Illegal Immigration: Did Jesus Enter Samaria Illegally?
About the Author
Ben spends most of his time working with underprivileged kids in Tijuana, Mexico, encouraging them to continue their education. He's an unofficial member of Iglesia Bautista Monte Horeb, which runs the elementary school, Centro Pedagógico Didaque.
Almost every short-term mission tripper to Mexico has brought up the topic of illegal immigration. I generally avoid it like Mexican tap water. Gosh, what is a guy supposed to say?
First, let’s breeze through the talking points…and really all of the NPR stories that anyone with a working brain and beating heart can agree upon.
- Everyone should be able to sympathize with the Oaxacan who is picking strawberries in Napa Valley for $50 a day rather than harvesting coffee in Cochoapa for $2 a day.
- Sympathy should also be displayed for the Texas rancher who weekly fixes his irrigation lines because they’re pulled out of the ground by thirsty illegal crossers.
- Sympathy can be given to owners of construction, landscaping, and janitorial companies who are unable to find hard working, loyal legals.
- Sympathy for the U.S. taxpayer: 18,000 illegals in the California prisons; hospitals near bankruptcy in part because of having to pay for illegals without insurance; and very low (if at all) federal (and state if applicable) tax payments made to the U.S. government.
If you’d like the complete list, just listen to AM talk-radio. But this is not Hannity and Colmes.
Why don’t I want to discuss this with groups that come down? Because I don’t believe we as individuals can do anything about the problem at large. It’s up to those with the power to make changes to decide. Who is that? The governments involved. First blame goes to the U.S. for sweeping the issue under the citizens’ rug for decades. Second, fault is clearly placed on every other government for the lack of incorrupt initiative needed to improve the lives of their own.
In the meantime — which probably will be a long time — we need to be like Christ and show real love to the Samaritans. Jesus sure did — and he could have gone around their province, but He chose to cut through it. He chose to give living water to his neighbors.
June 14th, 2006 at 8:38 am
That would be a sticky issue to discuss with teams. I like the book of Ruth when it comes to thinking about how God cares for immigrants and refugees of all flavors, as well as some of the verses out of the Pentateuch (Exodus 22:21-24,23:9-12, Lev. 19:10,33-34, Deut. 10:17-19). I think you are right, we have to rise above the political fray on this one and re-frame our thinking according to biblical categories.