Have Christians Lost Sight of What Jesus Taught About Love?
In a world divided by politics, nationalism, and fear of outsiders, what does it mean to love our neighbor? Should love be ranked—starting with family, then extending to fellow citizens, and only then to the rest of the world? Or did Jesus call us to something far more radical?
Is It The Left Inverting Christian Teaching?
JD Vance recently said:
"There is a Christian concept that you love your family and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens, and then after that, prioritize the rest of the world. A lot of the far left has completely inverted that."
Jesus did not teach us to love that way. Examining Scripture and history reveals a more inclusive vision of love.
The Medieval Concept of Ordo Amoris
Vance is right—there is a Christian concept of a structured order of love. I was surprised to learn this, but it comes from medieval Catholicism, not from Jesus. The idea he references is known as ordo amoris, a concept developed by thinkers like St. Augustine and later expanded by Thomas Aquinas. It’s not found in the Bible and Jesus certainly didn’t teach it. It suggests that love should be prioritized: first toward God, then family, then one’s local community, and finally, the rest of the world.
While ordo amoris provides a way to think about responsibilities, Jesus’ teachings flipped these human-made hierarchies. He constantly reached beyond social and national boundaries, teaching that love is not meant to be rationed—it’s meant to be radical.
Why I Left Christianity but Still Follow Jesus
One of the reasons I stepped away from organized Christianity was hearing arguments like Vance's from church leaders. I knew in my heart that Jesus' radical love—the kind that welcomes the outcast, heals the broken, and embraces the stranger—was the love that was right. But too often, I saw the church focus more on power, politics, and exclusion than on Jesus' simple but profound command to love.
I still follow Jesus, but I no longer identify with the institutional church. I recently saw a meme that said:
"Christianity won’t be destroyed by people turning away from God, but by Christians turning away from the teachings of Jesus."
That hit home for me. Christianity isn’t struggling because of outside threats. It’s struggling because too many of its leaders and followers have abandoned the core of what Jesus taught. In his book Christianity Must Change or Die, Bishop John Spong argued that the church must evolve and embrace inclusivity to survive. I read that book decades ago, hoping the church would wake up. But honestly? I don’t think it will. Again and again, the institutional church has resisted change, clinging to outdated structures that push people away instead of drawing them in with love.
Jesus' Radical Call to Love
In a time when division and nationalism are pulling people apart, we need to return to what Jesus taught. He didn’t limit love to family, neighbors, or fellow citizens. Instead, He challenged the social norms of His day—and continues to challenge us now.
What the Bible Says About Loving Others
We often think of the Hebrew scriptures (Old Testament) portraying a harsh and punitive view of God. But a careful reading reveals a profound call to radical love.
Love in the Old Testament
The Hebrew scriptures make clear that love isn’t just for those who look like us or share our background. Leviticus 19:34 says:
"The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God."
This command doesn’t just suggest kindness—it demands love for the foreigner as if they were one of your own. Deuteronomy 10:18-19 echoes this, describing God as one who "defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners."
The Teachings of Jesus
When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18:
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’" (Matthew 22:37-39)
Someone then asked a critical question: "Who is my neighbor?" (Luke 10:29). Probably some smart ass who thought he already knew the answer to the question. Of course, it would be his Jewish brethren. Jesus answered with the parable of the Good Samaritan.
The Story of the Good Samaritan
To answer the question, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus told a story that would have shocked His listeners.
A man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho when robbers attacked him. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him, and left him half dead on the side of the road. A priest came by, saw the man, and passed on the other side. Then, a Levite, a religious leader, did the same. (These are the “good people”)
But then a Samaritan—a person from a group that Jews at the time saw as enemies—came upon the injured man. Unlike the priest and the Levite, the Samaritan felt compassion. He bandaged the man’s wounds, put him on his own donkey, and took him to an inn where he paid for his care.
After telling the story, Jesus asked, "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The answer was obvious: "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus then told His audience, "Go and do likewise."
The History of Jewish-Samaritan Hatred
The animosity between Jews and Samaritans went back centuries. It began with the division of Israel into two kingdoms after King Solomon’s reign. The northern kingdom, Israel, which included Samaria, was eventually conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BCE. Many Israelites were exiled, and foreigners were brought in to settle the land. These new inhabitants intermarried with the remaining Israelites, creating what became known as the Samaritans. This group held to a version of the Torah but worshipped on Mount Gerizim instead of Jerusalem.
Jews saw Samaritans as impure, both ethnically and religiously, because of their mixed lineage and differing religious practices. Samaritans, in turn, resented Jewish claims that they were the only true followers of God. By the time of Jesus, this hostility had grown so deep that Jews and Samaritans generally avoided all contact.
One striking example is in John 4 when Jesus speaks with a Samaritan woman at a well. She is shocked that a Jewish man would even acknowledge her presence, saying, "You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (John 4:9). This exchange shows just how rare and scandalous any interaction between the two groups was.
The Shocking Message of the Good Samaritan
By making a Samaritan the hero of His parable—while respected religious leaders ignored the wounded man—Jesus was making a radical point. Your neighbor isn’t just the person who looks like you or shares your nationality. It’s even the person you’ve been taught to despise.
Imagine Jesus telling this story today with an undocumented immigrant, a Muslim refugee, or a homeless addict as the hero. It would be just as shocking now as it was back then.
Love Without Borders
Jesus didn’t teach a love that stops at borders. He said in Matthew 5:44:
"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
Paul reinforced this in Galatians 3:28:
"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
The Real Threat to Christianity
JD Vance’s claim that love should be prioritized in a strict order, putting fellow citizens above others, doesn’t match what Jesus taught. Christian Nationalism is an oxymoron. While it’s natural to care for those closest to us, Jesus made it clear that love isn’t about national identity—it’s about the heart. Jesus calls us to rise above natural tendencies. To love those who are like us, who love us, is easy- even “sinners” do that. The real danger to Christianity isn’t people expanding love’s reach. It’s those who are trying to limit it.
If we genuinely want to follow Yeshua’s command to love our neighbors as ourselves, we have to redefine who our neighbor is. Love doesn’t stop at artificial boundaries—it reaches everyone.
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