Imagining the story ...

It has become more and more evident that I need to set up study times with my children, but as we all know, it can be very difficult to find the time. A couple of weeks ago my son, in all of his wisdom, came up to me and asked if we could do a Bible study together. I started putting it on our chore list in the mornings for our family to do together. I can always find the time for my own personal study in the morning, but it has been difficult lately to sit down as a family amidst all the busyness. That first morning we sat and started studying this passage. We even read the passage out of Elijah's little Bible that he was given to take to Bible class. This is the passage we read.

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.

' And who is my neighbor?'

In reply Jesus said: 'A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of 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, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins 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.'

We read this story as a family and asked the questions that Jesus did. Who was the neighbor? The coolest thing happened that day. Our children fell in love with being in the story of Jesus. They started asking questions about the Good Samaritan, and how they could be a good Samaritan too. We made a little list of ways we can serve others. Ever since that day Elijah has been trying to find ways of serving others.

It is so important that we make the Bible come alive both to ourselves and to our family. When we study the Bible, we can dwell on a passage long enough and let it soak into our lives to the point that we are a part of the story. Our kids actually imagined the story in their own eyes. They imagined the good Samaritan putting Band-Aids on the hurt man. They imagined the robbers on top of a mountain looking down on the poor man. The story became so real to them that they actually wanted to live like the good Samaritan. I have been studying for years from the Bible and in that one afternoon of studying with my children I heard so much theology just flowing out of my kids. The things we can learn from studying. Wow!

We as parents need take some time to sit with our children, as much as we can, and read with them. We can make the Word come alive to them. We can let it come alive for us. Let’s act on what we read. Like in the Good Samaritan story, we can find some kind of service project we can do as a family.

The Word of God is living and active in our lives.

Jason

Luke 10:25-37