LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS
In Luke 10:25-37, a man skilled in the Jewish law approaches Jesus with a question about how to receive eternal life. Jesus turns the question back to the man, who correctly answers that the greatest commands are to love God completely and to love your neighbor as yourself. Rather than accepting this as settled, the man pushes further, asking Jesus to define exactly who qualifies as a neighbor. Jesus responds not with a definition but with a story, a parable set on the well-known road from Jerusalem to Jericho, a route famous for its rocky terrain and the danger it posed to travelers.
In the parable, a man is beaten, robbed, and left for dead on the roadside. Two religious figures, a priest and a Levite, pass by without offering help. Then a Samaritan, a man from a group that Jewish people of the time considered inferior and unwelcome, stops and goes to extraordinary lengths to care for the stranger. He treats the man’s wounds, carries him to an inn, stays the night to care for him, and pays for his continued care. When Jesus asks which man was truly a neighbor, even the law expert could not deny it was the Samaritan. The lesson is clear: a neighbor is not defined by proximity, ethnicity, or shared belief. A neighbor is anyone who has a need, and loving that neighbor means doing something about it.
PLAY ROOM 8:45-9:00
Children will be dropped off in the playroom between 8:45-9:00 a.m. Allow them to play freely as they arrive. Transition them to the classroom at 9:00 a.m.
OPENING ACTIVITY 9:00-9:15 Good Samaritan Playdoh Mat
Items Needed
- Good Samaritan Playdoh Mat
- Playdoh
Give each child a laminated mat showing the injured man on the road. Provide Playdoh and encourage children to use it to create bandages to place over the man’s wounds. Then have them create a Good Samaritan figure using Playdoh to stand next to the hurt man, showing how he came to help. As children work, talk about how the Good Samaritan was kind and helped someone who was hurt. Ask questions like, “What is the Good Samaritan doing?” and “How can we help people who are hurt?” This hands-on sensory activity allows children to engage with the story while developing fine motor skills and practicing the concept of caring for others.
BIBLE STORY 9:15-9:25
CLASSROOM PROMISE:
With my eyes on my teacher, my mouth quiet as can be, I will listen to hear, how God loves you and me.
Where do the stories we learn about come from?
[Wait for response]
The Bible. These are God’s stories.
Today’s story comes from the New Testament, from the book of Luke.
[Point to Books of the Bible poster on the wall]
Object Lesson: Before the story, bring in a small first aid kit. Open it up and show the bandages. Ask: “What is this for? Have you ever had a boo-boo? Did someone help you? Today we are going to hear a story about someone who helped a stranger. That is called being a good neighbor.”
Today Jesus is going to tell us a very special story. It is called a parable. A parable is a made-up story that teaches us something true and important. Can you say “parable?” [Wait for response: “parable!”]
One day, a man came up to Jesus and asked Him a BIG question. He said, “Jesus, what do I have to do to live with God forever?”
That is a really good question, right? Jesus asked the man what the Bible said.
The man answered, “Love God with all your heart. And love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus said, “That is right!” But then the man asked another question. He said, “But WHO is my neighbor?”
Good question! Who IS our neighbor? Let’s find out what Jesus said!
Jesus told him a story. Let’s use our imaginations and go on a road!
[Stand up and march in place.]
March, march, march. We are walking down a long road. It goes from a big city called Jerusalem all the way to a town called Jericho. This road went through the rocky, dusty desert.
[Swipe hands together like you are dusting them off.]
One day, a man was walking on this road. Some bad guys were hiding behind the big rocks! The bad guys jumped out and they hurt the man. They took everything he had and ran away.
The man was lying on the road. He could not get up. He needed HELP.
Pretty soon, someone came walking down the road. It was a priest. A priest was someone who worked at God’s temple and knew all about God’s rules.
Do you think the priest stopped to help?
[Wait for response.]
No! The priest crossed to the other side of the road and kept walking. He did NOT help.
Then another man came down the road. He was called a Levite. He also knew all of God’s rules.
Do you think the Levite stopped?
[Wait for response.]
No! The Levite looked at the man, crossed over, and kept walking too.
The hurt man was still there. Waiting. All alone.
But then… someone else came down the road.
It was a man from a place called Samaria, a Samaritan. Now, the people listening to this story did NOT expect the Samaritan to help. But do you know what?
[Lean in close and whisper:]
He stopped!
The Samaritan saw the hurt man and his heart felt SO much love. He knelt right down beside him.
He poured soothing oil and wine on the man’s cuts. Can you pretend to pour something gently?
[Pour a pretend bottle slowly. Let kids do it.]
He wrapped up the man’s boo-boos just like a bandage.
Then he put the man on his very own donkey. Can you make a donkey sound?
[Wait for response: “Hee-haw!”]
The Samaritan took the man to an inn, which is like a hotel. He stayed with him all night to make sure he was okay.
The next morning, the Samaritan had to go. But before he left, he gave the innkeeper some money and said, “Please keep taking care of my friend. I will come back and pay you more if you need it.”
Wow. The Samaritan did not know that man. He had never met him. But he helped him anyway.
Can you say our big word today? NEIGHBOR!
[Wait for response: “Neighbor!”]
