Investigating Jesus | Week 4
Week 4 - Redefining Terms
Love for God is demonstrated by love for others.
Discussion Questions:
Who do you know who goes out of their way to help others? How have they impacted your life? What is one way they’ve gone out of their way to help you?
We can’t help everyone, but how do we decide who to help and who not to help?
Read Luke 10:25–37
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
3. To you, what makes the story of the Good Samaritan so powerful?
In verses 25–28, what stands out to you about how Jesus responded to the law expert’s initial
question?
In verse 29, the law expert asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” How would you answer that question? Who is your neighbor?
In the parable in verses 30–35, the Samaritan did no less than six kind acts to assist the injured man. Why do you think Jesus had the Samaritan do so many acts of kindness in the parable? Why not just one or two?
4. In Luke 10:37, Jesus says to the listeners of the parable to “Go and do likewise.”
Who is it who needs your help?
What do you need to do in order to “go and do likewise?”
Is there anything preventing you from doing it?