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Tuesday, July 05, 2022
July 5 = Life of Christ #132 Jesus Tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
Jesus Tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37 Have you ever helped a stranger in distress? What happened?
God is ...
What do we learn about God in this passage?
We are ...
What do we learn about people in this passage?
Who's testing whom in this story?
What does Luke 10:26-28 show about Jesus’ attitude toward the Old Testament Law?
Does the lawyer seem to think he has passed the test in Luke 10:28? How so?
Who is your neighbor? What was wrong with the lawyer’s meaning of a neighbor?
Why does Jesus answer with a story instead of a straight answer? What commandment was Jesus illustrating by this story?
How might one justify the actions of the priest and the Levite (see Leviticus 21:1-3; Numbers 19:11-22)?
Given the divisions between Jews and Samaritans (see John 4), what's unusual about the plot twist in this story? What is Jesus' point here?
I will...
What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How can I apply it to my life this week?
The parable defines not just who our neighbor is, but also what love is. What does it show love to mean?
What attitude or behavior does God want you to have that is the most difficult to accept?
Who have been Good Samaritans in your life? What makes a Good Samaritan really good? How does one demonstrate a right relationship with God?
To whom will you be a Good Samaritan this week?
Describe a time when you used your work responsibilities or social obligations to avoid Jesus. How do you seek to serve while also keeping God-given priorities?
You can ...
Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by
social media links at the bottom of this.
The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion. --THOMAS PAINE
Feb 28, 2025 = A sermon by Preaching Minister Randy Johns from the series, "Stories Jesus Told."
This sermon focuses on the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37.
Parables -
Parable of the Good Samaritan
Luke 10:25-37
———————————————
A city councilman in Erie, Pennsylvania, has identified an important issue. He thinks something should be done about it. His proposed remedy won't work.
Jim Casey thinks relationships with one's neighbors is important. On his view, television, computers, and other devices that tend to close us in our houses or apartments have made neighborliness obsolete for many people. Security, civility, and quality of life would be enhanced if people got to know each other.
So Casey put an idea before the Erie City Council to study whether it should require all new homes in that city to be built with front porches. "We need to get out and meet our neighbors," he said. "If porches can help us get back to that good quality of living, then good." We could wish it were that simple!
Thinking that porches will create better communities is akin to thinking laws could cure racism. True enough, some laws needed to be passed. Those laws established a minimal standard of what would henceforth be regarded as acceptable. But they didn't make a single bigot open-minded and tolerant. Neither will front porches create community and neighborliness. It takes much more.
A verse in the Old Testament says this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18). When Jesus referred to this text approvingly one day, a certain fellow in his audience became defensive. "And who is my neighbor?" he wanted to know. So Jesus told what just might be the best-known story in all literature. He told about a Samaritan who came to the aid of a Jew who had been beaten, robbed, and left to die. The same poor man had, by the way, been sidestepped by two people of his own ethnic and religious group (Luke 10:25-37).
The Gospels aren't anti-Semitic, and the point of the Parable of the Good Samaritan isn't to put Jews in a bad light. The basic problem in human relations isn't a lack of front porches but a lack of mutual respect.
According to Jesus, the way to love your neighbor is to take a risk, extend a hand, and do something positive in the life of a person outside your customary circle of friends. In your neighborhood, workplace, or church, you know who and where "they" are. This week is your chance to approach just one.
Opening Questions — Get Us Thinking:
Have you ever helped a stranger in distress? What happened?
The Parable of the Good Samaritan — Luke 10:25-37
25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’c ; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’d ”
28“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.35The next day he took out two denariie and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
·Brainstorm types of people who are considered the unloved in our society today.
·What is the main point to the parable?
Research Questions — “dig deeper” to find God’s Will
1.What is Jesus’ point here?
2.Does the lawyer seem to think he has passed the test in verse 28? How so?
3.Why does Jesus answer with a story instead of a straight answer?
4.How might one justify the actions of the priest and the Levites?
5.If Jesus used this parable in Edmond today, who do you think he would use as the stories characters instead of the Jews and Samaritans?
6.Given the divisions between Jews and Samaritans, what's unusual about the plot twist in the story?
7.What did stopping and helping possibly cost the Samaritan?
8.Search verses 34 and 35, what all did the Samaritan do for the man in need? How is agape love different and higher than other kinds of love?
9.What would our country become if everyone “loved his neighbor” as the Samaritan did?
10.Put yourself in the place of the Samaritan in this Parable. What feelings do you experience when you realize a person who hates you need your help?
11.Why do you think God commanded us to love our neighbors or, even more difficult, to love our enemies? What do we learn about God when we do this?
Reflective Questions — live it today.
1.How does this Parable apply to us today?
2.If Jesus were telling the story to us today, whom would we most hate to see cast as the hero?
3.How is Jesus' challenge troubling to the expert in the law and to us today?
4.What attitude or behavior does God want you to have that is the most difficult to accept?
5.Imagine a conversation between the Samaritan and the Jew in the story. What are the first things you hear them say to each other?
6.Who has been a Good Samaritans in your life?
7.When you see someone in need of help, how does the person's appearance (race, clothing, cleanliness, status, etc.) affect the way you normally respond? Compare your usual response to God request that you “love your neighbor.”
8.What Makes a Good Samaritan really good?
9.To whom will you be a Good Samaritan this week?
GOOD SAMARITAN - Audio only
Kevin Rayner
Like a Good Neighbor (Luke 10:25-37) by Toby Levering
Stories
are the language of the soul. We connect with stories and we remember them. That
is why Jesus used storytelling so often to illustrate deeper truths. His
stories, known as parables, were Jesus’ way to communicate important Kingdom
principles. Although the details of these stories were imagined, the Kingdom
principles are not. They are true and eternal.
Opening
Thoughts:
To truly love your neighbor means crossing boundaries and borders to demonstrate
genuine concern through action. Who is your neighbor? How can you love
them?
25 On one
occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what
must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is
written in the Law?” he
replied. “How do
you read it?”
27 He
answered, “‘Love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.’”
28 “You have
answered correctly,” Jesus
replied. “Do this
and you will live.”
29 But he
wanted to justify
himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my
neighbor?”
30 In reply
Jesus said: “A man
was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They
stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half
dead.31 A priest happened to be
going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other
side.32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw
him, passed by on the other side.33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man
was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.34 He went to him and bandaged
his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey,
brought him to an inn and took care of him.35 The next day he took out
two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when
I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may
have.’
36 “Which of
these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of
robbers?”
37 The
expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on
him.”
Summarize
the main story:
Describe the events of the story in your own words.
vReview
and retell the story.
Reflections
for applications:
v Characters
oPriest
oLevite
oSamaritan
o“Good
Israelite”
vApplication
& Layers
oLove
others
oLove
by doing
§James
2:15-16Suppose a brother or a sister is without
clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm
and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is
it?
vJesus
puts a twist in the story.
oIn
his story, Jesus makes the powerless victim the Israelite man, and the hero of the story is the despised
Samaritan!
§Sometimes
it takes empathy to activate love
§Go
be a neighbor!
·“What
will happen to me?”
·“What
will happen to him?”
oDoes
Christianity have an image problem?
==============================
Digging
Questions:
·How
will you respond to God’s “True Story”? What transformative move needs to be
made?
·What
do these biblical texts tell you about God and His nature?
·What
is God calling us (me and you individually) to do?
Take
Away Challenges
·What
has the Holy Spirit revealed to you in this passage? How will you apply it to
your life this week?
·Whom
do you know who needs to hear this?
·What
is God bringing to your attention in this discussion? What beliefs, thoughts or
actions need to be addressed or changed?
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