated, is easily upset. This is especially true of the sisters emotion. Therefore, we need the Lord Jesus to shepherd us in our emotion. His shepherding comforts our emotion. Our will also needs the Lord s shepherding. As human beings, we often find it difficult to make the right decision. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to make a decision. Unbelievers have no one to lead them and guide them in making decisions. But we have a Shepherd to lead us and guide us. The Lord s leading and guiding is primarily related to our will. As the living Shepherd, the Lord continually directs our will. I cannot tell you how many times I have experienced this. The Lord is truly the Shepherd of our soul. He directs our mind, comforts our emotion, and leads and guides our will. According to my experience, there is a difference between leading and guiding. Leading is related to a destination. Suppose you are driving from your home to a certain city. A road map may lead you to your destination. But once you arrive at that city, you will need a guide, someone to direct you to the exact place where you want to go. In the Bible some verses speak of the Lord s leading, and others, of His guiding. On the one hand, the Lord will lead His people to the holy land. But once He has led them there, He will guide them to Mount Zion. As our Shepherd, the Lord leads us first and then guides us. He leads us to the right place, and He guides us to the exact spot. This is Christ, our Shepherd. (Life-Study of 1 Peter, Chapter 21) 9 Week 2 - Day 2 Verses for pray-reading: 1 Pet. 2:21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered on your behalf, leaving you a model so that you may follow in His steps; 1 Pet. 2:25 For you were like sheep being led astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. In order to be our living Shepherd, it is necessary for Christ to dwell within us. If Christ today were not the life-giving Spirit in us, if He were only the exalted Lord in an objective way in the third heaven, how could He be our Shepherd? For Christ to be our Shepherd, He must be with us, even in us. Many times He goes along with us in order to turn us back. Consider how the Lord was the Shepherd to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus. These disciples were going in one direction, but the Lord went with them in order to turn them to go in another direction. Luke 24:15 says, And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. Then He asked them what they were talking about. In a sense, these disciples rebuked the Lord when they said, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? (v. 18). Then the Lord asked, What things? (v. 19). After walking a while together, they constrained the Lord to stay with them (v. 29). Then, as He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, their eyes were opened, and they knew Him (vv ). This is an example of the Lord s shepherding. Sometimes the Lord shepherds us in the same way that He shepherded the disciples on the road to Emmaus. We also may speak to Him in a nonsensical way or ask Him nonsensical questions. We may even rebuke Him, and He may pretend not to know what we are talking about. Many of us can testify of having 10

6 the Lord Jesus shepherd us in this way. As the life-giving Spirit dwelling within us, He is the Shepherd to us in our experience. Christ, Our Overseer According to Peter s word in 2:25, Christ is also the Overseer of our souls. I wonder how many Christians have experienced Christ as an Overseer, as an Elder. The New Testament reveals that an overseer is an elder and that an elder is an overseer. In 5:1-3 Peter gives a word to the elders concerning the shepherding of the flock of God. What is the function of an overseer? The Greek word for overseer means one who oversees a particular condition or situation. This word seems to indicate someone above us who takes oversight concerning us and watches what we are doing. However, according to our experience, the Lord as the Overseer is One who cares for us. For Him to oversee us means that He takes care of us. As the Overseer, the Lord does not govern us or rule over us. Rather, He cares for us as a mother cares for her child. A mother oversees her child with the purpose of caring for the child. She wants to take care of every need. The same is true of Christ as our Overseer. As we read 2:18-25, we see that Peter was very rich in experience. In this portion he speaks of grace, the writing- copy, the Savior, the Shepherd, and the Overseer. Christ is the life within us, and He is also the model for us to follow. If we live by Christ as our inward life, that is, by the indwelling Christ Himself, we shall undergo the process of spiritual xeroxing to become a reproduction of Christ. At the same time, we shall experience Him as the Savior saving us, as the Shepherd leading and guiding us, and as the Overseer caring for us. Oh, Peter s experience was rich, and his writing is marvelous! May we all practice to enjoy Christ according to what is revealed in these verses. May we all enjoy Him as grace, as the model, and as the wonderful Savior, Shepherd, and Overseer. Five Aspects of Christ 11 In 2:18-25 we have five important matters, five aspects