MAY 14

Luke 10:33
Memorise Mark 7:3
“…except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders”

As we study Scripture, we must constantly be aware of the fact that the Bible was written in very different times from what we live in today. We will thus understand it fully only if we know more about the Jews, the Levites, the priests and the Samaritans (and also some geography!) So all of us must do some homework if we love God’s word and want to understand it well!

We had discussed the Samaritans yesterday – they were despised and hated by the Jews. What about the Levites? These were members of the respected tribe of Levi, who were appointed by God to work in the temple (so they are like full-time workers). Then what about the priests? They were the descendants of Aaron (also of the tribe of Levi) who acted as intermediaries between God and the Jews. When the ordinary Jews came to the temple to offer sacrifices to God, the priests would be the ones who would offer the sacrifices on their behalf. They were even more respected than the Levites, as a sort of “inner circle” within the tribe of Levi, tasked to perform a very important spiritual role for the people.

So you can imagine the shock that greeted the poor lawyer – the shocking tale Jesus was telling! While the Levite and priest, men who were supposed to be upright and holy in their ways, spurned the poor traveler and refused to offer any assistance to him, it was the Samaritan (of all persons!) who lent a helping hand, even going the extra mile to do all that he could to help the Jew – someone who, under other circumstances, would have been likely to despise and look down on him! With this knowledge, the impact of the whole parable becomes so much greater.

Such background information is therefore very important when we interpret the parables in the Bible. What was common place and easily understood by the people in the past, might not be so readily evident to us in our present day and age. Therefore we must put in the effort to research and find out more about the various details given in each parable, as we try to come to the right biblical understanding of them.

Thought: Many people misunderstand the Bible – one reason is that they are too lazy to learn the cultural background. Dear teen, don’t be lazy!
Prayer: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).