Shaping Hearts For God Series High School Bible Class Vegas Drive Church of Christ Las Vegas, NV Studies in the Life of Jesus Christ

STOP…LOOK…LISTEN LESSON SIXTEEN Today’s Lesson: Hearing and Seeing Theme: Learning from the parables of Jesus Objective: To understand Jesus’ use of parables to teach important morals and commandments Key passages: Matt. 13:10-17; Luke 10:25-37

STOP…LOOK…LISTEN Matt. 13:10-17 – What do you think verse 13 means? – Have you ever “heard” something but not really listened closely? – Have you ever “seen” something but not really looked closely? – What did Jesus say was the real problem with people who have trouble seeing and hearing (vs. 15)? What causes people to have a heart that does not care about God? How does the pursuit of worldly things interfere with our relationship with God and the local church? If a person claims to be a Christian, but he or she puts other things first before obeying God, what does that say about their commitment to their Christianity?

STOP…LOOK…LISTEN Luke 10:25-37 (the Good Samaritan) – What was the lawyer interested in? – What was Jesus’ initial answer? – When the lawyer asked who his neighbor is, what literary device did Jesus use to answer him? (A parable) – A priest is a holy man, someone who is close to God. Wouldn’t you expect a priest to help someone in need? – A Levite is a member of the tribe that takes care of Jewish religious activities. Wouldn’t you expect a Levite to help his own fellow Jew who was in need? – Jews and Samaritans had a strong dislike for one another, yet this Samaritan stopped and rendered aid to a Jew. Why did he do it?

STOP…LOOK…LISTEN Luke 10:25-37 (the Good Samaritan) – Do you think the Jews listening to this parable were offended by this illustration which made the Samaritans more hospitable more than them? – Whose example should you follow? – If a Christian today says we should help other people, but that same Christian does not help other people, doesn’t that make him a hypocrite, and more like the priest and Levite? – How far did the Samaritan go in helping the man? – So then…who is your neighbor? (any person in need) – When encounter a neighbor, what should you do? – Discuss the scenario on page 65 in the workbook. Next time: lesson 17!