Thoughts on the Sojourner

He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. —Deuteronomy 10:18

sojourner— a) a temporary inhabitant, a newcomer lacking inherited rights, b) of foreigners in Israel, though conceded rights

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. —Matthew 25:37-40

I have been thinking a lot in recent months about the concept of the sojourner in Scripture. This has been prompted by two things: (1) My reading of the Old Testament, which contains many references towards sojourners and God's compassion for them. (2) A continual encountering of sojourners in my daily life and ministry. My reading this morning of Isaiah 58, which makes clear God's expectations as to how His people should treat those in need, has prompted me to finally to sit down to gather and express my thoughts on this matter.

Where I live, the prevailing attitude towards foreigners, most of whom are from Mexico, is disdain, or at best, apathy. Even professing Christians often express their feelings with unveiled animosity. No! I should say most of the negative comments I hear are from professing believers. Unfortunately, their sentiments demonstrate their ignorance of Scripture and their lack of knowledge of the character of God. As you can see from the passages and definition provided above, God's expectation of His people is to care for and minister to sojourners in our midst. God does not specify conditions for this care and ministry.

Our sin nature makes us naturally suspicious and resentful towards those we do not understand and who are not like us—those we see as taking advantage of us or consuming resources that do not belong to them or that they do not deserve. When Jesus changes our hearts, He gives us the understanding that nothing that we have is deserved. It is all by His grace alone. Therefore, we are more likely to extend that grace to others. That is what has happened in my life. As God increased my understanding of His Word, His character, and my need for Him, He began placing in my path people to whom I can extend the grace He has so freely given to me. Because I have a basic Biblical understanding of that grace, I cannot be disobedient by failing to extend it to others.

I challenge you to reexamine your attitude towards the sojourners in your midst, and to seek God to determine if your thinking is pleasing to Him. The bottom line is this: God cares about these people, and if we are followers of Jesus Christ, we will care about them too.