The Bible and Immigration

Transcription

1 The Bible and Immigration Rev James P. McIlhone When asked to comment on what the Bible has to say regarding immigration, there are two major paths that one can take first, enter the words immigration and Bible into a search engine such as Google or Bing, or second, do a concordance search on an electronic bible on the words, stranger, foreigner 1, sojourner or alien. The first yields a significant number of hits which can be categorized according to the biases of the site that contains the hit. Just as in the greater debate on immigration in our country there are two camps those of favor immigrants and those who wish to see them deported. On the internet web sites people seem to use the Bible to justify each position. Thus, I felt it would be better to try the second which yielded a significant number of results. Curiously, the vast majority came from the Old Testament with only a few from the New. There seems to be a greater interest in the immigrant in ancient Israel than in the New Testament world. As I wondered about that, I came to the realization that in a manner similar to our own country, ancient Israel could be said to have its origin in immigrants. Those who seek the origins of ancient Israel will turn to one of two places Abraham or the Exodus. The very first command that God (Yaweh) gives to Abram makes him an immigrant, Go forth 2 from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father s house to a land that I will show you (Gen 12:1). Abram is to leave the land where he is settled and go out into the unknown to a land known only to Yahweh. He is called to trust and faith, and that faith makes Abraham and his family immigrants. Coupled with the command to become immigrants is the promise that Yahweh will make Abram a great nation Abraham obeys the command of Yaweh (Gen 12:4) becoming an immigrant and that acceptance allows the fulfillment of God s promises of son, land, and nationhood. Thus Israel began. It s not a command of God, but rather the search for religious freedom that marks the beginning of our great nation. The Pilgrims and Puritans and several other packed up, left their homelands in Europe and came to this country as immigrants in search of a freedom which would allow them to practice their religion in a way unfettered by any governmental opposition. And similarly for the two centuries of our countries existence, people have become immigrants seeking freedom and a better life. Very truly, we are a country of immigrants. 1 The foreigner is the person who is irreducibly other, a non-belonger in some respect. The Hebrew words for Foreigner have in general a negative connotation; the New Testament uses a variety of terms for Foreigner Three of these are compounded with the Greek word for other and the fourth has a root meaning of strange. 2 lit, take a little walk for yourself

2 Further, Abraham not only travelled to the area that would become Israel, he travelled from there into the territory of other peoples as in Gen 23 where he finds himself an alien in the territory of the Hittites seeking a place to bury the members of his family who have died particularly, his beloved wife Sarah. He is treated will by the Hittites who see him as a mighty prince and allow him to purchase the Cave of Machpelah facing Mamre to be the ancestral burial place. Abraham s descendants, Isaac and his son Jacob settle in the land that Yahweh had directed Abraham to migrate into and are well settled until a great famine afflicts the area all the way down to Egypt where one of Jacob s younger sons has been sold into slavery; yet has risen to a position of power next to the Pharaoh because of his foresight in preserving grain for just such a catastrophe. Jacob sends a delegation of his sons to Egypt to seek help since he had heard that there were provisions there. Genesis 42:7 tells us that the brothers came to Joseph whom they did not recognize; yet, he recognized them but preferred to treat them like strangers/aliens and spoke sternly/roughly with them. Yet later, Joseph reveals his identity (Gen 45:4) which leads to Joseph arranging for the entire family to migrate/immigrate to Egypt until the famine subsides. Joseph, Jacob and all the family passed away in Egypt yet their descendants continued to multiply. After nearly 400 years of dwelling in Egypt, another Pharoah who knew nothing of Joseph came to power (Ex 1:8) and began to oppress the family of Joseph and Jacob reducing them to slavery to help in his great building project, the cities of Pithom and Ramesses. This enslavement becomes the catalyst for the Israelites to seek freedom under the leadership of Moses. This movement toward freedom leads to the exodus in which Israel leaves Egypt and returns to the land promised to Abraham, yet another (im)migration. In this other scholars see the birth of Ancient Israel Again, a parallel with the foundation of our Nation. Toward the middle and end of the 18 th century, what would become the United States was a group of colonies under the rule of the British Government. The British did not reduce the colonies to slave status as did the Egyptians to the Israelites, but they did impose hard taxes and injustices on the colonies which sparked the American Revolution through which we won our freedom and our nation was born. The promise of the Land to Abram, and the Exodus through which Abraham s descendants took possession of that land were two moments in the establishment of Ancient Israel, two moments which significantly involved immigrants and (im)migration. In the later law codes that were drawn up for the Israelites that fact was clearly brought to the fore. Israel was to have special concern for the stranger or the alien. They were not to be oppressed. And the reason for such was a remembrance that they (more precisely their ancestors) were strangers and aliens in the land of Egypt (Ex 22:21; 23:9) In fact, the

