by Fred Moleck
Biblical Times #3: Welcome the Stranger
I always feel a little queasy to quote Scripture to suit my cause. My criticism of modern fundamentalists is loud and shrill when they highlight passages such as Leviticus 18:22 while they ignore direct commands from Jesus, such as the ones in Luke 17: 4 and Matthew 5:31–32.The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing near him.
When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. He said, “My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.
Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.
Genesis 18:1–5
Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.
Hebrews 13:1, 2
Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
Romans: 12: 13
They are always quoted out of context to suit the agenda.
I’m guilty of that in the story of Abraham quoted above. I didn’t go on with the other orders of the preparation of bread and veal, and the three strangers promising Sarah that she would become pregnant and bear a son.
I didn’t continue the story for reasons of space, not bias.
The resettlement of the Gulf Coast refugees into the physical environs of their diaspora is well under way. How their fellow Americans offer hospitality has been more than impressive—it has been miraculous.
Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving drink to the thirsty—it’s all happening in Houston, Pittsburgh, and many other cities.
It is a good preparation for the final evaluation, when the blessed will ask Judge Jesus, But, Lord, when did we see you hungry, naked, thirsty, and just generally miserable?
Then, Jesus runs several clips from NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and FOX coverage of the big hurricane from the early twenty-first century.
And then the blessed say, “Oh, . . . so that’s what you meant.”
So far, I’ve read nothing about what machinery is in place for those who want to return to their homes, no matter what condition they are in.
What is very clear is that the opportunity to take seriously the mandate to care for the needy and the homeless and the naked and the destitute has never been this strong in the history of the United States.
I wonder what the writers of history a hundred years from now will be reporting?: a nation made up of a compassionate population who continue to give aid and succor to the stranger—or a population whose generosity and hospitality faded after a few weeks.
Or after a century, are there still strangers in a strange land?
You can reach Fred Moleck via email at fmoleck@earthlink.net