Connect360: Love—Like a Good Neighbor

  |  Source: GC2 Press

Lesson 4 in the Connect360 unit “Jesus Storyteller: Timeless Truths From His Parables” focuses on Luke 10:25-37.

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  • Lesson 4 in the Connect360 unit “Jesus Storyteller: Timeless Truths From His Parables” focuses on Luke 10:25-37.

You haven’t really loved your neighbor until you have demonstrated love to someone else who, as far as you know, doesn’t have the chance to return the favor. I’ve traveled this same road many times where the story of the Good Samaritan took place. In the space of 17 miles, the elevation drops from 2,300 feet above sea level in Jerusalem to 1,300 feet below sea level at Jericho. It’s a narrow, twisting two-lane highway full of hairpin turns and caves where robbers easily could hide and plot someone’s demise.

The fact that the robbers removed the man’s clothes created a problem in this story. A person’s cultural identity was revealed by how they dressed. Even today, Arabs and Jews dress differently. The fact that this man was naked prevented passersby from determining if he was a Jew or a Gentile. Jesus doesn’t say whether the man is a Jew or a Gentile, and it shouldn’t matter. When the priest and Levite passed the stranger by, it marked the first of two surprises for those listening to this story. Surely these religious professionals–the good guys–would help this hurting man! After all, it was their job. But because the man was not dressed, they feared he might be a Gentile. And Orthodox Jews hated Gentiles. They wouldn’t even touch one.

Jewish storytelling usually followed a pattern of threes. So, after two failures, the audience would have been expecting the next character to do better. Surely, they suspected, the third traveler would be a simple Jewish man who would help the wounded stranger.

Unlikely hero

But Jesus had another big surprise when the Samaritan stopped to help. The jaws of the audience must have dropped at that revelation! The kind of animosity existing between Israelis and Palestinians today closely follows how poorly Jews and Samaritans got along in Jesus’ time. Jesus doesn’t call him a “good” Samaritan. That’s a label we have added. To the Jews, the phrase “Good Samaritan” would have been an oxymoron, two words canceling each other out, like “jumbo shrimp.” The Samaritan should have been the villain, but Jesus makes him the hero.

The language used here literally means the Samaritan got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach because he was so concerned. He went to the victim and bandaged his wounds and made arrangements for his ongoing care. The Jewish listeners would have been stunned by the Samaritan’s kind behavior.

Based on a lesson by David O. Dykes, pastor emeritus of Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler. To learn more about GC2 Press and the Connect360 Bible study series, or to order materials, click here


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