The Good Samaritan

What was something that stood out to you from this past Sunday’s message? Share what you learned and how it will impact your life.

Read Luke 10:29–37. What part of the story catches your attention most, and why?

Why do you think Jesus answered the lawyer's question with a story instead of simply giving him a definition of “neighbour”? What was Jesus trying to change in the man's thinking?

The priest and the Levite both saw the wounded man, but they passed by. What do you think makes it difficult for people to move toward someone else's pain?

The Samaritan “felt compassion” and then acted. What is the difference between feeling compassion for someone and demonstrating compassion? What might “moving toward pain” look like in everyday life?

The Samaritan helped someone from a group that was traditionally hostile toward his own people. What does this teach us about the boundaries of Christian love?

Why is it easier to love people who love, understand, or appreciate us—and much harder to love people who are different from us or may not like us?

Read Matthew 5:43–48 and compare it with Luke 10:29–37. What do these passages teach us about loving people who may oppose, dislike, or even consider us their enemies?

Read 1 John 3:16–18. How does this passage help us understand the difference between saying we love someone and demonstrating love through our actions?

What does the Good Samaritan teach us about the kind of love we see in Jesus? How does Jesus' sacrificial love for us become the model and motivation for loving others?

Jesus ends by saying, “Now go and do the same.” What would obedience to that command look like in your life this week? Is there someone God may be asking you to move toward?