How inappropriate indeed that at this time of year, the issue of people wanting to come into the U.S. has certain groups and the U.S. leadership in a tizzy, fighting over a wall and who can enter the U.S. The hostility toward strangers outside of the U.S. is breathtaking.
So, amidst Christmas cheer and the giving of presents to eachother, may I enlighten or remind you of the time when Jesus was just born, since, in light of the immigration conflicts we see, it is more than appropriate.
First off, God in Leviticus 19:34 says, “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.” Fast forward to Matthew 2 which tells of the three wise men who visit the baby Jesus and his family in Bethlehem and bear gifts, knowing that Jesus will become the king of the Jews as prophesied in Micah 5:2 which says
“And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”
When the three wise men left, Joseph the family patriarch has a dream described in Matthew 2:13 in which “an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’” And so, as it says in Matthew 2:14-15, “And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt AND REMAINED THERE until the death of Herod.” In modern terms, the family sought sanctuary in Egypt because they were under a threat by a despotic ruler of the country they were in. Sound familiar?
After Herod dies, Joseph in Matthew 2: 21, “…rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.”
Did Egypt deport them? Did it fear that Joseph might be a criminal? Also, it should be noted that the world at that time had its share of enemies just like we have.
Did it incarcerate them for going in the land of Egypt? No. The Bible makes clear that the family came and went as they pleased. It is interesting that the family goes to Egypt, the very land that triggered Leviticus 19:34, which refers to when Jacob’s family was allowed by Egypt to settle there because of the famine which affected where they lived. Even more interesting, Egypt was once again accommodating!
What if Egypt deported the family with baby Jesus? It is probable that King Herod would have killed him, since he saw him as a threat. What if Egypt incarcerated the family so they couldn’t leave? Would the world know of him later? But that didn’t happen.
And as the Bible says in Hebrews 13:2 to “…not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares,” and as Jesus is no less than the angels, we should at least be careful that we do not turn people away without cause.
And regarding Leviticus 19:34, which is one of many Laws given by God in the Old Testament, the fully grown Jesus said he did not come to change the Law, but to fulfill it. So, he simplified the Law, condensing it into two commandments, with the second one being we should love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Who is our neighbor? According to Jesus’ Parable of the Good Samaritan, our neighbor is someone who can help us. I tell you that that could be said about most people. Countries in which people go, at least to seek sanctuary, should be mindful that most people do not intend to go to their country to do harm, but are willing to be neighbors, and some of them, unknowingly, could even turn out to be angels in their own way at least.
Wishing all a Merry Christmas.
So, amidst Christmas cheer and the giving of presents to eachother, may I enlighten or remind you of the time when Jesus was just born, since, in light of the immigration conflicts we see, it is more than appropriate.
First off, God in Leviticus 19:34 says, “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.” Fast forward to Matthew 2 which tells of the three wise men who visit the baby Jesus and his family in Bethlehem and bear gifts, knowing that Jesus will become the king of the Jews as prophesied in Micah 5:2 which says
“And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”
When the three wise men left, Joseph the family patriarch has a dream described in Matthew 2:13 in which “an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’” And so, as it says in Matthew 2:14-15, “And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt AND REMAINED THERE until the death of Herod.” In modern terms, the family sought sanctuary in Egypt because they were under a threat by a despotic ruler of the country they were in. Sound familiar?
After Herod dies, Joseph in Matthew 2: 21, “…rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.”
Did Egypt deport them? Did it fear that Joseph might be a criminal? Also, it should be noted that the world at that time had its share of enemies just like we have.
Did it incarcerate them for going in the land of Egypt? No. The Bible makes clear that the family came and went as they pleased. It is interesting that the family goes to Egypt, the very land that triggered Leviticus 19:34, which refers to when Jacob’s family was allowed by Egypt to settle there because of the famine which affected where they lived. Even more interesting, Egypt was once again accommodating!
What if Egypt deported the family with baby Jesus? It is probable that King Herod would have killed him, since he saw him as a threat. What if Egypt incarcerated the family so they couldn’t leave? Would the world know of him later? But that didn’t happen.
And as the Bible says in Hebrews 13:2 to “…not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares,” and as Jesus is no less than the angels, we should at least be careful that we do not turn people away without cause.
And regarding Leviticus 19:34, which is one of many Laws given by God in the Old Testament, the fully grown Jesus said he did not come to change the Law, but to fulfill it. So, he simplified the Law, condensing it into two commandments, with the second one being we should love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Who is our neighbor? According to Jesus’ Parable of the Good Samaritan, our neighbor is someone who can help us. I tell you that that could be said about most people. Countries in which people go, at least to seek sanctuary, should be mindful that most people do not intend to go to their country to do harm, but are willing to be neighbors, and some of them, unknowingly, could even turn out to be angels in their own way at least.
Wishing all a Merry Christmas.
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)) shared a video of a sermon teaching about links between Chinese writing and the Bible not too long ago, which i found absolutely fascinating -- and which corroborates some of my thinking about this. in the sermon, the teacher muses that knowledge of the truth about creation would have come from descendancy through Noah to the founders of the Chinese race & empires, which makes sense, but it doesn't exclude the sharing of wisdom & knowledge from the Levant with the East through other means.