Jesus Tells About the Good Samaritan

Sunday, March 23, 2014 Jesus Tells About the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37 Lesson 5 Fourth- and fifth-graders can be unbelievably cruel to each other and then unbelievably kind to each other the next day. This is a time of great change as they re growing fast in body, mind, and spirit. Use this lesson to help kids know that regardless of how they feel at the moment, God s plan is for them (and all followers of Jesus) to love others no matter what. LESSON WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP Bible Point Jesus says to love others as ourselves. Getting Started Bible Exploration Tricks of the Trade (about 10 min.) Try to describe people from just their pictures. At the Fair (about 20 min.) Hear a modern-day story of trouble during a science fair and compare it with the parable of the good Samaritan. paper, pens, scissors Teacher Pack: Occupations handout Bibles, Bible Buzz, CD player, tape, paper, pens Teacher Pack: CD, Science Fair poster Cut apart the 6 pictures on the Occupations handout. Tear out the Lesson 5 pages from each Bible Buzz student book. Key Verse Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesians 4:32). Weaving Faith Into Life Kids will love others in practical ways. Weaving Faith Into Life Say It Yourself (about 10 min.) Learn the Key Verse, and write definitions of love. Bible Buzz, pens Samaritan Solutions (about 15 min.) Act out times it s hard to show love; then sing a song and pray. CD player, copies of the lyrics page (at the end of this lesson) Teacher Pack: CD Lasting Daily Challenges (about 5 min.) Choose a Daily Bible Buzz

2 Impressions Challenge to apply God s Word. Weaving Faith at Home (about 2 min.) Talk about how to share what they learned with their families.

3 Jesus Tells About the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37 Two Questions, One Story Jesus told the story of the good Samaritan in response to a question from a Jewish teacher of the Law. The trip from Jerusalem to Jericho was about 17 miles and included a descent of more than 3,000 feet. The rocky terrain provided many places for bandits to hide and ambush solitary travelers. In the story, the man on this journey was attacked by robbers and left for dead. Because Jesus was speaking to a Jewish audience, they would ve made the assumption that the man was a Jew. The identities of the three men who came along are significant. A priest was considered to be a representative of God. A parallel today might be a pastor someone involved in committed service to God. A Levite was someone who assisted the priest still a spiritual person, but in a layperson s role. Samaritans were despised by Jews because of their heritage. Different Responses The priest might have been afraid of being attacked by the same robbers. Or perhaps he didn t want to become unclean by touching a bloody body. The Levite did essentially the same thing as the priest, likely for the same reasons. Important Conclusions This story reveals several truths: God expects us to treat all people with love and compassion, no matter who they are, what race they are, or where they are from. Love requires actions, not just words. And sometimes those actions will cost us, just as the Samaritan s neighborly actions cost him. The Jesus Connection Even greater than the good Samaritan s kindness, Jesus kindness changes our lives forever. Think about how God has shown you mercy. How have those experiences affected you? God wants to save us through the sacrifice of his Son, but he also wants us to show others his mercy through our acts of kindness. In prayer, consider some ways you can be a good neighbor by communicating God s message of mercy to others through your actions. You can write your prayer here. Finally, the Samaritan stopped to help, and he also made sure the man would be taken care of as he healed. The two silver coins the Samaritan gave the innkeeper were about two days wages likely enough to pay for lodging for several weeks. Plus, the Samaritan promised to stop by on his return trip and take care of any additional expenses.

4 Tricks of the Trade Welcome kids warmly as they arrive, and ask them how their week went. Have kids form six groups. Give each group one of the pictures from the Occupations handout, and also give each group paper and a pen. Have each group choose a recorder who will write the group s ideas and a reporter who will relate the ideas to the whole group. Say: Today we re going to start with a little experiment. I want each group to look at its picture and make up a description of the person you see. For example, think about these questions: What kind of friend is the person in your picture? What kind of personality does he or she have? What does this person think about? What hobbies does this person enjoy? What kind of relationship does this person have with his or her family? Tricks of the Trade paper pens scissors Teacher Pack Occupations handout Tricks of the Trade Easy Prep Cut apart the 6 pictures on the Occupations handout. You ll have two minutes to record your ideas before your reporter introduces your person to the whole group. Ready? Get started! After two minutes, call time. Let each group s reporter introduce the person in the picture to the whole group. Then have kids discuss the following questions in their groups. After each question, invite willing kids to share their answers with the whole group. How much could you really tell about your person by looking at his or her outward appearance? How much did you base your opinion on the person s occupation? In what ways have you judged other people based on their appearance or other outward factors? Say: What a person does for a living, how he or she dresses, or where he or she lives often leads others to basic assumptions about that person. And that can influence the way we treat other people. But as we ll see in today s Bible passage, those assumptions aren t always correct. Today we ll discover that JESUS SAYS TO LOVE OTHERS AS OURSELVES, and we ll explore ways we can do that.

