“Be nice to each other on the playground!”
That’s a phrase that comes straight out of our school days. When I would go outside to play with my friends, my mom would frequently voice that comment to me as I headed out the door: “Don’t forget to be nice to each other!”
The rules and the boundaries of my behavior were laid out for me at an early age. Why did my mother give me this instruction? Because she knew that one common thing that happens on a playground is a hierarchical system, where one person—or a group of people—decides they are superior to the others and will prove it by not including someone. It’s all a bit painful to the kid left out and insulted. It’s not nice—and it is certainly not neighborly.
This Sunday, we are focusing on the parable of the Good Samaritan, found in Luke 10:25-37. It is one of the most famous of all the parables (maybe second only to the Prodigal Son parable). But do we really understand what it means? We appropriately name hospitals “Good Samaritan” because the term reflects being kind and open to those in severe health need. We call relief workers and relief organizations that clean up after natural disasters “good Samaritans,” because they offer help to the most devastated. We call someone a “good Samaritan” for reaching out to the needy with kindness.
But what does this parable really teach us? Is Jesus teaching us to be kind on the playground? Is Jesus teaching us to open hospitals? Is Jesus teaching us to get involved in clean-up after a hurricane (such as Hurricane Laura this week)? Is it all of the above—plus something much deeper?
As you prepare for Sunday, I challenge you to do some homework before we study together, by reading ahead and contemplating these scriptures:
- Read the story: Luke 10:25-37 (Good Samaritan parable)
- Read Mark 10:17-22 (the story of the rich man asking how to get to heaven)
- The book of Jonah (only 4 chapters long); ask yourself, “Who did God say was Jonah’s neighbor?”
Then prepare for the ultimate question that Jesus asks the religious lawyer in this story: Who is your neighbor?
See you at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning—online, in a home group, or outside at our church property (register here if you’ll be there!).
