Shatter the Stereotypes of “Us” and “Them”

Biblically speaking, there were, perhaps, no two groups who disliked each other more than the Jews and the Samaritans.  Geographical neighbors, the disdain felt by the Jews can best be summed up by the fact that they placed Samaritans below the Edomites and Philistines in esteem and termed them a “foolish people.” Where, you might wonder, did all of this animosity come from?

Some believe that it goes all the way back to the Patriarchs. Before his death, Jacob (aka Israel) blessed Joseph (his favorite son) by calling him “a fruitful bough by a well” (Genesis 49:22).  When the Promised Land was divided up, the fertile land that became Samaria was given to the sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh.  This, of course, led to resentment of the Samaritans just as the Coat of Many Colors led to resentment in the time of Joseph’s youth.

“Modern” Biblical discord, if you would, probably began when the Jews returned back to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile.  It escalated when, in the 5th Century BC, a rival temple was built on Mt. Gerizim in Samaria.  Gas was thrown on the fire of discontentment, if you would, when the Samaritans refused to resist the attempt of Antiochus Epiphanes to promote Hellenistic worship in the area.  As you can see, by the time of Jesus there was ample cause for the two groups to dislike each other. 

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