3 stranger or alien among them shall be to them as a native. The same treatment applies as does natives. Hence they must love the stranger as they love themselves (Lev 19:34) 3 and again the reason given for this is they were strangers in the land of Egypt. Finally, in the laws concerning harvest, the borders of fields are to be left for those who glean i.e. the poor and the stranger. In a similar vein, in a web posting, Anthony Robinson in speaking of what the Bible has to say on immigration draws a similar reasoning from the foundation and history of our own nation. We must treat the stranger, the immigrant well because most Americans are descendants of immigrants. There is another rather large group of sayings on immigrants in the Exodus law Codes that seems to be left out of any discussion of immigrants and the Bible These laws stem from the basic legal tenet that the law shall be the same for the resident alien as for the native (Gen. 12:49; Num. 9:14; Num. 15:15-16). Thus, Exodus commands that an alien who celebrates the Passover must be circumcised; the Day of Atonement Fast applies to the stranger and the alien (Lev 16:29), the laws concerning offering of Sacrifice applies to the stranger and alien (Lev 17:8; Num. 15:14) as well as the proscription against eating blood (Lev 17:10, 12), and the command to pour out blood of the hunted animal and cover it with dust (Lev 17:13). Lev. 18:26 notes that the laws protecting the sanctity of sex apply to the stranger and alien also. And finally Deut. 1:16 specifies that righteous judgment is expected not only between a man and is brother; but also between a native and an alien. This seems to show that although the stranger and alien is to be treated hospitably, there also is a requirement that the stranger and the alien obey the laws of the land and not expect any special treatment. This is taken further by some on the Internet websites who cite a New Testament version, Rom 13:1-7 which says Let everyone obey authorities that are over him, for there is no authority except from God, and all authority that exists is established by God. This is interpreted as God expects us to obey the laws of the government. The ONLY exception to this is when a law of the government forces you to disobey a command of God 4 Then this website states its basic premise illegal immigration is the breaking of a governmental law. And then draws the conclusion, it is a sin, rebellion against God, to illegally enter into another country. It seems that this is a rather broad and prejudicial reading of Romans. Romans is saying that we must obey authority because the government receives its authority ultimately from God, and thus to disobey authority is to disobey God. Two observations on the Got Questions website and others like it who argue from Roman 13. Did not we show above that the command to love the stranger as ourself, and not to oppress the stranger and alien are from God. And if illegal entry into a country is against the governmental law what about the exodus, 3 Leviticus 19:18 commands that they should love their neighbor as yourself where it is clear that neighbor is one s fellow countryman. Lev 19:34 extends that to the alien who resides with you. 4

4 the conquest where Israel returned from Egypt, the Pilgrims and Puritans etc. Were they all legal? Did Joshua and his kin have their passports, legally issued, checked and stamped at the immigration checkpoint upon entering Canaan. Did the pilgrims stop and have their passports checked at the 18 th century version of Ellis Island before setting foot on Plymouth rock? I think there is a bit of flawed logic in using Rom 13 to justify extradition of aliens. The prophets have a more negative view toward the foreigner. They see the foreigner as the oppressor, the destroyer, the plunderer. And that makes sense because in the period of the prophets the Assyrian and after them the Babylonian empires were oppressing, destroying and plundering the people of Israel and ultimately the Babylonians caused the second great (im)migration of the people if Israel, the Exile into Babylon which lasted for about 38 years. As a result of the oppression, plunder and destruction of the prophetic period, Israel took a somewhat inclusive attitude wishing to have nothing to do with the foreigner. We find this in the legislation on inter-marriage which dates from the time of Ezra and has lasted up to this day where it is frowned upon when a Jews marries outside of the Jewish faith, especially a Jewish boy marrying a Gentile girl. 5 The New Testament continues the tradition that strangers and aliens are to be treated well, loved as self, and not oppressed. In the last Judgment scene in Matthew 25, the treatment of a stranger plays a prominent role. One criterion for those welcomed into the kingdom is I was a stranger and you welcomed me (Matt 25:35, 38), and similarly a criterion for those banished from the kingdom is I was a stranger and you did not welcome me (Matt 25:43, 44). Hence one s attitude toward the stranger is key for entry into the Kingdom. This follows perfectly with the Old Testament dictate we cited above. However, the connection to the sojourn in Egypt is not mentioned. The letter to the Hebrews expresses a similar sentiment Do not neglect hospitality to strangers. Hebrews does give a reason from the Old Testament. Abraham provided hospitality for three visitors who later turned out to be angels sent on mission by God himself (Gen 18:1-15). The moral of that Abraham tradition could be broadened out to say Treat all well; you never known whom it is that you are entertaining! 3 John also reinforces this You demonstrate fidelity by all that you do for the brothers even though they are strangers. We see a restatement of the principle that strangers are to be treated as though they were brothers/natives. In the Gospel of Matthew we see Joseph gathering his wife and newborn son, at the request of an angel, to go hastily to Egypt where he becomes an immigrant in a foreign land fleeing the wrath of King Herod the Great. I am sure that part of that preparation process did not include a trip to his safety deposit box in the First National Bank of Bethlehem to fetch their passports for the journey. The length of their stay in Egypt is not specified. Its end is signified by yet another appearance of an angel who tells him that Herod is dead, those who 5 This is because according to Jewish/Rabbinic law a Jew is defined as a child of a Jewish mother.

