The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1906, Page 65

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Che Lutheran Pioneer.

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

Pusuisiep By THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN SYNODICAL CONFERENCE OF Nortm AMERICA.

R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

Entered at the Post Office at St. Louls, Mo., as second-class matter.

Vol. XXVIII.

St. iboats, Mo., September, 1906. No. 9.

Jesus the Sinner’s Friend.

One there is above all others

Well deserves the name of Friend!
His is love beyond a brother's,
Costly, free, and knows no end;
They who once His kindness prove,
Find it everlasting love.

Which of all our friends, to save us,
Could or would have shed their blood?
But our Jesus died to have us
Reconciled in Him to God.

This was boundless love indeed!

Jesus is a Friend in need.
Selected.
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The Good Samaritan.

In the tenth chapter of Luke we read of a cer-
tain man who on his journey from Jerusalem to
Jericho fell among thieves, who stripped him and
wounded him and left him in his blood. The poor
man lay there helpless and hopeless, wounded unto
death.

A priest and then a Levite came that way.
They saw the poor wounded man in his misery,
but each passed by on the other side without help-
ing him.

Then a certain Samaritan came where the poor
man was, “and when he saw him he had compassion
on him.” But he did not merely pity him, and
then pass by. No. “He went to him.” He went
to him just where he lay in his blood. He did not
go only part of the way and call upon the wounded
man to come the other part. No. “He went to
him.” He went all the way to the man just where
he was. And then he did not wait till the man had
helped himself a little or had shown himself worthy

of help. No. He took him just as he was, and
rescued him from death. He “bound up his wounds,
pouring in oil and wine,” and took him to the inn
to be cared for, paying all that was needed. The
poor wounded man had nothing to do and nothing
to pay. The good Samaritan did all and paid all.

What a lovely picture we have here of the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of sinners!
He is the Good Samaritan who saw man lying in
his blood, wounded unto death by sin, the whole
head sick and the whole heart faint, no soundness
from the sole of the foot even unto the head; but
wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. And
when He thus saw man helpless and hopeless, con-
demned by the Law to eternal death, He had com-
passion and came all the way into this world of sin.
He came not only half way, and nine-tenths of the
way, but all the way to the place where sinners
were lying, wounded, bleeding, helpless. He came
from the highest heavens to the cross and the grave,
being “wounded for our transgressions and bruised
for our iniquities,” and thus procuring salvation for
all. And in the Gospel Jesus, the Good Samaritan,
now comes with forgiveness and salvation for the
healing of sinners. He sees the sinner before the
sinner sees Him, and He comes to the sinner just
where he is. He does not come only part of the

way, calling upon the helpless sinner to come the .

other part. No. He comes to the sinner all the
way just where he is, and where sin has put him —
far, far away from God. And He does not ask
the sinner to do better, to feel better, to be better,
before He helps him. No. He takes sinners just
as they are, and ministers to them from the riches
of His grace, binding up and healing their wounds,