You asked

how does this command to invest in a foreign city prepare the ground for jesus's wider call to love strangers?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Jeremiah 29:7

“Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to Yahweh for it; for in its shalom you will have shalom.”

This verse is part of a letter sent by the prophet Jeremiah from Jerusalem to the Jewish exiles living in Babylon after their forced relocation. He is advising them on how to live during their captivity, urging them to settle down and contribute to their foreign environment rather than resisting or hoping for an immediate return.

What does it mean to seek the flourishing of a place, even when you feel like an outsider or captive within it?

Then — the setting

Jeremiah wrote this letter around 597 BCE, after the first wave of Judah's elite had been deported to Babylon. The exiles were in a foreign land, under an oppressive empire, and many prophets were offering false hope of a quick return. Jeremiah's message countered this, urging them to settle, build homes, marry, and invest in the long-term well-being of Babylon. This was revolutionary advice, going against the natural inclination to resist or separate from their captors and pray for their downfall. It challenged the common understanding of divine blessing as solely tied to the land of Israel.

Across the Testaments

In the Old Testament, particularly before the exile, God's people were often encouraged to maintain distinctiveness from surrounding nations, sometimes even to the point of conquest or separation. Jeremiah 29:7 marks a significant shift, urging active participation and positive contribution within a pagan, oppressive society. The New Testament, through Jesus's teachings, significantly expands on this. While Jeremiah's command focuses on the collective well-being of a foreign city as a means to the exiles' own flourishing, Jesus's call to love enemies and strangers (Matthew 5:44, Luke 10:25-37) is more radically altruistic, seeing inherent worth and dignity in all people, regardless of their status or relationship to the believer. It moves from 'your shalom is intertwined with theirs' to 'their flourishing is intrinsically valuable, and you are called to contribute to it.'

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Matthew 5:43-48
Jesus teaches his followers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them, extending the scope of care beyond one's own community.
Luke 10:25-37
The parable of the Good Samaritan defines 'neighbor' expansively, including those considered outsiders or even enemies.
1 Peter 2:11-12
This letter encourages believers living as 'foreigners and exiles' in the world to live honorable lives among non-believers, influencing them positively.

Ask your own follow-up