Prioritize people over politics

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 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.’” (Matthew 25:34–36)
 
Last week, I read an article in The Free Press about a mother, Maribis Beleño, who was deported from Texas to Venezuela without her three children after being caught shoplifting (https://www.thefp.com/p/the-mother-deported-without-her-kids). While she was detained and sent back to her country of origin, her children, ages 5, 10, and 12, were left in Texas with a cousin in Dallas. The story’s protagonist ended up being a pastor in Texas named Elias Rodriguez, a man who voted twice for Trump, favors tougher border laws, and yet has also led efforts in his community to help migrants find hot meals, a warm place to sleep, and showers and bathrooms to use. With the support of church members, Pastor Elias and his wife drove five hours to pick up the three children and take them into the Rodriguez home when the cousin could no longer care for them. And after a few months, Pastor Elias, with financial help from his congregation, drove 24 hours with the children to Miami, where they were able to fly to Curacao, and then to Caracas, Venezuela, where they were reunited with their mother.

I recognize that there are fewer hot button issues these days than immigration. President Trump’s stance on border control was one of the platforms that helped him get re-elected, and yet the way that ICE has enforced this mandate has led to protests, violence, and much political unrest. It is hard these days to know what media reports or eyewitness testimonies to believe, given how many people interpret everything through the lens of their political affiliation, but clearly things are a mess right now.

This is why I was encouraged to read the story of Pastor Elias Rodriguez. Assuming that the story is factual, I found it to be a testimony to someone who has found a way to prioritize Christlike love over partisan politics. Immigration is not primarily an issue; it is primarily about people who through varied circumstances have become our neighbors, and who are in need of tangible, Christlike love. The same goes for so many other “issues” of the day: poverty, LGBTQ rights, foster care, racism, and so on. Yes, there are policy issues to debate and candidates with platforms to scrutinize and vote upon. But primarily, for those of us who are followers of Jesus, there are hurting people to be loved. And yes, of course it takes discernment to know how to best love another person, but nevertheless, Jesus’ challenging words in Matthew 25:31-46 have not changed: we will be judged on how we respond to the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the poor, the sick, and the prisoner.

In our discipleship, may we prioritize love, especially towards those in need of help. This, Jesus tells us, is how we can display our love towards our God.