God of the immigrant
If you were to choose a group of people for God to imbue with the special role of making his will known on the earth, what kind of people would you choose? You could pick a mighty people with a booming economy and a strong military who could enforce the will of God on others? You could pick a progressive people who have a national healthcare system, guaranteed income, and plenty of social programs for the wellbeing of its citizens? You could even pick an isolated people, who dedicate their time to meditation, oneness with the earth and its natural rhythms, living off the produce which they grow themselves. God didn't choose any of these options. What he did was far more radical than what we would dream up. Of all the people of the world that God could choose, and of all the times in the world's history he could have chosen them, he chose a large group of slaves.
Egypt was a powerhouse at the time. They were undertaking massive building projects, the Pharaoh owned everything and everyone in his kingdom, and they had a tremendous military. God did not choose them however, he chose their slaves to be his special people. God proceeded to deliver these people from their slavery using his unstoppable power so that they could become refugees. And it was these refugees wandering aroud in the desert that God gave the special role of representing him to all the nations of the world.
This story was fundamental to the way God wanted the Jews to conceive of themselves. He also used it to put in perspective why He would tell them to live the way they were supposed to live. While God was giving the Israelites the law he reminded them several times of their origin story and used it as reason for his command.
“You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. Exodus 23:9
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. Leviticus 19:34
God's chosen people who had suffered injustice and the vulnerability which comes from being an immigrant and a refugee. These people were meant to become a refuge for immigrants and refugees. Yet even after these people lost their nation and were many times exiled and persecuted, God remained their God. So much of Israel’s history was spent as exiles, immigrants, and refugees. Just after Jesus assented and the Church of Jesus had its beginning, the believers were persecuted and they fled Rome as refugees. The writer of Hebrews commends those who maintained an identity as immigrants when he writes:
These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. Hebrews 11:13-16
In our current moment there is great debate in our nation regarding how we should respond to immigrants and refugees. As Christians we should remember our origin. We have been grafted into the family of faith (Romans 11:17). Their origin has become our own. We were once alienated from God (Ephesians 2:12) but he graciously accepted us and treated us as his own. We are called to be welcoming and hospitable (Hebrews 13:2). The care of not only other believers but all of those who have need has been the christian practice from the very beginning. This was so much the case that the Roman Emperor Julian wrote a letter to To Arsacius, the Roman High-priest of Galatia, telling him to increase roman religious activity because they were quickly becoming atheistic. In his letter he cited one of his reasons for increasing the benevolence fund saying:
This letter was written about three hundred years after the death of Jesus. And it highlighted just how active the Christian church was in helping everyone in need, not just their own. So when the talking heads in the media tell you what to think about immigrants, refugees, and foreigners remember our Christian heritage. Remember how God commanded the ancient Israelites to love, care for, and welcome the stranger who is among you. Lastly remember that we all are awaiting a better country, a heavenly one.
Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. Deuteronomy 10:19