This post has the potential to get controversial, so I'm going to do my best to handle it well. I just started a new sermon series on Exodus. The beginning of Exodus narrates how Pharaoh and the Egyptians force the Israelites into slavery. Pharaoh goes about this by stirring up fear of the Israelites among the Egyptians. Pharaoh cleverly and subtly points out that the Israelites are non-Egyptians, warning his people that the Israelites are already strong and numerous and only growing stronger and more numerous. Pharaoh insinuates that the Israelites have come to undermine and overthrow Egypt. The idea seems to be that the Israelites could take over, taking what rightfully belongs to the Egyptians.
As I was reading and reflecting and studying last week, I kept thinking that I'd heard speeches like Pharaoh's before. I've heard this kind of language here in the U.S. in the 21st century, both from political leaders and ordinary citizens. I've heard some of my fellow Americans worry about strong young male refugees coming to the U.S. from places like Syria, similar to how Pharaoh worried about a future army of Israelite men rising up against him. I've heard some of my fellow Americans talk about recent immigrants needing to go back to their own countries. I've heard some of my fellow Americans describe other people who speak Spanish as if they can't be truly American. I've heard some of my fellow Americans expressing fear that the people seeking asylum at our southern border are going to overrun or ruin "our" country. When I hear statements like this, I hear the language of Pharaoh.
Now the situation in Exodus is not the same as the situation today. I am well aware of that. Our laws and system of immigration are vastly different than how people moved about over 3000 years ago. We have some specific concerns about illegal immigration in the U.S. today that don't have a direct parallel in ancient Egypt. Pharaoh was concerned about Israelites who were already in Egypt, while some of the examples I gave above were about people who could potentially come to the U.S. We don't see open slavery in the U.S. today like there was in ancient Egypt. Pharaoh was oppressing God's chosen people. Today things are more complicated. God's chosen people is the church, which includes people from every nationality, ethnicity, and language. God's people today are on both sides of the examples I gave above. There are Christians who are already here in the U.S.—including some who are seen as genuinely "American" and some who are seen as "other"—and there are Christians among those trying to come to the U.S.
But in spite of those differences, I feel confident in saying that we Christians cannot justify using the language of Pharaoh, and I don't think we should keep silent when we hear such language. The Bible makes it clear that Christ Jesus brings reconciliation between human beings, gathering all types of people into His church. In Jesus God shows His perfect, gracious, and just love, the kind of love He wants us to live out in our relationships with Him and other people. Love does not stir up fear or hatred; in fact, 1 John says that love drives out fear. What's more, underneath the language of Pharaoh there seems to be this assumption that people of some nationalities or ethnicities are somehow worse or more wicked or less than other people. Why else would we be worried about them "taking over our country"? A few weeks ago, my denomination (the Christian Reformed Church) just reiterated that any teaching that claims that God wants people of different races to be separate or that some are better than others is heresy, incompatible with true Christianity. The language of Pharaoh preys on fear and dehumanizes others. It's wrong.
I'm not saying that the U.S. shouldn't have laws about immigration or seeking asylum. I'm certainly not saying that I have all the answers for those debates. But I am saying that, when we speak about and interact with people who live in our country or who are trying to come to our country, when we contact our elected officials who make our laws, we should talk about and act toward those who live in our country or are trying to enter it the way we'd like others to talk about and act toward us. We should think of the people in and trying to come to the U.S. as if they were our own family, as if there wasn't a "them" and an "us" but just "us." In Christ we see that we are no better, no more deserving of love than anyone else. But God loved us, and He calls us to love. Once we were not a people, but now we are the people of God, and anyone can be part of our family through Christ. With God's help let's not live or act or speak like Pharaoh but like God.
Grace and peace,
BMH
No comments:
Post a Comment