The Bad Samaritan

By Ed Hambleton

There are some questions that we all think about from time to time. Does God exist? Why is there suffering in the world? How good do you need to be to qualify for heaven? Is having faith irrational?

The Bad Samaritan looks at the life of one man who came to give us some answers. It follows Jesus throughout his time on earth and delves into the conversations he had with people he met along the way – people just like us. In this short book we see Jesus answering questions about issues such as religion and morality, suffering and failure, faith and forgiveness – issues that are just as important today as they were two thousand years ago.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gilead Books Publishing
• Release date: Sep 28, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301260348

Ed Hambleton

Ed is the co-founder of Restore, a Christian charity offering housing and support to vulnerable adults who would otherwise be homeless. He lives in York with his wife, Laura, and their daughter, Katy Grace.

Book preview

The Bad Samaritan

(and other people like us)

By Ed Hambleton

What people are saying about this book:

‘A great introduction to Christianity, suitable for both new Christians and those asking questions about Jesus, light-hearted and humorous. A highly recommended read.’

Linvoy Primus, former Premier League footballer for Portsmouth FC and founder of Faith and Football

‘What Ed has done with this book is to drill down, in seven concise chapters, into some of the big questions people might have when they are considering what it means to follow Jesus.’

Carl Beech, General Director, Christian Vision for Men

‘The Bad Samaritan helps us to look again at the intriguing figure of Jesus, blowing away our misconceptions and enabling us to meet this man as he really is. Ed's many insightful illustrations will guide you as he takes you to the heart of the biblical picture of Jesus. A great place to start for anyone wanting to know more about him.’

Rev Al Rycroft, Curate, St Michael-le-Belfrey Church York

‘The Bad Samaritan is a timely reminder of some of the key messages that Jesus taught. This is a great foundational book for people wanting to know more about the Christian faith, helping us to journey with Jesus and get to the heart of what He said.’

Rob Ainsworth, The Besom in York

‘This book is an ideal entry point for those wanting to find out more about Jesus Christ. It brings some of the key gospel texts to life with relevant and helpful illustrations and remains accessible and clear throughout. I'm sure it will be an invaluable resource.’

Revd Matt Woodcock, Pioneer Minister, Holy Trinity Church, Hull

Published by Gilead Books Publishing at Smashwords

Copyright © Ed Hambleton 2012

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is available in print at Gilead Books Publishing

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by InternationaI Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton, a member of the Hodder Headline Group. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a trademark of International Bible Society. UK trademark number 1448790.

Cover illustration: Anna Tash

Design: Nathan Ward

To Laura and Katy Grace

∞

Contents

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Introduction

Morality: Jesus and the Rich Young Man (Matthew 19:16-30)

Religion: Jesus and Nicodemus (John 3:1-15)

Satisfaction: Jesus and the Bad Samaritan (John 4:4-42)

Forgiveness: Jesus and the Penitent Thief (Luke 23:39-47)

Suffering: Jesus and Cleopas (Luke 24:13-35)

Doubt: Jesus and Thomas (John 20:19-31)

Failure: Jesus and Simon Peter (John 17-21)

Conclusion: Jesus and You (Matthew 16:13-20)

Afterword

References

Acknowledgements

In writing this book special thanks must go to the following people:

• Chris Hayes, Dave Burton and all at Gilead Books for their help in bringing this project to publication.

• Carl Beech for his excellent foreword.

• The numerous friends and family who have offered invaluable wisdom, advice and constructive criticism during the entirety of this project.

• To my dear wife Laura who, as with everything I do, has been my strongest supporter and most loving critic.

• Finally, to the hero of this book, Jesus Christ, the man who was born to reach me, lived to teach me, died to save me, rose to give me new life, ascended to Heaven to prepare a home for me, and is seated next to God praying for me. This is for You.

Foreword

People are asking questions. They want to know what it’s all about. I know this because I try to point people to the answers for my living. Because of this, I’m always on the lookout for something that will help people. What Ed has done with this book is drill down, in seven concise chapters, into some of the big questions people might have when they are considering what it means to follow Jesus. So I’m guessing that if you have this book in your hand you are either one of two situations. 1) You’re a person with questions or 2) you know someone who’s asking them! My advice is this; if you are one of the questioners, then you