My NIV Application Commentary had this to say about today’s passage:

Other people in our church have felt called to be foster parents for days weeks, or months while a child is being placed for adoption.  Other have opted to serve that role for an orphaned teenager or runaway looking to reenter society.  Such ministries are usually sacrificial, but they are extraordinary examples of trying to be a neighbor.”

This is very timely.  Tomorrow it is possible that a nine-month old called Tahara will be coming to stay with my wife, my mother, my foster-son and myself.  She will stay for just as long as it takes for her 15-year-old mother to decide what she wants to do with regard to adoption or raising the girl herself.  God gives us just the right encouragement for the day.  Please pray that we would be the Safe Family that we hope to be.

Luke 10:25-37

²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

   ²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

 ²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[d]”

   ²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

 ²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

 ³⁰ In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii^[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

   ³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

 ³⁷ The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

   Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise

Questions

1. Who asked Jesus a question?
2. How did Jesus turn the question around?
3. What did Jesus’ answer show the expert they should do?
4. How do you look for others to be neighbors rather than being neighborly yourself?
5. How would you answer the question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Going Deeper

Observation (answers we can all see in the passage)

1. What two commandments does the expert in the law emphasize?
2. How does Jesus affirm the expert in the law?
3. What two people pass the injured man by?
4. What kind of man attends to the injured traveler?
5. What does the helper do to take care of the injured man?

Interpretation(questions that require research and/or thought)

1. How do the commandments here resemble Jesus’ statement that these are the greatest commandments?
2. How would knowing who his neighbor was justify the expert?  Who was he neighborly to?
3. What was the road like from Jerusalem to Jericho?  How long was it?  What was it known for?
4. Why wouldn’t the Levite or the Priest touch the traveler?
5. How did Jewish people view Samaritans?

Application (how do we apply this to life?)

1. How do we try and justify ourselves?
2. How do you find out what it truly means to love God and your neighbor?  How do you work out the details?
3. Have you ever been surprised by who helped you in a time of need?  Have you ever been surprised by who did not help you?
4. How do church people pass by gays, Muslims, or the poor?  How can this be solved?
5. To whom might you show some mercy?
6. http://www.safe-families.org/ is the website of Safe Families.