Our children's program focused on the story of the Good Samaritan a few weeks ago. We taught them that we need to be nice to people who are different than us. But, that's not really the point of the story. The point of the story is very different than what we taught.
The Samaritan's were the sworn enemies of Jesus' Jewish listening audience. The most highly esteemed members of the Jewish caste, the priest and the judge, refused help to one of their own. Then a member of the reviled Samaritan group passes by and unselfishly helps out.
Jesus teaches us to suprise our enemies by our radical kindness. Jesus teaches us that when we hate people we give them the upper hand. Landa Cope, who lectured at Toccoa Falls College my Sophomore year, asked, who is our Samaritan? I can't find the exact quote, but she said something to the effect of, "He's a muslim, a terrorist, a homosexual, he has AIDS, and a bomb wrapped around his chest and he's coming right at you. He's your Samaritan."
So we teach our kids to be nice to the kid who smells funny, and to help the little black boy with his homework - and those things are all nice and they're all good. But, they're not the point of the story.
The story points to the fact that we will be hated and reviled for following Christ and the we must respond boldly; but that we must respond in love.
They'll hate you - but love them anyway.
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