There are some questions that just seem to defy answers, and one of them is particularly important to those of us who live in borderlands.
What do you do with the illegal alien?
Some say deport 'em all, some say make them citizens immediately, and most of us just wish the problem would go away.
But the problem has a name, a face, and a heart, and a Father in Heaven.
Some are looking for opportunity, some have evil intentions, and some are desperately fleeing an unspeakable horror.
What might the Bible have to say?
Well, in Leviticus 19:33-34 we find...
And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
Hmmm. That makes me a bit uncomfortable, a responsibility I don't really want.
Let's try again.
Deuteronomy 27:19 says,
Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.
That doesn't help me ignore the issue, either.
Another shot at it... maybe the New Testament will be more reasonable.
Paul said, in Galatians 3:28,
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
And that brings us 'round to everyone having a Father, and a Saviour.
I am not comfortable with that, but I suspect God doesn't care about my comfort.
He cares about my soul, and about making me truly His heir, right alongside Jesus.
Scary stuff.
To break the serious mood, here's Genesis, with the very non-PC Illegal Alien
I had not considered the verses about strangers in the OT in connection with illegal aliens, but they sure do paint a different picture than what we usually see. And there’s always the Golden Rule— treating others as we would want to be treated.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, thank you...I was not really expecting what I found in looking into this, and, I guess, into my own heart.
Deletethank you for this, Andrew. i find it most unsettling to see people who name the name of Jesus respond to this crisis in ways that are callous and cruel. each soul is precious to the Lord. our faith should inform our politics.
ReplyDeleteI can always count on you to stretch my thinking!
ReplyDeleteAndrew, I like how you show God's compassion. They also built walls around Jerusalem. Being shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves takes the wisdom of God.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this, Andrew.
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