This Bible study focuses on a passage in the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament.

Luke 10:25-37

Objective: To understand that God's intention for us is to

love him with all that we have and to love our neighbor as we

love ourselves. To understand that our neighbor is not

necessarily the person we like, but the person who is in

need.

Introductory Question: Jesus was a famous teacher. Many

people asked him questions. Suppose you met a famous teacher

like Jesus and could ask him one question. What would the

question be?

Introduction: Jesus used the story we are discussing today

to help answer a question. He wanted the person answering

the question to think about his own motives and priorities

in relating to other people.

Reading the Passage: Have the group read each section before

you discuss it. Read the passage silently at first. Then

have someone read it aloud. Define any words unfamiliar to

group members before proceeding with the discussion

questions.

Questions: Luke 10:25-29 - Two Questions

v 25 - A teacher of the law comes to Jesus and asks him a

question. In Jesus' time, this man would be student of the

laws of God as recorded in the Old Testament in the Bible.

What is the legal expert's purpose in asking the question?

What is the question? Examine the question closely. What

kind of world view does the question assume? What do you

think eternal life means? What did the lawyer assume about

how a person receives eternal life? Is this question

important to you?

v 26 - Where does Jesus assume the answer to this question

can be found? What are the scriptures (or the law, depending

on your translation)?

v 27 - What is the answer to the question as found in the

scriptures?

v 28 - What is Jesus' opinion of this answer? According to

this verse, what is most important to Jesus - what a person

knows, what a person does, how a person relates to other

people?

v 29 - The teacher asks Jesus a second question, "Who is my

neighbor?" What is his motive for asking the question? Why

do you think he feels the need to justify himself? How is

this question going to help him justify himself? What

thoughts are going on in his mind? What do you think he

expects Jesus' answer to be?

Luke 25:30-37 - The Story

Background: The story takes place on the road between the

city of Jerusalem in the mountains and the city of Jericho,

about 20 miles away in the Jordan river valley. The terrain

between the cities was rough, desolate, with few inhabitants

and frequented by robbers. The robbers at times used tricks

like having one of their number appear injured by the side of

the road. When someone stopped to help, the others could

attack him easily while he wasn't paying attention.

Different types of people are mentioned in the story. The

person who is robbed would be understood to be a Jew. The

priest and the Levite are Jewish religious leaders who have a

good knowledge of God's laws. The final person in the story

is a Samaritan, a person from the province of Samaria.

The relationship between the Jews and Samaritans was very

similar to the relationship between Jews and Arabs today, or

to any relationship marked by strong racial or cultural

prejudice. The Jews considered Samaritans as social

outcasts, untouchables, racially inferior, practicing a false

religion. They avoided any association with Samaritans,

traveling long distances out of their way to avoid passing

through a Samaritan area. Any close physical contact,

drinking water from a common bucket, eating a meal with a

Samaritan, would make a Jew ceremonially unclean - unable to

participate in temple worship for a period of time.

The Samaritans responded quite naturally with strong dislike

or hatred for Jews. Understanding this cultural prejudice

makes the end of Jesus's story all the more surprising to us.

v 30-35 - How does Jesus answer the lawyer's second

question? What is the big surprise in the story? Why might

we have expected the priest or the Levite to help? What

reasons do you think they might have had for walking by on

the other side? What reasons might the Samaritan have had

for going on by like the others? Why did he stop to help?

What is Jesus' point in having the Samaritan exemplify

brotherly love toward one's neighbor? Which one of these men

would you like to emulate? In the past, which one have you

acted like?

v 36-37 - Jesus asked the lawyer, "Which of the three acted

like to the victim of the robbers?" The answer was obvious,

the Samaritan. How does this story answer the lawyer's

original question, "Who is my neighbor?"

In the conversation between the lawyer and Jesus, who is

testing whom? What final test does Jesus leave for the

lawyer? Do you think he passed the test?

Thought Questions:

What kind of person needs to hear the story that Jesus told

to the lawyer? What are people like who love God with all

their heart, soul, strength, and mind? How do they relate to

other people?

How would you apply this story to your own life? How does

Jesus want us to live?

Question for those familiar with the Bible:

Consider the original question, "What must I do to receive

eternal life?" The Bible gives several answers to this

question. Here, Jesus says, "Love the Lord your God ..., and

love your neighbor...". In Luke 18:18-23, Jesus says, "Obey

God's commandments..., sell all you have and give the money

to the poor, ... then come and follow me." In Acts 16:31,

Paul says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall

be saved." In John 3;16, John writes "Everyone who believes

in him (Jesus) has eternal life."

Are these different answers or the same answer? If the same,

how do you reconcile them?

Closing: Ask for any questions that the group might have.

Close with a simple prayer, asking for God's help to go out

and live like the Samaritan did.

Copyright Information:
Several questions in this study were taken from the Serendipity New Testament for Groups, InterVarsity, 1987.