of Christ: grace, the model, the Savior, the Shepherd, and the Overseer. Christ is the grace within us, and He is the model for our spiritual direction. Furthermore, Christ is also our Savior, Shepherd, and Overseer. He saves us, He shepherds us, and He cares for us, thus accomplishing a threefold work concerning us. We all need this gracious, threefold work of Christ for us. We need His saving, shepherding, and overseeing. Peter did not write this Epistle merely according to the knowledge of doctrine, but according to his rich experiences of Christ. Peter experienced Christ as grace, as the model, and as the Savior, Shepherd, and Overseer. He experienced the motivation of the divine life within him and its expression in his living becoming something gracious and acceptable in the sight of both God and man. As we have pointed out, when others see such an expression in our living, they may say, This is grace. This is something worthy of thanksgiving to God. In 2:21 Peter says, For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered on your behalf, leaving you a model that you should follow in His steps. The very Christ who is the grace within us has become a model, a master copy, the original copy, to be used in the process of spiritual xeroxing. As we have pointed out, through this process, we become a reproduction of Christ. In 2:24 we have a picture of Christ as our Savior, and in verse 25 Peter says, For you were as sheep being led astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. Christ died to sins so that we might live to righteousness, that is, live rightly under the government of God. Furthermore, through Christ s bruise, a suffering that resulted in death, we have been healed of our death, so that we may live in His resurrection. Now we have Christ as the Shepherd and Overseer caring for our souls. Christ s shepherding does not mainly take care of our body or our spirit; it primarily takes care of our soul. However, as the Shepherd and Overseer, Christ takes care of us from within our 12

7 spirit. He does not shepherd us or oversee us from the heavens. Today our Shepherd and Overseer is in our spirit, indwelling us as the life-giving Spirit. His shepherding and overseeing begin from our spirit and then spread to every part of our soul. This means that from our spirit Christ reaches the parts of our soul the mind, emotion, and will and takes care of all our problems, needs, and wounds. How wonderful! This is our Christ! (Life-Study of 1 Peter, Chapters 21 and 22) 13 Week 2 - Day 3 Verses for pray-reading: Luke 9:56 Luke 9:58 The Son of Man has not come to destroy men's lives but to save them. And they went into another village. And Jesus said to him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of heaven have roosts, but the Son of Man does not have a place where He may lay His head. Rejected by the Samaritans Luke 9:51 says, And it came about, when the days were being fulfilled for His being taken up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem. The Man-Savior had been ministering for over three years in the despised region of Galilee, far from the holy temple and the holy city, the place where He must die for the accomplishment of God s eternal plan. As the Lamb of God (John 1:29), it was necessary for the Lord to be offered to God at Mount Moriah, which is Mount Zion, where Abraham offered Isaac and enjoyed God s provision of a ram as a substitute for his son (Gen. 22:2, 9-14) and where the temple was built in Jerusalem (2 Chron. 3:1). It must be there that He would be delivered, according to the counsel determined by the Trinity of the Godhead (Acts 2:23), to the Jewish leaders (Mark 9:31; 10:33), and there be rejected by them as the builders of God s building (Acts 4:11). It should also be there that He would be crucified according to the Roman style of punishment (John 18:31-32; 19:6, 14-15) to fulfill the type concerning the kind of death He would die (Num. 21:8-9; John 3:14). Moreover, that very year was the year that Messiah (Christ) should be cut off (killed) according to Daniel s prophecy (Dan. 9:24-26). Furthermore, as the Passover Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7) He must be killed in the month of the Passover (Exo. 12:1-11). Hence, He must go to Jerusalem (Mark 10:33; 11:1, 11, 15, 27; John 14

8 12:12) before the Passover (John 12:1; Mark 14:1), so that He might die there on the day of the Passover (Mark 14:12-17; John 18:28) at both the place and the time foreordained by God. We have pointed out that, according to Luke 9:51, the Lord steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem. Verses 52 and 53 say, And He sent messengers before His face. And having gone, they entered into a village of the Samaritans to prepare for Him. And they did not receive Him, because He was going with His face toward Jerusalem. Here we see that the Man-Savior was rejected by the Samaritans. Seeing that the Samaritans had rejected the Man-Savior, the disciples, James and John, said, Lord, do You want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them? (v. 54). Some manuscripts add to this verse the words as also Elijah did. The Lord turned to these disciples and rebuked them. It seems that the