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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
"Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt." Exodus 22:21
“Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt." Exodus 23:9
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Have you ever been alienated or oppressed at some time in your life?
If so, you’ll agree that it isn’t a very pleasant experience.
As we look at the scriptures, we see examples of how people were mistreated and ostracized simply because they were of a different nationality or religious persuasion. It’s been an issue since the onset of humanity.
Take the Israelites, for example. They had suffered through 430 years of enslavement at the hands of the Egyptians and were now on their way to Canaan when God addresses them at Mount Sinai, issuing them commands in regard to the way He expected them to live as His people.
As we see in today’s verse, God speaks out against any maltreatment and cruelty of aliens, an advance warning to His people as they were about to encounter cultures who were neither aligned with their nationality or religious practices. To underscore His point, we read where God reminds the Israelites of their own isolation and persecution at the hands of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. It’s obvious that He wanted them to not forget how they had been treated when it came to dealing with others who were in similar circumstances.
Now, let’s fast forward to today where ongoing discussion about the matter of illegal immigration, a hot button topic that seems to be in the news every day.
In regard to public opinion, we can see where there’s a large segment of society that has decided to turn exclusionary and deem that others don’t have a right to live within their midst unless they gain citizenship. In other words, people have to prove that they are worthy to live in a nation before they gain approval to do so. If approval is not gained, then we deport people elsewhere, a way of getting rid of them without any regard to what would happen to them after leaving. If someone who is not legally a citizen breaks the law and commits a horrible crime in our country, the discussion can change but short of that, people within a nation have assumed the position of judge and that privilege is to be with God and Him alone.
Another part of the debate on this issue comes from an underlying fear that we will somehow get short changed if we let too many "others" into our country. The argument is that there’s only so much capacity when it comes to social programs and that capacity should go to legal citizens first. Overall, this is a pompous attitude of superiority and selfishness that has proven to only divide us instead of unite us as God’s people. After all, what right does anyone have to mistreat and oppress anyone when they’re just trying to do what we are trying to do, have a decent life day after day?
Sometimes I wonder how God must feel all this, about the way we choose to treat others, especially those labeled as “aliens” in the world today. For when we read the scriptures, we not only see a verse like the one today in the Book of Exodus but also these words from Jesus Himself, His response to being asked about the greatest of all the commandments.
"Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:39
The command forces the following questions:
Do we really do this?
Do we truly love our neighbor as ourselves?
Or do we pick and choose who we think our neighbor is and then follow the command?
In regard to the latter question where one might wonder who qualifies to be considered a “neighbor”, Jesus provides an answer in the following passage from Luke’s Gospel:
"But he (an expert in the law) wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
In reply, Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.”
“A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.”
“So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.”
“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'”
"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise." Vv. 10:29-37
After reading this parable, who would you be most like in this parable?
The priest or the Levite, two men of God who the hearers of this parable would have most expected to stop and render assistance, chose not to. Instead, they left the man there for dead while passing him on the other side of the road.
And then the Gentile Samaritan came along, one despised, hated, and isolated by the Jews. He was the one that Jesus’ audience would have least expected to do something good, and yet, he was the one who showed mercy and compassion, literally saving the man’s life.
In His parable, Jesus not only said that we are a true neighbor if we imitate the actions of the Samaritan but He commanded us to do as he did. Note that Jesus provides no exemptions here. Every single believer is to show mercy and compassion to everyone who is down and out, not discriminating based on cultural background.
When it comes right down to it, we all have an innate desire and need to be accepted, loved, and treated fairly. Through the words of Jesus, we see where exchanging this acceptance and love is mandated as we love our neighbors as ourselves while treating them with dignity, mercy, caring, and compassion.
Go back and reflect on your feelings about “illegal aliens” before you read this message today.
Has your attitude shifted after considering the words of Jesus?
Are you ready to be obedient to what the scriptures call us to do, to treat all people with love and care, making a difference in the lives of others, no matter how much they might differ from ourselves?
Before I close, I would like to share one more passage with you, this one from chapter 1 of Paul’s letter to the Colossians. There, we find this:
"Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel." Vv.21-23
Friends, all of us were “aliens” at one point in our lives, literally alienated from the very God who created us. This alienation from our Maker and Master happened because we were oppressed and held captive by the sins that were set to destroy us and seal our eternity in Hell.
But then God did something incredible.
He didn’t pass by us on the other side of the road, ignoring us in our time of need. Instead, He, like the Samaritan in Jesus’ parable, took action, sending His only and only Son from Heaven to earth so to serve as a sin sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. And through His death, Jesus purchased our deliverance and pardon, setting us free from the penalty of Hell through an amazing display of mercy, compassion, grace, and love. Through our belief in Him as Savior, we are no longer alienated from God but rather now considered His children.
If God refused to allow us to perish as aliens, opting instead to rescue and save us, what right do we have to wish the worst for those labeled as such today?
It’s a question we all would do well to consider as we challenge our attitudes on the subject of illegal aliens in our society today.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
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