What Then Is This Child Going To Be?: The Good Samaritan, Circa 2016 Scene II

Each year, my classes rewrite the Parable of the Good Samaritan, putting it into the context of their teenage worlds. Here is the second of several looks at the efforts of some of my high school students in my Gospels classes. All are used by permission with girls in pink and boys in blue.

One day, an officer was on his way to the bank to deposit his check. Before he arrived, a bunch of guys dressed in black jumped him. They stole his check and beat him till he couldn’t stand. The thieves fled with the things they stole. Another police officer walked by and didn’t help him because his fellow officer didn’t make an arrest that week. He just passed him by. Thirty minutes later, a few firemen passed him by and didn’t help him because they thought he was a dirty cop. Then, a gangster who just got bailed out of jail for carrying weed, stopped by showed great sympathy for the cop. He gives him bandages, food, and medicine that he bought. He takes the officer to his house. The officer and the gangster became best friends. The officer guides him and mentors him and the gangster becomes a lawyer, a christian, and an overall changed man.

Ubong Okon

Once, there was a man who needed a Bible, and he begged all day to get one. A famous preacher saw the man begging for a Bible and walked away, assuming that eventually someone would give him one. Next, a principal at a private school heard the man begging but wouldn’t make eye contact with him. The principal thought that he was too busy to help. But an ex-convict had a spare Bible in his trunk and gave it to the man. The beggar was extremely happy.

Ekwere Offong

One day, a boy was walking out of Foot Locker wearing his new Air Jordans. He had just bought the shoes with his own money he'd saved up from doing little odd jobs. He was so proud that he walked all around in the Air Jordans. These huge bullies who didn’t like this kid saw his shoes and were jealous. They pushed him into an alley and mugged him, taking his shoes right off his feet. He crawled to the middle of the mall so people could see him to help. The girl of his dreams who he really, really liked walked by said his name and hello but then walked away. The guy from Foot Locker saw him and laughed, but didn’t do anything to help. Then, a kid from school he always made fun of called an ambulance. He rode to the hospital with him and paid for his surgery! When he got better and went back to school, he gave the kid a new pair of shoes and they became the best of friends.

Rashard Johnson

One day, the leading starlet on famous Broadway musical got off rehearsal and was heading to her car. On the way, someone knocked her out and stole her purse and her car. The director of the show passed by. “She had a bad rehearsal today,” the director thought. So he passed by, got in his car and left. Then her understudy came out. “If she can’t perform, I’ll get her part!” So she passed by, got in her car and drove away. A few hours later, the janitor exited the building and saw the starlet sitting on the curb because she had awakened. The janitor helped her into his van, took her to the hospital to get stitches, paid the hospital bill, then drove her home.

Annie Brown

There once was a basketball player who lost his skill because he was beaten up by another student. His teammate walked by and thought the teammate just flopped, faking the injury. The teammate walked away. Then, his coach came by and saw him but didn’t help him because he didn’t play defense in games. Finally, a guy who had been cut from the team came by and helped him, bandaging him and taking him to the hospital.
Santiago Pimentel

Applicable quote of the day:

"All my experience of the world teaches me that in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, the safe and just side of a question is the generous and merciful side."
Anna Jameson