April 5, 2026: Easter Sunday: The Radical Jesus

Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray

On this Easter Sunday, let’s celebrate the radical teachings of Jesus. Much has been misunderstood about Jesus’s teaching. Let explore this and how his teachings – understood in a first century context - resonate and matter today.

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Sermon Text

The Radical Jesus

Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray

UU Church of Bloomington

April 5, 2026

READING

“The Samaritan” Luke 10:25-37

Our reading this morning is from the Christian scriptures, the Book of Luke, and is one of Jesus' most famous parables, The Parable of the Good Samaritan. (Luke 10: 25-37 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition)

An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?”

He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

But wanting to vindicate himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and took off, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

But a Samaritan while traveling came upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, treating them with oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him, and when I come back I will repay you whatever more you spend.’

Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers? He said, “The one who showed him mercy.”

Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

SERMON The Radical Jesus

“So, what is Easter like in a Unitarian Universalist congregation?” someone asked me this week. Well, the short answer is...it's complicated.

The theological traditions of Unitarianism and Universalism each emerged from Christianity. Our roots are Christian. Yet, the theologies of each of these traditions encouraged an openness to the wisdom of other religious traditions, and wisdom to be found beyond religious sources.

Today, Unitarian Universalists come from many different religious traditions, or none at all. Within this room, I expect there are a least a half dozen different religious backgrounds or affiliations present. This makes Easter complicated. Some years, we emphasize the abundance and new life of Spring, remembering that many Easter traditions are rooted in pagan celebrations of the Spring Equinox. Some years, we reflect on the prophets and martyrs of our own traditions. And some years, Easter provides an opportunity to reflect on the radical Jesus - and the history and teachings that inspired early Unitarians and Universalists on their progressive theological journey.

Today is one of those Sundays. And one of the most radical stories Jesus ever told is also one of the most well known. It is the “Parable of the Good Samaritan.”

There are many interpretations of this story - not all of them accurate or helpful. One modern interpretation that does convey some of the essence of the parable describes the Samaritan as a foreign outcast, someone on the margins of society. Years ago, I offered this interpretation suggesting the Samaritan would be like an undocumented immigrant, someone who many in our society say is dangerous. Yet, through this story, Jesus tells us that this is the person who saves the man. This interpretation challenges us to let go of prejudice, to question the barriers that divide us, and more importantly, it asks us to act as the Samaritan and never turn our hearts away from others in need.

This is an important message. But it turns out, the story is far more challenging than this. Dr. Amy-Jill (AJ) Levine is an Orthodox Jewish woman and a scholar of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt University. In her book, Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi, Dr. Levine explores the stories of Jesus as they would have been understood by a first century Jewish audience. After all, Jesus was a Jew, and he was most often speaking to and within Jewish communities. In her book, Levine shows how the Samaritan is often misunderstood especially among non-Jewish audiences.

Levine corrects the interpretation that the Samaritan is an outcast, someone poor, living on the margins. After all, the story tells us he is traveling with an animal, he has oil and wine to tend the beaten man's wounds. He takes him to an inn. They stay the night while he cares for him.

Then the next day, he gives the innkeeper money and says, “Take care of him, and when I return, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” It's almost a blank check. So nowhere is there any indication that the Samaritan is poor or struggling. In fact, his overwhelming generosity and commitment to helping the man is striking.

Even more striking in Jesus’ day - to his audience, Samaritans were not outcasts, they were the sworn enemies of Israelites. Samaritans are the people from Samaria, just north of Judea, in what is today the West Bank. And these two communities were regularly at war. In the Hebrew Bible, or the Old Testament as it is sometimes referred, there are several stories detailing atrocities. One is of the Samaritans invading Judea and kidnapping the women and children and abusing them viciously, only returning them when they are told to do so by a prophet.

Levine argues that Jesus’ audience, disappointed that the first two people, the priest and Levite - didn't help, would have naturally expected an Israelite to be the next character down the road and would be the one to help. Instead, Jesus says something shocking - your sworn enemy, the one who carries out brutal oppression against you is the next one on the road and the one who helps.

This is how radical Jesus’ message is. Not just love your neighbor but also love your enemy. AJ Levine says, to put this story in contemporary context, (this is her analogy) imagine you are an Israeli Jew on your way from Jerusalem to Jericho and you are attacked by thieves and left for dead. Two people who should have stopped, first a medic with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), and then a member of a Christian mission aid group, do not stop. Then, and these are Levine's words, “But the person who takes compassion on me and shows me mercy is a Palestinian Muslim whose sympathies lie with Hamas.”1

Let's take a moment to breathe and be present to this challenge. This story, and Levine's interpretation does not feel far away or abstract in this moment. Yet, her point is it would not have felt that way when Jesus spoke it either.

