Intercultural Integration – How a Foreigner Should Show Compassion for the Native Citizen

Last updated on: May 31, 2018 at 7:10 pm by Jim Erwin

Intercultural Integration – How a Foreigner Should Show Compassion for the Native Citizen 2018-05-31T19:10:26-05:00 Jim Erwin

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

How a Foreigner Should Show Compassion for the Native Citizen

But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, “Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
(Luke 10:29-37 NKJV)

In this parable Jesus explains the importance of having compassion for others, especially those we are to consider our neighbor. When asked “Who is my neighbor?”, Jesus uses a specific example. He uses this example because Jesus is answering a “Teacher of the Law” – a religious Jew. As a religious Jew, he should have compassion on other people. Yet, in the parable that Jesus gives, the religios Jews do not have compassion on thier fellow citizens. Instead, it is a foreigner who has compassion on the citizen.

The fact that the foreigner, and not the fellow citizen shows compassion on the citizen underlies an important principle for Christians who want to integrate into a new culture. The foreigner will have to make an extra effort in integrating into the culture, and that will require showing compassion on the native citizen.

Here is the comparison we can make from this story:

Samaritan and Jew
Foreigner and Native Citizen
Christian and Unbeliever

The location for this story is very important to the plot of the story. Jesus describes an incident that happens on the “road from Jericho to Jerusalem”. This was a difficult road that flows down from the hillside in the Judean hills. It was tough terrain and not very secure. It was in the area where someone could be easily injured. (We could compare it to the “rough part of town” – mostly where foreigners would travel.)

The location gives us an important clue into how we can integrate into the culture. We should be intergrating with foreigners and native citizens. This means that we do not seperate ourselves from the new culture in isolation. We go where the people would be, and sometimes this means the difficult areas of town. We should not try to avoid the areas that we do not want to travel.

The circumstance of this story points to the problem that all of us have as Christians. Religious people should have compassion, and yet in this story they do not have compassion. On two occassions, the religous people (who would have the obligation to help) avoid the one who is injured. The text even implies that the religious people saw the injured man and that the injured man probably saw the religious people. Despite eye contact, the religous people try as hard as possible to avoid the injured man.

Only the Samaritan comes to the rescue. The fact that it was a Samaritan in a foreign land who helps the native citizen, tells us a principle. One of the ways you can begin to integrate into the culture is to start having compassion on the native people around you in your new culture.

Here, Jesus explains SIX specific acts of compassion:

So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, “Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’
(Luke 10:34-35 NKJV)

He goes to the injured man
He gives injured man medical care
He carries the injured man using his own resources
He brings the injured man to safety
He takes care of the injured man
He pays with his own money for the needs of the injured man

Integrating into the culture requires changing my response in how to deal with the native people in my new culture. Changing my response can happen when I learn to have compassion on the native citizens around us.

intercultural integration

simple thoughts

Previous Post

March 15, 2006

Homosexuality is False Marriage

Next Post

March 22, 2006 Bringing the Gospel to the People of Your New Culture

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 1 Chronicles 1 Corinthians 1 John 1 Kings 1 Peter 1 Samuel 1 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Chronicles 2 Corinthians 2 John 2 Kings 2 Peter 2 Samuel 2 Thessalonians 2 Timothy 3 John Acts Advent Amos Book Review Colossians Comics Culture Watch Daniel Deuteronomy Ecclesiastes Ephesians Esther Exodus Ezekiel Ezra Galatians Genesis Guest Post Habakkuk Haggai Hebrews Hosea Humor Inspiritational Isaiah James Jeremiah Job Joel John Jonah Joshua Jude Judges Lamentations Lectionary Lent Leviticus Link Love Luke Malachi Mark Matthew Micah Movie Review Nahum Nehemiah Numbers Philippians Political Watch Prophecy Watch Proverbs Psalm Revelation Reviews Romans Ruth Science Watch Sermon Series Sermons Simple Thoughts Song of Solomon Titus Top Ten Uncategorized Video Review Zechariah Zephaniah

Select a Month May 2026 October 2025 September 2025 June 2025 February 2025 January 2025 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 July 2024 June 2024 April 2024 March 2024 January 2024 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 June 2023 May 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 January 2022 June 2021 January 2021 October 2020 July 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2009 June 2008 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 October 2006 September 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 September 2005

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many chapters are in the book of Psalms?

Select your answer to see how you score.

150 100 120 200