Lord might have been telling them, Don t you know that we are proclaiming the jubilee? The jubilee is not a matter of calling down fire to consume people. Instead of telling fire to come down from heaven, we are bringing peace to others. In Mark 3:17 the Lord gave to John and James the name, Boanerges, which is, sons of thunder. Boanerges comes from Aramaic. This name was added to James and John because of their impetuosity. Their impetuous word in Luke 9:54 was contrary to the virtue and morality of the Savior whom they accompanied. John, one of the sons of thunder, also spoke an impetuous word in Luke 9:49: Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him, because he does not follow with us. This impetuous action on the part of John was also contrary to the virtue of the Man-Savior. John s attitude was like that of Joshua in Numbers 11:28. Luke 9:55 says, But He turned and rebuked them. The following doubtful reading appears in a few manuscripts: and said, You do not know what kind of spirit you are of. This word, 15 which shows the high morality of the Man-Savior, is found only in Luke. Luke 9:56 says simply, And they went into another village. A few manuscripts add this doubtful reading at the end of verse 56: For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men s lives, but to save them. Instructing People How to Follow Him Why does Luke insert an account of three cases of following the Lord Jesus in 9:57-62? The reason is that the Lord had been rejected by the Samaritans. Although the Samaritans had rejected the Man-Savior, certain people still were willing to follow Him. Therefore, at this juncture the Lord dealt with three different kinds of cases of those who would follow Him. We may say that the entire world today is like the region of Samaria in that the world utterly rejects the Man-Savior. Nevertheless, in the midst of the world s rejection of the Lord, some are willing to follow Him. In the first case, narrated in 9:57 and 58, we see that following the Lord is not an easy matter. Rather, if we would follow Him, we must be ready for the cost. In the second case, described in 9:59-60, we see that following the Lord requires us to sacrifice our dead father in order that we may proclaim the kingdom of God, that is, proclaim the jubilee. Then in the last case, seen in 9:61 and 62, we realize that we cannot look backward or be held back by anything if we are to follow the Lord. Following Him requires that we go straight ahead. Appointing Seventy Disciples to Spread His Ministry Luke 10:2 says, And He said to them, The harvest indeed is vast, but the workers are few; therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest that He would thrust out workers into His harvest. In His economy God has a plan to accomplish. But this plan still requires His people to beseech, that is, to pray about it. In answering their prayer, the Lord will accomplish what they have prayed concerning His plan. In particular, here the Lord tells the 16

9 disciples to beseech the Lord of the harvest. The word harvest indicates that the kingdom of God is established with things of life that can grow and multiply. Furthermore, the title the Lord of the harvest indicates that the Lord is the One who owns the crop. In 10:5 and 6 we have an important word concerning peace: And into whatever house you enter, first say, Peace to this house. And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon it; but if not, it shall return upon you. In these verses the word peace is crucial. The Lord even uses the expression son of peace. The main thing in the jubilee is peace. We should greet others in peace, and they should greet us with peace. If the one we greet is a son of peace, our peace will remain with him. But if he is not a son of peace, our peace will return upon us. (Life-Study of Luke, Chapter 23) Week 2 - Day 4 Verses for pray-reading: Luke 10:25 Luke 10:27 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life? And he answered and said, You shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole strength and with your whole mind, and your neighbor as yourself. The Man-Savior Portraying Himself as a Samaritan We have seen that in 9:51-56 it was necessary for the Lord Jesus and His followers to pass through Samaria. The Samaritans, however, did not receive Him (9:53). Now in 10:25-37 the Lord portrays Himself as a Samaritan. In the parable of the good Samaritan many things are covered. This parable refers to Judaism, the Old Testament, the law, the priests, the Levites, Christ, the Spirit, the divine life, the church, the way to bring people to the church, the blessing the Lord gives to the church, the Lord s coming back, and the Lord s reward to the church. Samaria was the leading region of the northern kingdom of Israel and the place where its capital was (1 Kings 16:24, 29). Before 700 B.C. the Assyrians captured Samaria and brought people from Babylon and other heathen countries to the cities of Samaria (2 Kings 17:6, 24). From that time, the Samaritans became people of mixed blood heathen with Jew. History tells us that they had the Pentateuch (the five books of Moses) and worshipped God according to that part of the Old Testament. But they were never recognized by the Jews as part of the Jewish people