Another telling for today might be to imagine you are/l am an American living in Tehran, and I am the one beaten, robbed and left for dead and it is a member of the Iran's Revolutionary Guard who has mercy on me and saves my life. Or maybe I am a volunteer with an ICE watch team trying to protect my neighbors, or I am a Somali immigrant living in the U.S., and I am beaten and left in the ditch. And it is an ICE agent who comes to my rescue.

It's okay to take a moment and just say, “Dang, Jesus, I don't know about this.”

This is a really challenging parable - so challenging that over time efforts have been made to undermine its radical message. One of the first changes made to the story was to name it, “The Parable of the Good Samaritan.” Jesus never says, “Good,” only “a Samaritan.” This renaming softens it, suggesting this was a special case, one of the few “good” Samaritans. It would be like saying, “a good ICE agent.” But that is not what Jesus says. He is pushing the boundaries to ask what happens if we have mercy on those that hate us? Can we imagine they might save us? And what happens when we do not? One path leads to being saved; another to death.

Both the addition of “Good” and the growing interpretation of the parable being about prejudice or inequality - or even that we often view ourselves as the Samaritan, rather than the person in need of saving - all of these have sought to soften this story to make it more palatable rather than revolutionary - revolutionary in the sense of inviting a complete turning over of our thinking about what will save us and who is our neighbor.

There is so much in this parable that asks us to subvert our common thinking. Not only who saves the man, but the generosity that is shown.

Jesus doesn't just say the Samaritan stops and helps but details the incredible care and unbelievable generosity he shows. There is also so much trust in the story. Levine says it would not be uncommon for an Israelite to shudder or even refuse help from a Samaritan. But the man accepts the care, and the Samaritan trusts the innkeeper to care for the man, and the innkeeper trusts the word of the Samaritan that he will return and repay any costs. This parable ends with an entirely different picture of reality - one marked by compassion, generosity, and trust - a turning on what empire and war profiteers want us to think is possible. But it is these qualities - compassion, trust, generosity - that are essential for life to thrive.

Jesus' radical, controversial teachings sought to subvert the context of empire, greed, and violence that dominated the times in which he lived. With the story of the Samaritan, he is questioning familiar constructs of fear and division that perpetuate violence and make people complicit in it. In so doing, he challenged people then as he challenges us now to rethink our notions of neighbor and enemy; about who deserves compassion and mercy, asking us to realize that if we cannot have mercy for our enemy, if we are unwilling to see their humanity, then we will lose our own.

This is especially relevant today when our nation's leaders pray in the name of Jesus for the total and complete destruction of who they have defined as our enemies, asking God to bless this destruction of a nation and its people. In this context, it is important to hear what Jesus says about how we should treat our enemies.

This is not to say that Jesus didn't believe in accountability. Let's remember that he told the rich the only way into heaven was to give away everything they possess, that he turned over the tables in the temple to bring attention to its corruption, and that he was killed by the state because he was seen as a threat to its power. Organizing for justice, confronting and agitating against all that undermines justice and peace - that can be rooted in love - a love for life; a love for neighbor; and yes, even holding compassion and mercy for those who seek to persecute us.

Accountability matters. But accountability is not the same as vengeance. Somewhere, somehow, we have to be willing to recognize each other's humanity and find a path to something beyond violence and retribution. It was this re-orientation toward compassion and mercy that Jesus knew could bring humanity to a new day - a day that made earth like it is in heaven. Not for the next life, but now. It was these stories and teachings that inspired the earliest Unitarians and Universalists. And it is these stories, among others, that still inspire our work for more justice, more peace, and more love here and now.

AJ Levine ends her commentary on the parable with these words: “Can we finally agree that it is better to acknowledge the humanity and potential to do good for the enemy, rather than to choose death? Will we be able to care for our enemies, who are also our neighbors? Will we be able to bind up their wounds rather than blow up their cities? And can we imagine that they might do the same for us? The biblical text - and concern for humanity's future - tell us we must.”

Easter is a day of joy and celebration a reminder that the death dealing ways of the state cannot suppress the force of love, compassion, and true justice in the world. But you know, some years it is harder to get to the Alleluias. Some years, we know we have a long and difficult road ahead. Still, hope is found in remaining committed to what we love and acting aligned with our values to create the world we need to thrive. And it is found in nurturing community, courage, sanctuary, joy and mutuality in our own families and communities. And everywhere, at this time of year, we can still be fed by the beauty of Spring's rebirth, the warmth of the sun returning, the fountaining of birdsong and younglings, and of course, the cacophony of color and beauty in the abundance of the spring flowers. It reminds me of the quote a UU laywoman told me a long time ago. I have never found the source, but the truth remains. “We asked for a miracle. We were given Spring.”

Let us sing to the beauty of Spring and the promise it brings to our spirits. May it give us strength and courage to keep choosing hope, and to keep showing up for love.

1 AJ Levine. Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi. Chapter 2. Harper One, c. 2015