5 had designs on the life of the child are dead. (Matt 2:20). And so Joseph returns to his homeland, but not to Judea but rather the northern area of Galilee. In the Acts of the Apostles, we see that Peter and Paul both minister is lands that are not native to them. Peter moves progressively westward until he ends up in the capital of the empire Rome. Certainly his status in Rome is that of immigrant since his native land is Bethsaida in Galilee in Israel. Paul similarly makes three journeys through the regions of modern day Turkey and Greece preaching and evangelizing. He is a native of Tarsus, born a Roman citizen to practicing Orthodox Jewish parents. He is educated in both the Hellenistic and Jewish schools, and so brings the best of both worlds. Paul, as a Roman citizen, may have the ability to travel the empire without question, yet he still finds himself in several places that would class him as an immigrant. His final journey, taken as a result of his request to have his case heard before the emperor brings him to the great city of Rome where he may hold citizenship but surely through language, culture, and religion he found himself to more akin to the immigrant than the citizen. Thus we can see that even the foundation of our church owes much to immigrants who were willing to leave their native lands and evangelize preaching the word of God throughout the Roman Empire. The final set of texts develops the theology of the Land. Lev 25:23 notes that Yahweh says, the Land is mine, and you are but aliens who have become my tenants. In Leviticus, this principle is used to set up laws concerning the redemption of property. In I Chronicles 29:15, David expresses a similar idea in his blessing of the Lord at the dedication of the Temple, We stand before you as aliens: we are only your guests, like all our fathers. Such a statement is based on the principle that the Land is Yahweh s and those who possess it are guests of Yahweh and their disposition of the Land ought to be with that in mind. The New Testament takes this notion and expands it in two ways. First Philippians 3:20 notes that our citizenship is in heaven; from there we eagerly await the coming of our Savior. If we are citizens of heaven, then we are strangers or aliens on this earth which the Old Testament has told us belongs to God. This has implications for how we treat the land, the question of ecology; but also it has implications for how we treat those we call stranger or alien or immigrant. If God owns the land, it is not up to us to say who belongs or who does not. The Letter to the Ephesians takes a slightly different twist using the image of citizen and alien. Eph. 2:12 when addressing the Gentiles i.e. those who are not of the people of Israel, the uncircumcised notes that in former times they had no part in Christ and were excluded from the community of Israel. In other words they were stranger or aliens to the

6 covenant and its promise. The author of Ephesians further defines this situation as they were without hope and without God in the world But now In Christ they have been brought near through the Blood of Christ. In other words, they are strangers and aliens no longer. No, you are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God. What this means is that in Christ the status of the stranger or the alien, the immigrant is changed. They are granted citizenship i.e. rights of the native, they are adopted into the household. They are no longer outside but rather inside. So what the Bible tells us is that we need to look at our history both national and religious to realize that our ancestors were in a position of being immigrants, strangers and aliens and as we would expect to have them treated we must treat the stranger, alien and immigrant in our midst. But that does not give the stranger, alien or immigrant privilege; they are subject to the same laws as we are it is expected that they contribute Further in faith we are all immigrants, strangers and aliens in this world. But the New Testament work of Christ allows the foreigner to become a member of God s household. We are, through Baptism in Christ and that fact needs to govern our attitude toward the stranger, alien and immigrant in our midst.