Loving Strangers

Forty years had passed since they had escaped from Egypt. That was not the original plan. A journey that should have been completed in a few weeks lasted for decades. Moses certainly imagined things would go differently. Still God had been faithful. Neither their clothes nor their sandals had worn out. They always had food to eat and water to drink. Their enemies had been defeated time after time. Now they were on the verge of entering “the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you” (Deuteronomy 27:3b).

On the banks of the Jordan River, Moses prepares the people for their triumphant entry. He urges them once again to be faithful “to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (10:12b). He calls them “to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees” (10:13a). He reminds them “the Lord set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations” (10:15).

In the midst of his parting message, Moses says something quite interesting: “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing” (10:17-18). Furthermore, “you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt” (10:19). The people of God are called to love the people God loves.

The Sunday before Passover Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem like a triumphant king. The people shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!” (John 12:13). Many expect to Jesus to ride right into the palace, to run the Romans out of the country, and to restore Israel to its former glory; but Jesus is not there to serve himself, orchestrate a coup, or engage in wish fulfillment. Jesus has come to show God’s love to the world.

Paul explains it to the Ephesians like this: “Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. For Christ himself has brought peace to us…. In his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us…. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us” (2:13-14, 18). And so it continues; the people of God are called to love the people God loves—particularly strangers and foreigners.