Palm Sunday and the Good Samaritan
Luke 10 – parable of the Good Samaritan
——————————————————
KIDS AT THE WELL notes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTmbTuutBgg
It’s Palm Sunday! Start this week by watching the video with your family. Then, try watching “Benjamin’s Box” and make your own Resurrection Eggs as mentioned in the video. Enjoy:)
———————————————————
Palm Sunday / Jesus’ Words
Luke 10 – Good Samaritan
Luke 10…. Good Samaritan
Again, the phrase, good Samaritan would be an oxymoron in that culture; a contradiction in terms.
https://www.biblicaltraining.org/library/samaritans/new-testament-introduction/ben-witherington
Backstory of Samaritans
WHAT MAKES A SAMARITAN
Jacobs ( Israel ) sons become God’s people,
10 of Jacobs sons ( not including Levi )
And Joseph’s 2 sons
10 northern Kingdoms
2 southern ( Judah and Benjamin )
930 b.c.Split as Solomon turned from obedience to God ( fracture)
Jerusalem – become center of worship of southern kingdom
2 Chronicles 28
Northern Kingdom invades Southern Kingdom as Ahaz
( despicable king ) leads people astray. NK kills 120k, takes
250k prisoner.
Prophet ODED meets army returning to Samaria and says God
turned them over, due to their disobedience. But your act of
slaughter has been seen by God . In essence, aren’t your sins as
great as them? Return them
Then, army returns them to Jericho.
722 b.c. Assyrians sweep across Norther Kingdom – Israel
As they are invaded, southern Kingdom watches and does NOTHING
TO HELP!
595 b.c. Southern Kingdom feels immune … until Babylonian captivity
“ prophets “ ( false prophets ) – say, no worries, God will rescue us!
Enter Jeremiah – settle in and settle down = 70 years of captivity!
525 b.c. Southern Kingdom returns
Nehemiah rebuilds the wall around Jerusalem …
At first Samaritans welcome them back and want to join rebuild.
They and their help is rejected, which ultimately leads to Northern
Kingdom folks / samaritans (Sanballat ) show up to distract and frustrate the rebuild…. and setting up their own place of worship in Samaria.
Samaritans – reject Jerusalem as center of worship
– their Jewish scripture ends at TORAH / Deuteronomy
– MOSES centric
– look down on southern Kingdom Jews who chose a king rather than God to lead them….
( Josephus ) ( Jewish historian – born few years after Jesus rose)
Illustrations of hatred
Samaritans :
1) desecrating Jewish sanctuary dumping human bones
2) harassing Jewish travelers
Jews
1) burning down Samaritan villages
New Testament Examples
- Devote / careful travel AROUND Samaria in Jesus day by crossing the Jordan rather than going thru it
- Jesus meets woman at the well by GOING STRAIGHT THRU Samaria (John 4).
- Woman’s conversation gets to “ where is the place of worship “
- Disciples surprised to see Jesus talking with the woman
The Jews accuse Jesus of being a Samaritanand demon possessed John 8
Samaritan opposition Luke 9
Good Samaritan Luke 10
Consider the original audience : Jews, “neighbors”, Samaritans
Goal : self justification, Jesus on trial
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?”
Point of the Story : LAWYER = neighbor ID
: JESUS = 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied.
“Do this and you will live.”
1) do GOOD- be like the Samaritan !!!!
Vs. 31 – priest
Vs. 32 – Levite
Vs. 33 – Samaritan
Took pity
Bandaged
Poured oil & wine
Any extra expense
HOW IS THIS HEARD by the audience?
A Samaritan ????!!!
2) Expected answer ….. “ absolutely NOT “
3) who is the HERO?
PARABLES AND THE ARRIVAL OF KINGDOM OF GOD
PALM SUNDAY TEXT:
Luke 19:
37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”[b]
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
THE REAL GOOD SAMARITAN
So Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to be the Good Samaritan that we could never be !
The point of the story : not moralism but the ultimate GOOD now being done…
Palm Sunday – on a rescue mission
Jesus promise to the Woman at the well :
“John 4:23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. “