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Session 5: Loving people that don’t like me

Objectives:

By the end of this session participants should be able to . . .

1. define the Christian term neighbor as all people God created, even the people that we don’t like

2. discuss why Jesus tells us to love our enemies

3. identify specific situations in their life when God was calling them to love their “neighbor”

4. give examples of how they can be loving to people who they might not like

Useful Texts:

  • Matthew 25:31-46
  • Luke 6:27-36
  • Luke 10:25-37

Procedure:

A & B Introduction: the Parable of the Good Samaritan

Say, “So far we have talked about relationships with people who like us and do nice things for us.

We also come across people in our life that we don’t know, or who don’t like us and have maybe even done or said something mean to us. We are going to meet many people in our lives like this and God has very specific expectations on how we are supposed to relate to them.

To teach His disciples about this Jesus told them the parable of the Good Samaritan. Now before O read this parable you should know that people from Samaria and Jewish people from Israel hated each other. For Jewish people one of the greatest insults you could say to another Jewish person is to call them a Samaritan.

Read Luke 10:24-38

Ask, “Why do you think Jesus wants us to love and care for people that we may not like or who may not like us? [He made them just like he made us.]

How many people here have someone at school or in their neighborhood that has been mean to them?

God doesn’t necessarily want us to become best friends with these people, but He does want us to love them.

Let’s go back to St. Paul’s description of love. Everyone open up your bible to 1 Cor 13: 4-8a. This is what Jesus means when He tells us to love our enemies. He wants us to be kind and patient to them, not to be rude and not rejoice when they may get hurt.”

Activity: The Good Samaritan Today

Break participants into groups of 5 or 6.

Tell the groups that they are to create a skit about the Good Samaritan in the present day. Each group will be assigned a different setting for their skit.

Use the following settings:

  • on the play ground at recess.
  • in their neighborhood
  • in the classroom
  • at church during coffee hour
  • adults at an office

Conclusion

God does not tell us that we have to be best friends with everyone, but He does tell us that we are supposed to love them; even the people that we aren’t crazy about and those who don’t like us.

The Book of Genesis and the entire Tradition of the Church teaches that we are actually made in the image of God. St. John tells us ‘God is love’ (1 John 4:8). God loves us even though He knows that we often don’t love Him back. If we are made in His image, then we must be expected to act the same way: God wants us to love everyone in His creation, not because they will love us back, but because He loves us. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God” (1 John 4:7).