Guide for Sunday, July 13, 2025

In the Bible, love is something you do. It is active and courageous and, sometimes, costly. Jesus modeled this love all the way to the cross. In his conversation with a young man in today’s reading, he talks about these key elements of love and calls him (and all of us) to live out this love in service to others. What does love do?  Let’s find out together! 

• The Parable of the Good Samaritan directs our attention to the interactions of its characters. There is, however, a lot more to the text than the parable itself. Read carefully the question the young man asks Jesus and how Jesus answers. What does their conversation tell us about this life and the next?
• In the story, both a priest and a Levite have a chance to extend love to the injured man, but don’t. We’re not told why they don’t nor are we told why the Samaritan does. Why do you suppose the story doesn’t reveal their intentions?
• The Samaritan stops to care for the injured man. This love is both risky and costly. List all risks the Samaritan takes and all the costs he incurs to care for this injured man. What lessons are we to take from his example?

Next Step: What is one concrete way you can show active, courageous love to someone this week? Now, show it!