[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.3″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
This month\u2019s Waypoints manga, \u201cThe Well<\/a><\/strong><\/span>,\u201d features a cross-cultural encounter.<\/p>\n We live in a time when many people around the world are divided over cultural differences<\/strong>. At best this keeps people at a distance from each other, but at its worst it leads to discrimination and even violence.<\/span><\/p>\n But of course, this is nothing new<\/strong>. For example, you may have noticed from our stories that in Jesus\u2019 day, the Jews and Samaritans didn\u2019t get along.\u00a0<\/span>But why?<\/strong> Some might compare the hostility between these two people groups to a \u201csibling rivalry.<\/strong>\u201d They came from the same roots and had a lot in common, but over time, racial, political and religious differences drove them apart. By Jesus\u2019 time, the hostility between these two groups had gone on for centuries.<\/span><\/p>\n The Samaritans<\/strong>\u2019 ancestry is not completely clear, but generally it is believed they descended from Jews in the northern region of Israel who had intermarried with and been influenced by foreigners. They shared many of the same religious beliefs as the southern Jews, but did not accept all of the Hebrew Scriptures as authoritative. Of course, both the Samaritans and Jews believed their own group was right. These differences, along with several incidents of conflict throughout their history, meant that by Jesus\u2019 time, Jews and Samaritans mostly avoided each other.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.waypoints.jp\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Cross-Cultural-Jesus-01.jpg” _builder_version=”4.17.3″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” title_text=”Cross-Cultural-Jesus-01″ hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ align=”center” width=”75%” max_width=”75%”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.3″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n On more than one occasion, Jesus<\/strong> went through Samaritan territories that most of his fellow Jews would have stayed away from. When his disciples angrily condemned Samaritans who rejected them, Jesus showed forgiveness and good will (as seen in \u201cThunder Bros\u201d<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n
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Jesus, though, was different.<\/strong><\/h4>\n