One of the dangers of citing holy scripture to justify questionable practices is forgetting or not knowing that there are contradictions and varying interpretations within the Bible. And if you aren’t prayerfully careful, the merit of the scripture you reference to support a position can be refuted by another. That was my reaction to the attorney general’s quoting of Romans 13 to justify the government’s decision to separate immigrant children from their parents who were in the country illegally. The passage written by the Apostle Paul during the reign of Emperor Nero suggests that irrespective of the morals and actions of the heads of government, believers are to submit to government authority. The attorney general justified the incarceration of more than a thousand children in a warehouse environment to await the rulings regarding their parents. In his opinion and with this action, he and those carrying out this outrage against children were simply obeying the law.
Now I don’t argue that after Jesus himself, Paul is perhaps one of the greatest influencers of the Christian faith. His writings account for the bulk of the New Testament. But whenever I read anything from his many epistles that give me pause – as do his words in the beginning of the aforementioned passage – I turn to the author of our faith for clarity. In the gospel of Matthew, chapter 18, Jesus speaks to those He calls the “greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Children. Not government authorities. Not presidents or attorney generals. Children, who He declares, set the standard for who enters God’s kingdom. And further He states, children are not to be subjected to anything that might cause them harm or lead them to sin. They are not to be looked down upon or treated unjustly. The contemporary gauge for Christian behavior is always the answer to the universal question, “What would Jesus do?” We don’t have to be biblical scholars to know that He would not do what the government is currently doing with these children. He would know that such forced separations and caged holding environments are emotionally, mentally and spiritually harmful to them.
I suggest the attorney general and all other government officials who claim biblical authority for this egregious treatment of children, consider Jesus’ words regarding children in Matthew, chapter 19: “the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” And I further suggest that they read carefully His words in chapter 23 when He discredits the argument that they must obey and do whatever the teachers of the law and the Pharisees say they must. Jesus declares, “But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.” In other words, we do not go blindly along with government decisions that contradict what Jesus taught simply because someone uses scripture to justify their wrongdoing. Mr. Attorney general, this decision flies in the face of the Christian faith. Jesus is not smiling.
Biblical research suggests Noah lived in 2348 BC. It was a time of unrighteousness characterized by idol worship and ungodly behavior. Sin was the blueprint of the human condition. Now if the research is even partially accurate, we can calculate that 4367 years have passed since Noah and his family were spared God’s wrath because Noah was the only person who lived a righteous life in an unrighteous age. The world in which we 21st century Christ followers live is much like that of Noah’s time. Sin prevails. Wrong rules. Unspeakable acts of the dark side of human nature are the norm. How do we live righteously in such times? Is it even possible to do so? How do we in 2018 and beyond navigate the unrighteousness of our moment in history and emerge as did Noah, saved by God’s grace? Questions to prayerfully ponder.