FB TOPIC: “Do you think Jesus would care that they ‘Aren’t from our country?'”

TOPIC: “Do you think Jesus would care that they “aren’t from our country”?

The Nugget:

Mat 25:35  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

Mat 25:35  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, (ESV)

Mat 25:35  When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, (CEV)

 

My Comment:

A very nice friend on Facebook posted the topic above. That post has attracted quite a lively discussion! I include only my three comments. The last comment did not post. Fortunately, I saved the comment before attempting to post it.

My first comment:

He most certainly would care! Jesus would be against lawlessness. Jesus could never support the violation of God’s written word found in the Bible. National borders are divinely ordained.

Deuteronomy 32:8
8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.
King James Version

Deuteronomy 19:14
14 Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour’s landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.
King James Version

Here is the note on Deuteronomy 19:14 which is included in my Bible study software resource, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:

Deuteronomy 19:14
shalt not remove. Note: Before the extensive use of fences, landed property was marked out by stones or posts, set up so as to ascertain the divisions of family estates. It was easy to remove one of these landmarks, and set it in a different place; and thus a dishonest man might enlarge his own estate by contracting that of his neighbour. Hence it was a matter of considerable importance to prevent this crime among the Israelites; among whom, removing them would be equivalent to forging, altering, destroying, or concealing the title-deeds of an estate among us. Accordingly, by the Mosaic law, it was not only prohibited in the commandment against covetousness, but we find a particular curse expressly annexed to it in Deu_27:17, A similar law existed among the Greeks, as appears from Plato; and Numa Pompilius made this crime capital. Josephus considers this law a general prohibition, intended not only to protect private property, but also to preserve the boundaries of kingdoms and countries inviolable. *Deut 27:17, Job 24:2, *Pro 22:28; *+Pro 23:10, Hos 5:10, Act 17:26.

Notice the cross reference given to Acts 17:26,

Acts 17:26
26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
King James Version

The principle of the inviolability of national boundaries is therefore also a New Testament principle. Notice “the bounds of their habitation.”

There is much more in the Bible that relates to this question, but I think I have highlighted some principles that Jesus would not violate. It would be much better to solve the problems in the countries these people are fleeing than to open our borders to everyone who wants to come here illegally.

My second comment:

From what I have read and studied about our current border crisis, there are many strange anomalies. Remember that the news sources generally available to all to see and hear are extremely biased and unreliable.

In the first place, it is my understanding that under international law, refugees are to seek asylum in the first country they come to upon exiting their own country. This would seem to be Mexico, not the USA.

In the second place, the videos I have seen of the crowds of refugees coming to our border are well dressed. Some are even carrying the flags of the country they are allegedly fleeing from.

In the third place, if individuals are asylum seekers, they surely should not be breaking our laws as their first act by entering our country illegally.

In the fourth place, it is a known and widely reported fact that there is a significant number of individuals among the group of alleged refugees that are gang members who have committed serious felonies in their own countries. They are dangerous, lawless individuals.

In the fifth place, allowing such a great number of alleged asylum seekers into this country seriously negatively affects the available entry-level job opportunities of poor people, minority people, and those already here who need to have access to entry level jobs.

In the sixth place, we need to ask and find the answer to the question: who is funding this operation, and what are their motives? Any individual or group who favors lawbreaking on such a wide scale is highly suspect to me.

THE ANSWER may well be to strictly enforce on all employers the law, already in place, that requires the consistent use of “e-verify,” and make the penalty for breaking that law or for the failure to enforce that law so high that all employers will enforce it or go immediately out of business.

The principle is simple and straightforward: Where there is no penalty, there is no law.

Jesus Himself warned that one of the signs of the last days would be lawlessness. That is just what we see before our eyes going on with the massive, unrelenting assault on our borders.

No other country in the world has the policy of “open borders.” It would be an unwise policy for us to have such a policy here.

My third and final comment:

Alexis Epps That is a link to some very good material. Thank you for sharing it here. I listened to the entire podcast. I also downloaded for reference their study about how aliens are to be treated according to the Bible.

The three professors did not address the issue as directly as I did in my comments above. I did find their reference to Ezekiel 47:22 to be most helpful. That may have been the only direct reference to the Bible text by chapter and verse included in the podcast itself.

Their document containing a Biblical study about aliens and their treatment does include an abundance of good Bible references.

The professors seem to be addressing problems that they assume exist at the border. The main issue I heard them bring up is the matter of separating children from their parents.

That matter may have been corrected since they thought through their position.

But there are other issues they no doubt could not address in the brief time available even in a 48 minute podcast.

For example, the claim of a family relationship between children and alleged parents is often questionable. Children may be being used as a means for adults claiming to be the parent to enter this country illegally.

The solution appears to be to stop making it so easy to break the laws of this country and get away with it. If the laws we already have were properly enforced with real penalties, then the crowds of individuals now seeking to enter this country illegally would be greatly diminished. I mentioned this in my comment above about enforcing E-verify. I myself as a teacher in Detroit at one point had to produce proof of my citizenship! I see no problem in requiring others to do the same.

There is much in the Bible itself that instructs us how we are to treat genuine aliens. That is a whole different issue. That is likely the aspect almost every other commenter here is addressing.

The aliens and foreigners in the Bible were not trying to enter Israel illegally. They were not trying to overrun Israel. They were not being illicitly attracted to come to the land of Israel for the purpose of changing permanently the demographics of the country for political purposes as is the case with what is happening at our southern border at this time. They were not being enticed to enter Israel as a source of cheaper labor to displace the native citizens by depressing wages artificially.

So, as for what the Bible itself teaches about how innocent aliens and strangers or foreigners are to be treated, the Bible is most clear and insistent.

God will severely judge both individuals and nations which treat others unjustly.

I think that Malachi 3:5 is one of the most striking verses in the Bible about this. I will give this verse in three different English translations (King James Version, English Standard Version, and the excellent and very clear Contemporary English Version):

Mal 3:5  And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts. (KJV)

Mal 3:5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts. (ESV)

Mal 3:5 The LORD All-Powerful said: I’m now on my way to judge you. And I will quickly condemn all who practice witchcraft or cheat in marriage or tell lies in court or rob workers of their pay or mistreat widows and orphans or steal the property of foreigners or refuse to respect me. (CEV)

 

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