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by CAPP-USA<\/span><\/h5>\n <\/p>\n
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The Holy Family were refugees. The Bible has much to say about immigration and God’s care for immigrants.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
When immigration debates heat up, Christians on all sides cite Scripture. But what does the Bible actually say about migration, borders, and welcoming strangers?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nThe answer is more complex\u2014and more challenging\u2014than either side of the political debate suggests.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nWhat the Old Testament Says About Immigrants<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
First of all, we should appreciate that Abraham himself was a migrant\/immigrant.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nThe Hebrew Bible uses several words for foreigners, each with distinct meanings:<\/span><\/p>\nTHE GER (SOJOURNER\/RESIDENT ALIEN)<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\nThis term appears over 90 times in the Old Testament. The ger<\/em> was a non-Israelite living among God’s people\u2014similar to today’s immigrants or refugees.<\/span><\/p>\nGod’s law commanded specific treatment of the ger<\/em>: <\/span><\/p>\n\u201cWhen an alien resides with you in your land, do not mistreat such a one. You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt. I, the Lord, am your God.\u201d (Leviticus 19:33-34) <\/span><\/p>\nNotice the reasoning: Israel’s own history as immigrants and refugees<\/strong> creates moral obligation toward others in similar situations.<\/span><\/p>\nThis wasn’t an isolated command. The pattern repeats throughout the Torah:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cYou shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.\u201d (Exodus 22:21) <\/span><\/li>\n
- \u201cYou shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.\u201d (Exodus 23:9)<\/span><\/li>\n
- \u201cLove the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.\u201d (Deuteronomy 10:19)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Key Point:<\/strong> God repeatedly ties Israel’s treatment of immigrants to their own experience of vulnerability and displacement. The command is grounded in empathy and memory.<\/span><\/p>\nLEGAL PROTECTIONS FOR IMMIGRANTS<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nOld Testament law extended specific protections to the ger<\/em>:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Equal justice<\/strong>: \u201cYou shall have the same rule for the sojourner and for the native, for I am the LORD your God.\u201d (Leviticus 24:22)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Economic provision<\/strong>: Farmers were required to leave gleanings for \u201cthe sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow\u201d (Deuteronomy 24:19-21)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Inclusion in religious festivals<\/strong>: \u201cYou shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your son and your daughter… and the sojourner who is among you\u201d (Deuteronomy 16:11)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Cities of refuge<\/strong>: Even foreigners who accidentally killed someone could seek asylum. (Numbers 35:15)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
WHAT ABOUT BORDER CONTROL?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nSome argue that ancient Israel had borders and defended them\u2014true. Others note that Israel conquered Canaan and displaced inhabitants\u2014also true.<\/span><\/p>\nHowever, these historical facts don’t answer the moral question. The prophets consistently condemned Israel when they:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Oppressed the vulnerable (including immigrants): \u201cDo not oppress the sojourner\u201d (Jeremiah 7:6; Zechariah 7:10)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Failed to show justice: \u201cThe people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice\u201d (Ezekiel 22:29)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
God’s judgment fell on nations\u2014including Israel\u2014for mistreating the vulnerable, including immigrants.<\/span><\/p>\nWhat the New Testament Says About Immigration<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\nJESUS AND MIGRATION<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nJesus himself was a refugee. When Herod sought to kill him, his family fled to Egypt\u2014crossing borders without permission to save his life (Matthew 2:13-15). The Holy Family experienced the vulnerability of forced migration.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nIn his teaching, Jesus repeatedly emphasized care for the vulnerable:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI was a stranger and you welcomed me… Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.\u201d (Matthew 25:35, 40)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nThe Greek word for \u201cstranger\u201d (xenos) means foreigner, alien, or immigrant. Jesus identifies himself with the immigrant experience.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nTHE EARLY CHURCH<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nThe Book of Acts describes a community that transcended ethnic and national boundaries:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n- Pentecost brought together people \u201cfrom every nation under heaven\u201d (Acts 2:5)<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- The first major controversy was about including Gentiles\u2014\u201dforeigners\u201d to the covenant (Acts 10-11, 15)<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- Paul taught that in Christ \u201cthere is neither Jew nor Greek\u201d (Galatians 3:28)<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The New Testament letter to the Hebrews commands: \u201cDo not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares\u201d (Hebrews 13:2).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nThe Greek word for \u201chospitality to strangers\u201d is philoxenia<\/em>\u2014literally \u201clove of the stranger\/foreigner.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nCommon Objections from Scripture<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
