PARABLES ILLUSTRATING CONCERN FOR ONE ANOTHER

Jesus taught His followers that loving God and loving other people are the most important commandments. He told many parables to show us how we should care for one another, especially those who are suffering or in need. These parables teach us that being a true follower of Jesus means showing practical love and concern for other people, not just having good feelings or saying nice words. Two powerful parables illustrate this important lesson about caring for others.

List of Parables Illustrating Concern for One Another

There are two main parables that Jesus told to teach us about showing concern and care for other people:

1. The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)

This parable teaches us to help anyone who is in need, even if they are different from us or if we consider them our enemy. It shows us what it really means to love our neighbor.

2. The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31)

This parable teaches us to care for the poor and needy people around us while we have the opportunity. It warns us about the consequences of ignoring those who are suffering.

Both parables challenge us to show real, active concern for other people, especially those who are hurting, poor, or in desperate situations.

1. Narration of Each Parable
2. The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)

Background to the Story:

One day, an expert in the Jewish law came to test Jesus. He asked Jesus a question: “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus asked him back, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”

The man answered correctly: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

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

But the man wanted to justify himself. He wanted to look good and show that he was doing everything right. So he asked Jesus another question: “And who is my neighbor?” The man was hoping Jesus would give a limited answer, perhaps saying that only fellow Jews were neighbors. Then the man could feel good about himself for keeping the law.

Instead of giving a simple answer, Jesus told this parable:

The Story:

Jesus said, “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho. This was a dangerous road. It was about seventeen miles long and went through rocky, desert country where robbers often hid. The road went downhill from Jerusalem, which was high in the mountains, to Jericho, which was far below near the Dead Sea.

As the man walked along this lonely road, suddenly robbers jumped out and attacked him. There were several robbers, and the man was alone. He could not defend himself against them. The robbers were violent and cruel. They beat the man badly, hitting him again and again. They stripped off his clothes, taking everything he had. They took his money, his belongings, and even his clothes, leaving him completely naked.

The robbers left the man lying on the side of the road. He was half dead. His body was covered with wounds and bruises. He was bleeding and in terrible pain. He could barely move or speak. He was dying and desperately needed help.

After some time, a Jewish priest came walking down that same road. Priests were religious leaders who served in the temple. They were supposed to be holy men who followed God’s law. This priest saw the wounded man lying on the road. The man might have called out weakly for help. But what did the priest do?

The priest did not stop to help. He did not even go close to see how badly the man was hurt. Instead, he crossed to the other side of the road and walked past. Perhaps he was afraid that the robbers might still be nearby. Perhaps he thought the man was already dead, and touching a dead body would make him ceremonially unclean according to the Jewish law. Perhaps he was in a hurry to get somewhere. Whatever his reason, he did not help. He left the dying man alone on the road.

A little while later, a Levite came walking down the road. Levites were temple assistants. They helped the priests with temple duties. They also were religious people who knew God’s law. The Levite came to the place where the wounded man was lying. He saw the man. He even went over and looked at him closely. But then, like the priest, the Levite also did not help. He passed by on the other side of the road and continued his journey. He left the suffering man behind.

The wounded man must have felt hopeless. Two religious leaders had seen him and done nothing. He was getting weaker. He might die there on that road with no one to care.

Then a Samaritan man came traveling along the road. Now, this is very important to understand: Jews and Samaritans hated each other. They were bitter enemies. They had been enemies for hundreds of years. Jews considered Samaritans to be half-breeds who did not worship God correctly. Samaritans had their own temple and their own version of Scripture. Jews and Samaritans would not speak to each other. A Jewish person would rather walk many extra miles than travel through Samaritan territory. If the wounded man was conscious, he might have felt afraid when he saw a Samaritan coming. He might have thought the Samaritan would harm him even more.

But when the Samaritan saw the wounded Jewish man, something wonderful happened. The Samaritan’s heart was filled with compassion. He felt deep pity and concern for this suffering man. He did not think, ‘This is a Jew who despises my people. Why should I help him?’ He did not think about their differences or their people’s history of hatred. He only saw a human being in desperate need.

