This morning I posted five
categories of Bible texts that demonstrate how the Christian
individual’s treatment of immigrants and refugees can be guided.
The example
of the Law of Moses shows that the resident foreigner or stranger was a
recognized class under the law. They were objects of love and reminders of
their own past (Leviticus
19:33-34). They were not to be taken advantage of. The law required
equal justice, fair treatment and proper consideration for them, and they also
enjoyed most of the same rights as the Israelites.[i]
The law even made some provision for escaped foreign slaves.[ii]
See Deuteronomy
23:15-16.
Our
Christian duties to all teach us to treat all persons with hospitality, respect,
honesty, patience, prayer, peace and love. There is no exclusionary clause in
our Christian duties that remove foreigners and strangers from these
exhortations. There is no excuse provided for Christians so that we can treat some
people well and other people badly. We owe others love and kindness, and above
all, the gospel (Mark
16:15, 1
Corinthians 10:33).
Like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who were strangers
in the land where they dwelt, so Christians are strangers in a strange land – citizens
of a heavenly kingdom that is not of this world. Our Christian “otherworldliness” ought to constantly remind and explicitly
teach us what it means to be foreigners, what it is like to be from somewhere
else, and how the strangers in our land may feel (Hebrews
13:14). We should be able
to relate. It is high time that we be shaken from our sleep and remember these
things (Romans
13:10-12)!
The example
and sayings of our Lord are the supreme exhibition of love and compassion
on guilty sinners. His mercy extended to strangers as well as Jews (Luke
17:11-19), to the poor as well as the rich (Luke
4:18), to the outcast as well as the in-crowd (Luke
15:1-2).[iii] The taught the
unteachable, reached the unreachable, touched the untouchable and loved the unlovable.
The character
of God acquaints us with a view of a world larger than our own. God is
Creator the heaven and the earth, and made all the people thereon of the one
blood of Adam and Eve. He alone can say all
souls are mine, establishing reverence how we come near each soul that
belongs to him. Not only is God the creator and owner, but he is also the
sustainer of all that is. He is judge of all the earth (Genesis
18:25). The creator, owner, sustainer and judge of all the earth is
no respecter of persons.
Much more might be written, but the Bible presents
a God who is creator and ruler of all. Our self-importance pails when we understand
that fact. Yet that God has demonstrated through the Scriptures that he
relates to all his creation throughout history, giving them command, precept
and example to guide them in this world. The Christian individual’s treatment
of immigrants and refugees can be guided unequivocally from these commands,
precepts and examples.
To be concluded (d.v.)
[i] In some cases differences
are noted – such as some dietary restrictions, leadership possiblities, usury.
Cf. Deuteronomy
14:21, Deuteronomy
15:2-4, Deuteronomy 17:15, and
Deuteronomy
23:20.
[ii]
Verse 16 – he shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he
shall choose in one of thy gates, where it liketh him best – suggests this is a
foreign slave or servant, perhaps escaping from tyranny and oppression to live
among God’s people. This would not have applied universally to all servants who fled
from their masters, since the Law of Moses itself allowed for the institution of
slavery. Certainly we can see some application in the present, especially in
the cases of refugees escaping tyranny and oppression, death and destruction.
[iii] Jesus put the welfare of
people before strict interpretation and traditions of the law – such as healing
folks on the Sabbath (Cf. Luke
13:10-17) – and demonstrated the hypocrisy of folks who would water
their oxen or their asses on the Sabbath while objecting to healing on the
Sabbath!
No comments:
Post a Comment