A Time for Doing

Sermon date: November 26th 2017

Note for leaders: The main bit of the study regarding the application of this parable into our lives will be found starting on question 8. Please try and keep 30 minutes for those last questions and the “action”, you might need to skip some questions or just go through them very quickly to be able to do so.

Icebreaker

• The use of stories and parables are a very effective way of communicating.
• Can you remember any story someone told you that had an impact on your life?

 
We will be looking into the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus spoke many times in parables. It is a good opportunity to remind ourselves what a parable is. Parables are made up stories, that never actually happened, but are good illustrations for us to learn.

Nerdy facts: The Hebrew word for Parable is “masal” which means a “popular saying” or a “literally proverb” or a “poetic speech”. It comes from the Aramaic word for similar, therefore it is a comparison. As the book of Proverbs and the Song of Songs are full of these “mesalim” (comparisons or metaphors), King Salomon is usually known as the father of the parables. Jesus used these stories as did many other rabbi in his time and before him. The parables have what they call a “nimsal”, this is the morale of the story which is its main objective. The main focus of the parables is to get one important teaching out of it, it was a powerful way of communicating and still is. One third of the Jesus’ recorded teaching are parables.

Please read Luke 10:25-37

• What is your first reaction to this parable? What do you think Jesus is trying to teach?

Now look into the vs. 25-29

• How does Jesus answer in v. 27 connect with the Gospel message we learn about in the rest of the New Testament?
• Why did Jesus share the parable with the expert in the law? * (please look at helpful hints)

Let’s look into vs 30-35

• Who were the two Jewish people who passed him by? Do you think there is any special significance to that? ** (please look at helpful hints)
• Some of the Church Fathers interpreted that Jesus was talking about himself as the Good Samaritan. Despite the fact that many of the modern Biblicists don’t agree with this, can you see why they interpreted this as an allegory?
• What do you think is the main and very practical teaching that Jesus is giving?

Please read vs 36-37

• What is Jesus’ answer to the expert in the law’s original question? What does that mean?

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise” (v.37). We are called to do like the Good Samaritan did. The story begins with this phrase “but a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was”, I have always interpreted that the Samaritan was just on the road and unexpectedly found a person on his road, but we can also think that the Samaritan knew about him and went to especially to help him, which is why he was carrying bandages, oil and wine. Both interpretations have something we can learn from. Firstly, we are called to answer when we meet someone in need in our everyday lives. Secondly, we are invited to think about those in need, prepare our “bandages” and go and look for them.

• Do you tend to stop and try and help when you see someone in need?
• In what ways can you prepare and be proactive to help those in need?
• In the story the person who was robbed wasn’t someone who was always in need, he had just lived a difficult situation and needed help. Do you accept help when you need it?
• How much should you do? We shouldn’t make the person dependent on us, so how do we guard against this?
• Do you know anyone who might need your help? (It might be someone who just needs a phone call or a visit)
   

Action

Spend some time thinking about who you could help practically, either individually or as a group. It might be somebody you know, it might be people in some kind of situation which you can help through a charity. If you have no idea of who or how to help, please get in touch with the staff team and we’ll find something for you to do.

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise”
 

Helpful hints:

(*) 2 – Jesus is responding to the question who is your neighbour. Mainly because the Jewish people only saw their own people as neighbours. The Samaritans weren’t seen as neighbours, they were impure and not recognised as equals. As he usually did regarding the law, Jesus doesn’t only teach who are their neighbours, but expands as to what it means to love their neighbours. He does this throughout his ministry, but especially in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)
(**) 3 – Priests and Levites were the people who worked in the Temple. They had different duties, but together they represent the people who taught the law and fulfilled it by doing the sacrifices. These were the Jewish leaders, the ones everyone looked up to.