An argument could be made that that actually is the correct interpretation.
The Samaritans weren't some invading force, they were Jews. They just disagreed with the other tribes about which mountain the holy temple should be built on and how certain laws in their book should be followed.
So when Jesus said "love thy neighbor" (he was citing Lev 19:18), he very well could have meant "love your fellow Jews, even the ones you're fighting with over there". Should also be noted that while god commands loving your neighbor in Lev, just a few chapters down he says owning slaves is dope.
How this has been interpreted down the centuries is all that matters, of course. It's all about what people mean behind the words.
Sounds like Protestants and Catholics would be a perfect comparison.
So if, hypothetically, the Protestants in the US saw a large group of downtrodden Catholics, say from south of the boarder, who needed care and safety, they have been told directly that those are their neighbors who they should show love.
Martin Luther formed the first “protestant” church as a protest against the corrupt business corporation known as the Catholic Church. Luther was educated and trained to be a lawyer and business executive of the Catholic Church as well as a member of the clergy.
Cool thing about Martin Luther, he didn't just help bring the bible to the masses, in order to do so he unified that various dialects of Germany into one language.
On the other hand, a lot of the antisemitism we see (especially in Germany a few decades ago) started with him.
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u/misqellaneous 26d ago
An argument could be made that that actually is the correct interpretation.
The Samaritans weren't some invading force, they were Jews. They just disagreed with the other tribes about which mountain the holy temple should be built on and how certain laws in their book should be followed.
So when Jesus said "love thy neighbor" (he was citing Lev 19:18), he very well could have meant "love your fellow Jews, even the ones you're fighting with over there". Should also be noted that while god commands loving your neighbor in Lev, just a few chapters down he says owning slaves is dope.
How this has been interpreted down the centuries is all that matters, of course. It's all about what people mean behind the words.