The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
A lawyer stands up to test Jesus. He knows the law well. He asks: "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus turns the question back on him. What does the law say? The lawyer answers perfectly: love God with everything you have, and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus says: you are right. Do this and you will live.
But the lawyer is not satisfied. He wants to justify himself. So he asks a second question: "And who is my neighbor?"
Jesus answers with a story. A man is traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, a steep and dangerous road. Robbers ambush him, strip off his clothes, beat him badly, and leave him half dead in the ditch. He cannot move. He cannot call for help.
A priest comes down the road. He sees the man. He crosses to the other side and passes by. A Levite comes. He also sees the man. He also crosses to the other side and passes by. Both men know the law. Both men serve at the temple. Both men keep walking.
Then a Samaritan comes. Now, the people of Israel and the Samaritans despised each other. No one would have expected anything good from this man. But when the Samaritan sees the wounded man, he feels compassion. He goes to him. He bandages his wounds with oil and wine. He lifts him onto his own animal. He brings him to an inn and takes care of him through the night. The next morning he pays the innkeeper two days' wages and says: "Take care of him. If you spend more than this, I will pay you when I return."
Jesus looks at the lawyer and asks: "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The lawyer says: "The one who had mercy on him." And Jesus says: "Go and do likewise."
A Curious Question
The lawyer started by asking "who is my neighbor?" But Jesus never answered that question. At the end of the story He asked a different one: "Which of these three was a neighbor to the man who was hurt?" Why do you think Jesus changed the question? What is the difference between asking "who counts as my neighbor?" and asking "am I being a neighbor?"
Old Testament Connection
The command Jesus quotes, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself, comes straight from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. The lawyer knew these verses. He could recite them. The problem was never knowledge of the law. It was the doing of it. No one has ever perfectly loved God and neighbor except one person: Jesus Himself.
Look at the Samaritan in the story. He crossed a boundary he was not expected to cross. He stopped when others had every religious reason to keep going. He spent his own money, gave his own time, and promised to return and pay whatever remained. He showed mercy at personal cost to someone who had no claim on him. This is a picture of what Jesus does for every person who lies helpless in the ditch of sin. We could not help ourselves. The religious system could not save us. Jesus, the one no one expected, came. He was moved with compassion. He paid the debt. He promised to return. The Good Samaritan is not just a lesson in kindness. It is a portrait of the Gospel.
Discussion Questions
- The priest and the Levite both saw the wounded man and kept walking. They had reasons, probably good-sounding ones. What reasons do we give ourselves for not stopping to help someone who is hurting? What makes it hard to be the one who stops?
- Jesus said to the lawyer: "Go and do likewise." He did not say "Think about doing likewise" or "Feel sorry for the man in the ditch." Why do you think Jesus ended with an action, not just a feeling or a belief?
- The Samaritan paid the innkeeper and said "I will repay you when I come back." He made a promise to a stranger about someone else's debt. What does that remind you of? What does it tell us about what love actually costs?
"So What?" What Can I Do?
This week, look for one person who is in the ditch, not necessarily physically hurt, but left out, overlooked, sitting alone, or struggling with something. It might be someone at school, at church, or in your neighborhood. Instead of crossing to the other side, take one specific step toward them: sit with them at lunch, ask them how they are actually doing, or tell a trusted adult that someone needs help. Do not wait until you feel ready. The Samaritan did not feel ready. He just stopped.
Memorize God's Word
Luke 10:27: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself."
Hand Motions:
- Love the Lord your God: Cross both arms over your chest in a hug, then point upward with both index fingers.
- with all your heart: Place both hands over your heart and press gently.
- and with all your soul: Open both hands wide and lift them slightly upward, palms up.
- and with all your strength: Make two fists and flex both arms like a strongman pose.
- and with all your mind: Tap your temple twice with one finger.
- and love your neighbor as yourself: Point outward with one hand toward an imaginary person, then bring that hand back and point to yourself.
Praying with Kids
Father, thank You for the story of the Good Samaritan. Thank You that before You ever asked us to be like him, You showed us that Jesus is like him. We were the ones in the ditch. We could not help ourselves. And You came. You crossed the distance to reach us. You paid what we owed. Help us to love You with everything we have, and to love our neighbors the way You have loved us. Show us who is in the ditch this week. Give us the courage to stop. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Craft: The Road to Jericho Diorama
Children will create a simple shoebox diorama depicting the road to Jericho, placing figures to retell the story and writing the memory verse on the road itself as a reminder that love is walked out, not just talked about.
Materials Checklist
Instructions
- Line the inside of the shoebox or tray with brown construction paper to represent the rocky Judean landscape.
- Cut a tan or light brown strip of paper to serve as the road. Write the memory verse along the road in small letters: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Luke 10:27
- Glue the road diagonally across the scene from one end to the other.
- Draw or color simple figures on craft sticks or flat stones to represent: the wounded man, the priest, the Levite, the Samaritan, and a donkey. Label each figure with their name.
- Place the wounded man in the ditch beside the road. Position the priest and Levite on the far side of the road, walking past. Place the Samaritan kneeling next to the wounded man.
- Add small rocks or torn brown paper pieces along the sides of the road for texture.
- Hold up the finished diorama and retell the story in your own words, moving the figures as you go.
Effective Teaching Techniques
The most important move you can make in this lesson is to resist turning the Good Samaritan into a moral lesson about being nice. That is not what Jesus was doing. He was answering a lawyer who was trying to find the smallest possible definition of "neighbor" so he could fulfill the letter of the law without any real inconvenience. Jesus does not give him a definition. He gives him a story that exposes the posture of his heart, and then ends with a command that offers no escape clause.
To make this concrete for children, before you begin the story ask the class: "Have you ever walked past someone who needed help and kept going? Why?" Give them a moment to think. Most children will recall a moment. That honest confession is the entry point into the story. The priest and the Levite are not monsters. They are people who had reasons. Children understand having reasons. Let that land before the Samaritan arrives.
When you describe the Samaritan, slow down at the phrase he was moved with compassion. Ask children: what does it feel like when you see something sad and it actually affects you? That feeling is where the Samaritan started. He did not calculate whether the man deserved help. He felt something, and then he acted on what he felt. The action followed the compassion. That sequence matters for children to understand.
The most likely difficult moment: a child will ask why the priest and Levite did not stop. Be honest. The text does not tell us their reasons. But Jesus does not excuse them either. Avoid filling in reasons that soften the indictment. Some things are simply wrong, even when the person doing them has a religious title.