Main Thought
In the parable of the “Good Samaritan,” a scribe (or teacher of the law) asked Jesus how he could inherit eternal life. Jesus replied with, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.” Then, Jesus added: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The scribe then followed up with a second question. “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus told him a story. It was about a Jewish man who went traveling, then was beaten, robbed, and left to die. You’d expect another Jew, especially a priest, to be the hero. But a priest and a Levite walked past him. A Samaritan - who the Jews would have despised for his race - stopped to help the wounded man. The Samaritan loved His neighbor.
We should not ask, “Who is my neighbor?” The real question is: “Will you go out of your way to be a good neighbor?” Will you serve others, even if you don’t like them or agree with them? Will you try to listen and understand? Will you cross the line of your comfort zone to be the kind of neighbor that Jesus wants us to be?
Main Passages
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.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
- Luke 10:30-3713 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
- Galatians 5:13-15
Discussion Questions
What stands out to you in the Main Thought and Main Passages above, or from last week’s Worship Service?
Have you recently seen examples of people “devouring one another,” as described in Galatians 5? Have you contributed to that? How can you love God and create positive change in those situations?
How can you love and serve neighbors who need your help?
Family Questions
What did you learn about being a good neighbor from the parable of the good Samaritan?
Do you witness others (classmates/friends/family) treated different because of the way they look or where they are from? How can you be a good neighbor to those people?