The Surprising Stories of Jesus: The Good Samaritan, Part 2

Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan asks more than we might expect. Compassion that is real moves us to act, even toward people we’ve been taught to resist. And the parable points beyond itself to Jesus, the one who was beaten and left for dead so that God’s compassion would reach all people.

Pastor Steven walks through the layers of this parable, from the way the kingdom reshapes who belongs to God’s people to the unexpected turnarounds that Jesus points to in the Hebrew scriptures. The story calls us to go and do likewise.

The Surprising Stories of Jesus: The Good Samaritan, Part 1

Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan in reply to a lawyer who wants to test him, and the story runs deeper than the familiar moral about helping people. Luke places it right after Jesus sets his face toward Jerusalem, where his path leads to the cross. The lawyer asks what he must do to inherit eternal life, and Jesus answers with the two great commands: love God, and love your neighbor as yourself.

The lawyer then asks, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus answers with a story about a man beaten and left for dead on the road to Jericho. A priest and a temple assistant both pass by. Then a Samaritan, a people the Jewish listeners despised, stops, feels compassion in his gut, and gives extravagant care. That kind of compassion, Pastor Steven says, is the first step toward the life Jesus calls us to. Next week he picks up the rest of the story.

The Surprising Stories of Jesus: Visions of the Inbreaking Kingdom

Matthew 13 gives us eight short stories, and each one is a vision of the kingdom of God. Many in Jesus’ day expected that kingdom to arrive through political upheaval and the overthrow of empire. Instead, Jesus told provocative stories that planted seeds and changed how people saw what God was doing.

The first four, told to the crowds by the lake, show how the kingdom works. It is generously expansive, like seed scattered everywhere. It is patient and strategic, letting wheat and weeds grow together. And it starts small and hidden, like a mustard seed or a bit of yeast, before growing into something no one could have imagined.

The next four, told to the disciples in the house, show how the kingdom reorients our lives. A net sorts good from bad. A merchant sells everything for one pearl. A man reorders his life for hidden treasure. A homeowner joyfully throws open his storehouse to all.

The invitation is to sit with these stories, recognize the kingdom at work, and receive it.