Immigration and the Christian Nation

Leviticus 19:34 - “You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; have the same love for him as for yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt.”

Like it or not, America identifies itself as a Christian nation. Nearly 80% of Americans describe themselves as having a Christian orientation. Of course, that by itself does not make us a Christian people. In fact, in light of the recent repressive Arizona legislation on immigration, I would say that we are far from the ‘kingdom of heaven at hand’ that Jesus implored us to manifest on earth.

Our founding fathers were predominantly Christian and unabashed in espousing their Christian views. In fact, the Constitution is infused with Christian concepts and values. Many of its authors readily acknowledged this and referenced the Bible as a source of guidance and inspiration in forging the historic document. For those offended or threatened by America’s Christian identity, you may be missing the point. Instead of arguing against this association, it may be prudent to challenge the rest of us to actually live up it. If in fact we were to live up to the Christian “call” then those Americans who are not Christian would feel more welcome and accepted than they do now. Why? - Because of Jesus’ teachings and examples of how we should treat each other. Let’s take a closer look at what it means to follow Christ - to be a Christian people?

If we are going to claim Christianity as our personal and perhaps national identity then I think we should be required to measure ourselves, in every instance, to Christ. Christ is the ultimate litmus test, if you will, for any who wear his name on their sleeves or car bumpers for that matter. If we are “Jesus people” then to Jesus we must look to define ourselves in every position and action we take. Jesus said that ‘we can not serve two masters, only One.’ As Christians, we must be loyal to God in all things and place nothing or no one before Him. To be a Christian is to look to Jesus as the source of knowledge and authority in our lives. Jesus is the highest authority in the life of a Christian, period. Not the Supreme Court, nor the American flag and certainly not any individual can supersede the name and authority of Jesus Christ. What then does Jesus tell us about immigration – or more precisely, about how we are to treat “aliens”?

Although immigration is not talked about directly by Jesus, he has lots to say about how we should treat the poor, the marginalized, the scorned and even the “illegals” among us. And make no mistake about it, the vast majority of people we are calling “illegals” today are the poor. Perhaps his greatest teaching in this regard is revealed in the story of his intervention with a woman who is about to be stoned to death for her crime of adultery. She was a woman probably doing what she had to do to survive – ‘a woman of the night’, as they used to say. There were scant career opportunities for women in society at that time and somehow, through whatever unfortunate circumstances befell her, she took to prostituting to make ends meet. The authorities of the day discovered she had been with a married man – and yes, “been with” in the biblical sense. Such behavior back then was punishable by death - for the woman. The cheating husband suffered no societal repercussions. The priestly authorities accosted Jesus as he approached the scene to test his fidelity to their laws. They already suspected that Jesus was a bit of a rebel and so here they were presented with a golden opportunity to ensnare him into speaking out against their laws. But he didn’t take the bait! He didn’t argue about the relative virtue or corruption of their man-made law. He simply posed an invitation to all who were present with their stones in hand, ready to pounce on the “illegal”. He said ‘let those who have no sin, cast the first stone’. Slowly but surely, the chastised and shamed throng dissipated. When left alone with the woman, he added, ‘neither then do I condemn thee – go forth and serve God ‘.

In this story, we can substitute any scorned person from modern culture and imagine Jesus responding in the same way to the situation. For today’s purpose, let’s put an “illegal alien” in place of the woman. We’ll call him Hector. Hector has just completed a most horrible journey through rat and disease infested sewer systems to cross the border from Mexico to the U.S. He is extremely poor, uneducated and mono-lingual. He left his family of a wife and three children behind in the hope of finding a better life in America. He intends to send for them as soon as his hope is realized. First and foremost, he is motivated by survival. He also aspires for his family to have opportunity. Although basic physical needs drive human behavior, essential to the soul-health of human beings is the survival of hopes and dreams. Without these, life is not worth living. Hector dreams of a better life for his children.

Hector emerges from a sewer drain onto a paved American street. He marvels at the quality of the pavement. As he crawls out of his hole, he sees a crowd approaching him. The mob quickly forms around him. They have stones, guns and knives. Jesus, a local teacher and profit, who some accuse of being nothing but a troublemaker, approaches the angry crowd. Jesus is asked to sanction the impending violence and is reminded that the law is very much on their side. After all, they witnessed first hand Hector’s “illegal” entry into the country. Jesus responds by chastising the crowd: ‘Have you forgotten what I taught you; to love your neighbor as yourself?’{Mark 12:31} He adds: ‘let any of you who are blameless, fire the first shot’. Does the crowd dissipate? I’d like to think that we would. Of course, in a true Christian nation, the only crowd that would gather would come bearing gifts of welcome. For isn’t Mexico our closest neighbor to the south?

We can not criminalize survival or basic human hope. Such God-given instincts fueled the Israelites exile from Egypt to search for a promised land. It has fueled every exile and migration since. Let’s be honest, America. The obstacles we have created for so-called legal entry into our country – to an uneducated, poor, monolingual guy like Hector – may as well be a towering barbed wire fence along the border {which we’re in the process of building in some form at present}. The process is designed to keep the “Hectors” of the world out. Highly educated people with financial means may find the process of immigration daunting but the poor have no chance. Since we are a Christian nation, we must look to Jesus for our answers in dealing with this or any issue. What then does Jesus teach us about how we are to treat the poor?

There are a multitude of accounts in the Bible where Jesus encounters the poor. They come to him as lepers, homeless, disabled and deformed, mentally ill and shunned ethnic and cultural groups. In all cases, he demonstrates unflinching acceptance and compassion. There are no exceptions. He heals, serves and embraces the ‘least among us’. In fact, the only people he shows any scorn for are those he deems to be hypocrites in positions of power. He calls them a ‘brood of vipers’! Apparently, God does not take kindly to those who identify with His Holy name and then turn around and treat their brothers and sisters on earth with contempt. Beware, America! By identifying ourselves with God – a Christian nation – we have much to live up to. Jesus, that is.