The Parable of the Good Samaritan
This week we’re uncovering the Parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10:25-37. Check out this video as we learn about this week’s Bible study (also available as a podcast!).
Welcome to our study this week as we dig into the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37!
What Jesus did with this parable was not only model that eternal life was available for all people (even those who were not Jewish), but also that it’s through our love for God and others that we can truly live out the fulfillment of the law. This parable reveals the desire God has for love and mercy to be at the forefront of our hearts, regardless of who is on the receiving end. As we read the words of Jesus this week, may it bring you to a greater understanding of who God is and how desperately needed His love is to the world around us.
DAY 1 - READ AND REFLECT
Let’s dig in together by reading the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. Re-read the passage, preferably in a different translation to get a clearer perspective on what the passage is communicating (Tip: leverage the YouVersion Bible app to access multiple translations for FREE).
Keep in mind a parable is a story that parallels a message Jesus was trying to communicate, which would've been more easily understood by the original audience. Without a deep connection to Jewish culture, Jesus’ point is often lost on us. To understand the heart of Jesus’ parables, ask the following questions, and watch as the parables of Jesus come to life!
Who is the audience and how would the original hearer have heard this?
What cultural reference points would the original hearer have known that I miss?
Does the parable have characters and how are they described?
Does the parable have an unexpected ending that highlights the point Jesus was trying to make?
If Jesus were to make this point today, what parable might He tell?
As you comb through these few verses, take time to underline anything that stands out to you. In a separate journal, write down any questions you have or note things that you’d like to dig into further.
DAY 2 - LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF (Luke 10:25-28)
As we start to study the Parable of the Good Samaritan, we may need a little CONTEXT to fully grasp the situation that Jesus was in. Right before Jesus told the parable, we are introduced to a man who was an expert in the law and in Jewish religion, who asked Jesus a question of what it would take to acquire eternal life. Jesus responded by asking him “What is written in the Law?” (vs. 26). It was common for religious men to hold true that if they kept the law, they would have eternal life (Matthew 19:16-26). How did the man respond to Jesus’ question (vs.27)?
To understand the HISTORICAL scripture this scholar was quoting from memory, in his response to Jesus, read Leviticus 19:18 and Deuteronomy 6:5. What do these verses teach us about love?
Jesus let the scholar know he had answered correctly and to go and do what the scripture said. Yet that wasn’t enough for the scholar. Read Luke 10:29. What did the expert of the law want to do?
Do you think in the case of the expert of the law in Luke 10, that he was really seeking to learn from Jesus? Or were there selfish motives behind his actions? Have you been there?
Has there ever been a time in your life when you wanted to justify your actions? If so, why? Journal about what your heart would have been seeking during that time in your life.
Further Reflection: Throughout the Gospels, Jesus reminded people of the greatest commandment: love God and love others. Using the verse references in a study Bible around Luke 10:27, where else does Jesus state this command (Hint: it’s in both the books of Matthew and Mark).
DAY 3 - WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR? (Luke 10:29-37)
The religious leader in the Parable of the Good Samaritan likely wanted a further explanation and possible justification for his own righteous living. He needed more answers from Jesus when he asked, “And who is my neighbor?” (vs. 29).
Read Exodus 23:4-5 and Leviticus 19:33-34 to understand the HISTORY of Old Testament law this scholar would have known well. Based on these verses, what would the expert have known was required of God’s people to show mercy, even to strangers and enemies?
Re-read Luke 10:30-32. As we learn some HISTORY about the area, we realize that the journey between Jerusalem and Jericho was 17 miles and known for being treacherous because robbers would hide along the winding, steep paths. This made the journey a dangerous one! What a realistic detail for Jesus to mention in His parable. He took a real-life path that many of His audience would have been familiar with, in order to communicate the danger and peril the travelers in His story would have experienced. If you were to tell this parable using current landmarks, what analogy would you use to describe the path (and it’s danger) from Jerusalem to Jericho to people today?
As Jesus explained the response of the first two individuals that passed by, we see that they were both religious men who would have known the law well (vs. 31-32). The first man to pass was a priest, who based on HISTORY, would serve in the temple offering sacrifices. The second man was a Levite, who would have assisted in the care and operations of the temple work. Read Leviticus 19:9-10, Deuteronomy 15:11, and Proverbs 14:31, which would have been scripture these religious men would have been familiar with (and familiar scripture to the audience in which Jesus was telling the parable). Based on these scriptures, what should have been the priest and Levite’s response to the beat-up man they encountered on the road?
