The Good Samaritan by Rembrandt (1630) shows the Good Samaritan making arrangements with the innkeeper. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
What person, you mean Jesus told lots of stories? I like to tell stories. Does that make me like Jesus?
He told what? Para what? Parables? What would Jesus want two bulls for? At least he’s telling stories about animals.
A parable is a what? A story that teaches something? What would it teach?
Okay, I’ll listen.
My person says one of Jesus’ most famous parables is about the Good Samaritan. Jesus told this story because he was discussing the most important commandments and the second most important is to love your neighbor as yourself.
Hey person, I love my neighbor. I love everyone who gives me loves.
I’m listening, person.
Someone asked Jesus who his neighbor was, so Jesus told this story. But my person says he told stories about things that the people of his day could relate to that we might not know about today. She promised she would explain them to me. You better, person.
My person says a man was traveling when robbers attacked and beat him and left him on the side of the road half dead.
A priest came by and saw the man and passed by on the other side of the road.
Then a Levite came by, saw the man and passed by on the other side as well.
Hey person, what’s a Levite?
It is? My person said that Levites were people that worked for God in the temple. I thought people like that would want to stop and help.
Okay, I’m listening – but I don’t get that priest and that Levite, leaving that poor man there. What’s going to happen to him?
He did? A Samaritan came by? What’s a Samaritan?
The Jewish people that Jesus was telling the story to hated Samaritans? They wouldn’t have anything to do with them? Oh no, that poor man is really in trouble. If the priest and Levite won’t stop I bet that Samaritan is going to go running by?
He did? That Samaritan stopped to help? And he even took the poor man to an inn and paid for him to stay there until he was better?
So I guess that Samaritan was the best neighbor, wasn’t he?
But person, if Jesus told a story that people of his time would understand, maybe we should change the story so people today will understand it better.
Okay, here goes.
A dog was walking along a trail and coyotes came and attacked it and left it half dead.
A guide dog came by, sniffed at the dog and walked on.
Then a service dog came by and did the same thing.
But a pit bull came by, licked the dog’s wounds, and found the dog’s collar that had ended up in the bushes. The pit bull got his person to take the dog to the vet, and gave the collar to the vet so they could contact the hurt dog’s person.
Do you think that story will make more sense? I even put a pit bull in with the pair a bulls.
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