Can we all agree that it's really not helpful to imply that someone else is simply incapable of being reasonable? Let's appeal to the best in each other. And the Good Samaritan is not about partisan politics, so can we just drop that whole issue from this thread?Wayne in Maine wrote:Extreme Republican? If you believe that about me and react to what I post with that assumption then there's no defending what I am trying to say.
I don't think anyone has advocated political action in this thread, but I do think Jesus calls us to action. I agree that he was shaming the lawyer into being the neighbor he should be - but certainly not only to people who aren't Samaritans, good Jews who live next to him and look and practice the same religion in the same way. The thing I have difficulty with is the notion that the parable limits who we should be a neighbor to, limiting it even more than the Jews would have because it now applies only to truly obedient believers.Wayne in Maine wrote:My point is that everyone on the planet is not my neighbor in the sense that Jesus spoke of in the parable, and the point of the parable was to shame the lawyer into being the neighbor he should be. Understanding the scripture in certain ways leads to political action and mixed allegiances. I want us to avoid that and build the Kingdom of God in a tangible discernable way.
Surely the fact that this was a Samaritan is important to understanding the parable. I don't yet understand how your interpretation takes this into account.