The news and our public discourse are filled with talk of enemies, real or imagined. There seems no end to the violence some are willing to rain down on them, as if those enemies were solely responsible for all their troubles and disappointments. Few would put it quite so plainly, but the underlying message is unmistakable. Jesus, however, commands his followers to love their enemies—a command we resist, in part because we mistake love for a warm, affectionate feeling. For Jesus, loving one’s enemies has far more to do with what we think and how we act. In Holy Scripture, he demonstrates what such love looks like, most notably in his encounters with Samaritans. The accounts are few but significant, and it should not go unnoticed that the early Christian church found some of its first footing in Samaria. With that in mind, let us take a closer look at the Samaritans.
Samaritans appear frequently in the Bible, especially in the New Testament, where they seem to be relatively benign neighbors of Judea—yet they are despised and distrusted. We know the stories: the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan woman at the well, and the Samaritan leper who returned to give thanks while the others went on to the temple for the required purification rituals. What was it about the Samaritans that so offended the Jews that they were held in such contempt? In Luke’s Gospel, James and John even offer to call down fire on a Samaritan village that refused to receive Jesus—an indication of the depth of that hostility.
Who, then, were the Samaritans? When the Assyrian Empire destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel, it exiled much of the upper class, leaving behind primarily the poorest of the population. The region was repopulated with peoples from other conquered nations, and over generations these groups intermarried, forming what came to be known as the Samaritans. Coming from different places, with different gods and languages, they gradually adopted the local religion and language. What emerged was a form of Judaism—very similar to that practiced in Judea, but not quite the same.
When exiled Jewish leaders were later permitted to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and the city, the Samaritans actively opposed them and nearly halted the entire project. During the succeeding wars and conflicts, the Samaritans often sided with Judah’s enemies, including the Greeks and later the Romans. When full-scale war broke out between Judea and its Roman occupiers in 66 CE, culminating in the destruction of the temple in 70 CE, the Samaritans stood aside, at times giving tacit support to Rome.
This history explains a great deal about why the Samaritans were so deeply resented—and why it would have seemed improbable, even offensive, for Jesus to use them as examples of what it means both to love one’s enemies and to be loved by them.
It is a lesson we are in desperate need of relearning. We cannot be naïve about the real dangers posed by peoples and nations intent on doing harm to Western civilization in general and to the United States in particular. Nevertheless, Christians are obligated to encourage forms of engagement that de-escalate conflict and seek a more constructive path forward—firm in principle, but without resorting to hatred or fear.
Yes, loving our neighbors while labeling them enemies is a tough command. At times I’ve found myself thinking that the world would be better without this despicable (my opinion) character or that (in my mind and certainty) annoying, stupid, immoral rascal! When we pray in church for the leaders of our nation, I cringe at the reality of those leaders, and yet understand they need as much prayer as they can get. Yes, loving our neighbors is a tough comman! Thank you for the reminder.