The Lord is My Shepherd, Friday

0:00Hey kids, welcome to Junior's for Jesus. Go grab your Bibles. We're gonna be digging in and learning some really exciting stories. Let's get started. As we learned yesterday, Jesus had been asked who is my neighbor from a young Jewish lawyer? The lawyer likely meant that the Jews were the kind of people that he would see as his neighbor, but it didn't extend to people other than those who were Jewish. But Jesus tells the story in such a way that the people that they likely would have rejected as unworthy of common respect, actually became the hero of the story. And in many ways, expose the prejudice of the Jews while calling on the people to see all people regardless of origin or nationality as our neighbor. It's a story that we'll explore today on the podcast. After we recite the memory verse once more from John 10, 27 and 28, my sheep hear my voice and I know them

1:01and they follow me and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. Friday, the Good Samaritan, Luke 10, 33 to 37. In answer to the lawyer's question, Jesus was telling a story about a man who had been robbed and wounded on the dangerous road between Jerusalem and Jericho. A priest and a Levite traveling on that same road saw that wounded man and angels watched to see whether they would help. Stop at this point and before continuing with the lesson, read the whole story in Luke 10 verses 30 through 35. Then Jesus answered and said, a certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance, a certain priest came down that road and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

2:04Likewise, a Levite, when he arrived at this place, came and looked and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was and when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and banded his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. And he sat on him on his own animal, brought him to an end and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denari, gave them to his inkeeper and said to him, take care of him and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you. The priest and Levite didn't know the wounded man was a Jew. They instead assumed that he might be a Samaritan and they wouldn't help anyone of that race. They hated them. So when some Jews wanted to call Jesus by a bad name, they could think of nothing worse than to call him a devil possessed Samaritan, John 8.48. And yet it was a despised Samaritan

3:06who was riding his donkey down the road when he saw the wounded man and had pity on him. They were in Judea, where the Samaritan could expect the wounded man to be a Jew. And if he was, he knew that Jew wouldn't help him if he were lying beside the road wounded. But the Samaritan didn't question the wounded man's race, whether he was a Jew or a Gentile. None of that mattered to him. His concern was to care for the wounded man and angels, though unseen, were beside him. He's called the good Samaritan. He was truly converted. So maybe you'll see him in heaven. When Jesus finished the story, he asked the lawyer, which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves? How did the lawyer answer without having to say the word Samaritan? Look and look 10, 36 and 37. So which of these three do you think was the neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?

4:07And he said, he who showed mercy on him, then Jesus said to him, go and do likewise. Now let's consider an application. We don't really know what that lawyer did after that. Certainly he and everyone else in the large Jericho congregation had new thoughts about their neighbors. They aren't just our friends next door. They are any people anywhere who need our help, regardless of who they are. Jesus is the true good Samaritan. He saw how we had been wounded by Satan and had come all the way from heaven to rescue us and to give us his own robe of righteousness. He himself had paid for our salvation. What a perfect loving savior. This podcast is sponsored by MyBibleFirst.org.