This time, to indicate who we are divinely obligated to love, Jesus immediately spoke of a Jew and a Samaritan. They were total strangers, regarded each other as heretics and belonged to communities that treated each other with bitter disdain. And for Jesus, love is not the mere absence of hate. Far more than “live and let live,” love is risking one’s life to comfort a stranger who despises you and who to you is literally a heretic. Love is about taking risks – big risks. It might have been a trap, and even if it wasn’t, there were bandits around. This was not a place to stop. Love is about tending bloodied wounds, giving your donkey to a man who regards you as his enemy, and having to walk. It is trudging to an inn and instead of leaving the rest of his care to his fellow countrymen, taking your hard-earned cash and paying for his full accommodation for as long as it takes. Next to loving the Lord, treating like this those who hate you is top priority with God, taught Jesus.

Taken from Love Your Enemies?

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