10 In John 8:48 certain Jews said to the Lord, Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon? Here in Luke 10 the Lord refers to Himself in a positive way as a Samaritan. The Lord seems to be saying, I am a Samaritan, one despised by you. Inheriting Eternal Life Luke 10:25 says that a certain lawyer stood up and put Him to the test. A lawyer was an expert in the Mosaic law. Such a lawyer was a scribe among the Pharisees. This lawyer, one very knowledgeable in the law, was also proud. Being one who justified himself, he stood up to test the Man-Savior. In testing the Man-Savior, this lawyer said to Him, Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? To inherit eternal life is to be rewarded in the coming age (Luke 18:29-30) with the enjoyment of the divine life in the manifestation of the kingdom. To inherit eternal life is also to enter into life (Matt. 19:17). To enter into life is to enter into the kingdom of the heavens (Matt. 19:23). The kingdom of the heavens is a realm of God s eternal life. Hence, when we enter into it, we enter into God s life. This differs from being saved. To be saved is to have God s life enter into us, whereas to enter into the kingdom of the heavens is to enter into God s life. The former is to be redeemed and regenerated with God s life; the latter is to live and walk by God s life. The one is a matter of birth; the other is a matter of living. According to the New Testament, to receive eternal life is one thing, and to inherit eternal life is another thing. To receive eternal life is for our salvation in this age, but to inherit eternal life is a reward in the coming age, that is, in the coming kingdom. It is important, therefore, that we differentiate these matters concerning our experience of eternal life. Now, in this present age, we may receive eternal life and experience it. This is a matter of salvation. But inheriting eternal life will be a blessing given to us as a reward in the coming age of the kingdom. Thus, inheriting 19 eternal life is not a matter of salvation; instead, it is a matter related to the kingdom reward. When the scribe asked the Man-Savior about what he should do to inherit eternal life, the Lord said to him, What is written in the law? How do you read it? (v. 26). The lawyer answered, You shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart, and with your whole soul, and with your whole strength, and with your whole mind, and your neighbor as yourself (v. 27). To this the Lord replied, You have answered correctly; do this, and you shall live (v. 28). The Parable of the Samaritan Luke 10:29 goes on to say, But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor? The one who asked this question must have been one of the self-justified Pharisees (16:14-15; 18:9-10). As a display of his pride, he asked the Lord who his neighbor was. He seemed to be telling the Lord, Who is my neighbor that I may love him? In the parable that follows, the Lord answered the lawyer by showing him that he did not need a neighbor to love. Instead, he needed a neighbor to love him. Because he is not able to love, he needs someone to love him. As we shall see, this neighbor is the good Samaritan. The parable of the Samaritan is one of the unique parables narrated only by Luke. This parable conveys the principle of high morality in the Savior s full salvation. The certain man in verse 30, in the Savior s intention, signified the self-justified lawyer as a sinner fallen from the foundation of peace (Jerusalem) to the condition of curse (Jericho). (Life-Study of Luke, Chapter 25) 20

11 Week 2 - Day 5 Verses for pray-reading: Luke 10:33-34 But a certain Samaritan, who was journeying, came upon him; and when he saw him, he was moved with compassion; And he came to him and bound up his wounds and poured oil and wine on them. And placing him on his own beast, he brought him to an inn and took care of him. Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost. From Jerusalem to Jericho Luke 10:30 says, Taking up this question, Jesus said, A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who having both stripped him and beat him, went away, leaving him half dead. Jerusalem means foundation of peace (see Heb. 7:2), and Jericho was a city of curse (Joshua 6:26; 1 Kings 16:34). The words going down indicate falling from the city of the foundation of peace to the city of curse. Therefore, the certain man in this parable was falling from the foundation of peace to a place of curse. The way he was taking was the way of such a fall. Falling among Robbers The man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho fell among robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. These robbers signify the legalistic teachers of the Judaic law (John 10:1), who used the law (1 Cor. 15:56) to rob the lawkeepers like the self-justified lawyer. The word stripped signifies the stripping by the law misused by the Judaizers. The Greek word translated beat literally means laid blows upon. This beating signifies the killing by the law (Rom. 7:9-10). Furthermore, the robbers leaving the man half dead signifies the Judaizers leaving the lawkeeper in a dead condition (Rom. 7:11, 13). 