Sunday, July 30, 2023

Parable Of The Good Samaritan

Introduction to the Parable of the Good Samaritan

Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan in order to explain how humans should help to save the lives of others.

The story began when a teacher of the Law came up and tried to trap Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to receive eternal life?






Jesus answered his uestion with another one:

‘What do the Scriptures say about eternal life? How do you interpret them?’




The man answered that in order to receive eternal life,  everyone must::

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind.’  

He added too, that people must care for their neighbors in the same way they cared for themselves.







‘You are right,’ Jesus replied.




Parable of the Good Samaritan

Since the Teacher of the Law of Moses really wanted to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him a story. It seems that he was faultless in all of the other areas, but had problems with this part of the law.

In the story, Jesus talked about a man who needed help.   The Lord said that the man was traveling down from Jerusalem to Jericho.  

Now Jerusalem was on a hill, and about twenty-five hundred feet above sea level. Jericho was about eight hundred and twenty-five feet below sea level.  This is why the traveler was going down to Jericho.

He had to walk about 18 miles to get to Jericho, and it would have taken about 8 hours to arrive. Most of the road went through the desert, so that made the journey hot and dusty,




Robbers attacked the traveler


But wait! Something happened. Robbers attacked the traveler and took everything he had. They beat him up, and left him half dead.






Sometime later, a priest went down that road. However, did not stop to help. He walked on by on the other side when he saw the man.





A Levite arrived next. When he arrived at the location and saw the injured man,  the Levite walked on by on the other side.




A Samaritan came by and helped the wounded man

Jesus might have sighed before continuing the parable of the Good Samaritan.  He told the Teacher of the Law that a Samaritan who was traveling that way arrived on the scene. 

When he saw the wounded man,  his heart was filled with pity. He went over to him, poured oil and wine on his wounds, and bandaged them.






After caring for the wounds, the good Samaritan put the man on his own animal and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 




The next day the Good Samaritan took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper.  He asked the innkeeper to take care of  the wounded man,

He also promised the innkeeper that he would pay him for any other care or goods that he had to use to take care of the wounded man.



 


Jesus ended the parable of the Good  Samaritan with a question

Jesus ended the parable with a question:

In your opinion, which one of these three acted like a neighbour toward the man attacked by the robbers?’ 

The teacher of the Law answered, ‘the one who was kind to him.’ 

Jesus replied, ‘Go and do the same.’




Good Samaritan meaning

In order to understand the parable fully, we need to know that the law of Moses commanded the Jews to treat people right, regardless of their nationality.

The Priest and the Levite worked in the house of  God, but they disobeyed the Law of God since they refused to show mercy to the man who was dying. 

The wounded man was from their country, but they did not care about his condition.

The Samaritan was the only one who did something to save the life of the wounded man. It did not bother him that the man was a Jew, and that Jews did not speak to Samaritans.


Meaning of the parable of the Good Samaritan

We cannot get into Heaven just by being church members. We must please God by obeying His Word.  

We must pray for people who satan has wounded with lies and deception.

We should not pass them and leave them to die in their sins. 

When it is necessary, God wants us to help others to safety when they need assistance. This might include calling a teacher, a parent or an adult to help a  friend who fell down.


Parable of the Good Samaritan Luke 10:  25 - 37

Luk 10:25
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

Luk 10:26
He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”

Luk 10:27
And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Luk 10:28
And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

Luk 10:29
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Luk 10:30
Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.

Luk 10:31
Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.

Luk 10:32
So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

Luk 10:33
But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.

Luk 10:34
He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.

Luk 10:35
And the next day he took out two denarii[fn] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’

Luk 10:36
Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”

Luk 10:37
He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”


Parable of the Good Samaritan video 

Watch this video about the parable of the Good Samaritan.





Good Samariatan resources

Israel And You


Free Bible Images





Sunday, July 23, 2023

Parable Of The Unforgiving Servant

 Introduction to the parable of the unforgiving servant

Jesus taught the parable of the unforgiving servant in order to explain an important truth to Peter.  Jesus began the story when Peter asked Him how many times he should forgive his brother or sister who do wrong to him.




Peter asked if he should forgive that individual up to seven times.  To Peter's surprise, Jesus said that he must forgive others seventy times times seven.

How much is 70 times x 7?






Parable of the unforgiving servant

Jesus then told the parable of the unforgiving servant to show that we must forgive others just as God forgives us. This is the parable:

A king wanted to settle his accounts with his servants. One man who owed him 10,000 bags of gold was brought in. Since he was not able to repay his debts, the King ordered that he, along with his wife and children, had to be sold as slaves.





The servant fell to his knees. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged. ‘I will repay everything.’  On hearing his pleas for mercy, the king took pity on him, canceled the debt, and released the servant.





While on his way out the servant saw a fellow servant who owed him 100 silver coins. The servant who was released grabbed his colleague by the neck and began to choke him:

 ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.’ 





The man fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me and I will pay you back.’





The servant refused and had the man put in prison until he paid the debt of 100 silver coins.



The other servants were outraged at the cruel actions of the man who the king had released

When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged. They went to the king and told him what had happened. 





