A Sermon Series on The Images of Jesus
Today’s Topic: Jesus the Foreigner
Text: Matthew 2
Introduction
Disclaimer: This is not a political statement or post but a teaching that speaks to the core of our Christian faith and who we are in Christ. It is also to reveal to us the person, nature, character, and ethics of Jesus Christ.
Today, when we hear the word foreigners or immigrants, especially in the Western world, we put up a wall in our hearts. Some become defensive, some bring out their daggers, while others say and do nothing. When a Christian decides to talk about the true values of our Christian faith, which majorly stems from the lives and teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, he or she is called a liberal or a woke person. When a Christian talks about how Jesus stood for the dignity and even equality of opportunity for women as revealed in His earthly ministry, he/she is labeled a feminist. If the desire is truly to show the world who Jesus truly is, then welcome to Jesus’ World. He was called a glutton, a drunkard, a vagabond, a dropout, an illegitimate child, and a blasphemous person by no one but the religious rules of His day. If He were here in person today doing ministry, He would be called Woke or a liberal or a feminist.
Jesus Christ, our Lord whom the Christians follow, was once a refugee and an immigrant. Jesus is not your typical pious religious Jew; He is a foreigner. I use the present tense because He always identifies with us in our states as our Greatest High Priest, Hebrews 4:14: “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” Hebrews 2:17 says, “Therefore, it was necessary for Him to be made in every aspect like us, His brothers and sisters, so that He could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then He could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.” NLT
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, was a refugee in Egypt, and was raised in Galilee as an immigrant. Leaving your home country to settle in a foreign land is tough, and leaving the familiar for the unfamiliar could be frightening.
Although Galileans were Jews who lived in the Galilee region of Palestine, descendants of Judean immigrants were highly discriminated against, just like the Samaritans were. The Galileans were considered to be less pure than the Jews living in Jerusalem.
Jesus was considered a foreigner and experienced some form of discrimination because the accent of the Galilean was not the same as the Jews in Jerusalem John 7:40-42, As a result, they questioned His eligibility for the role and office of the Messiah: “ Will the Christ come out of Galilee? John 7:40
As believers, we should show compassion, love, care and empathy for those who are foreigners among us because the disciples were discriminated against, even at Pentecost, their foreign accent was made mention of.
Matthew 26:73 says, “A little while later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.”
Acts 2:7 “Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, Look, are not all these who speak Galileans?”
• Jesus Christ was sneaked into Egypt in the night -Matthew 2:14
• Jesus was an immigrant
• Jesus was a foreigner. He left the glory and comfort of heaven to dwell amongst the people He created
• We are all immigrants
• As Christians, we are foreigners in this world; our eternal home is in heaven
• The Hebrews were immigrants and foreigners: Genesis 26:3
What should the believers’ attitude be towards foreigners and immigrants?
1. We must see them as being made in the image of God and should treat them with honor, respect and dignity no more and no less than any other person: Leviticus 19:34
2. We need to see the presence and face of Jesus Christ in all humanity that He represented on the Cross: John 3:16
3. We should show hospitality to foreigners: Hebrews 13:2
4. We should not oppress the foreigners and immigrants among us: Zechariah 7:9-10
5. How we treat and regard foreigners, immigrants, and the less privileged speaks volumes about our love for God: Matthew 25:35-40
Our gatherings, churches, and places of worship should be the most welcoming and inclusive places. Anyone who feels out of place should find a home in our community as believers and saints of Christ.
We are sojourners in this world; our stay is temporary. Let us make our communities of Christian faith a place where God’s love truly dwells. The name of the Lord is a Strong Tower, and the righteous run into it and are safe.
God defends the foreigner and the marginalized. Any nation that harasses and intimidates foreigners is planning its doom. The reason why America is great and God’s blessings are upon the nation is because of its love for foreigners. Is America planning its own downfall?
Scriptures on how to treat foreigners
Leviticus 19:33-34
Deuteronomy 10:19
Psalm 146:9
Jeremiah 22:3
Zechariah 7:9
Numbers 15:16
Isaiah 58:10
Invitation to Jesus
There is a place guaranteed for everyone who believes in Jesus Christ: eternity with Jesus Christ. Fellowship with the Father, an heir and joint-heirs with Christ. The best citizenship ever is that of The Kingdom of God; Ephesians 2:19