The Good Samaritan

To consider the importance of helping one another.

by Jenny Tuxford

Suitable for Key Stage 2

Aims

To consider the importance of helping one another.

Preparation and materials

• Read or tell the story of the Good Samaritan to the classes who will be present before the assembly (Luke 10.25–34).
• Optional: A couple of football scarves – West Ham and Liverpool.
• You could ask the children to take it in turns to read lines, or to act out the story.

Assembly

1. There’s a famous line in Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar: ‘Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears.’
   
   When the character in the play says these words, he doesn’t really want to borrow anyone’s ears. He doesn’t want people to unscrew them and lend them to him, as you would borrow a pencil or a book. All he wants is for them to listen to him.
   
   When anyone says to you, ‘Lend me a hand,’ they don’t really want you to take off a hand and pass it over! They want you to help them.
   
   Now, who do you help? – your family, your pets, your friends? And who should you help?
2. In the Bible, a lawyer asked Jesus the same sort of question. Jesus replied that he should help his neighbour. ‘But who is my neighbour?’ the lawyer asked. You might be asking yourself the same question. Is it the person who lives in the house next to you? Is it the person who sits nearest to you in class? Who?
3. Jesus told the lawyer the story of the Good Samaritan. This is our version of the story. See if you can work out who is the neighbour here.
   
   The Good Samaritan
   By Jenny Tuxford
   
   One Saturday in winter
   a youth, whose name was Mark
   went to see his team play
   at Upton Park.
   
   To see them win the FA cup
   had always been his dream.
   Now they were playing Liverpool
   a really brilliant team.
   
   West Ham took all their chances
   and it gave Mark such a thrill
   that when the final whistle went
   the score was fifteen-nil!
   
   The cheers and shouts subsided,
   his team had won the cup.
   Mark was feeling happy
   till two men beat him up.
   
   One man stole his wallet,
   one hit him on the head.
   They pushed him down and ran away,
   leaving him half dead.
   
   The grounds had nearly cleared by now,
   just a few folk left about.
   Mark tried to summon help
   but he was far too weak to shout.
   
   Just then a doctor left the pitch
   and saw him lying there.
   But his wife was cooking tea for six
   and he liked his rump steak rare.
   
   ‘Someone else can help him.
   Besides, I haven’t got my bag.’
   He crossed the road quite quickly
   and drove off in his Jag.
   
   Next, a friend of Mark’s came out,
   a West Ham supporter too,
   but not a very nice type –
   he was often heard to boo.
   
   He saw his friend was injured
   and didn’t even care.
   He was going out that night
   and he had to wash his hair.
   
   The last man now came through the gate.
   He was not a welcome sight.
   Mark moaned when he detected
   the striped scarf – red and white!
   
   If he thought he’d help him
   he’d have to be a fool,
   for he was with the other side –
   a fan from Liverpool.
   
   ‘Oh, let me help,’ the stranger cried,
   tying a hanky round Mark’s head.
   ‘Crawl into my Mini
   and we’ll go find you a bed.’
   
   They finally found a hospital,
   out of the stranger’s way,
   but he took Mark grapes and visited him
   every single day.

Time for reflection

Reflection

When Jesus had finished telling his story he asked the lawyer, ‘Which of the people do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell among thieves?’ The lawyer replied, ‘The one that showed mercy on him.’ Is that what you thought?

Prayer

Dear God,

At home, at school, at work and play,

not just today, but every day,

may I care for myself and others too,

and lend a hand cheerfully when it is right to do.

Amen.

Song/music

‘Cross over the road’ (Come and Praise, 70)

‘I, the Lord of Sea and Sky’ (from the songbook The Source, compiled by Graham Kendrick)