Here’s What The Bible Says
About Immigrants
The Gospel of Matthew tells us that, shortly after Jesus was born, an angel
warned Joseph that the life of his newborn son was in grave danger.
“’Get up,’ the angel said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there
until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.’ So he got up [and] took
the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt.” Matthew 2:13-14.
Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus arrived in Egypt without any documents, completely
dependent on the mercy of the Egyptians to allow them to settle there. What if the Egyptians
had refused and instead deported them back to their homeland?
No wonder, thirty years later as a grown man, Jesus insisted that we must welcome strangers,
Matthew 25:35, and went on to add, “Whatever you do to the least among
you, you have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:40.
The Bible is very clear about how we should treat immigrants. Leviticus 19:33-34 declares,
“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing
among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself.”
As followers of Jesus, and as people who revere the Bible, we have a sacred obligation to treat
immigrants the same way we treat “native-born” citizens. Many other Bible
verses drive home this point. Here are a few more examples:
“Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner.” Deuteronomy 27:19.
“You shall allot . . . an inheritance . . . for the aliens who reside among you and have begotten
children among you. They shall be to you as citizens of Israel. . . .” Ezekiel 47:22.
“God . . . loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.” Deuteronomy 10:18.
Here’s What’s Happening To Immigrants Right Now
Every day in the news, we see immigrants being ambushed and arrested by masked ICE agents – mothers on their way to the grocery, worshipers exiting their churches, workers on their job sites, etc. Even apartment buildings have been raided in the middle of the night, as ICE agents armed to the teeth repel from helicopters onto rooftops, then proceed to break down doors and ransack apartments. Detainees are often thrown to the ground and dragged off, as they desperately shout their names to bystanders, pleading with them to tell their family what has happened to them. Detainees are held under wretched conditions, given little or no due process, then deported back into the danger and desperate poverty they fled.
In times like these, people of faith should not, and must not, be silent!
So What Can We Do?
- 1. Contact government officials and demand change. You can easily
- find contact information for your elected representatives here.
- 2. Vote in a way that reflects the Biblical values outlined above.
- 3. Donate to, or volunteer with, organizations providing practical support for immigrants.
- 4. To explore your options, just Google “Immigrant support organizations Indianapolis.”
- 5. Be part of a church or house of worship to advocate for immigrants.
- And if your church won’t take a stand, join us!
- 6. Encourage your family and friends, and fellow believers, to stand with immigrants.
- 7. Provide a warm personal welcome and support to the immigrants you encounter.
- 8. Let them know that you love them and are advocating for them.
Let's live our faith!