The Samaritan immediately stopped. He went to the wounded man and knelt down beside him. He looked at the man’s wounds carefully. Then he began to help.

First, the Samaritan poured oil and wine on the man’s wounds. In those days, people used oil to soothe wounds and wine to clean them because wine could kill germs. Then he carefully bandaged the man’s wounds to protect them and stop the bleeding.

But the Samaritan did not stop there. He knew the man needed more care than he could give on the roadside. So the Samaritan lifted the wounded man and put him on his own donkey. This meant the Samaritan had to walk while the injured man rode. He walked alongside, supporting the man so he would not fall off the donkey.

The Samaritan took the wounded man to an inn, a place like a small hotel where travelers could stay. He did not just drop the man off at the door. He stayed with him through the night, taking care of him and making sure he was as comfortable as possible.

The next morning, the Samaritan had to continue his journey. But he still did not abandon the wounded man. He took out two silver coins, called denarii. Two denarii was about two days’ wages for a working man – a significant amount of money. He gave this money to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of this man. Give him food, a room, medicine, whatever he needs. If you spend more than this amount on his care, I will pay you back when I return this way.’

The Samaritan was willing to be responsible for all the costs of the man’s recovery, even though he did not know how much it would be. He was committing himself to help a complete stranger, and an enemy at that, until the man was fully healed.”

Jesus’s Question:

After telling this story, Jesus looked at the expert in the law and asked him a question: “Which of these three men – the priest, the Levite, or the Samaritan – do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law could not even bring himself to say the word “Samaritan.” He answered, “The one who had mercy on him” – meaning the one who showed compassion and helped him.

Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” In other words, “Go and do the same thing. Show the same kind of compassion and care to people who need help.”

1. The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31)

The Story:

Jesus told this parable to teach about concern for the poor and the consequences of ignoring those in need.

“There was a rich man who lived in great luxury. He wore the finest clothes – purple robes and expensive linen garments. Purple cloth was very costly because the dye came from special sea creatures and was rare. Only wealthy people could afford purple clothes. This man wore purple every day, showing his great wealth.

The rich man lived in a beautiful, large house. Every single day, he ate expensive, delicious food. He had lavish feasts with many kinds of meat, bread, fruits, and wine. He lived in complete comfort and pleasure. He had everything money could buy. His life was easy and enjoyable.

At the gate of this rich man’s house lay a poor beggar named Lazarus. Lazarus had nothing. He was extremely poor and sick. His body was covered with painful sores – open wounds that would not heal. These sores hurt terribly and probably became infected. Lazarus was so weak from hunger and sickness that he could not walk. He had been laid at the rich man’s gate, hoping that someone would help him.

Lazarus was so desperately hungry that he longed to eat even the small scraps of bread that fell from the rich man’s table. In those days, wealthy people used pieces of bread to wipe their hands while eating, and then they would throw these pieces on the floor. Lazarus hoped to get even these dirty scraps, but no one gave him anything. He was starving.

To make matters worse, dogs would come and lick Lazarus’s sores. Dogs in that time were not pets. They were wild, dirty animals that ran in packs through the streets. Having dogs lick his wounds would have been painful and degrading for Lazarus. He could not even chase them away because he was too weak.

Every day, the rich man would come in and out of his gate. He must have seen Lazarus lying there. He must have stepped over him or walked around him. He saw Lazarus’s suffering, his sores, his hunger. But the rich man did nothing to help. He did not share any of his abundant food. He did not provide medicine for Lazarus’s wounds. He did not even give him the scraps from his table. The rich man was completely indifferent to Lazarus’s suffering. He simply did not care.

Time passed, and eventually, Lazarus died. His suffering on earth ended. When Lazarus died, the angels came and carried him to Abraham’s side. In Jewish understanding, being at Abraham’s side (also called Abraham’s bosom) meant being in a place of honor, comfort, and blessing in the afterlife – a place of paradise with the great father of faith, Abraham. After all his suffering on earth, Lazarus was now comforted and at peace.

Some time later, the rich man also died. He had a big, expensive funeral. He was probably buried in a fine tomb. But when he died, his situation was very different from Lazarus’s. The rich man went to Hades, the place of the dead, where he was in torment. He was suffering greatly. His comfortable life on earth was over, and now he was in agony.

