We are Called to Love the Stranger
When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native-born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 19:33–34
The Lord “executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”
Deuteronomy 10:18–19
You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
Exodus 23:9
Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”
Matthew 2:13
… for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me…
Matthew 25:35
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.
Hebrews 13:2
The sudden detention of a member of the La Grange faith community, Pastor Chavez of First Baptist Hispanic Church, was a punch in the gut, leaving a family and a church in a tailspin.
Anyone who has studied Scripture at length knows its persistent concern for the orphan, the widow, and the stranger. The passages above are only a small sample. Again and again, we are called to love the stranger, feed the stranger, clothe the stranger, seek justice for the stranger, and refuse to oppress or mistreat the stranger— for we, too, or once strangers in this land. How quickly we can forget our own immigrant roots.
These passages also remind us that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, facing violence at the hands of Herod, fled suddenly into another country. In Matthew 25, Jesus identifies himself with the stranger: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” For Christians, then, the treatment of immigrants is not merely a political question. It is a matter of faith, discipleship, and how we receive Christ in our neighbor.
The overwhelming majority of immigrants in the United States have lawful status. Others arrive or remain under a complicated range of circumstances. They come to work. They start businesses and create jobs. They fall in love. They build homes and families. They pay taxes and become part of communities. Overzealous immigration enforcement can suddenly separate people from those families, congregations, workplaces, and neighborhoods. Faithful law-enforcement are redirected from stopping chrome to hunting for immigrants. Latinos in particular become objects of suspicion, even pastors serving their neighbors.
Unauthorized immigration is also more complicated than our slogans suggest. Some come without authorization; others enter legally and struggle to renew their visas when it is time, due to a hopelessly backlogged immigration system; still others live here with temporary or precarious protections. Our immigration system is complex and often slow. People of faith should ask what our policies do to children, families, congregations, and communities— and whether our public life reflects justice, mercy, and love of neighbor.
As a nation, we need to do some serious soul-searching. Scripture repeatedly warns that we reap what we sow. If we sow contempt, injustice, and discrimination, those things will bear fruit. If we sow kindness, justice, and compassion, those things can bear fruit as well.
The unknown author of Hebrews urged followers of Christ never to neglect hospitality to strangers. We may discover, the writer says, that in welcoming the stranger we have entertained angels unawares.