"Love Thy Neighbor": Theological Interpretation of Karl Barth

“Love Thy Neighbor”: Theological Interpretation of Karl Barth

SHEA Chi Fung

“Love thy neighbor” is one of the most popular biblical phrases. We often use it to advocate caring for the poor in our communities. This paper is intended to offer a different reading. In Church Dogmatics I/2, Karl Barth suggests that the biblical notion of “my neighbor” is not a receiver of help but a benefactor sent from God to bring the divine compassion to God’s children. The main contribution of this paper is to make available this theological reading to the Chinese Christian communities. The paper has four sections. The first two sections are an account of Barth's objection to the popular reading of this commandment and his exposition of the story of Good Samaritan (Lk10:25-37). They are followed by an analysis of the Christological ground of his reading. In the final section, a critique from Christian educational perspective is offered and some practical suggestions to Barth's theological interpretation from the tradition of Spiritual Senses are given.