21 All the Pharisees, legalistic teachers of Judaism, are here likened to robbers. The lawyer is likened to the one going down from Jerusalem to Jericho who fell among these robbers and was stripped and beaten by them. The legalistic teachers of the Jewish religion stripped people and beat them and then left them half dead. This was the situation of the lawyer, although he did not realize that he was in such a condition. A Priest and a Levite In verse 31 the Lord continues, And by coincidence a certain priest was going down on that road, and observing him, he passed by on the opposite side. The priest was one who should care for God s people by teaching them the law of God (Deut. 33:10; 2 Chron. 15:3). In the parable, a priest was going down in the same way, but he was unable to render any help to the beaten one. Verse 32 says, And likewise also a Levite, coming down to the place and observing him, passed by on the opposite side. A Levite was one who helped God s people in their worship to God (Num. 1:50; 3:6-7; 8:19). This Levite came to the same place, but he also was unable to render any help to the dying one. The Actions of a Certain Samaritan Verses 33 and 34 describe the actions of a certain Samaritan who came to the man who fell among robbers: But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came down to him, and observing him, was moved with compassion; and coming to him, he bound up his wounds, pouring on them oil and wine. And placing him on his own beast, he brought him to an inn and took care of him. This Samaritan signifies the Man-Savior, who was apparently a layman of low estate, despised and slandered as a low and mean Samaritan (John 8:48; 4:9) by the self-exalted and self-justified Pharisees, including the one to whom the Lord was talking in Luke 10:25 and 29. Such a Man-Savior, in His lost-one-seeking and sinner-saving ministry journey (19:10), came down to the place where the 22

12 wounded victim of the Judaizing robbers was in his miserable and dying condition. When He saw him, He was moved with compassion in His humanity with His divinity, and rendered him tender healing and saving care, fully meeting His urgent need (vv ). In 10:34 and 35 all the points of the good Samaritan s care for the dying one portray, in His humanity with His divinity, the Man-Savior s merciful, tender, and bountiful care for a sinner condemned under law. This shows to the uttermost His high standard of morality in His saving grace. The Samaritan came to the man and bound up his wounds, pouring on them oil and wine. The binding up of the wounds indicates that He healed him. Pouring on the man s wounds oil and wine signified giving Him the Holy Spirit and the divine life. When the Man-Savior came to us, He poured on our wounds His Spirit and His divine life. The Samaritan then placed the man on his own beast, on a donkey. This indicates that the Samaritan carried him by lowly means in a lowly way. Many of us can testify that we were brought into the church in such a lowly way, carried on a donkey. We did not come into the church in a way that was splendid and glorious. On the contrary, we were brought into the church in a lowly way and by lowly means. The Samaritan brought the man to an inn and took care of him. This indicates that He brought him to the church and took care of him through the church. Verse 35 says, And on the next morning, taking out two denarii, he gave them to the innkeeper and said to him, Take care of him; and whatever you spend in addition, when I return, I will repay you. Here we see that the Samaritan paid the inn for the man. This means that He blessed the church for him. Furthermore, His promise to pay the innkeeper whatever he spent in addition points to whatever the church spends for him in this age being repaid at the Savior s coming back. (Life-Study of Luke, Chapter 25) 23 Week 2 - Day 6 Verses for pray-reading: Luke 4:18-19 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He Luke 10:38 has anointed Me to announce the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send away in release those who are oppressed, To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, the year of jubilee. Now as they went, He entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received Him into her home. The Self-justified One Needing a Loving Neighbor In verse 36 the Man-Savior went on to ask the lawyer, Which of these three, does it seem to you, has become a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers? The self-justified lawyer thought that he could love another as his neighbor (v. 29). Under the blindness of self-justification, he did not know that he himself needed a neighbor, the Man-Savior, to love him. In verse 37 the lawyer answered, The one who showed mercy to him. Then Jesus said to him, You go and do likewise. The Greek words rendered, the one who showed mercy to him may also be translated, the one who dealt mercifully with him. The self-justified one was helped to know that he needed a loving neighbor (like the good Samaritan, who was a figure of the Man-Savior) to love him, not a neighbor to be loved by him. The Savior intended to unveil to him through this story that he was condemned to death under the law, unable to take care of himself, needless to say love others, and that the Man-Savior was the one who would love him and render him full salvation. The Man-Savior s Divine Attributes and Human Virtues 24

