focal Passage: Memory Verse: L UKE 1 0

Transcription

1 LESSON 7 NEIGHBOR LOVE: What Does It Look Like? Communicate that Christ has broadened the horizon of who our neighbors are and called us to relate to our neighbors with love and mercy. The two great commandments connect love of God with love of neighbor. The parable of the good Samaritan teaches us what this looks like and how to be a neighbor to others. Participants will regard all people as neighbors whom they will love well by showing grace and mercy. Background Passage: focal Passage: Memory Verse: L UKE 1 0 L UKE 1 0 : G AL ATIAN S 5: 1 4 In response to the command to love your neighbor, an expert in the law sought to justify himself by asking, Who is my neighbor? (vv ). Jesus told a parable where a man in need was passed over by two religious leaders but was shown mercy by a despised Samaritan (vv ). Rather than limiting who our neighbors are, Jesus taught us how to be a neighbor to others (vv ). For the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself. 59

2 PREPARING TO TEACH You may recall from the progression of these lessons in the Venture Up Travelogue that we started by looking at God s design for healthy relationships in the church and then explored ways we can relate to our neighbors, culture, and communities in ways that reveal the truth and beauty of the gospel. This lesson begins the transition from exploring relationships within the body of Christ to exploring how believers are to relate with those outside the church. Read Luke 10:25-37 in at least two translations, trying to read this well-known story as if you have never heard it before. Note what most stands out to you. Carefully study this lesson in the Travelogue (pp ), writing down responses to each bolded question. Highlight statements that cause you to see this familiar passage in a fresh, new way. Pray God will broaden participants horizons of who their neighbors are and motivate them to be believers who love well outward facing, rather than ingrown. Write the word onychocryptosis on the marker board. TEACHING SUGGESTIONS WE DON T REALLY HAVE TO LEAVE OUR CAMPUS As adults arrive, draw their attention to the word on the marker board and challenge them to guess its meaning. Explain that onychocryptosis is the actual term for an ingrown toenail. Invite volunteers to describe an ingrown toenail. (Nail grows into the flesh, resulting in swelling, pain, and infection. 1 ) Acknowledge the concept, and definitely the image (show some Google images if you really want to make an impact) of an ingrown toenail is unpleasant and seems completely inappropriate for a Bible study. Unfortunately, this unsightly and painful physical condition is a minor illustration of the major spiritual infection that occurs when churches become ingrown rather than being outward-facing churches. 6 0

3 Summarize the writer s experience of visiting an ingrown church (Travelogue, pp ). Lead a respectful discussion of the Travelogue questions on 71: To what extent do you think ingrown-ness is an issue among the believers and Christian subculture of which you are a part? Explain. From your experience, what are the main contributors to the ingrown-ness of Christians and churches? Explore the symptoms of an ingrown church, using remarks in the last paragraph under this section on 70 of the Travelogue. Read the statement: When this disease takes hold, far from loving our neighbors where we live, work, and play we don t even know our neighbors. Assert that convicting statement leads us to ask the same question posed to Jesus centuries ago: Who is my neighbor? OUTGROWING THE INGROWN CHURCH Ask participants if they can identify the biblical event in which the question, Who is my neighbor? was first asked. Guide the class to evaluate the challenge in studying a well-known Bible story such as the parable of the good Samaritan. Point out this parable was not intended to be a feel-good story about a nice guy, but to reveal the stark contrast between a diseased, ingrown religion and a healthy, outward-facing relationship with Christ. Pause and ask God to help everyone present to approach this familiar story with fresh new eyes and an open heart. Ask a volunteer to read Luke 10: Invite responses to the Travelogue (p. 72) question: [W]hat are your main impressions of this interaction between Jesus and the scribe? What s convicting and what s encouraging? Encourage participants to limit comments to the interaction between Jesus and the scribe at this point; you will examine the parable later in the session. 6 1

4 Teacher Tip Reading a familiar passage in a not-so-familiar version can help it seem fresh and new. Ask volunteers to read Luke 10:25-37 in translations or paraphrases such as the New Living Translation (NLT), The Living Bible (TLB), and The Message (MSG). HOW JESUS EXPOSES AND LIBERATES INGROWN BELIEVERS AND CHURCHES Point out from Luke 10:25 that the man was out to test Jesus, yet Jesus took the time to converse with him. He looked past the arrogance and perhaps saw a portion of this man that wanted to know how to get it right. Emphasize: Jesus sees our hearts and knows if we really want to know how to love well. He ll start with us where we are and expose our ingrown-ness so He can liberate us from that disease. THE DEMANDS OF THE LAW LOVE GOD WHOLLY AND PERFECTLY Invite someone to read Luke 10: Consider whether Jesus was implying eternal life can be earned by obeying the law of love. Point out the only Person who has ever loved perfectly is Jesus. That kind of perfection is simply not possible for the rest of us, apart from a saving, transforming relationship with Jesus. Brainstorm how the man might have responded if he d genuinely wanted to know how to have eternal life. (How is that possible? Is there any hope for me? What does that kind of love look like?) THE DESIGN OF THE LAW NEIGHBOR LOVE Ask how the man responded to Jesus and why according to Luke 6 2

