Includes bibliographical references (pages 159-169) and indexes.

Series preface -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- The Preamble -- Who is my neighbor?: Luke 10 for the life of the church -- The good Samaritan in Christian tradition: what you see depends on where you stand -- Mercy and the neighbor: reading the parable -- Samaritan lives matter: is the church engaged in good trouble? -- Conclusion: Imagining a "Samaritan" for the life of the church -- Bibliography -- Scripture index -- Subject index.

The story of the good Samaritan in Luke 10 is one of Jesus's most well-known parables. It continues to fascinate readers with its powerful imagery and ethical significance. In this exposition, New Testament scholar Emerson Powery shows how this classic and beloved text can speak afresh to the life of the church today. Powery explains that in every generation, followers of Jesus need to be reminded that mercy is a natural consequence of faith. Jesus's parable of the good Samaritan emphasizes this point in a dramatic way by placing an "enemy" as the central hero of the story. Powery explores diverse interpretations of the good Samaritan, carefully investigates this parable within the theology of the Gospel of Luke, and connects the parable to contemporary events. The book encourages readers to think through the ethical implications of this story for their own contexts.