The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)

9th March 2014

Tell story based on Luke 10:25-37. (For older kids, get them to read the Bible passage out loud.)

In Jesus’ parable: it was not the religious and “good” people who stopped to help the Jewish man. It was the enemy — a despised Samaritan. The Jews hated the Samaritans.
The Samaritan could have walked on, and nobody would fault him for that. But he had compassion for the man. He cleaned and bandaged his wounds. Put him on his donkey and paid for his care at the inn.
Who would do that for an enemy? Somebody who hated you? Who wouldn’t walk on the same side of the road as you?
Do you know: we were once God’s enemy?
We were like this man — attacked by robbers (the devil is the thief); stripped, beaten, left half dead in our sin, helpless and hopeless.
- Col 1:21 “This includes you who were once far away from God. You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions.”
- But even though we were God’s enemy, Jesus still came to die for us.
  - He had compassion for us.
  - He cleaned us with His blood.
  - He bandaged us up.
  - He lifted us and took care of us.
  - He paid the price of our sins for us.
  - And because of that, we can now be God’s friend, we now have His life in us.
    - Romans 5:10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

“What should I do to inherit eternal life?”
We don’t have to do anything to earn an inheritance; it’s what Jesus has done for us when He came down to die for us. We just have to believe and accept this gift of eternal life, and we are born again as sons and daughters of God! Hallelujah!
“Who is my neighbour?” Who showed love to the man?
The one who showed love to him.

Jesus ends His parable by saying, “Go and do likewise.”
On our own, we cannot. But Jesus’ love fills us up so much that we can show His love to those around us — especially people we don’t like, our “enemies”.
John 15:12: “Love each other as I have loved you.” We can love because Christ first loved us!

Memory Verse: Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.