Caravan

In Matthew 25, we find that Jesus rewarded those who obeyed Him and exercised compassion; we can recognize that He is calling us to make sure we are thinking correctly toward those in need.  We can read:
37 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?
38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
40 And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

This passage certainly demonstrates to us the love of Christ and can cause us to reflect on how we measure up.  It's very easy to isolate ourselves and think inwardly about our own needs or those of our family.  But, God wants to expand our vision, to see our neighborhoods, our church families, and those in need in our cities and communities, who are perhaps destitute and desperate, needing to experience a touch from a person who knows Christ who can show him or her His compassion.

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We can challenge our own thinking to check on how we are regarding those who are different than we are.  In Jeremiah 22, we find that the prophet was sent to the King of Judah - we see a reflection
of God's heart here:
3 Thus says the Lord: "Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.
4 For if you indeed do this thing, then shall enter the gates of this house, riding on horses and in chariots, accompanied by servants and people, kings who sit on the throne of David.

A caravan of individuals, comprised of people who have left home countries in Central America, are advancing on the southern border, seeking safe passage in the United States.  The timing and coordination of this event are curious: it began just days before the 2018 mid-term election and appeared to be well-organized - it's hard for me to believe that it's spontaneous.

So, when you see these people as they make their way through Mexico, how do we respond as people who love the Lord and desire to love other people?  This is a group that is clearly being manipulated to make a political statement; but you do have real people, some of whom, I would imagine, are legitimately facing oppression in their home countries.  So, joining with thousands of other people may seem like an acceptable solution.  But, what happens when this throng gets to the border?  Will it be orderly or chaotic?   How will the admission of thousands seeking asylum affect government resources?   And, who is really behind this?

A number of Christian leaders have offered their opinions on the matter.  Tony Perkins of Family Research Council, according to a HuffPost article, stated:

“Scripture does speak to the poor, it does speak to the immigrant, but it also speaks to the rule of law,” Perkins told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. “In fact, in almost every instance you read in the Old Testament about taking in the poor, immigrant and stranger, it is then that they have an obligation to operate by your customs and laws. It’s the assimilation, it’s the rule of law.”

There was an op-ed in the Washington Post recently from Dan Darling, a former pastor who now works for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.  When ERLC wants to distribute an opinion far and wide, it often will go to the Post, who willingly provides space, it seems.  Writing about the caravan, Darling writes:

We should remember that all human beings, including immigrants, were created in God’s image. Followers of Jesus should lead the conversation by recognizing the humanity of those who seek to enter our country and should reject language that assaults their dignity. And we should be the first to speak up for the stranger.

Certainly, these are human beings; yes, made in the image of God.  And, I think it's tragic how they are being manipulated to make a political statement.  But, questioning the legitimacy of the caravan does not equate with questioning their dignity.  Darling then relates the talking points about how many people are being taken in:

Admittedly, the United States cannot take in all the world’s most vulnerable, and our elected officials have a responsibility, according to Romans 13, to keep us safe and to set reasonable limits. But surely the wealthiest and freest nation in the history of the world can, in a time of economic prosperity, take in more than we do?

Can we?  Is that prudent?  Those in the know, including a Christian man named Mike Pompeo, the Secretary of State, say otherwise.   But playing a numbers game on immigration is certainly not a Biblical issue.

ERLC, as a member of the Evangelical Immigration Table, a subsidiary of the National Immigration Forum, an open-borders organization that has received funding from George Soros, has advocated for accepting more refugees and immigrants into the country - they were even opposed to a common-sense pause on accepting refugees from countries which are breeding grounds for terrorists.  Darling leans on that other popular talking point:

Young children are separated from their families and, at times, are tragically unaccounted for. Christian brothers and sisters fleeing persecution and terror are turned away. And our process for giving asylum seekers the chance to make the case that the United States should grant asylum is deeply flawed.

Now, Darling needs to talk to fellow Table member World Relief, an organization that receives Federal funds for resettling refugees.  When the President suggested prioritizing Christian refugees, they and others, said "no."

It is unfortunate that the U.S. government, in trying to enforce its immigration law, has separated children from their parents.  But, the parents are culpable: they bring their children along with the intent of using them to get into this country or allow them to be trafficked in.  It's tragic, but the parents are intent on breaking our laws.  Yes, they are human beings, made in the image of God, but the Bible also teaches that those who break the law will be punished.  And, criminals in our U.S. justice system are separated from their children.

Samuel Rodriguez, who, even though the organization he heads, the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, is part of the afore-mentioned Table, he is certainly not towing that line.  In an interview with James Robison at The Stream, he stated that:

We are a sovereign nation. As a sovereign nation we not only have a mandate, we have a responsibility and a clarion call to protect our borders and protect the sovereignty of our nation.

He also said that the existence of a caravan of thousands was a "recipe for chaos."  He states:

I do believe the vast majority of individuals coming up are good-hearted people. But, they are good-hearted people being exploited by political operatives from Honduras. We are privy to the fact that a leftist leader in Honduras initiated through social media the first caravan. So the purpose and timing of it to coincide with the mid-term election is not in any way a coincidence. There is an intentional political objective behind this caravan coming up at this precise moment.

Yesterday border officials reported 70 percent of those coming are not women with children, they are single men. This is critical. These are individuals that have the physical wherewithal and fortitude to seek employment if not in Honduras or Guatemala, in Mexico.

He points out that caravan members rejected asylum in Mexico. He questions the wisdom of this "caravan" approach, saying, "If you want to seek asylum, come with your family and present your case to a legal port of entry. But do not bombard our border and then say, '...we are coming in — legally or illegally.' That’s not the way to seek asylum in the USA in any shape or form."

Robison stated:

As surely as we have to protect our own homes from wrong individuals coming into our homes, the nation is also our home and we have to protect it. The biased media tries to make it look like lack of compassion. It wouldn’t be lack of compassion if you kept a trespasser or a pedophile or some dangerous person from coming into your home. The same thing applies to the nation.

Rodriguez responded:

Absolutely. But as a Christian leader who has worked with several presidential administrations, I really want to reconcile the rule of law with our compassion. I don’t believe it’s either or.

And, the President has issued a proclamation saying that asylum cases would only be processed if those seeking it come to a "point of entry," i.e. not illegally.

Jesus spoke in Matthew 25 about welcoming the stranger.  We should have compassion on the "strangers" that God brings our way.  But, welcoming does not mean "recruiting."  America is a land of opportunity and people want to come here.  And, we should welcoming them - legally.  Just think about those who want to come in the right way who will not be allowed to because of this political stunt south of the border.  I believe that godly men such as Pompeo and former AG Jeff Sessions have wanted to strengthen our laws and to allow people to immigrate to America legally, in the right manner.

We have to remember the importance of balancing compassion with the rule of law.  And, if people don't come the right way, we should not bend our laws to accommodate them.

We can also search our own hearts to identify our views toward those who have different cultural backgrounds.  We are not called to minister only to those who look, act, or think like us.  Christians are called to be compassionate to those who are different than we are.   We should guard against allowing fear to be a driving force in our policy views; we are certainly not to fear those whom the Bible calls "strangers," but called to minister to them.