In his torment, the rich man looked up and saw Abraham far away in the distance. Next to Abraham, he saw Lazarus! The beggar who had laid at his gate was now in a place of honor and comfort.

The rich man called out desperately, ‘Father Abraham! Have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire!’ The rich man was suffering terribly in flames, and he was begging for relief – even just one drop of water.

But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things. You had comfort, pleasure, and luxury while you lived on earth. But Lazarus received bad things – suffering, hunger, and pain. Now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, there is a great chasm, a huge gap, set between us and you. No one can cross from here to there or from there to here, even if they wanted to. It is impossible.’

The rich man realized that nothing could be done for him. But then he thought about his family. He said, ‘Then I beg you, father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father’s house. I have five brothers. Let Lazarus go and warn them about this place of torment, so that they will not also come here.’

Abraham answered, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them listen to them.’ He meant that the rich man’s brothers had the Scriptures, God’s word, which taught them how to live righteously and care for others. They should read and obey God’s word.

But the rich man pleaded, ‘No, father Abraham! But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent. They will change their ways!’

Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'”

And that was the end of the parable.

III. Moral Lessons from Each Parable

Moral Lessons from the Parable of the Good Samaritan

1. Our Neighbor is Anyone in Need

The lawyer asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” hoping for a limited answer. But Jesus’s parable shows that our neighbor is anyone who needs our help, regardless of their race, religion, nationality, or social status. We should not ask, “Is this person worthy of my help?” but rather, “This person needs help. What can I do?”

2. True Religion is Shown Through Actions, Not Just Knowledge

The priest and Levite knew God’s law. They were religious experts. But they did not act on what they knew. They failed to show mercy. Real faith is not just about knowing the right things or performing religious duties. It is about doing what is right and showing love through practical actions. James 2:17 says, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

3. Love Crosses All Boundaries

Jews and Samaritans were bitter enemies, yet the Samaritan helped the Jewish man. True Christian love does not see boundaries of race, tribe, nationality, religion, or social class. We are called to love and help everyone, including people who are different from us and even those who might be our enemies. Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

4. Compassion Leads to Action

The Samaritan “took pity on him.” He felt compassion – a deep emotional response to the man’s suffering. But he did not stop with feelings. His compassion moved him to action. Real compassion always leads to helping in practical ways. We should not just feel sorry for people; we should do something to help them.

5. Helping Others May Cost Us Something

The Samaritan used his own supplies (oil and wine), his own transportation (his donkey), his own time (he stayed with the man overnight), and his own money (he paid the innkeeper). True concern for others often requires sacrifice. We may have to give our time, money, energy, or resources. But this is what love does – it gives generously.

6. We Should Not Make Excuses for Not Helping

The priest and Levite probably had reasons for not helping – they might have been afraid, busy, or concerned about ceremonial cleanness. But Jesus does not accept these excuses. When we see someone in need and we have the ability to help, we should help. Proverbs 3:27 says, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.”

7. Small Acts of Kindness Matter

The Samaritan did not have to be a doctor or a rich person to help. He used what he had – some oil, wine, bandages, his donkey, and some money. We do not need to have great resources to help others. We can use whatever we have, even if it seems small. Small acts of kindness can make a huge difference in someone’s life.

8. We Should Follow Through in Our Care

The Samaritan did not just give first aid and leave. He made sure the man received continued care. He followed through by taking him to the inn, staying with him, and paying for his ongoing care. When we help people, we should try to ensure they receive the help they need, not just provide quick, one-time assistance.

9. We Should Help Without Expecting Anything in Return

The Samaritan did not know if the Jewish man would ever thank him or repay him. He did not help to receive recognition or reward. He helped because it was the right thing to do. True Christian service is given freely, without expecting anything back.

10. Obedience Means Doing What Jesus Commands

Jesus ended the parable by saying, “Go and do likewise.” This is a command, not a suggestion. Jesus expects us to follow the Samaritan’s example. We should actively look for opportunities to help people in need and act on those opportunities.