Sermon Notes
The Good Samaritan
THE PARABLES OF JESUS – Part 12
November 15, 2026
Leading Questions
1. What group of people in our country makes you angry?
2. Where is Jesus in this story?
3. Where are you in this story?
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’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
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 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.”
Luke 10:25-37
Parable Highlights
- The Test: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
- The Turn
o “What is written in the Law?"
- Love the Lord with all of your heart, soul, strength, mind
- Love your neighbor as yourself
o “Which of these was a neighbor?”
- The Takeaway: “Go and do likewise”
Understanding the Implications
- Misunderstanding the heart and character of God leads to self-justification
- Self-justification by the Law (or comparison to others) causes us to
o Downplay our need for the Gospel
o Determine others as undeserving
Finding Jesus and Ourselves in the Story
- Jesus is the true Good Samaritan
- Those that feel like the priest or the Levite are bruised and beaten on the side of the road,
in need of help from One who should be our enemy
- Those that feel like the beaten man are able to receive the undeserved compassion and
mercy of the One who pursues us
- Those who have recognized and received God’s mercy are called to “do likewise” and
become like the Good Samaritan
Conclusions
Our capacity to be merciful to others is enabled by:
- An accurate picture of who we are before God
- An experiential knowledge of what Christ has done for us
- A heart changed through the work of the Spirit and evidenced with fruit
(Galatians 5:22-23)
Small Group Discussion Questions for the Week of November 15, 2026.
Opening
What is a story that you remember (real or fictional) from childhood that still has an impact on you today?
Do you compare yourself to others frequently? If so, what are the impacts on your life and view of self? If not,
how do you measure yourself?
Digging Deeper into the Scriptures
Read Luke 10:25-37
1. The passage says that the priest and the Levite "saw him and passed by on the other side." What are some
modern "roads" in our lives that cause us to look away from people in need of compassion and mercy? Discuss
the complexities we sometimes deal with when determining when to help and when to “pass by.”
2. The expert in the law asked, "And who is my neighbor?" to justify himself. In what areas of your life are you
most tempted to look for "loopholes" in God's commands to make yourself feel like you are already doing
enough?
Read Luke 6:32-36
3. What does this passage teach us about the heart and character of God?
4. Based on your own lived experience, what is the impact of receiving mercy?
Applying the Scriptures
1. Jesus is the ultimate "Good Samaritan" who came to our rescue when religion and the Law could not save us.
How does experiencing Jesus' costly mercy break down our desire to justify ourselves?
2. What is one specific, practical step you can take this week to "cross the road" and show mercy to someone
you would normally avoid or overlook?