\u201cBut Romans 13 says obey the government!\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nRomans 13:1-7 does teach submission to governing authorities. But this passage must be read alongside:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Acts 5:29: \u201cWe must obey God rather than men\u201d (when Peter and the apostles defied orders to stop preaching)<\/span><\/li>\n
- The Catechism’s teaching: \u201cThe citizen is obliged in conscience not to follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order\u201d (CCC 2242)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Early Christians obeyed Roman law\u2014except when it contradicted God’s law. They didn’t worship the emperor even when commanded. Similarly, Christians today respect immigration law while recognizing that:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Not all violations carry equal moral weight<\/span><\/li>\n
- Necessity can diminish moral culpability<\/span><\/li>\n
- Laws themselves can be unjust and require reform<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u201cBut illegal immigration is breaking the law!\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nThe Bible does uphold respect for legitimate authority. However:<\/span><\/p>\n1. The Old Testament law itself required welcoming and protecting immigrants\u2014the law favored inclusion, not exclusion<\/span><\/p>\n
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The Holy Family were refugees. The Bible has much to say about immigration and God’s care for immigrants.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
When immigration debates heat up, Christians on all sides cite Scripture. But what does the Bible actually say about migration, borders, and welcoming strangers?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The answer is more complex\u2014and more challenging\u2014than either side of the political debate suggests.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The Hebrew Bible uses several words for foreigners, each with distinct meanings:<\/span><\/p>\n This term appears over 90 times in the Old Testament. The ger<\/em> was a non-Israelite living among God’s people\u2014similar to today’s immigrants or refugees.<\/span><\/p>\n God’s law commanded specific treatment of the ger<\/em>: <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen an alien resides with you in your land, do not mistreat such a one. You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt. I, the Lord, am your God.\u201d (Leviticus 19:33-34) <\/span><\/p>\n Notice the reasoning: Israel’s own history as immigrants and refugees<\/strong> creates moral obligation toward others in similar situations.<\/span><\/p>\n This wasn’t an isolated command. The pattern repeats throughout the Torah:<\/span><\/p>\n Key Point:<\/strong> God repeatedly ties Israel’s treatment of immigrants to their own experience of vulnerability and displacement. The command is grounded in empathy and memory.<\/span><\/p>\n Old Testament law extended specific protections to the ger<\/em>:<\/span><\/p>\n Some argue that ancient Israel had borders and defended them\u2014true. Others note that Israel conquered Canaan and displaced inhabitants\u2014also true.<\/span><\/p>\n However, these historical facts don’t answer the moral question. The prophets consistently condemned Israel when they:<\/span><\/p>\n God’s judgment fell on nations\u2014including Israel\u2014for mistreating the vulnerable, including immigrants.<\/span><\/p>\n Jesus himself was a refugee. When Herod sought to kill him, his family fled to Egypt\u2014crossing borders without permission to save his life (Matthew 2:13-15). The Holy Family experienced the vulnerability of forced migration.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In his teaching, Jesus repeatedly emphasized care for the vulnerable:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI was a stranger and you welcomed me… Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.\u201d (Matthew 25:35, 40)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The Greek word for \u201cstranger\u201d (xenos) means foreigner, alien, or immigrant. Jesus identifies himself with the immigrant experience.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The Book of Acts describes a community that transcended ethnic and national boundaries:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The New Testament letter to the Hebrews commands: \u201cDo not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares\u201d (Hebrews 13:2).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The Greek word for \u201chospitality to strangers\u201d is philoxenia<\/em>\u2014literally \u201clove of the stranger\/foreigner.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Romans 13:1-7 does teach submission to governing authorities. But this passage must be read alongside:<\/span><\/p>\n Early Christians obeyed Roman law\u2014except when it contradicted God’s law. They didn’t worship the emperor even when commanded. Similarly, Christians today respect immigration law while recognizing that:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut illegal immigration is breaking the law!\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The Bible does uphold respect for legitimate authority. However:<\/span><\/p>\n 1. The Old Testament law itself required welcoming and protecting immigrants\u2014the law favored inclusion, not exclusion<\/span><\/p>\nWhat the Old Testament Says About Immigrants<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
First of all, we should appreciate that Abraham himself was a migrant\/immigrant.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nTHE GER (SOJOURNER\/RESIDENT ALIEN)<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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LEGAL PROTECTIONS FOR IMMIGRANTS<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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WHAT ABOUT BORDER CONTROL?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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What the New Testament Says About Immigration<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n
JESUS AND MIGRATION<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
THE EARLY CHURCH<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Common Objections from Scripture<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
\u201cBut Romans 13 says obey the government!\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n
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