Georgene was very poor. She came to school wearing old and dirty clothes. She was also very shy. Because of this, no one spoke to her. When it was time for recess, all the girls and boys grouped together to run and play. Georgene just stood off by herself. She ate alone at lunch time too.
Scripture Snapshots:
GOOD SAMARITAN
Series 2 Lesson 7
Georgene was very poor. She came to school wearing old and dirty clothes. She was also very shy. Because of this, no one spoke to her. When it was time for recess, all the girls and boys grouped together to run and play. Georgene just stood off by herself. She ate alone at lunch time too.
Could you imagine what it was like for her when she woke up for school? She would get dressed and shuffle off to school, knowing that for the next seven hours no one would pay any attention to her.
This lesson is about COMPASSION: feeling the hurts of others and doing what you can to help them. There are many people who need our compassion. If you want to be like Jesus, ask Him to give you compassion for others. When Jesus was on earth, He had much to say about being kind to others. He even said that we are to be kind to our enemies. That’s a hard thing to do, but if you ask Jesus, He will help you to have compassion and show kindness to others.
During Jesus’ day, the Jews were ruled by the Romans. They made them pay taxes and were unkind to them. They were the Jews’ enemies. One of their laws said that any Roman soldier could make a Jewish man carry his pack for one mile, even if the Jewish man was going the other way. Because of this, the Jews hated the Romans and tried to avoid them. Jesus taught, however, that God also loved the Romans. He wanted his disciples (followers) to live in such a way that others would see the love of God in them and come to love Him too. He said to carry the soldier’s pack two miles.
Matthew 5:41-48 tells us that one day the Pharisees sent one of their own, a lawyer, to challenge Jesus. They hoped to trick Him and make Him do or say something wrong. He asked, “Master, what should I do to have eternal life?” Jesus responded by asking the lawyer a question. “What is written in the Bible?” Lawyer, “You should love the Lord thy God with all your heart and all your soul, and with all your strength and with all your mind; and you should love your neighbor just like you love yourself.”
Jesus told the man that he had answered well, and if he could do all these things, he would live eternally. The lawyer, however, wasn’t sure about who his neighbors were. They certainly could not be Romans or Gentiles. He decided to ask just to be sure. The lawyer asked, “Jesus, just who is my neighbor?” To explain, Jesus told a story.
One day, a man had to travel from Jerusalem to Jericho. This was a dangerous trip, for robbers would often hide in the cliffs along the 17-mile road that was between the cities. Most people didn’t travel alone, but this man did. Along a dark and deserted stretch, robbers jumped out from behind some rocks, beat up the man, and stole all of his money and clothes. They left him for dead along the road. Unless the man got help, he would die. He couldn’t help himself.
The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was called the road of blood. Herod’s Temple, 40+ years in building, was nearly complete. There were 40,000 men laid off, and some turned to a life of crime. This road drops 2,300 ft. in just 17 miles. It is a winding road with many places to hide. The penalty for robbery was death. Jesus died between thieves.
Soon, the man heard footsteps, and when he looked up, he saw a Priest coming towards him on the road. Surely a man who served God would come and help him, but the Priest quickly passed by. “I can’t help that man. I’m in a hurry. Someone else will surely stop.” The priest walked quickly past, not even stopping to look at the man. How must the man who had been robbed felt? He was probably sad because he thought that he was going to be helped, but wasn’t helped at all. Why would the Priest do that? There are two options.as such a failure!
Options: (Option 1) This priest was on his way to serve in the Temple and didn’t want to be rendered unclean by touching the man (Numbers 19:11). He looked forward to serving. Wouldn’t he be serving God by helping? He thought more of himself than God. (Option 2) We read in Luke 10:31 that he was coming down the road. Was he on his way home after serving for two weeks? If so, he should have been on a spiritual high, making his lack of service even more remarkable.as such a failure!
Later, the wounded man heard someone else coming. Again, he hoped that he would get help. This time it was a Levite. Levites were not priests, but they helped in the temple, so they knew much about God’s Word. The Levite came over and took a look at the poor man, but after seeing his condition, he also quickly walked on. “Poor man. I do hope that someone will come and help him.” Again, the man was very sad. He figured that if these two Jewish men who served God wouldn’t help him, no one would. It seemed that no one cared whether he lived or died.
The injured man was helpless, and thought that he was going to die. In a while, he heard a donkey approaching. He didn’t get his hopes up. This time, it was a Samaritan man approaching. Samaritans were part Jew and part Gentile. The Jews hated Samaritans very much. Samaritans originated when the Northern Kingdom, Israel, was taken captive by Assyria in 732 BC. Jews intermarried with Assyrians and became a mixed race. Pure Jews would not accept them upon their return to the land. When the injured man saw that it was a Samaritan, he was sure that he wouldn’t get help from him. However, when the Samaritan man saw him, he quickly got off his donkey and came to help him. “Oh, you poor man. Let me help you. I’ve got some oil in my pack. I’ll wash out your wounds with wine, bandage them, and take you where you can get better.” He put him on his donkey and took the man to an inn. The next morning, he gave the innkeeper two coins to pay for his care. He said he wanted the man to stay there until he was well; if it cost more, he would pay it when he returned. The Samaritan helped the helpless man even though he was a stranger.
Jesus turned to the lawyer and asked, “Which one of these three men was a neighbor to the man who fell among thieves?” The lawyer answered, “The one who showed mercy on him.” Jesus taught this lawyer that his neighbor was the one who needed his love and compassion. Jesus was once here on earth. He used his feet to go where people needed help. He used his hands to help and heal. He used his mouth to speak words of kindness and warning. Jesus is in Heaven now, but He has commanded us to love others and show compassion to them.wo fish!
He wants you to love not only those who love you or who are like you, but to love everyone. “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12) Loving is not just a feeling, but doing what you can when a person needs help. It’s easy to love those who are kind to you, but what about those who are mean to you? Jesus taught us to love even our enemies. You were His enemy, living in sin, and He loved you anyway. He even loved those who nailed Him to the cross.
JESUS AND THE SAMARITAN MAN HAVE A LOT IN COMMON.
COMPASSION
SAMARITAN – Luke 10:33 says that when the Samaritan saw the man, he was filled with compassion.
JESUS – Jesus looks at sinful humanity, and He has compassion for us since we can’t save ourselves.
Psalm 103:8 – 14; Romans 5:6
CONTACT
SAMARITAN – It’s hard to help someone from a distance. Verse 34 says that the Samaritan went to him. JESUS – Jesus left heaven and became one of us. Heb. 4:15 He knows & understands how you feel, no matter what you are going through.
CARE
SAMARITAN – The Samaritan gave the man great care. He washed out, treated, and wrapped up his wounds.
JESUS – Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 There is no question that Jesus cares for you.
COST
SAMARITAN – It cost the Samaritan time and money to care for this wounded man. He spent money to give immediate care, but also money for the inn.
JESUS – It cost Jesus His life to pay for your sins. He let men nail Him to a cross so He could die in your place. He paid the price you couldn’t pay. Rom. 5:8
COMING AGAIN
SAMARITAN – The Samaritan made a promise to return. He would check on the man and pay any additional charges needed.
JESUS – Jesus promises to come again and to take all of those who have trusted Him for salvation to Heaven forever. John 14:3; 1 Thess. 4:13-18