The Samaritan’s First Aid

 

In the parable of the good Samaritan, I wondered about some of the things the Samaritan did for the wounded man.

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. (Luke 10:33-34)

Why put oil and wine in the wounds? Wine would have some alcohol in it, and so would be an antiseptic and disinfect it. The oil would keep the skin soft and prevent any forming scabs from cracking prematurely and reopening the wound. Antibiotic ointment today is made up of a petroleum jelly with antibiotics in it, and the jelly does about the same thing as the oil.

So, it seems the parable had some solid practices of wound treatment in it, and this makes me wonder if this represented the first aid knowledge of that time or if this shows Jesus knew something about wound care that others didn’t and put that in the parable too.

Others have observed how the parable could be read as an analogy for the way Christ saves us, so this makes me think about what spiritual care might be analogous to pouring oil and wine into wounds. Perhaps they correspond with the way Christ purifies us from our sins and begins the process of healing with the Spirit, helping us to keep a soft heart.

Divine Signs in Saul’s Call to Kingship

In 1 Samuel 9 -10 there are a lot of signs shown to Saul of Samuel’s foreknowledge.  These signs just seem to come thick and fast.

--When Saul came to Samuel to inquire of him where he could find the donkeys that were lost, Samuel was told by the Lord that he was coming, when he would be there, and that he was to be king.

--When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him Saul was to be king.

--Samuel told Saul without being asked that his donkeys had been found.  This demonstrates foreknowledge of Saul’s problem and the answer.

--Samuel had already saved some food ahead of time specifically for Saul.

--Samuel also told Saul about who Saul would meet on his journey home, what those people would do and say.  1) People would tell him the donkeys were found and of the worry of his father 2) People would give him provisions for his journey back, since he had exhausted his supplies. 3)People would prophesy and he would prophesy with them and be given a new heart by God.

We might well ask ourselves why so many miracles and so much seership demonstrated?

I personally think these miracles were meant to impress upon Saul that his calling to kingship was real.   He was inclined to doubt the calling because he didn’t see himself or his family as the clear choice for this honor.  In fact, he saw his family as the least of the tribe of Benjamin and Benjamin as the least of the tribes of Israel.

But when the man who gives the calling can tell you what you’re worried about and give you the answer before you even ask the question, that person is not to be dismissed when he tells you other things to come, even something as far-fetched as a call to kingship.

The miracles also build Saul’s confidence that the Lord knew him and knew what would happen and would guide him.  They taught in various ways the foreknowledge of God. 

1) The Lord knew what Saul was looking for and had taken care of the little things because there were bigger things for Saul to do. 

2) The Lord knew of Saul and could help others recognize him as king too.  (In fact, the drawing lots among the tribes and the battle Saul fights to save the Israelites at Jabesh-gilead in 1 Samuel 11 are divinely orchestrated as well and help convince Israel Saul is the one chosen by God.)  

3) The Lord could provide for Saul the things he needed.

4) The Lord could change Saul to fit the role he was going to have.

I think it is interesting that when Samuel finishes telling Saul all the things that will happen on the way home, he also tells him he will have to wait.

And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do. (1 Samuel 10:8)

After all the miracles, Saul will have to wait seven days while nothing happens.  To me this exemplifies the principle that sometimes there is a bunch of miracles happening in our lives where we see quite clearly how the Lord is working, and other times we have to wait patiently and keep the faith.

Lucky Saul was given a time limit to wait, but we often are not; we just have to hang on.  There is a time for doing the hard work to show our faith (and we don’t often know how long that will be), and there is the time of miracles that confirm that faith.

Guest Post: Washing and Annointing

 
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This guest post is from my friend J Washburn, author of Dear Jeff: Candid Advice from an Older Brother on Preparing to Enter the Temple, which I reviewed back in October.  He has some intriguing things to share that can give us some insight on part of the temple ceremonies.  I've found these insights extra meaningful in helping me better understand the significance of the initiatory ordinance.

Washing and Anointing

I’d like to share some thoughts I’ve had about the Initiatory temple ceremony, specifically about washing and anointing.

The symbolism of washing is pretty straightforward. I don’t mean to downplay it—it’s definitely worth pondering, but you’re already familiar because of baptism: It’s about cleansing. And it’s about what’s in the past—it’s looking backward.

Anointing is not quite so obvious, so let’s dig a little deeper.

In ancient times, kings and priests were the highest ranks in society—King Mosiah and Priest Alma are a good example; you see the pattern throughout the Bible too. These were the greatest titles a mortal could receive, and to be given either of them you had to be anointed. Basically, anointing is a priesthood ordinance that involves the pouring of sacred oil from a horn onto the initiate.

In The Old Testament, kings to be—that is, boys whose destiny it was to become a king—were anointed to that position. One of the most memorable instances of this is when David was anointed as a boy:

Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. (1 Samuel 16:13)

But when David was anointed at that moment, he didn’t become king immediately. Instead, his anointing affirmed his future calling—he was anointed to become king. Later, in 2 Samuel 2:4, he was anointed king—the actual thing this time. So an anointing can be looking forward to a future event, or it can be the event itself.

The picture below shows an Egyptian king being anointed, which is another example of the second kind of anointing (from the Jewish Encyclopedia). Incidentally, in his hand the king holds an ankh, a symbol representing eternal life.

The word Christ has roots in the Greek word khristos, which means “the anointed.” Khristos is a translation of the Hebrew word mashiah, or, as we say in English, messiah—which also means “the one who was anointed.” Peter taught us that Christ was “foreordained before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:20)—in other words, he was anointed to his calling ahead of time. John the Revelator said Christ was “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). God the Father testified of his son’s anointing, saying he was “my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, [who] said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever” (Moses 4:2). Christ also testified of his own pre-appointed destiny when he spoke to the brother of Jared:

I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters. (Ether 3:14)

This scripture is especially cool because it looks forward in two ways: It mentions Christ’s anointing looking forward to what he would do; then it also looks forward to what’s in store for us mortals: “They shall become my sons and daughters.” In other words, we’ll eventually inherit Christ’s perfection as his spiritual offspring (see Mosiah 5:7). Perhaps when that promise is fulfilled, it will be a ceremony confirmed with oil too.

Now, one final example: A Melchizedek Priesthood holder occasionally gets opportunity to administer to the sick. The church’s Handbook 2 explains that it takes two priesthood holders: The first pours the oil, then puts his hands on the person’s head (just like the Savior did, I might add), and says the words of anointing. Then with both priesthood holders putting their hands on the person’s head, the second priesthood holder seals the anointing and adds a blessing (see 20.6.2-3). This seems to match up with the immediate type of anointing, where you actually become king, or, in this case, where you actually become healed. But it might also be the kind that looks forward to healing (it happens, as they say, on the Lord’s timetable and not our own).

So to sum up, washing purifies the past, and anointing promises the future. Anointing looks forward. And just as Christ was anointed for his great mission long before it ever happened, we can be anointed looking forward to our destinies, as his children and his heirs.

This is the purpose of the initiatory ordinance.

J Washburn is the author of several books, including an incredibly straightforward temple prep guide called DEAR JEFF. You can learn about his quirks at www.jwashburn.com. And if you enjoy reading, you’ll want to sign up for his monthly letter, which includes a free ebook called HIGH ADVENTURE.