I have for a long time weighed the question as a Christian, who is also an American, how do I respond to immigrants, strangers, refugees, and illegal aliens in the country that I reside. Is it my job to keep people out of this country or is it my job to invite them into the Kingdom of God? I don’t believe this is a Republican or Democrat issue, but a human issue. How do we treat people as followers of Jesus? So my first priority must be to discover God’s heart towards the stranger and to understand more of how I should respond as His follower.
Just a quick glance at Scripture will tell you all you need to know about God’s heart for foreigners and strangers in the world, and how we ought to treat them.
Exodus 23:9 – “Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt.”
Leviticus 19:10– “When you harvest do not go over your vineyard a second time, or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien among you. I am the Lord your God.”
Leviticus 19:33-34 – “When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat them. The alien must be treated as one of your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”
Deuteronomy 10:18-19 – “He [God] defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.”
Ezekiel 16:49 – “This was the sin of Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.”
Matthew 25:35 – “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.
Hebrews 13:2 – “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”
I didn’t even mention the good Samaritan story in Luke 10. I don’t think anywhere in the story does the Samaritan look at the person hurt on the side of the road and wonder are they here legally or illegally?
It comes down to us learning to serve and love all people. The greatest of the commandments, Jesus says, is to love your neighbor as yourself. It also says that again in Galatians 5:14. How do we do that? We welcome the stranger. We love the alien. We care for the refugee because they are human beings first and foremost and loved dearly by God.
This video is about 40 minutes long, but it talks about the need for immigration reform. I am not saying we don’t care who we allow in, but that we recognize that we are talking about real people and real families that are getting divided up because of these laws. Real reform must happen and my hope is the church will always be on the side of the family and the people, that is definitely what I see in the heart of Jesus. I hope you get a chance to watch it sometime, and continue to make a difference for Christ in this world.
~Blake
Complete in Christ 