5 10:29. Explain the man was probably hoping Jesus answer would justify his bias against certain people he refused to love the unattractive, the needy, the annoying, those different from him in religious beliefs, morality, race, and social status. Evaluate ways Christians might seek to justify who we love and don t love. Inquire: Why do you think Jesus answered the scribe s question with a story? Declare it is essential to not miss the connection between the commands quoted by the scribe in verse 27 and Jesus story of the good Samaritan in verses Jesus is the Master Teacher who knows people learn better when shown, rather than told, what to do. His story showed all of us who our neighbors are and what it looks like to love God wholeheartedly by loving our neighbors. Read Luke 10:30. Explain the road from Jerusalem to Jericho was a 17-mile stretch descending more than 3,000 feet through barren desert. This steep winding trail had numerous places for bandits to lie in wait so they could jump on vulnerable travelers. 2 Analyze some thoughts Christians might have about people who find themselves in a bad situation because they traveled down a dangerous path. Comment: If we re going to love the way the law demands, we cannot condemn people for where they are, but instead show them mercy in their situation. Read Luke 10: Explore emotions the injured man might have experienced when he heard people approaching and then passing by. Consider what s especially disturbing about the two men who did not help him. Determine possible excuses they could have given for not stopping. (It wasn t safe; the robbers might still be around; they had somewhere important they needed to be and helping would make them late or dirty; if the man was dead they would be defiled and couldn t perform religious duties.) Read Luke 10:33. Ask the class to imagine how Jesus listeners responded when He introduced the story s hero. Explain there s no way to fully grasp the centuries-long animosity between Jews and Samaritans. When the Assyrians conquered Israel in 722 B.C. the few remaining Jews left in the land intermarried with pagans and worshiped foreign gods. Pure Jews living in Galilee and Judah 6 3

6 thought the Samaritans were so filthy and godless that they traveled miles out of the way to avoid going through the region of Samaria. Yet it was a Samaritan Jesus used as an example of what it means to obey God s law of love. Read Galatians 5:14 and note it is this lesson s Memory Verse. Point out Paul was emphasizing as the essential expression of our obedience to the great commandment (Travelogue, p. 74). Invite a volunteer to read the last paragraph under this section on 74 of the Travelogue. Teaching Options Organize the group into several teams. Instruct each team to rewrite Luke 10:30-35 using diverse people in your community. Invite each team to share their modern parable. OR Show a YouTube modern version of this parable titled, And Who Is My Neighbor ( watch?v=svmyxfncgkw). THE DESTINATION OF THE LAW JESUS HIMSELF Request participants underline proved to be a neighbor in verse 36. Point out this well-known parable can be seen in a fresh new way when learners understand that, The most important question isn t, Who is my neighbor? but Who is a neighbor? (Travelogue, p. 75). Ask: Based on this story Jesus told, who IS a neighbor? (Someone who loves like God loves by showing kindness and mercy to all people, not just those we like or who are like us.) As our ultimate Good Samaritan, how did Jesus provide the definitive description of how a s well? State: Because Jesus has been the perfect neighbor to us, we can be healed from our ingrown-ness and become the loving, serving neighbors our hurting world desperately needs. 6 4

7 BEING A NEIGHBOR Ask: How has Jesus parable broadened your horizon about who your neighbor is? What have you learned from the Samaritan about how to love your neighbors well? Use remarks from Travelogue, s 76-77, to add to the discussion. Also use the following points and questions: The Samaritan demonstrated there is no excuse for not loving. Ask: What excuses could the Samaritan have given for not helping? Compassion starts with seeing. Compare what the priest and Levite saw when they looked at the man with what the Samaritan saw. Ask: How do we sometimes see people without really seeing them? How can we begin to see people with compassion? The Samaritan risked personal safety. Ask: How far are we to go in risking safety to be a neighbor? The Samaritan came up to the man. Ask: Is it possible to love well while remaining at a distance? Explain your reasoning. Ask: What else did the Samaritan sacrifice besides money? Teaching Option for Parents Explore: How can we teach our children to be good neighbors who love all people well, while at the same time teach them how to be safe? CONCLUSION Declare the power of the parable of the good Samaritan is that it forces each person to evaluate which character in the parable best illustrates them. Urge participants to prayerfully consider: Which one of the characters in the parable of the good Samaritan best illustrates the kind of neighbor you ve been? If you don t like 65

8 your answer, what steps will you take to change? Guide the class to explore how they can obey Jesus command to Go and do the same on a daily basis. Utilize the bolded questions under Finding Neighbors to Love (Travelogue, p. 78) to help with this discussion. Close in prayer, following the concluding prayer suggestion on 78 of the Travelogue. FOLLOW THROUGH A good place to begin demonstrating is with physical neighbors. Perform a service for those who live next door and encourage participants to do the same. Work with class leaders to identify areas of need in your community and determine ways your small group can work to meet those needs Holman Christian Study Bible note,