Introduction and Alignment

The Good Samaritan story may be well known to many, but it is a good reminder of how God “challenges the chosen to include the excluded.” First, we have to be willing to go to the streets where the beaten-down reside. Many Christians will say they want to be like the Good Samaritan, yet never leave their comfortable inner circles. To show God’s true love to those who do not know Him, we must get outside of our comfort zone. The cartoon drawing below depicts the Good Samaritan story. The route the Levite and the priest took required them to use extra effort to avoid the powerless man who had been victimized. We must ask ourselves why they would do this. Try to connect this story to our current world. In what ways and why do we avoid the vulnerable today?

Another barrier to being God’s hands and feet in showing His love is our own

busyness
. Shane

Claborne
, a pacifist Christian

author
, stated, “If the Devil can’t get your soul, he will keep you busy.” In our own hustle and bustle, it is easy to find ourselves too busy to make time for those in need. We can be so consumed with our own lives that we put blinders on and avoid God’s most vulnerable, as did the Levite and the priest.

Notice that the Samaritan left the man at the inn and may have never interacted with him again.

Upon completion of this assignment, you should be able to:

• Implement ethical, Christ-like attitudes, values, and worldview appropriate to
  
  context
  . (PO1)

Resources

• Bible

Background Information

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What is written in the Law?” He replied. “How do you read it?”

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.’”

“You have answered correctly,”Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

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. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 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. 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.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him,“Go and do likewise.”Luke 10:25–35

Instructions

1. Review the Introduction and Background sections for this activity.
2. Navigate to the threaded discussion below and respond to the following discussion questions:
   1. From your own personal worldview, whom do you see as the “excluded” among us today?
   2. How has God challenged you to include the excluded? Please provide at least one example.
   3. How will your work as a social worker allow you to be like the Good Samaritan, yet uphold professional ethical boundaries?