The king became angry and locked up the unforgiving servant

The king became angry and summoned the unforgiving servant:

 ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all your debt when you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have shown the same mercy to your fellow servant?’ 




He handed the man over to the jailors to be punished until he paid back all he owed.




''As Jesus concluded the parable, he said to Peter, ‘this is how my Heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.’  


The meaning of the parable of the unforgiving servant

The parable of the unforgiving servant teaches several lessons. The first is that we must be patient with other people even when they repeatedly do us wrong.  

Jesus said that we must be so patient that we should be willing to forgive them seventy times seven. This is a lot of times, especially when people refuse to stop doing us wrong.

The second lesson from the unforgiving servant is that we must remember that we need God to forgive our sins. He will not forgive us if we fail to forgive others.








What does it mean to forgive?

To forgive means to release people from a debt they owe. When anyone does wrong to us, and asks for pardon, forgiveness means that we should not get back at them.


We too need God to forgive our sins and He does just that. He patiently forgives until we learn to stop doing the sin.

Jesus taught us that God will forgive us as long as we forgive others. 

However, boys and girls,  He does not expect you to keep quiet or hide things that are not right.  If someone does something that can endanger your life, health or innocence, you should tell a parent, a teaher or caregiver.


In this way, you will be protected from injury.


The parable of the unforgiving servant is not about criminal activity


Readers please pay attention and note that the parable of the unforgiving servant is not about criminal activity.  

If a crime is committed, then take all necessary action to deal with the perpetrator.

Allow the courts to take action against the person when dealing with the matter.

If the person asks for forgiveness, grant it to them. This does not mean that criminal charges should be dropped, as justice must be served. 

It means that you will not hate them.  Even God reserves hell for unrepentant sinners. A repentant sinner is a person who changes his or her ways.

Forgive them in your heart even if they do not ask for forgiveness.  You do not want to live with bitterness and anger, because God hates these things.

More importantly, forgiveness releases you from holding on to the pain of the sin done against you.   






Parable of the unforgiving servant bible verses

MATTHEW 18 21- 35  - NAS – New American Standard Bible (NASB)

21 Then Peter came and said to Him, ``Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"

22 Jesus said to him, ``I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

23 ``For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.

24 ``When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.

25 ``But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made.

26 ``So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, `Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.'

27 ``And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.

28 ``But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, `Pay back what you owe.'

29 ``So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, `Have patience with me and I will repay you.'

30 ``But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed.

31 ``So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened.

32 ``Then summoning him, his lord said to him, `You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.

33 `Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?'

34 ``And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.

35 ``My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."











Saturday, July 15, 2023

The Jealous Brother Of The Prodigal Son

 The Jealous Brother Of The Prodigal Son

In today's story, we will learn about the jealous brother of the Prodigal son.  Last time, we learned about the Prodigal son who left home with his inheritance and spent all recklessly. 





What happened to the Prodigal son in the previous story?

The younger son wasted all the inheritance money that his father had given to him.  He became homeless and hungry and fed pigs for a living. During that time, he remembered his loving father and returned to him. 

I’m not worthy to be your son. I am sorry I have wasted all the inheritance money you gave me. Let me be your servant,’ he begged his father.







The father’s heart was filled with loving kindness towards his son. He told his servant to bring the best robe and shoes and a ring for his son’s finger.
 




He told his servants to prepare the best roast beef and food for a great feast, with music and dancing, to celebrate the return of his long lost son. 




The brother of the Prodigal son returns from the fields


When the older brother came home from working hard on the farm all day and heard the music and laughter, he wondered what the fuss was all about.





He was so jealous that his father was celebrating the return of his useless brother. 

I have worked hard for you for years. What have you ever done for me?’ he asked. 




Son you are always with me and everything I have is yours. We should be happy and celebrate together that your lost brother is found."




What message can we learn from the jealous brother of the Prodigal son?


We must choose to be happy when people repent of their sins and come to Christ. 

We learn too that we should not be jealous when someone else is honoured. 

Our Father in Heaven rejoices when someone who is far from Him returns and asks for forgiveness


Prodigal son bible verses


Luke 15: 1 - 3 and 11 - 24


Luk 15:1
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.

Luke 15:2
And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

Luk 15:3
So he told them this parable:

Luk 15:11
And he said, “There was a man who had two sons.

Luk 15:12
And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.

Luk 15:13
Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.

Luk 15:14
And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.

Luk 15:15
So he went and hired himself out to  one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.

Luk 15:16
And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

Luk 15:17
“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!

Luk 15:18
I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.

Luk 15:19
I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’

Luk 15:20
And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.





Luk 15:21
And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

Luk 15:22
But the father said to his servants,‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.





Luk 15:23
And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.

Luk 15:24
For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.




The jealous brother of the Prodigal Son bible verses

Luk 15:25 - “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.

Luk 15:26 - And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.

Luk 15:27 - And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’

Luk 15:28 - But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him,

Luk 15:29 - but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.

Luk 15:30 - But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’

Luk 15:31 - And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.

Luk 15:32 - It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”
























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