In the familiar parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37), Jesus teaches us that the wrong response to God's good law is to put limitations on our obedience to it. We must wholeheartedly embrace his rule and its impact on the entirety of our being.

The lawyer's question, “Who is my neighbor?” (v. 29), reveals that he has not made the love of neighbor an integral part of his heart, but rather a finite command to be fulfilled for his own benefit. Jesus' response (v. 30-36) shows that true love of neighbor includes a deep level of care and concern for the physical needs of those we wouldn't normally associate with. It's an empathy toward fellow image-bearers that we don't naturally have for those we see as our enemies.

Disciples of Christ have not and will not bear compelling testimony to the mercy of Christ if we use all our energy to associate with and take care of ourselves, our families, our friends, and those who look, speak, vote, and worship exactly like us. We will not demonstrate the beauty of the gospel if we only think about others once we know our own are safe. We are called to show compassion to those who are unlike us, to show tangible mercy to the vulnerable who are cast aside by those in power, whether we think they're worthy of it or not.

This is, after all, what Jesus did! While we were fighting against him, he died for us and reconciled us to himself (Romans 5:8-11). We were not worthy of his grace. We did not deserve his mercy.

It’s so temptingly easy to slanderously lay the blame for our problems at the feet of others we have no relationship with. In these dangerous waters, we have a prime opportunity to do something countercultural, to humbly and mercifully shine like stars in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation (Philippians 2:14-16) by loving those we might otherwise deem undeserving (Luke 6:27-36). Will we?