I am trying to imagine what it would be like to be forced from my home – to no longer be able to live in my house. What if my job no longer existed, not because of economic circumstances, but because the building I used to work in was literally no longer there because it was physically destroyed?
Some statistics from Pew Research indicate that the number of people who have been displaced in the Middle East has grown from 5 million in 2005 to over 23 million in 2015. We don’t use that word displaced very much. We use the word refugee, or immigrant. But that is because we are on the other side of this issue. The reality is that circumstances in the Middle East over the past 15 years has created a crisis where over 23 million people have been forced from their homes. We sit and debate how Canadians should respond. We ask questions like “How many ‘immigrants’ should we allow?”. We forget that behind the debate are real families who are suffering and have no idea what their future holds.
In the Bible we get a very direct principle that we should use to inform how we respond to situations like this. In the Old Testament the exhortation about how we are to treat those who come to live among us is very clear. In Deuteronomy 10:17-19 we read:
“For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing. So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.”
A very similar exhortation is given in Leviticus 19:33-34:
‘When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.’
So, to put it in simple terms, applying these Bible verses, we are to treat newcomers to Canada no different than the way we treat those who have lived here their entire lives.
The New Testament doesn’t give us as clear an exhortation with respect to immigrants. We do, however, discover that displacement was a regular occurring issue. Consider that at the very beginning of the New Testament we read of tremendous persecution by Herod shortly after the birth of Jesus. This forced Mary and Joseph to take Jesus with them and flee to Egypt. Did you catch that? Jesus and his parents became refugees in the land of Egypt as a result of government persecution. Sadly the record of persecution in the New Testament doesn’t end there. As Jesus develops quite a group of followers, the religious establishment begins to really struggle. So when Jesus rises from the dead, the establishment is pushed to the limit. Persecution begins to increase greatly. The result is that Christians begin to leave Jerusalem and spread around the world. Migration becomes a major issue.
With the knowledge of what the Bible says, how should we handle the crisis of displaced individuals worldwide? Well first off, we should treat visitors and new residents as we would those who have lived here all their lives. Sponsoring refugees and helping them get established here in Canada is one way to do this. But this isn’t the only option.
The crisis in the Middle East or more specifically in Syria, doesn’t have to be solved through immigration. Not everyone who is displaced in Syria needs to be moved to some other country in the world. One organization that does a lot of work in war torn countries is Samaritans Purse. The president of that organization suggests that most refugees would prefer to remain in the country of origin rather than be relocated. As a result, they advocate for safe zones to be created in the war torn country until some political solution can be reached.
As Christians, the conclusion then is not simply to sponsor a family and bring them to Canada. There are many ways that we can help. Any way we look at it though, God calls us to care for the sojourner among us.