The Lord befriends the alien, feeding and clothing him. So you too must befriend the alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. What the Bible does NOT say is to befriend only those aliens who have the proper documents. Jesus in the gospel was not someone who flaunted the law. However, he challenged us to look through the law to see why such laws exist. In his memorable phrase, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). The Biblical challenges us to understand that the first law is that of compassion, mercy, kindness, generosity. Other laws which promote good order like paying the temple tax (which are certainly necessary) have to defer to the law of love. We as a nation are wrestling with the proper way to treat the aliens in our midst, those who have fled to this country in fear of their lives. Let us remember the command to care we find in the Bible.
