The Stranger Who Gave Everything

Hey grown-ups! These pages are for your kids to read, or for you to read alongside them. We’ve adapted this story from the Bible to help your kiddos understand this money lesson: God’s generosity to us is so big that it can inspire us to be generous with what we have—no matter how small.

READ THE STORY: There was once a young boy named Simeon who was very smart.

“You are wrong,” young Simeon would often say to all his teachers, and he was always right about his teachers being wrong.

As years passed, Simeon became a respected teacher.

One day, a man named Jesus was rumored to be saying wild things about God’s law. Curious, Simeon went to see Jesus for himself; he found him teaching in the main square.

As Simeon listened to Jesus, he just had to put Jesus to the test.

Standing as tall as he could, Simeon said, “Excuse me, teacher. What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus responded gently, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”

Simeon said, “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.”

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

Simeon frowned, folding his arms. Simeon was the expert, not this dusty carpenter from Nazareth. Quickly regaining his composure, Simeon asked another question, one that he was sure would stump Jesus. “And who is my neighbor?”

After a pause, Jesus scanned the audience with a smile and said, “Let me tell you a story.”

The crowd was delighted.

Jesus’ stories were always full of surprises.

“A man traveled from Jerusalem to Jericho on a dangerous road. Robbers attacked him and left him dying. A priest passed by, then a Levite, but both avoided him, fearing they would become dirty by this half-dead stranger.” The crowd found their choices sad but understandable.

Jesus continued, “But then a Samaritan came by.”

At this, some in the crowd hissed, expecting the Samaritan, the enemy of the Jews, to be the villain of the story.

“The Samaritan saw the wounded man and felt compassion. He bandaged his wounds, carried him to an inn on his own donkey, and covered the cost of the inn.

I am your neighbor. I am near to you. I will always find you if you are beat up and feeling down.

The crowd fell silent. Jesus had made the enemy of God’s people the hero of the story! And this hero was over-the-top generous. That was not supposed to be how you talk about a Samaritan.

Jesus turned back to Simeon and asked, “Which of these three, the Priest, the Levite, or the Samaritan, do you think was a neighbor to the wounded man?” Simeon, too stunned to argue, answered in a quiet voice, “The Samaritan.”

Jesus nodded. “Go and be generous like the Samaritan.”

A child leaned against Jesus, saying, “Teacher, it seems very hard for us to be as generous as the Samaritan.”

Jesus opened his arms to embrace the child.

“In the story I just told, I am the Good Samaritan and you are the wounded person.”

The child thought for a moment, then said, “I still do not understand.”

Jesus smiled. “That’s okay. Just know that I am your neighbor. I am near to you. I will always find you if you are beat up and feeling down. And in your lowest places, I will spend everything on you until you are fully restored and made new.”

DISCUSS THE QUESTIONS:

★  It seems like we should all be the Good Samaritan. What was so cool about him?

★  Could you be as generous as him? Can you believe he gave all that money away to a stranger?

★  Is Jesus telling us to be like the Good Samaritan? What if we aren’t that generous?

COMPLETE THE EXERCISE: ROLE PLAY: Wounded, Good Samaritan, Priest/Levite, Robbers

▶   Replay the parable. Each of you be the Good Samaritan at least once. Each time, make it a competition to try to be even more generous than the person before you.

▶   Replay the parable one more time except realize that it is Jesus as the Good Samaritan and you are the wounded. Have Jesus address you by your name and you address Jesus by His Name. Let His generosity be absolutely over-the-top.

▶   After Jesus picks you up and restores you to health, now think of some small way you want to be generous for someone else. Notice how Jesus’ over-the-top generosity can give you enough strength and inspiration to be more generous yourself.

This article was published in our Faithful Steward magazine, a quarterly publication filled with encouraging stories, biblical teaching, and practical tools to help you grow as a wise and joyful giver. If you'd like to begin receiving Faithful Steward, consider becoming a FaithFi partner.