Much ink and angst have been spilled and displayed about the wall on our southern border. Regardless of your opinion of that wall, it is designed with a particular function. It is meant to keep people from illegally entering the US. I get that. National border security is a legitimate concern to be balanced with equally important compassion to desperate refugees. But walls are also very symbolic. They often represent separation and access. The Bible uses a wall metaphor to describe separation, where the Apostle Paul talks about a dividing wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles, which Jesus destroyed (Eph 2:14).
I admit that comparing this metaphorical wall to a geographical border wall has obvious limitations. One is a spiritual illustration depicting differences between Jews and Gentiles but also access to God. Jesus removed that wall. And in so doing made equal access available to all. The wall on our southern border is a physical barrier. It is not intended to have spiritual implications.
However, for the Christian imagination, it does. I was on a prayer call recently when a Hispanic pastor prayed with reference to walls. When walls are upright and vertical, they separate and divide. But when a wall is tilted or flattened, it can be turned into a table. Hmm.
Think of a communion table where all believers, immigrant and non-immigrant, Jew and Gentile, have equal access to Jesus’ presence and celebrate the new covenant bought with his blood. But it also reminds us that the redemption he purchased is a great equalizer. As it is said, the ground is level at the foot of the cross in the sense that we are equally needy and on common ground as we approach God with empty hands. In this way, we are all recipients of God’s grace.
Besides the communion symbolism, a table also represents hospitality and friendship by sharing a meal. Though the symbolic power of a shared meal and table fellowship has diminished in American culture, it remains a powerful expression of relational acceptance and honor in much of the world.
But communion table symbolism is expressly Christian. Not all understand it or participate. However, in the context of migration, it has been documented that over 50 percent of immigrants and refugees entering the US self-identify as Christians. And even though the path into the kingdom of God is narrow and only a few find it (Matt 7:13), I think it is a much bigger tent than some of our denominational traditions have led us to believe. The point I wish to make is that all who call on the name of the Lord and are born again from above, are eternal siblings in Christ Jesus. That should impact how we think and act towards immigrants in general and Christian immigrants in particular. It is also documented that many more immigrants become Christians through the ministries of the growing number of diaspora churches in our communities.
To conclude, I refer to a couple of passages to shape one’s posture toward the sojourner. First, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it” (Heb 13:2). Angels do a number of things in service to God and His people. One is to serve as a messenger of God to bring blessing. I offer this as a helpful way to reframe the issue. It is conceivable that the refugee or immigrant in our midst may also be masquerading as a messenger of God to bring blessing!
Lastly, back to the wall that divides. Just as we are reminded to show genuine hospitality to strangers, it is no small thing to remember that we, too, were once strangers and outsiders. But because of God’s mercy in Christ Jesus, we are “… no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household” (Eph 2:19). There’s a lot of immigration issue imagery packed into this single divine sentence.
The prophet Isaiah talked about a future when swords will be made into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks (2:4), where the wolf will live with the lamb, and a child will play by a viper’s nest (11:6,8). Though the state of affairs in the world does not yet reflect this prophetic vision, individuals and churches can begin to act towards that inevitable future now and determine to tilt walls and turn them into tables of welcome and communion.