Both men would have known that giving almsgiving to the poor was an expected reaction from a religious leader, yet both acted counter to love, but not contrary to cultural expectation. Not only did they pass by the man... they passed by on the other side of the road from him! Why do you think Jesus included this detail in His story? Has there been a time in your life when you purposefully avoided a situation where you knew someone may need something from you? What justifications did you make for your actions?
Knowing this HISTORICAL context, why do you think Jesus chose to use those specific men to demonstrate the point of loving your neighbor?
How do you think the expert of the law would have felt as he heard Jesus speak of the priest and Levite passing by the beaten man?
DAY 4 - THE GOOD SAMARITAN (Luke 10:33-37)
As we read the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus introduced a third person that passed by the beaten-up man: a Samaritan who had compassion on a stranger in need. To understand a little HISTORY of Samaritan and Jewish relationships, read John 4:9. What do you learn from this verse?
Knowing the HISTORY of the Samaritan people, we learn that they had a mixed ancestry between Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews), and yet still considered themselves part of Abraham’s lineage as “true Jews.” By reading Genesis 12:1-3, what promises did God give to Abraham, which the Jewish people could claim?
Why would this promise have been difficult for Jews to “share” with mixed blood Jews (aka Samaritans)?
How does this help you understand the hatred these two groups had for each other?
The Samaritan in this parable loved and risked his life for someone that likely hated him and would have normally been considered an enemy! He even spent his own money on him: two denarii. Knowing HISTORY, we realize two denarii equals two day’s wages (Matthew 20:2)!
Yet this Samaritan was never publicly rewarded for his good deed. There was no logical reason why he should help an enemy in need. This bold response stood in opposition to the typical feelings of hostility between Samaritans and Jews. To a Jew, there was no such person as a Samaritan who was ‘good.’ Knowing the relationship between Samaritans and Jews, how do you think the expert of the law would have felt as he heard Jesus speak of the Samaritan that helped the stranger?
When have you felt this way about a person? How can you turn your heart to be more like the Samaritan?
DAY 5 - LOVE IN ACTION
As Jesus ended His parable, He asked the expert of the law, “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” The response from the scholar was simple and clear, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus responded with an even simpler command, “You go, and do likewise” (vs. 36-37, ESV).
The beauty of the example that Jesus gave, of what it looks like to be a good neighbor, is that in His response, Jesus changed the man’s words (“Who is my neighbor?”) from a passive stance to an active sense. He gave a sense of responsibility to those around Him and invited them to have compassion for all, even those who may not be like them. Mercy does not need a reason and it is not earned. In fact, mercy is often defined as not getting what one deserves. Why is it so difficult to show mercy to someone until we think they deserve it? Does this not suggest that we deserve mercy?
For the Samaritan, love was demonstrated in intimacy and mercy. This example would have both challenged the original question asker and frustrated his efforts to make his knowledge of love enough. Read Philippians 2:3-4 and Romans 12:9-13 to understand deeper CONTEXT around how we are to love. How do these passages, as well as the Parable of the Good Samaritan, challenge you to love others, especially those who are difficult to love?
As we end our week looking at the Parable of the Good Samaritan, it’s possible that we all read this passage and hope to love those around us at this level. Compassion on display. Love in action. As Jesus described the undertaking of the Samaritan man, He intentionally communicated that love was given sacrificially and abundantly. What does loving the unlikely – the enemies, the strangers, the foreigners – look like for you?
Christ used this Samaritan man to prove that loving a neighbor as yourself means there is no separation of those who “deserve” love or not, and the action of a person is revealing of their heart.
Our AUTHOR Luke, captured Jesus’ teaching about loving others earlier in his book. Read Luke 6:32-36 for CONTEXT. What does it mean to show mercy? What example of mercy are we to follow (see also Matthew 5:43-48)?
The Parable of the Good Samaritan stands as a great example of a popular phrase, “What does love require?” Mercy. Now “Go and do the same,” (Luke 10:37, NIV).
Further Reflection: Using the concordance in the back of a study Bible, what other verses help you understand mercy more deeply (Hint: Titus 3:4-7)?
Contributed by Guest Writer: Andi Lambert
List of Parables
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