5 At the Fair Say: Today s Bible passage comes from Luke 10:25-37. But before we get to that, I want to tell you a story. Well, actually, you re going to help tell this story! As you hear the story, think about what it means when JESUS SAYS TO LOVE OTHERS AS OURSELVES. Here s how it will work. Tape the Science Fair poster where everyone can see it. Have kids form four groups, and name the groups according to the colors from the poster sections: red, green, yellow, and blue. Have kids find The Story of the Science Fair section on their Bible Buzz pages. Explain that each group will assume the role of the character on the poster that corresponds with their group s color. To set the stage for the story, have a willing person from each group read aloud the person s description from the poster to his or her group. Kids will listen to the story on the CD, and each group will respond to questions on their Bible Buzz page. Allow time for kids to read the corresponding questions before you play each segment so they know what to think about as they listen to the CD. Play the Science Fair, Part 1 segment (track 2 on the CD). Distribute pens, and give kids a few minutes to record their answers to the questions in the Scene 1 section on their Bible Buzz pages. Let group members compare answers with each other; then ask willing kids from each group to share their insights with everyone. At the Fair Bibles Bible Buzz CD player tape paper pens Teacher Pack CD: Science Fair parts 1-3 (tracks 2-4) Science Fair poster At the Fair Easy Prep Tear out the Lesson 5 pages from each Bible Buzz student book. Then play the Science Fair, Part 2 segment (track 3 on the CD). Give kids time to record their answers to the questions in the Scene 2 section on their Bible Buzz pages. After kids have again compared and shared their answers and insights with their groups and then with everyone, play the Science Fair, Part 3 segment (track 4 on the CD) and repeat the process. Say: In this science fair story, people didn t act as we might ve thought they would. And they certainly didn t always show love. Let s look at our Bible passage and compare it with this science fair story. Give each group a Bible and paper, and have kids open their Bibles to Luke 10:25-37. Then ask kids to read the following questions in their groups. After each question, kids will need to work together to search the parable to find out how to respond. Have kids record their answers on paper, and then invite willing kids from each group to share their answers with the whole group. Which person in the science fair story was most like the good Samaritan? Why? How about the other people in the science fair story: Who were they most like in Jesus story, and why? What does Jesus parable of the good Samaritan tell you about compassion? Tell about a time you helped someone recently or when you avoided helping someone. After reading this parable, what do you wish you could change about that experience? Say: JESUS SAYS TO LOVE OTHERS AS OURSELVES. And in this parable, he taught us how to do that. Jews looked down on Samaritans as unclean. But

6 the Jewish priests and Levites were looked up to as keepers of the religious laws. The Samaritan could have walked on by just to get even for how the Jews had treated his people. Not only did he stop to help, but he gave of himself completely by taking the injured man to an inn, giving him care, and then paying the bill. Say It Yourself Have kids find the Key Verse, Ephesians 4:32, in their Bible Buzz pages and read it aloud together: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesians 4:32). Say It Yourself Bible Buzz pens Have kids form pairs; then have kids look at the Say It Yourself section on their Bible Buzz pages. Say: As you refer to the Key Verse printed at the bottom of the page, write your own definition of love in the heart shape. Try to express what the Key Verse says, and as you write, think about the parable of the good Samaritan and the modern-day science fair story we heard. We ll compare definitions in a few minutes. Give kids a few minutes to work, then call time. Have kids read their definitions to their partners. Talk With Kids Lead kids in this discussion. What were some of the definitions you came up with? How have you seen people show love in a way that fits that definition? How does your definition challenge you to show love in a new way? Say: JESUS SAYS TO LOVE OTHERS AS OURSELVES. Your definitions are a great start at doing that. Jesus modeled a life of love for us and gave us examples in stories like the one about the good Samaritan. Now it s our job to reflect that love toward others. Let s explore some ways we can show to others the kind of love the Samaritan showed in the parable. Samaritan Solutions Have kids form trios. Explain that each trio will think of a time it s hard to show love to others. Then trios will think of a way to silently act out that situation while the rest of the group tries to guess the scenario. For example, a group might act out being laughed at or left out at school, having an argument with other kids in youth group or a school group, or having a disagreement with a friend or sibling. Samaritan Solutions CD player copies of the lyrics page (at the end of this lesson) Teacher Pack CD: Love Is (1 Corinthians 13:4-5) (track 20)

