Would Jesus Shoot Refugees?
A good title should grab the reader's attention and stimulate a desire to read further to see the connection between the title and the body of work contained therein. I have intentionally picked a title that has probably provoked more than an idle interest in you dear reader, in fact, you might be approaching this with some irritation or righteous indignation. Let me assure you from the outset my desire is not to be blasphemous or sacrilegious, but rather to use a satirical picture and a rhetorical question to get your attention. We live in a time when fiery rhetoric rules the day, from talk radio to social media and especially in the political arena. Whether they are self-made YouTube celebrity preachers advocating violence against Planned Parenthood to Donald Trump wanting to locate, label and limit the religious expression of all Muslims (are internment camps that far away), to the president of the largest evangelical university proclaiming that he packs heat and isn't afraid to use it, the voice of Jesus often gets lost in the din of macho slogans and tough guy posturing.
The purpose of this blog is not to try to unravel the intricacies of the gun control debate nor is it to champion the cause of a particular political party (I have almost equal amounts of revulsion and disgust with both sides). I am coming to the table as a Christ follower; therefore, I need to look both at what He said and did to be my guide in how to respond to violence as well as the treatment of strangers (also known as immigrants, aliens, and refugees) who come to live among us. My goal is not to chide you if your conclusions are different, but to share with you the processes that have led me to my current convictions; as well as answer questions that have been posed to me on Facebook by friends and family, many of whom have a strong disagreement with me on these issues.
Love Your Enemies
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shares with his followers, the full extent of the Mosaic law. He counters the prevailing wisdom of the day taught by the religious rulers with the phrase, "You have heard that is was said..." Jesus takes his listeners beyond the teachings of the elders into the deeper intention for which God gave the commandments. This detail informs us of the fullest extent of the depravity of men's hearts.
Beginning in verse 38 Jesus takes on the issue of retaliation and violence:
"You have heard that is was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 5:38-45a)
It is normal for human beings to want to defend themselves from violence by any means necessary. Self-preservation is an innate response to a hostile threat. I will be the first one to tell you if someone comes after my family, I will do whatever I have to in order to see to it that they don't succeed, even if it means taking their life. But at the same time, I cannot simply ignore the directive of my Master; He doesn't mince words. It is ironic that so many believers who believe in the literal interpretation of Scripture, find many ways of trying to say that Jesus didn't mean what He is clearly saying in this passage. He is not speaking in hyperbole. He is not giving us an out, nor is He telling us this is optional. It is a grammatical imperative which means it is in the mood of command.
At the time of the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Simon Peter reacted by cutting off the ear of Malchus the servant of the high priest. Jesus' response was stern and to the point. "Put your sword back in its place. All who take the sword will perish by the sword." (Matt. 26:52) Nowhere in the Scripture does Jesus advocate that his followers take up weapons or to fight back against those who would harm them. It is impossible to love others the way the Scriptures command if we are willing to kill them.
The Two Swords
It is at this point in the discussion where some will ask, "What about the time that Jesus told the disciples to take two swords?" That is a good question, let's look at the passage in question and see what is there. The passage referenced can be found in Luke 22. Jesus and His followers have just finished their last meal together in the upper room. Immediately following this intimate time of fellowship together, Jesus has to deal with arguing disciples about who is the greatest (vs. 24-30). Then Jesus tells Peter that he is about to go through a time of testing and betrayal, with the apostle promising that he will not do any such thing (vs. 31-34). Then Jesus shifts the conversation: "And he said to them, 'When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?' They said 'nothing.' He said to them, 'But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me; And he was numbered with the transgressors. For what is written about me has its fulfillment.' And they said, 'Look, Lord, here are two swords.' And he said to them, 'It is enough.' (Luke 22:35-38)
Is Jesus advocating the use of swords as self-defense? I do not think so since two swords among twelve disciples would not allow them to put up much of a fight against aggressors. Some commentators believe Jesus said two was enough because Peter was going to use one in a few hours to cut off Malchus' ear, thereby fulfilling the prophecy concerning Jesus being numbered with the transgressors. As we saw in the previous section, this resulted in a sharp rebuke from the Messiah. Other scholars believe that Jesus was speaking metaphorically about how the attitude towards them was going to shift drastically from tolerance to one of hostility. The disciples, once again not catching the meaning of Jesus' words, took Him literally resulting in Jesus' response of disappointment and resignation. It seems to be illogical in this passage that Jesus is telling the disciples to arm themselves for battle or even self-protection due to the ratio of disciples to swords as well as in keeping with the tenor of Jesus' teaching.
Let me conclude this section by stating that I did not arrive at this conclusion without a great deal of internal struggle and dialogue with my Abba. Over the past three and a half years I have been confronted in many areas which have been life changing to my understanding of the characteristics of a true follower of Jesus. I have learned that true obedience must follow faith and not vice-versa. I have also come to a deeper understanding of the acceptance I have in Christ. If my brothers and sisters do not share the same convictions in this area, I will not try to twist their arms, I would only say to carefully examine the Scriptures and ask the Holy Spirit to illumine the truth to them outside of cultural influences or biases.
The Least of These
The final section of this missive will deal with the topic of how we should deal with refugees and those seeking asylum of all kinds in our nation. Throughout the Old Testament, the nation of Israel is given very clear instructions that they are to welcome the aliens and refugees in their midst and that they are not to treat them differently than their own countrymen. “Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt.” (Exodus 22:21) “You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” (Lev. 19:34) “So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me," says the LORD Almighty.” (Malachi 3:5) Jesus reiterates and personalizes the importance of how we treat others in Matthew chapter 25 when he declares, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 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, 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 drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
We are a nation of refugees and immigrants. The only people who do not fall into this category are those who were here first, and those who were brought here against their will in the hull of slave ships. As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are to advocate for justice and mercy in this world which needs to see clear demonstrations of both. The result is that we must move beyond the fear of the unknown and go forward with the only power that can truly change the world, the gospel of the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Postscript
The thoughts and beliefs expressed in this work are not comprehensive of all of my thoughts and feelings on this matter. I have not addressed the role of government in these issues, only the role that I believe the Church should play in these areas. If you disagree with me, let us dialogue. We can agree to disagree and since we are family (both by blood and the Spirit) I will still love you and respect your beliefs in these areas.
