There is a discussion among multiple people concerning the proper Christian attitude towards immigrants. Among the debaters are J. D. Vance, Roy Stewart a member of British Parliament, and Pope Frances. Ordo Amoris is a Catholic teaching from Augustine and Aquinas, that love must be rightly ordered. To some this is to love God first then, love your family, then extended family, then neighbors and so on moving out in an ever-widening circles. Others would quote Luke 10:27,”Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and, Love your neighbor as yourself.”, which is a rephrasing of Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. Jesus’ words are repeated in Matthew 22:38-40 and Mark12:30-31.
In Luke 10:30-35 Jesus goes on to explain who a neighbor is in the story of the Good Samaritan. “In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on him. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.”
From Jesus’ example of loving your neighbor it was not about loving family first and then your nearby friends, then your community, then your country’s citizens, then maybe foreigners. Rather the Samarian was a neighbor of the injured man. There is no mention of the injured man belonging to the Samaritan’s family, community, or country, Rather the injured man was a person in great need. The Samaritan took his possessions of bandages, oil, wine, and money to help the injured man. We do not know if the Samaritan’s family needed these things. Jesus did not tell us to consider if these possessions were better used by people closely related to the Samaritan. The Good Samaritan became a neighbor when he crossed paths with a stranger in need, giving what he could.
After Jesus told the story, the expert in the law who was trying to test Jesus, in Luke 10:25, agreed that the Samaritan, the one who had mercy was a neighbor to the injured man, Luke 10:37. If we are to love God first and love our neighbors next, then according to Jesus, we are to love our neighbors by showing mercy to those in need, whatever type of stranger they may be.
But does Jesus understand our needs to take care of our families first and concern ourselves with others afterwards? Let’s look at some of Jesus’ words on family.
Luke 14:12-14, “Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Matthew 12:46-50, “While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you. He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Matthew 19:28-30 “Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”
Would any of us guess that Jesus would say such things about family relations. Of course when Jesus was dying on the cross in John 19:26-28 he said, “When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.”
Many times, in the New Testament, Jesus said to honor your father and mother as is in the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20:12. Jesus is not telling us to ignore our families or friends, but he is telling us how to order our care for others. Family is not to be neglected but it is also not the most important part of a Christian’s life.
Matthew 6:26.” Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
In Luke 16:19-31 is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man lived in luxury every day. At his door was a poor beggar covered in sores who just wanted to eat the crumbs, from the rich man’s table. But the rich man died and went to hell. While the beggar died and went to heaven. If the rich man had known to heed Jesus words about the poor, naked, sick, or stranger would he also have lived eternity in heaven like the poor beggar?
Matthew 25:35-40,”For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
John 11 tells the story of Lazarus’ death, the grieving of Lazarus’ sisters, and the many people comforting Mary and Martha. But Jesus waited two days to go to Bethany where he discovered Lazarus died four days earlier. If Jesus ordered his love and concern for friends he loved, first in his life, he would have gone to Bethany sooner. But Jesus knew Lazarus was dead. In John 11:14-15 Jesus said, “So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Jesus could have traveled to Bethany many days before and healed Lazarus before his death. But Jesus chose to let his close friend die, and Mary and Martha to grieve. Jesus chose to show God’s glory rather than preventing temporary pain and discomfort in his friend’s lives.
I find no words of Jesus that state the concept of family and friends before strangers. Or those like us before those not like us. Or our country before their country. I cannot find it nor do I find Biblical metaphors or illusions to such ideas. Yes, our families are important to us. This does not separate us from the Christian responsibility of caring for Jesus’ brothers and sisters who may be strangers, different, foreigners, or desparate people. If it is in the Bible, in red ink, someone must point me to it. I have studied and read the Bible for decades. I have prayed thousands upon thousands of times. I cannot find this concept of us first coming from Jesus.
Augustine and Aquinas are great men of the past. Most likely living in heavenly bliss as I write. But they were only human. Capable of many mistakes, delusions, and misunderstanding as are we all. Also, we are not to take one verse from the Bible and create a theology to guide our lives or to preach to others. But when I look at the totality of what Jesus said in the Bible, I find nothing that says those we loved before we became Christians are more important than those God brings into our paths after we become Christians. When we follow Jesus, we must pick up our cross and walk. We must give up much that we thought as important and walk the road God lays in front of us. For some this will include a small circle of people, similar to themselves. People they know and love. People they have always called family.
But there are so many others called to ever widening circles of influence. People working in soup kitchens. People working with the homeless. People working in foster care. People working in immigration shelters. Missionaries called to distant lands. Church missions to other countries, helping the poor and desperate. Even the foreigner who should not be in our path. Even the stranger who speaks another language. There are no concentric circles of God’s love. God loves over 8 billion people on earth. He would have them all be the brothers and sisters of Jesus. We are the hands and feet of Jesus in this world. We are the ones to love the wounded stranger in our path, just as much as we love ourselves. We are the ones to carry the ever-lasting love of God to every person we encounter. We are the ones to feed the poor, heal the sick, and cloth the naked. We are the ones to spread the eternal sacrificial love of God, the good news of the gospel, throughout the world.