There is a lot of noise in the news today as state and federal officials butt heads over how to handle the "crisis" on the US/Mexico border. This topic is highly contentious, and far more complicated than most commentators want to admit. We are trying to condense an array of issues into one simple binary: walls, or open borders? Of course this polarizing dichotomy only serves to escalate political divisions.
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I have a lot of opinions on the various issues involved, from human trafficking and the drug trade to labor laws and welfare. I may address those matters in the future. First and foremost on my mind is the many Christians leaping onto the Republican bandwagon of calls for razor wire and fences. If you call yourselves Christians, why not ask what Christ says instead of what Trump says? Even if you don't call yourself a Christian, I urge you to consider the Judeo-Christian perspective as everyone leaps to moral judgement.
All scriptural passages below are from the World English Bible because it is a project to place the scriptures in the public domain. If I have erred in my copying, please let me know so I can correct it.
Old Testament
This is just a selection from the Torah/Pentateuch, but these commandments are also repeated every time Israel is reminded of God's commandments by later prophets.
You shall not wrong an alien [also translated as sojourner, foreigner] or oppress him, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. You shall not take advantage of any widow or fatherless child. If you take advantage of them at all, and they cry at all to me, I will surely hear their cry; and my wrath will grow hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless. (Exodus 22:21-24)
If a stranger lives as a foreigner with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you lived as foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God. (Leviticus 19:33-34)
‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, fatherless, and widow.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ (Deuteronomy 27:19)
I am well aware that modern theologians are divided as to how much and how many of these Old Testament commandments apply to modern issues, but this theme is absolutely pervasive. While the oldest commandments include tithes and offerings, charity to the poor, and the Year of Jubilee, none of this should be considered an endorsement of the modern welfare state. That's a topic for another post. More relevant is Samuel's warning when Israel demanded a king and all the trappings of then-modern political structures.
He said, “This will be the way of the king who shall reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them as his servants, for his chariots and to be his horsemen; and they will run before his chariots. He will appoint them to him for captains of thousands and captains of fifties; and he will assign some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest; and to make his instruments of war and the instruments of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers, to be cooks, and to be bakers. He will take your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, even your best, and give them to his servants. He will take one tenth of your seed and of your vineyards, and give it to his officers and to his servants. He will take your male servants, your female servants, your best young men, and your donkeys, and assign them to his own work. He will take one tenth of your flocks; and you will be his servants. You will cry out in that day because of your king whom you will have chosen for yourselves; and Yahweh will not answer you in that day.”
But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.” (1 Samuel 8:11-20)
When has this warning ever proven false? What has changed since Samuel's warning when Israel demanded a king?
New Testament
The core of my conflict with Christian Nationalism ais the actual teachings of Christ Himself. As noted by @creatr in a recent post, "Christ" means "Anointed One," or "King." As Christians, we are to have no king but Christ. Jesus is a living rebuke to the ways of a fallen world, and an example for us to follow. I question any Biblical interpretation which assumes man's governments are legitimate and their borders are to be respected. According to the story of the temptation in the desert, Jesus completely rejected political authority.
Again, the devil took him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. He said to him, “I will give you all of these things, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’” (Matthew 4:8-10)
Jesus did not challenge Satan's claim to hold the reins of global political power. Instead, He flatly rejected the offer as contrary to God's will.
In the usual interpretation of the tribute penny story, we are usually told this means we should obey political authorities. This may be prudent to avoid conflict, but I contend nothing is Caesar's. I suggest it was not a commandment to obey political powers, but rather a deeper challenge to their legitimacy. A king is an imposter, a fraud, a usurper. In the context of the story, the Pharisees and Herodians sought to trap Jesus into incriminating Himself so the Romans would kill Him, or into discrediting Himself as a true prophet so the Jewish multitude would reject Him. His answer instead exposed his accusers. The coin they presented was likely a denarius which declared Caesar to be the son of his deified predecessor, making the coin itself a graven image of a gentile idol with a blasphemous inscription. In any case, are you a disciple of Caesar, or Christ?
“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took me in. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?’
“The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you didn’t give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me in; naked, and you didn’t clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
“Then they will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn’t help you?’
“Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you didn’t do it to one of the least of these, you didn’t do it to me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-45)
Yes, the media and politicians will present every immigrant as a suspect for child trafficking, drug smuggling, espionage, sabotage, or myriad other crimes. Is this accurate, though? How many are really doing anything truly criminal? Are most of them not instead among the least of these?
I know, I know. A lot of people will say they're here to siphon off America's welfare programs, take our jobs, infect us with diseases eradicated long ago in First World nations, and so forth. This is all either outside the scope of Christian concerns, or dead center in the bullseye of who we are called to serve.
But Jesus summoned them, and said, “You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. Whoever desires to be first among you shall be your bondservant, even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28)
The Kingdom of God is not something we can manifest politically, but instead a calling to subvert the expectations of the world. We are to serve, not rule. And national borders are irrelevant to us.
Your Turn
Believe me, I know this is well outside the mainstream theological descriptions of politics, culture, and Christian duty. We are to follow the narrow way, not false prophets. Weigh the words of politicians, pundits, and yes, bloggers like me, against scripture.
For you, brothers, were called for freedom. Only don’t use your freedom for gain to the flesh, but through love be servants to one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:13-14)
I know politics has infected everything, but if you are a Christian, whose commandments come first? Remember, a man cannot serve two masters. As my Muslim friends might say, any truth here is God's, and any errors are mine. If you believe any of these verses and passages are misinterpreted or taken out of context, please correct me if I am wrong. We are to be iron sharpening iron, after all.
