First Thoughts: I can almost hear the sigh of relief this Sunday, as we encounter a parable that seems to be tailor-made to teach to children (as opposed to an account of demon-possessed pigs!). While the parable of the Good Samaritan is familiar to us, and likely even a favorite story, we need to guard against allowing its familiarity to detract from its power. By definition the word "neighbor" means somebody other than my own kin. They live nearby, but they don't truly belong to me. I am reminded of Robert Frost's poem, which concludes with the truism, "Good fences make good neighbors." We are accustomed to the idea of separation from those who don't belong to us, to recognize that our problems and theirs are separate, and it is even impolite to intrude upon their lives. Jesus' illustration not only demonstrates that such separation shouldn't exist between casual acquaintances; it should even be obliterated between sworn enemies. This is the radical nature of Jesus' gospel: the purpose of his teaching isn't to make ourselves self-sufficient, nor to become deeply holy, but to become powerfully present to those around us -- to become vulnerable to our own hurts and the hurts of others. It is to tear down those fences that help us to hide, and step into the light of God's grace. Spend a few moments reflecting on the neighbors in your own life. Think of one you particularly like, one you feel neutral toward, and one that really annoys you. As you consider each one, invite God to begin to tear down whatever walls you've erected around that particular relationship, even asking God to show you the reason why you feel that wall is necessary. Invite God to heal your fear so you can become more accessible to them, and to God.
Teaching On Your Own: Hey everybody -- see what I have here? It's a hammer. I'm going to build something with it. Can you guess what I'm going to build? A good neighbor! See, I just read a poem by Robert Frost, and in it he says, "Good walls make good neighbors." What do you think he meant by that? I think he was saying that neighbors can get on each other's nerves and bother each other, so it's good to keep a wall between them so they don't have to see each other too much. According to the poem, then, a good neighbor is one who stays out of your way. But now that I think about it, that's not the way Jesus describes a good neighbor in our story today. In fact he told a story about it.
Once there was a man traveling on a busy road when some thieves attacked him. They robbed him and left him bleeding by the side of the road. Poor guy, huh? Anyway, two people passed by and saw the hurt man, but they were very busy and they figured it wasn't any of their business anyway. So they kept walking. But then a third man came by. He saw the hurt man and stopped to help him. He took him to the doctor and paid for him to stay in an inn until he was feeling better. He even offered to pay all the man's expenses until he was healed. Then Jesus asked the question, "Who was the good neighbor -- the ones who minded their own business, or the one who helped?" What do you think the answer is? The answer is the one who helped, of course. So Jesus would say that it's not fences that make good neighbors, but open hearts and helping hands. (looks at hammer) Hmmm. Maybe I can find a better use for this hammer. Like instead of building a fence I could help nail the tiles on my neighbor's roof. He's been working on that for a few days now. Do you think Jesus would think that would be a neighborly thing to do? I think so too!
Teaching On A Team:
(Leader 2 has the hammer)
Leader 1: Hey (name), looks like you're about to go to work on something.
Leader 2: I sure am.
Leader 1: What are you building?
Leader 2: I'm building a good relationship with my neighbor.
Leader 1: What do you mean by that?
Leader 2: Well, I just read a poem by Robert Frost, and in it he says, "Good walls make good neighbors." So I decided that, since I really like my neighbors and want things to keep going well with them, I'd better build a fence between our houses.
Leader 1: I see. You know, according to our story today, I'm not sure Jesus would agree that that's the best way to get along with your neighbor.
Leader 2: What do you mean?
Leader 1: When Robert Frost wrote that poem, he was saying that neighbors can get on each other's nerves and bother each other, so it's good to keep a wall between them so they don't have to see each other too much. According to the poem, then, a good neighbor is one who stays out of your way. But that's not the way Jesus described a good neighbor.
Leader 2: What did Jesus say?
Leader 1: He actually told a story about it. Once there was a man traveling on a busy road when some thieves attacked him. They robbed him and left him bleeding by the side of the road.
Leader 2: Wow, poor guy.
Leader 1: Two people passed by and saw the hurt man, but they were very busy and they figured it wasn't any of their business anyway. So they kept walking. But then a third man came by. He saw the hurt man and stopped to help him. He took him to the doctor and paid for him to stay in an inn until he was feeling better. He even offered to pay all the man's expenses until he was healed. Then Jesus asked the question, "Who was the good neighbor -- the ones who minded their own business, or the one who helped?" What do you think the answer is?
Leader 2: The one who helped, of course.
Leader 1: Right. So Jesus would say that it's not fences that make good neighbors, but open hearts and helping hands.
Leader 2: (looks at hammer) Hmmm. Maybe I can find a better use for this hammer. Like instead of building a fence I could help nail the tiles on my neighbor's roof. He's been working on that for a few days now.
Leader 1: Sounds like you're on your way to being a very good neighbor.
Closing Prayer: Loving God, help us to be the good neighbors you want us to be. Help us to be kind and caring, willing to go out of our way to help someone in need. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this lesson in a home or classroom environment, go a bit more in-depth with the story. Ask the children what they would do if they saw someone hurting on the side of the road. Would they stop and help? Why or why not? Invite them to share what feelings they might have. Now explain the significance of the priest and Levite, both religious people, who considered their religious duties too important to pause on the road to help the wounded man. Do we sometimes think the things we have to do in our lives are more important than the people around us? Help them to think through their "duties" as children -- getting to school on time, doing their homework, completing their chores. These are important things but are they more important than helping someone who's hurt? Now turn to the man who helped, a Samaritan. Share with the children the history between the Jews and Samaritans -- how they didn't like each other at all and were often fighting over which one was right in God's eyes. Due to this history, we might think the Samaritan would be the very last person to help the wounded man, but he was the only one who stopped. Not only did he stop but he made sure the man got all the medical help he needed, and even had a place to rest while he healed. Ask the children to come up with words to describe this man: kind, generous, loving. Note that these words also describe God. Jesus told the story to remind us that being a good neighbor is acting the way God would act, whether it's a person in our family, a friend, a stranger, or someone we don't really like.
For a craft idea, help the children make their own "Neighborly Caterpillar." Give each child five circles cut out of construction papers. The circles should be the same size, but can be different colors. You can prepare the circles in advance with captions on them, and the children can draw pictures for the captions. The first caption is: "Be a good neighbor." It's the head of the caterpillar, so the children can draw a face on that one. The rest of the captions depict action in the story, and the children can draw pictures reflecting the story: "One man was hurt," "Two men walked by without helping," "One man stopped and cared for the hurt man," and "Jesus wants us to be kind to everyone we meet." Give the children a chance to put the scenes in order, according to the lesson sequence. Then punch holes in each circle, so you can connect them with yarn. Invite the children to go through the story one more time, all together. Close with a time of prayer.
