A while back, over a period of a few weeks, hundreds of refugees were drowned near the Maltese coast. An NGO even decided to lay a charge against the Maltese government that could have saved these people but did not.
As if it wasn’t shocking enough as it was, I heard of several Christians who defended the government. They declared they would rather see 100 migrants drown than see them landing and damaging the culture and “Christian” values in Malta!
I asked these people to explain to me the “Christian” values upon which they were basing such things. They replied: “We cannot take on every desperate plight in the world and even less, illegal migrants.”
Doubtful about this, I reminded them of Deuteronomy 10: 17-19. “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.”
Above all…
GOD WANTS HIS PEOPLE TO OFFER REFUGE TO THE REFUGEES
In Deuteronomy, in chapter 24: 18-20, Moses develops more fully what it means for people redeemed by God to act compassionately towards disadvantaged and displaced people. “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this. When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow.”
Justice for refugees has literally been carved in the Bible. It can be summed up as follows: be full of grace because you yourselves have received grace! It is not surprising, then, that hospitality full of mercy was perfectly understood by Job when he declared: Job 13:32 “But no stranger had to spend the night in the street, for my door was always open to the traveller.”
Jesus, a migrant from a very young age!
Matthieu 2:15 : « Joseph se leva, prit de nuit le petit enfant et sa mère, et se retira en Égypte. Il y resta jusqu’à la mort d’Hérode, afin que s’accomplisse ce que le Seigneur avait annoncé par le prophète : J’ai appelé mon fils hors d’Égypt».
In the New Testament, it is important to highlight this simple but often overlooked fact that Jesus himself was a refugee! When the Son of God was still a very young child, his parents had to flee to Egypt to protect him from the murderous regime of a tyrannical leader.
How many other parents have reacted like Joseph and Mary, fleeing from countries afflicted by war or famine to save their children? They were seeking a refuge for refugees !
Just as Jacob was an economic migrant when he travelled to Egypt and, for that matter, 90% of the USA population.
Wouldn’t you have acted likewise? I would have! My great grandparents were migrants who left Italy, Malta, and Palma in Majorca for purely economic reasons.
It is actually ludicrous to note that when an African or an Arab leaves his country, he becomes a “migrant”, whereas when a French or English person does the same thing, he is called an “expat”! (Sic)
Seeing those desperate parents on our TV screens, frantically trying to get to that security that they are hoping to attain in a foreign country, we should be all the more moved by compassion, with this being the same route Christ had to take for a while.
Hospitality, a commandment!
I was starving …
After all, hospitality should be part of the entire deal of the church, seeing as it is at the heart of the Gospel, which is essentially the story of a great and generous King who opens his heart, his home and invites his enemies to his table. Understanding this radical characteristic of God’s hospitality towards us is crucial if we want to understand and obey the teachings of the New Testament, such as:
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practise hospitality.” Romans 12: 12-13
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4: 8 – 10
“Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing, some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are ill-treated as if you yourselves were suffering.” Hebrews 13: 1-3
Fear: the devil’s perfect weapon!
Actually, those Christians in Malta were expressing very clearly what was motivating their declaration: fear. In the Bible, this has been the cause of many mistakes. From Adam, who was afraid in the garden of Eden and hid from God, to the first town built by Cain in his struggle against the fear of being a nomad, the thing he was condemned to be after murdering his brother. From Abraham’s lie about his wife being his sister, fearing for Israel in the face of Canaan. From the terror of the disciples in front of Jesus who came to them in the storm, to the fear of Peter which pushed him to deny his friend in the grove, Satan has succeeded in manipulating the heart of man with this emotion to get him to turn away from God.
Rather than being afraid of migrants arriving, and the host of very real problems that accompany this, the church and Christians should see it as a real opportunity to reach out with the gospel to people who are not usually reached.
I understand how these fears can make governments panic… but the church?!? As a reminder, “he who wants to save his life will lose it…”
We will be judged according to our hospitality.
I will conclude this article with the words of Jesus:
Matthew 25 v.35
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 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.”
Mikaël