I have had people tell me what I am supposed to believe regarding immigration as a follower of Jesus Christ. I find that one of the most repugnant lines of religious abuse is found in the formula, “If you follow Jesus, then you will agree with (fill in the blank)!”
I see no difference between this subtle line of argumentation and the blatant bumper stickers “Jesus was a liberal/conservative”. I will repeat again and again (as I have said in past blogs) that Jesus is NOT a tool for our arguments. He is not a trump card to be thrown down to win the trick.
Jesus Christ is the King and Savior of all who have come to him by faith and put their trust in his sacrifice for reconciliation with the Father! As the King, he should certainly inform and guide our beliefs and actions.
There is something noble about an attempt to follow what we think that Jesus would do, or how He would view a subject like immigration and the treatment of refugees. And it is okay to have a strong opinion about how Jesus would respond to those in need.
But using our own opinions about what car Jesus would drive, what movies he would watch, or his political leanings is speculation at best and self-deceptive at worst. I can make some very strong general cases for Jesus ministering to those in need, but I cannot speak at all to how Jesus would view legislating that assistance. I do know that he wants his people to be the solution in ministering to those in need of compassion.
My bottom line, is that the people of God are called to do good for those in need around us. We are called to compassion, kindness, gentleness, peace, love, joy, self-control, patience, goodness, and faithfulness. Unfortunately the louder I hear the clamor of Christians pleading for political solutions, the further we seem to be getting from the gentleness and kindness that Jesus calls for in his followers!
Let’s stop using Jesus to support our political opinions. Instead, let’s allow Jesus to rebuke us for our lack of personal involvement in the lives of those in need all around us. All of us could do a little more to bring the love of Christ to those in need. Myself included!
