Recently there has been a movement in the United States pushing for mass deportations of poor mothers, fathers and children from central and south America. But what did Jesus Christ himself say about mass deportations in the Bible?
Here are 3 things Jesus Christ taught about mass deportations, according to scripture:
1. Jesus Christ’s teaching of The Sheep and the Goats in
Matthew 25: 31-46
In the parable of the Sheep and Goats in Matthew 25, Jesus Christ said that when he returns, he will separate the people of Earth into two groups: sheep and goats. The sheep will be those who were kind and compassionate to the poor, to people who were suffering and to those needed help, to “the least of these”, because by loving these neighbors, these people in difficult situations, they were actually loving the spirit of God which dwells within them. Jesus said that those who helped will be given eternal life, but that those who did not help will be sent into the eternal fires of hell with the devil and his angels.
“I was a stranger and you welcomed me in.”
Today in the 21st century, according to the words of Jesus Christ, those who help and are kind to these desperate people and immigrants from central and south America, they are the sheep of Christ who are being kind to the spirit of God who lives within the hearts of the poor who are needing help, and they will receive eternal life in heaven. But those who are unkind and even cruel to these desperate people, not welcoming them in, demonizing them with the term “illegals”, and calling for their total removal through mass deportations, they are the goats, who will be sadly sent to the eternal fires of hell.
The following are the words of Jesus Christ in the bible in
Matthew 25:31:
Matthew 25:31: The Sheep and the Goats
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
When considering if you should support mass deportations of poor immigrant human beings, search your heart, and see if your soul and your love for God is more important to you than any temporary frustrations of people who are poor and in desperate need of help. Stay with love, with kindness, and help these children of God, rather than sending them away, even if the situation is not a perfect one or according to any manmade and flawed immigration laws, for God’s law is greater.
2. “Love your neighbor” Jesus Christ was an Immigrant as a Child Fleeing the Persecution of King Herod in Matthew 2
Jesus himself was an immigrant as a child who, with his parents, fled the persecution of King Herod. In Matthew 2, the wise men found Jesus in Bethlehem as a baby and shared that he would become king of the Jews, “for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” (Matthew 2:6). King Herod feared that he would be overthrown, so he ordered the murder of all newborns in his kingdom in order to stop Jesus, who would become the king of the Jews. After being warned in a dream by Angels, Joseph, Jesus and Mary fled to Egypt, as immigrants, and there they lived until king Herod had passed away.
Matthew 2:13
“an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he 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, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”’
Today’s immigrants are no different than Jesus was as a child. When interviewed on why they came to America, many explain how they were fleeing violent and unsafe situations, in search of a safer, better life for them and their children. These immigrants are the children of God, so let’s treat them as we would treat Jesus: with love, support and kindness. As Jesus grew up, one of the most important lessons he taught was that we all must “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 22:37
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
3. Jesus Christ Taught Us to Give Our Wealth and Possessions to Help the Poor, to Inherit Heaven
Many of those who push for mass deportations of the children of God, demonized with the term “illegal immigrants”, say they want to do so to preserve their “way of life”. Many of them are seeking to maintain a luxurious first world lifestyle, with them and their families living in wealthy suburbs which are far away from anyone who is living in poverty. While most people desire comfortable lives filled with material wealth, any idea of keeping a rich community free from anyone living in poverty is anti-Christian, for Jesus taught us to give and share our wealth with the poor, and to then follow him. He taught that we should not worship money and material things which “moth and rust destroy”, but we should share love and kindness to build up treasures in heaven, of love in the heart, which lasts forever.
Matthew 6:19
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 19:16: The Rich and the Kingdom of God
Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
“Which ones?” he inquired.
Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’and‘ love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Let’s help open the eyes and pray for our brothers and sisters who are being misled, and pray that they reject any notions of cruel and anti-Christian mass deportations, and learn to instead be kind to immigrants, to the children of God, who are deeply in need of our help, and who are really God in disguise.
You are Loved.
