Another look at the Good Samaritan: Luke 10:25–37

Abstract

The story of the Good Samaritan reminds us of one of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s most pointed statements on racial reconciliation: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Most of us are familiar with the challenge to “love your neighbor” as emphasized by Jesus in the telling of the story, but we seldom think about loving the perpetrator. In this exposition of Luke 10:25–37, Burris moves us from a call to love the challenging neighbor to a love for all humanity that is deep enough and great enough to enable one to participate in night walks on the streets of Richmond, CA—a city riddled with gun violence.