The parable of the Good Samaritan
Ask: Who is someone you love? (Let kids answer and affirm them)
Those are good answers. It is easy (most of the time) to love these people, isn’t it? They are family or friends, they like some of the same things we do and they love us, too. But what about the neighbor kid across the street? Or that one at school who looks different and maybe acts different? Or the one who is a loner? Are we supposed to love them, too? Who are we supposed to love? Jesus told a story to a lawyer who was wondering just that.
Read: Luke 10:25-37
Answer these questions:
- Why did Jesus tell this story?
- Who did not treat the hurt man with love?
- What reasons do you think they might have given for passing by?
- How did the Samaritan man help the hurt man?
- How did this story answer the lawyer’s question?
The Jews did not like Samaritans and were very unfriendly towards them. So it was a big deal for the Samaritan to be the hero, the one who showed love to the hurt man by helping him.
Jesus uses this story to show us something really important: we should love others and treat them well no matter who they are. It doesn’t matter if they are friendly or not, if they look different then us, or if they live next door to us. We should be willing to help them and treat them with respect. This is what Jesus did for us. He loved us by coming to help us, even though we weren’t friendly towards him.
How can you show love to someone today? Is there someone around you who needs help?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me. Help me be willing to show love to someone today by helping them out. In Jesus name, amen.