7 Walk around the room to offer encouragement as needed. Then let each trio present its scenario. After each presentation, let the rest of the group guess what situation is being depicted. Then let kids offer solutions that would show love in that situation. Encourage kids to refer to the Key Verse on their Bible Buzz page for ideas and to think about ways a person could be kind, compassionate, and forgiving. After the presentations, lead kids in a round of applause for everyone s participation. Say: Jesus told the parable of the good Samaritan to paint an image in our minds of what love in action looks like. That s our goal to show love just as Jesus always did. He was the ultimate good Samaritan! Let s remember what love is by singing a song that tells us. Pass out copies of the lyrics, and play Love Is (1 Corinthians 13:4-5) (track 20 on the CD). After they listen once, have kids sing along and do the motions if they feel comfortable doing so. Love is patient, (pat a neighbor s back) Love is kind, (keep patting) It does not envy, (pat another neighbor s back) It does not boast, (keep patting) It is not proud. (shake hands with a neighbor) It is not rude, (keep shaking) It s not self-seeking, (shake another neighbor s hand) Not easily angered, (keep shaking) It keeps no record of wrongs. No! (shake head and pointer finger; then punch fist on No! ) Love keeps no record of wrongs. (shake head and pointer finger) Love is, love is, Love is, love is... (hug self and freestyle move to the beat) (Repeat from the beginning.) Love is, love is, Love is, love is. Love Is (1 Corinthians 13:4-5) by Carol Smith. 2003 Group Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Talk With Kids Lead kids in this discussion. What were the ways you illustrated compassion in your silent scenarios? Based on our song, what does love in action look like? Give specific examples of how you could show love in those ways. In what ways can you show love and compassion to someone who needs it now? Say: Today we ve looked at Jesus powerful parable of the good Samaritan. Jesus story shows us what it really looks like to love others with kindness and compassion. JESUS SAYS TO LOVE OTHERS AS OURSELVES. May we all choose the way of the good Samaritan and know the fullness of giving and receiving compassion.

8 Daily Challenges Say: Let s think about how we can follow God s command to love others and ourselves this week. Daily Challenges Bible Buzz Have kids find this week s Daily Challenges on their Bible Buzz pages and choose one to do this week. They can choose one or more of these three options: Come up with a way to show love to someone in need. Buy that person lunch, help out with homework, or just spend time listening to him or her. Do something meaningful that will require your time and effort. Is there someone you ve had problems getting along with? Seek that person out and get right with him or her. Talk over your differences, send that person a note, or just set aside your differences and encourage him or her. Sometimes the most difficult people to love are the ones in our own families. Find a way this week to show Jesus love to a family member who you ve had trouble getting along with. Make sure you choose a Daily Challenge as well, and tell the kids what you chose. Kids will be more inclined to follow through on their commitments when they see you doing the same. Talk With Kids What s a practical way you re going to do your Daily Challenge? Share a time, a place, or other ideas. Allow time. Say: JESUS SAYS TO LOVE OTHERS AS OURSELVES. He showed how to do that in his powerful parable of the good Samaritan. Let s show our willingness to show compassion to others this week by following through with our Daily Challenges. Weaving Faith at Home Encourage kids to talk with their parents about the Daily Challenges they chose and what they learned about loving others as themselves. Kids can also do the activities in the HomeConnect section of their Bible Buzz pages with their families. Talk to your Director about emailing the FREE FamilyConnect to all your church s families. Available at group.com/digital. Take a couple of minutes to pray with your kids, thanking God for always showing love to us and asking him to help everyone in your group show love to others in the same way.

9 Lyrics Love Is (1 Corinthians 13:4-5) Love is patient, Love is kind, It does not envy, It does not boast, It is not proud. It is not rude, It s not self-seeking, Not easily angered, It keeps no record of wrongs. No! Love keeps no record of wrongs. Love is, love is, Love is, love is... (Repeat from the beginning.) Love is, love is, Love is, love is. Love Is (1 Corinthians 13:4-5) by Carol Smith. 2003 Group Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.