Reason for Parable: A religious person we will call Levi, was also an expert of all Gods laws. Levi wanted to know what Jesus would say about how to get into heaven.
* Ask children if they have done a ‘good deed’ recently… Ideas:
- helped Mum tidy a room?
- helped a friend do their homework?
- babysat your little brother or sister without complaining?!
- asked a lonely person to join you & your friends in a game.
We will have a bit of a drama for you now to show what the conversation might have been like. (You be Jesus, and have another leader to play Levi. Wear a cardboard headband with your names on)
Levi: Teacher, what is it that I need to do so I can have eternal life?
Jesus: What does the law of God say?
Levi: Well, it says you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, an with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbour as you love yourself.
Jesus: That is correct.
Levi: Hmmmm. ((turn away from Jesus and speak to the members) “I hope Jesus means that my neighbour is other people like me; that they are Jews like me, and well respected in the community.” (turn back to Jesus) “Well who do you say is my neighbour?
Jesus: (Optional: get some folk to act this out as you talk, or make some flash cards to illustrate the story)
There was a certain Jewish man who travelled down the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. He was a bit unwise travelling on his own on such a lonely road as there are always thieves on the lookout to rob people. And sure enough, as he walked around a corner a gang of thieves jumped out at him. They beat him up and stole his money and clothing. He was very badly injured and left for dead.
Luckily a priest came along the road soon after and he saw the Jewish man. Help is at hand….. but NO!... the priest didn’t want to touch him. He was in a hurry to get to the temple. So he walked past on the other side of the road.
The poor half dead man……but wait! Here comes someone else. A Levite. The Levites were like our Government or local Council people – they looked after the way the country ran. He came across to see the body. Good on him. But hey, he is walking away and leaving him too!
Suddenly there were clopping noises and a donkey came around the corner with a Samaritan man riding on its back. The Samaritans and Jews didn’t like each other much, but this Samaritan man saw the body lying on the roadside and he stopped. He came over the looked at the man. He had blood all over his face and lots of cuts and bruising, but he was still breathing. The Samaritan felt really sorry for him and wanted to help. So he cleaned the man’s wounds, bandaged him and gave him some clothes to wear. Then he put him on his donkey and took him to the nearest hotel. There he cared for him and paid for his board until he got better.
Jesus: So, Levi, who do you think was the neighbour to the man who was beaten up?
Levi: The Samaritan man who helped him.
Jesus: Yes, that’s right. Now you go and do the same.
Levi wouldn’t have liked that because the Samaritan man was not a Jew like him, he wasn’t respected in the community like him and he didn’t have the same upbringing.
But Jesus wants us to help others and this parable shows us who we should help….
(Put up on a board the following words in large letters and speak to them)
WHO = should we only help a Maori if we are Maori? What if a person needing help is a Japanese or Korean person? Yes, we should help anyone who we come across no matter what race they are. The Good Samaritan helped a Jew.
WHAT – how about if a person is drunk and lying under a bike they have fallen off? Isn’t it their own fault they are drunk - so should we help them? If they may be dangerous you should call an adult, police or ambulance if they appear badly hurt. But we must try to help if we can. The good Samaritan helped the man who was foolish to walk along the road by himself.
HOW – It is great to feel sorry for someone – but what can we do that helps them? Even if we are a child, or old and doddery, we can help some people.
What could we do if a person you know is sick?
bake or cook some food and take it to them.
Weed a little patch of garden for them.
Collect their mail each day and take it to them.
(ask for ideas)
Pray – asking God to remind us to help others when we can.