13 In this parable we can see the Man-Savior s divine attributes and human virtues. Concerning the divine attributes, we see the Spirit, the eternal life, the blessing, and the repayment. The giving of the Spirit, divine life, the blessing, and the repayment of the church are all related to the divine attributes. The Lord s human virtues revealed here include His compassion, love, sympathy, and care. Once again in this case, the Man-Savior s human virtues are mingled with His divine attributes. It is difficult to clearly distinguish them by categories, because they are mingled to produce the highest standard of morality. In the parable of the good Samaritan we see that the morality of the Man-Savior was a morality of the highest standard. When the priest saw the man who had fallen among robbers, he did not do anything to help him. It seemed that this priest did not have any morality at all. The situation with the Levite was the same. But when the Man-Savior saw the man in his pitiful condition, He was moved with compassion. Then He fully exercised His morality to care for the needy one. The Man-Savior s high standard of morality was a product of a mingled life, a life in which the divine attributes are mingled with the human virtues. In this parable we clearly see that the Man-Savior carried out His ministry in His human virtues with His divine attributes. (Life-Study of Luke, Chapter 25) The Spirit of the Lord upon the Man-Savior The Man-Savior came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. According to His custom, He entered on the Sabbath day into the synagogue and stood up to read. The book, the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, was handed to Him. Then He opened the scroll and found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and 25 recovery of sight to the blind, to send away in release those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord (4:18-19). After the Lord closed the book and gave it back to the attendant, He sat down. Then He said to the people, Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your ears (v. 21). Here we see that the Spirit of the Lord was upon the Man-Savior because God had anointed Him to bring good news to the poor. The Greek word rendered bring good news is euaggelizo, which means to evangelize, to announce good news. To preach the gospel was the first commission of the Savior as God s anointed One, the Messiah. The good news was to be preached to the poor, that is, to the poor in heavenly, spiritual, and divine things (12:21; Rev. 3:17; see Matt. 5:3). Luke 4:18 speaks of captives, the blind, and those who are oppressed. The captives are prisoners of war, as exiles and prisoners under Satan s bondage (Isa. 42:7). The blind include those who are physically and spiritually blind (Zeph. 1:17; John 9:39-41; 1 John 2:11; Rev. 3:17). Recovery of sight is related to release from the power of Satan (Acts 26:18). The Greek word translated oppressed comes from a verb meaning to break in pieces (Matt. 12:20). Those who are oppressed are those oppressed under Satan in sickness or in sin (Luke 13:11-13; John 8:34). In Luke 4:19 we see that the Man-Savior was anointed to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. This acceptable year is the New Testament age typified by the year of jubilee (Lev. 25:8-17), the time when God would accept the returned captives of sin (Isa. 49:8; 2 Cor. 6:2) and when the oppressed under the bondage of sin would enjoy the release of God s salvation. In 4:18 and 19 the Man-Savior proclaims the jubilee of grace. This indicates that He began His ministry by proclaiming the jubilee of grace. The term the acceptable year of the Lord denotes the jubilee described in Leviticus 25. According to this chapter, the year of jubilee was a time when slaves were released 26

14 and property was returned to the rightful owners. Hence, the year of jubilee was a year of release, freedom, and return of lost property. Those who had been sold into slavery were released during the year of jubilee. Words of Grace Luke 4:22 says, And all were bearing witness to Him and marveling at the words of grace proceeding out of His mouth; and they were saying, Is this not Joseph s son? The words of grace refer to the words in verse 21, including the words in verses 18 and 19, which are words of the gospel. Verse 22 indicates that those in the synagogue knew the Savior according to the flesh (2 Cor. 5:16), not according to the Spirit (Rom. 1:4). Although the people marveled at the words of grace that proceeded out of the Lord s mouth, it is not likely that they understood these words. This was the actual beginning of the dispensation of grace. The dispensation before that day was the dispensation of law. But in Luke 4 the divine jubilee, the jubilee of grace, was proclaimed by the Man-Savior. (Life-Study of Luke, Chapter 11) The entire content of this book is taken from the writing of Witness Lee and published by Living Stream Ministry. This book is printed for pursuing purpose only