What The Good Samaritan Teaches Us About Black Liberation

In Luke 10:25, Jesus tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan, who bandaged the wounds of a man attacked and beaten by robbers. Both a priest and a Levite crossed the road, ignoring the injured man instead of extending him mercy. 

For us, embracing the Good Samaritan's spirit is crucial and goes deeper than random acts of kindness. 

Scripture tells us to "Love your neighbor as yourself," which is Jesus' greatest commandment. We can only realize our visions of liberation together. 

Our society is built on systems that urge us toward individualism, but we must resist. Despite differences, we express our love for God when we treat each other like neighbors, kinfolk, and cousins. We resist when we love our Blackness.

As the Good Samaritan knew, when we see injustice, we must exercise compassion and take action regardless of what society tells us to do. It doesn't serve liberation or our spirits to "cross the street" when one of us is in need. We cannot exist without each other.

Historically, we've always thrived in community. We must remember this and commit to being a part of God's Body. As Gwendolyn Brooks said, "We are each other's harvest: we are each other's Business: we are each other's magnitude and bond."

We all deserve liberation; to get there, we need each other. How can you commit to leaning into this divine love mission for Black love of self and community?