Our neighbor is anyone who needs our help. It does not have to be someone who lives next door. It can be anyone, anywhere, who needs us.
Jesus looked at the man who had asked the question and said, “Which one was a good neighbor? The priest, the Levite, or the Samaritan?”
What do you think?
[Wait for response.]
Yes! The Samaritan! And Jesus said, “Go and do the same.”
That means US too, friends. We can be a good neighbor just like the Samaritan!
Theological Questions:
- Who did Jesus say is our neighbor?
- Why do you think God wants us to help people even if we do not know them?
Life Application Questions:
- Who is someone you could help this week?
- What is one thing you can do to show love to a friend who is having a hard day?
Prayer:
Dear God, thank You for showing us how to love our neighbors. Help us to have hearts just like the Good Samaritan, so we can see people who need help and be brave enough to stop. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
WORSHIP IN SONG 9:25-9:35
PRAYER 9:35-9:45
Transition kids to the floor for prayer time. Pray for the people in our community who are hurting, lonely, or in need, and ask God to give us eyes to see them and hearts that are willing to stop and help just like the Good Samaritan.
BIBLE STORY GAME 9:45-9:55 | Band-Aid Relay
Items Needed:
- One Band-Aid per child (latex-free)
- A small table or tray to place Band-Aids on
- Masking tape for a starting line
Use masking tape to mark a starting line on one side of the room and place the Band-Aid tray on a table across the room. Divide children into two teams and line them up at the starting line. One at a time, each child runs to the table, picks up a Band-Aid, peels it open, and places it on their arm or leg, then runs back so the next teammate can go. Continue until every child is wearing a Band-Aid. Before starting, tell the children: “Just like the Good Samaritan stopped to put bandages on the hurt man, we are going to practice being helpers today!” After the relay, have everyone hold up their Band-Aid arm and say together: “We are Good Samaritans!”
Note: Check with parents ahead of time regarding latex allergies. Latex-free Band-Aids are available at most pharmacies and are the safest choice for a classroom setting.
BIBLE CRAFT 9:55-10:10
Craft 1: Good Samaritan First Aid Kit
Items Needed:
- Good Samaritan First Aid Kit (print on cardstock)
- Heart Stickers
- Crayons
- Glue or Tape
Children decorate the first aid kit using stickers and crayons. They glue it together (or tape/staple it for them). Inside, they place the first aid kit items they have colored. The finished kit is a reminder that they, like the Samaritan, can be helpers.
SNACK TIME & BIBLE STORY VIDEO 10:10-10:25
Pass out snacks and allow kids time to eat while they watch the Bible video.
BONUS ACTIVITY | Heartbeat Check
Concept: The Good Samaritan stopped because he had compassion, which means his heart was moved when he saw someone in need. This activity helps children discover their own heartbeat and connect it to the idea of having a heart that notices and cares for others.
Step 1: Have children sit quietly and place one hand flat on their chest. Ask, “Can you feel anything? Be very still and listen.”
Step 2: Give children 15-20 seconds to feel their heartbeat. Ask, “Do you feel that? That is your heart beating. It never stops. It keeps going all day and all night.”
Step 3: Now have children stand up and do 10 jumping jacks together. Then sit back down and place their hand on their chest again. Ask, “Does it feel the same or different now? Why do you think it is beating faster?”
Step 4: If available, let children take turns listening through a paper towel roll held against a partner’s chest to hear the heartbeat.
Step 5: Ask, “What do you think happened in the Samaritan’s heart when he saw the hurt man on the road?” Let kids respond. Guide them toward the word compassion. Say, “Compassion means your heart feels something when you see someone hurting, and it makes you want to help.”
The Teaching Moment: Say, “God gave you a heart that beats and a heart that feels. When you see someone who is sad or hurt or lonely, that feeling you get inside is compassion. God wants us to listen to that feeling and do something about it, just like the Good Samaritan did.”
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE | Luke 10:25-37, ESV
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 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.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 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. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 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. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
PARENT TAKE HOME SHEET
Today’s Key Takeaway: Love Your Neighbor
What I Learned Today: Today I learned that Jesus told a story called the Parable of the Good Samaritan to teach us what it means to love our neighbor. In the story, a man was hurt and left on the road, but a kind Samaritan stopped to help him even though they did not know each other. Jesus wants us to show love to anyone who needs help, because that is what it means to be a good neighbor.
Questions to Ask Me:
Theological Questions:
- Who told the Parable of the Good Samaritan? (Jesus)
- What is the greatest commandment Jesus talked about? (To love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind)
- What is the second commandment Jesus mentioned? (To love your neighbor as yourself)
- Who showed real love in the parable? (The Good Samaritan)
- According to Jesus, who is our neighbor? (Anyone who needs our help)
Life Application Questions:
- Can you think of someone at school or at home who might need your help this week? (Answers will vary)
- What is one way you can show love to someone today? (Answers will vary)
- Why do you think it is important to help people we do not know? (Because God loves everyone and wants us to love others too)
- If you saw someone on the playground who was hurt or sad, what would you do? (Answers will vary; encourage stopping to help)
- How does it feel when someone helps you when you are having a hard day? (Answers will vary; connects helping to feeling loved)
Memory Verse: Luke 10:27, ESV “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.”