Game Changers: Devotions for Families Who Play Different (Age 13-18)ਨਮੂਨਾ

The Good Samaritan

Ready: Luke 10:25–37

Set:

People often asked Jesus questions and didn’t understand the answers. In today’s Scripture, an expert in the law asks Jesus a simple question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life”? Jesus answers with two things: love God with your all, and “love your neighbor as yourself.” Easy enough, but the expert in the law needed clarification on the word neighbor. Jesus uses the parable in verses 30-35 to help him understand what He meant

One day, a Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho and was robbed, beaten, and left for dead on the side of the road. A priest came upon the beaten man, moved to the other side of the road, and kept walking. It was not long before another man, a Levite (another religious figure), came by, saw the man, and he too moved to the other side of the road and kept walking.

A short time later, a Samaritan man came across the injured man. The Jewish people viewed Samaritans poorly; accusing them of marrying foreigners and false worship. So, the story is striking to the Jewish audience. The Samaritan man not only cared for the man’s injuries by pouring oil and wine on him and bandaging his wounds, but he also placed him on his donkey and carried him to an inn and paid for him to be cared for until he got better. So, it was a Samaritan, not the religious men, who had compassion on the wounded Jewish man.

Jesus is making a striking point. Everyone is our neighbor, not just those who are like us. Jesus wants us to learn through this parable that we need to be on the lookout for people who need our help and help them. We need to treat everyone with love.

Go:

1. Why do you think the priest and Levite did not stop and help the man who had been robbed?
2. Why do you think the Samaritan man stopped to help?
3. We know Samaritans and Jews did not get along. What does this story tell you about the way we should treat those we dislike?
4. What does Jesus say being a “good neighbor” is?
5. With Jesus’ teaching in mind, should you define “neighbor?”
6. What does it look like in your life, on your team, and those you play against to “love your neighbor”?

Workout:

1 Corinthians 13; 1 John 4:7-8; John 13: 34-35

Overtime:

“Lord, I pray that I would have a heart like the Samaritan man. A heart that wants to reach out and help others. Help me to be loving and kind to everyone. Including those who are hard to love and even my opponents and rivals. Give me eyes to see the needs around me and the courage to help others even though it might be awkward or hard. In Your name, amen.”