A Wall: Love, fear and falling coconuts

Building a wall isn't a new idea - here's a cartoon from 1882, with various groups banding together to build a wall against the Chinese. There are horrible cartoons like this throughout history, opposing immigration from the Irish, from the Italians, from Catholics, from Jews, etc. I wonder if we will ever move past this kind of ugly and small-minded thinking.

All of us in the United States arrived here as immigrants, refugees, or slaves. The only exceptions are Native Americans.

There are all kinds of arguments about the history of America that can be made in favor of refugees and immigrants having a place here, but the current conversation seems to be focused on preventing people from coming here and expelling those who have come here.  This thought process has led to the increased rhetoric about immigration and the need for a “wall” to protect us.

Many who support the construction of a large border wall also consider themselves to be Christian, which leads to an interesting challenge.  According to scripture (Leviticus 19:33-34) “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”  Similarly (Exodus 22:21) “You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.” 

It is clear that these scriptures and others are in direct conflict with the notion of a wall and the 'mass deportations' that many have requested.

  

A classic teaching on mercy comes in Luke 6:27-31. In this passage, Jesus says:  “But I say to you who here, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”

Some will argue that a border wall is needed to keep us safe but according to an article in Christianity Today: There is a 1 in 3.64 billion per year chance that you will be killed by a refugee-turned-terrorist in a given year. You have a greater chance of being killed by a falling coconut. ( https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/scientists-calculate-odd-ways-die-282884) 

I refuse to spend my life worrying about whether or not I will be killed by a falling coconut and I also refuse to vilify immigrants and refugees – instead I will choose to show them love and mercy,  just like I hope someone showed my family members when they first came to this country.