FOCUS
- What is your favorite movie of all time? Who is the hero -- the good guy -- in the movie?
- List 10 characteristics of the movie hero including both physical and personality traits.
- Consider the traits on your list. Are they all admirable? Why or why not?
DIG
Captivating storytelling pits a hero against a conflict. A truly nuanced story tells of a hero who has more than one dimension and a conflict which is not easily resolved.
Jesus’ Parable of the Good Samaritan has the layers and nuances of a great story, because the hero is unexpected, and his response is both compassionate and unquestioning. But the story’s richness comes in the question: “who is my neighbor?”
EXPLORE
- The lawyer asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” How would you answer that question if someone asked you today?
- The lawyer asks for clarification: “Who is my neighbor?” Why does Jesus respond with a story instead of a simple answer? When do we use storytelling as a means for answering questions?
- Both the priest and the Levite pass the wounded man on the road and keep going. When have you done the same - passed by someone in need and carried on your way? Why did you choose not to help?
- Jesus’ audience would have considered the Samaritan the least likely to stop to help. The Jews of Jesus’ day were heirs of a centuries-old hatred and distrust between the Samaritans and Judaism. Who are our modern-day Samaritans? What kind of stories are told about these people in our culture?
- The Samaritan surprises Jesus’ listeners. Not only does he rescue the wounded man, but he takes him to an inn and provides incredible hospitality for him. The lawyer describes him as “the one who showed him mercy.”
a. “Mercy” can be defined as “compassionate treatment of those in distress.” What is merciful about the Samaritan’s actions?
b. “Mercy” can also be defined as “compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one’s power.” How are the Samaritan’s actions merciful in this sense?
The Parable of the Good Samaritan illustrates for us all the power of loving action and the call to which we all aspire: “Go and do likewise.”
- Looking back at the list of characteristics of your movie hero, who would that character most identify with in this story: the Priest, the Levite, the Samaritan, or the wounded man?
- What heroes in literature, theater, or film are heroic because of their capacity for mercy? In what sense are those heroes merciful?
- Storytelling is a powerful tool. Culturally the Samaritan should have been the bad guy, but Jesus casts him as the merciful hero. How does this storytelling illustrate Jesus’ answer to the lawyer’s original question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
