Eliza Tan

Sometimes, if I’m honest, it can be hard to get along with foreigners.

There are a few in my housing estate who don’t seem to understand the local culture. They talk loudly, cut the queues for food at my favourite coffee shop, and rush for seats in the bus and MRT.

Often, in the void deck below my home, I’d find migrant workers taking naps on the ground in the afternoon, and wonder,

Then there are the foreign students staying in the flat below mine. They seem to like moving their furniture in the middle of the night and slamming doors throughout the day.

Throughout the Bible, God makes His welcome towards strangers unmistakably clear. We can see this in how He instructed His people Israel to treat the foreigners who lived among them with love:

God starts off by saying foreigners are to be treated as “native-born”—an instruction that goes against our cultural instinct to protect our local way of life. And then He goes to the next level, saying, “Love them as yourself”—a call as significant as the commandment Jesus gave us to “love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:31).

God also reminded His people that they were once foreigners in Egypt, where they lived as slaves for hundreds of years. Having been outsiders and “undesirables” themselves, the Israelites should have had compassion for the strangers in their midst.

We see God’s attitude towards strangers most clearly when we look at what He has done for each of us.

This is an incredible example of what God’s love looks like towards strangers, and what we should be imitating.

Jesus himself knew what it was like to be a foreigner. He left His home in heaven to become a stranger on earth. As He once said, He had “nowhere to lay his head” (Luke 9:58).

At the same time, Jesus never sought to align himself with the culture and expectations of the people around Him. As a stranger on earth, His focus was on His real home in heaven. He knew He was heading for a far better home—one that welcomes people of all cultures and backgrounds.

We are heading for our new home with Him in heaven.

Therefore, we know what it means to be foreigners. As Paul wrote to the church in Philippi: “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). Our home is with God, by His side in heaven. If we know what it is to be away from home, we know what it is to be longing for a safe place.

So, we have much more in common with today’s strangers than first meets the eye. Many of the strangers around us are hurting and lonely. We can open our lives to them, so they can see the life, welcome, and home that God offers.

National culture, personal safety, identity, social standing, and upbringing can all easily become idols which shape our opinions and views of others.

But we no longer need to follow the standards of this world.

Now, as heavenly citizens, we have the culture of Christ instead. This new culture should drive our thinking and perspectives, replacing the native cultures we may have been born into. This is especially important when it feels like our natural instincts are making us hide away from others. In Christ, we shouldn’t be held back by our culture or personal perspective.

Jesus gave up His life in order to make strangers and enemies the very family of God. This is the reason we welcome strangers. We should want them also to enter the safety of God’s home. If we can see people through God’s eyes, putting aside our own preferences, we will want to give the lost and hurting real hope and friendship.

Are we ready to let this define us and our relationships?

God is full of concern and love for these people. If we do not share this concern, we need to ask ourselves why. It is important that we talk to God honestly about our fears and discomfort so that He can help us change and remove whatever barriers we have.

The book of Hebrews reminds us that we are receiving a “kingdom that cannot be shaken” (12:28). It then goes on to remind us to show “hospitality to strangers”, among other commands (13:2). Because we are constantly getting closer to that kingdom, showing biblical hospitality is essential.

What does it mean to share Jesus with a stranger? It means showing them active, practical love and welcome. It means actively seeking to meet the needs of those around us (James 2:14–17), as well as explaining what Christ has done for us. Loving the stranger in our midst is an extension of loving our neighbours (Matthew 22:39).

Of course, this has become more challenging in recent times. As a society, individuals have grown more private and closed off—sometimes, even to our physical neighbours! To love the foreigners in our midst, we can start with praying for change in our hearts.

We can start with reaching out to the foreigners in our own social circles and community—whether it’s in church, in our workplace, or around our neighbourhood.

One example that has struck me is that of a woman who goes around my neighbourhood giving bags of ice to migrant workers cleaning her estate, for cooling down or adding to their drinks. It cost her very little to do so, yet it is a simple, thoughtful gesture catering to a tangible need.