LGC - 5 Thru 5 Parables Part 3

5 Thru 5 (Part 3)

Rhordan Wicks

INTRODUCTION

In Part 3 of the series on parables, we are reminded that parables are made-up stories that Jesus used to illustrate a point to help reveal what the Kingdom of God is like. In order to gain understanding of the parable, we need to enter into the story, searching for comparisons and twists to guide us through the journey of discovery and revelation. Let us read this familiar story with open hearts and heed the message God has for us.

We cannot fully grasp the message of this parable apart from its context. In Luke 10: 25-37 we are introduced to a lawyer – an expert or scholar of the Mosaic Law, who seeks to test Jesus by the question he asks, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus tells the parable to help the lawyer get past a checklist mentality for salvation and to the heart of the matter. Jesus tells a story of a man who loved his unknown, unidentified neighbour at great personal cost: it was expensive, time-consuming and risky. Jesus’ message is clear: You need something other than your goodness to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus was not telling the lawyer or us to be a Good Samaritan; rather, He was telling us that we cannot be the Good Samaritan. We need Christ, the true Good Samaritan, who gave it all to save us.

DISCUSSION

How have you seen the term “good Samaritan” being used in the world?
Read Luke 10:25-26.
a. What was the intention of the lawyer (expert in Mosaic Law) when he calls Jesus “teacher” and asks him a question in Luke 10:25?
b. Why does Jesus ask the question in Luke 10:26?

Read Luke 10:27-28. What does the lawyer seem to understand and what might he still be missing?
Read Luke 10:29 and Luke 16:15. Even after Jesus told the lawyer that he had given the right answer in Luke 10:28, why did he feel he had to justify himself? Why does the lawyer ask, “Who is my neighbour?”
Read Luke 10:30-32. The man who is attacked by thieves is stripped of his clothes, which would have given some idea of his status/race/religion; now he is anonymous.
a. In Luke 10:31-32, The priest and the Levite avoid the injured man. These two characters follow specific rules in the lives they lead. For example, touching an unidentified (possibly not a Jew) man might have made them ceremonially unclean and thereafter unable to perform their duties at the temple for a period of time. Do you think the priest and Levite were wrong? Why or why not?
b. In what situation in your life have you felt a similar tension between your responsibilities and duties and an opportunity to help someone in need? Alternatively, have you faced a situation where your loyalties were divided? How did you reconcile competing needs?

Read Luke 10:33-35. Until now, the story follows a pattern familiar to the Jewish audience. Hearing about a priest, then a Levite, the audience would have expected the next person to be a Jewish layman. Here is the twist in the parable: Jesus’ next character is a Samaritan, whom the Jews loathed. This would have gotten their attention!
a. Describe some of the practical ways the Samaritan helped the man. Why do you think Jesus included these details?
b. Read Philippians 2:6-8. What similarities can you identify between the Good Samaritan and Jesus Christ?
c. In verse 35, two denarii would have covered the man’s stay at the inn for two months. The Samaritan promised to cover any additional expenses when he returned. This ensured that the man would not be bound to the innkeeper as a slave for failure to pay his rent. This costly sacrifice points to Jesus’ finished work on the cross, to set us free from slavery to sin. Read Romans 8:15. What does it mean to you to be freed from slavery to sin?

Read Luke 10:36-37.
a. What did the lawyer understand from Jesus’ parable?
b. What is Jesus really telling the lawyer?
c. Read Romans 3:23-28. Can you go and be like the Good Samaritan? If not, how can you have eternal life?
d. Read Philippians 3:3-9. In what ways have you sought security in your own good deeds? How do you look at others who aren’t as “good” as you?

WHAT WILL YOU DO

The Parable of the Good Samaritan reminds us that none of us is good enough to earn eternal life. We cannot love God and love our neighbours perfectly. Our only hope is through the true Good Samaritan, Jesus Christ, who came to Earth, humbled Himself, and sacrificed His life that we may have eternal life. If knowing that you need more than good deeds to enter the kingdom of God is news to you, please speak with a Christian friend who can help you invite Jesus to come into your life. Whenever we are tempted to compare ourselves with others or worry about whether our good deeds are “enough”, we must remember that all of us are fully dependent upon the mercy of Christ. Without His work on the cross, we will all still be slaves to sin, naked and abandoned. Christ clothed us with His righteousness, paid for our freedom, and is our Good Samaritan. Let us share the good news with everyone we meet: we have hope and it is in Christ alone!

MEMORY VERSE

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV