Just then, Jesus’ disciples arrived and were shocked that he was talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” — John 4:27
The current emphasis upon migrant deportation and the turning away of people seeking asylum is heartbreaking. The foreigner in our land has been cruelly and crudely stereotyped, as if they’re either asking for a handout or breaking the law. As one immigrant in Springfield, Ohio, said in an interview, “We’re law-abiding citizens — all we did is to be Haitian. We didn’t think we’d be treated like this.”
Jesus’ disciples discriminated as well, as demonstrated in their murmuring when they saw Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman. Jesus, though, knew that stereotyping is the enemy of compassion. You can’t love the person if all you see is the fear-driven caricature.
Today’s political climate challenges Christians to love as Jesus loves. The bigger and louder the stereotype, the greater the mandate to get to know the person who breaks that stereotype. What are ways, through church and in community, that we can identify with Jesus instead of questioning him?
Jesus took time to talk with the woman and get to know her. It changed her life. That’s simply what happens when we respect each person as a unique, treasured child loved by the God Jesus called Father.
We have to have laws and they have to be followed or we won’t have a free country. Ask any legal migrant what they had to do to become a citizen. That’s the kind of country I want to
I would like to see more such teaching and preaching from all levels of all faith organizations(churches), Greg.
Part of the problem is that immigration has become a political issue, one that could be solved if congress had the will to do it. But it’s too good of a political issue to solve. We need to begin to put our issues up front instead of being re-elected.
If only the so called “Christian’s” could actually follow in their leaders steps, this world of ours would be so less broken.
Jesus knows even more than we do, that we cannot take every immigrant into the U.S. All He asks of us, is to love His children with kindness and respect, while we figure these problems out.. Instead we have people calling these poor scared people names and treating them inhumane.
All I can say is; But for the Grace of God, there go I.”