So…….to begin with…….just exactly who is a sojourner?
“This Hebrew term and its translation convey the basic idea that a person (or group) is residing, either temporarily or permanently, in a community and place that is not primarily their own and is dependent on the “good-will” of that community for their continued existence.” Oxford Bibliographies Jun 26, 2019
This is a timely topic as we are watching a major shift in our government. The Trump administration built a wall and resisted immigration. The Biden administration has stopped building the wall and signals that it will be much more open to immigration.
Many immigrants are legal…….many are not. Today, I am not focused on what U.S. law says about immigrants ; but, rather what the bible teaches us about immigrants. When our law and the bible are in conflict, I think that the bible trumps the law.
I will begin with the idea that the terms immigrant and sojourner are pretty much synonymous.
So what does the bible teach us about sojourners?
The Jewish people were sojourners in Egypt. They were treated well during the time of David……later they were enslaved and treated poorly. Reading between the lines, an earlier pharaoh got good marks for his treatment of Israel during David’s time and a later pharaoh got very bad marks for his behavior leading up to the exodus.
In the parable of the good Samaritan, a transient is beaten by criminals and then cared for by a stranger who applies “Rule number 2″……”Love your neighbor”. Jesus teaches the pharisees that this rule is to be interpreted broadly…….your neighbor is just about everyone. The sojourner……..is your neighbor. So is the immigrant. And here is the hard part.
The sojourner is your neighbor……..even if he is here illegally.
The “alien” is your neighbor…….even if she is here illegally.
I want to be clear here. I am not talking about drug cartels and criminal gangs. I am taking about the “illegal alien” who harvests the food that we eat…….cleans the hotel room…….picks up litter along the highway.
The only conclusion that I can draw from the Bible is that we are to show hospitality to the sojourner…….to the immigrant……to the “illegal”.
The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
God, NIV
“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Jesus, NIV
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me .’
Jesus, NIV
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
Paul, NIV