Would Jesus Build a Wall?

Men of sense often learn from their enemies. It is from their foes, not their friends, that cities learn the lesson of building high walls and ships of war.

~Aristophanes~

I’ve been hearing all kinds of arguments for and against a wall on our Southern border lately.  My inclination is to agree that a wall needs to be built but part of me wonders if that’s the right Christian attitude.

God has certainly told us to love others as we love ourselves.  He has told us to help those who need help even to the point of giving up to everything to help them.  We know that God will provide for us and take care of our needs if we just and obey Him.  So, does building a wall go against His will?

The truth is, I don’t have a definitive answer to that question.  I don’t think anyone really does.  Some are of the thinking “what would Jesus do?” and answer with "He wouldn't build a wall".  I understand that trying to live that credo is a way of trying to live as Christ-like a life as we are humanly able.  Frankly, I don’t know what Jesus would do.  None of us really know that in every instance.  He has information we don’t.  He knows our hearts and our motives - far better than we know ourselves.

The Bible is full of references to God having walls built

1.     For he said to Judah, "Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours because we have sought the LORD our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side." So they built and prospered. 2 Chronicles 14:7

2.    Then I said to them, "You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a reproach."  Nehemiah 2:17

3.    "Now behold, I have made you today as a fortified city and as a pillar of iron and as walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its princes, to its priests and to the people of the land.  Jeremiah 1:18

4.    "I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. Ezekiel 22:30

And let us not forget how Revelation describes Heaven:  It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west. And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb  Revelation 21:12-19

Now this seems to suggest that building a wall is almost Biblical, doesn’t it?  I did a little (admittedly very little) research looking for anything in the Bible that suggested building walls is wrong or a sin but didn’t find anything.  However; I did look at references to immigration and immigrants. Here are a few of the verses I found:

1.     "Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”  Deuteromy 27:19

2.    “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt."  Exodus 23:9

3.    Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.  Hebrews 13:2

4.    “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the LORD your God.”  Leviticus 23:22

So, we can surmise that 1) it’s not a sin to build a wall and 2) we are supposed to treat foreigners with respect and love.  But there’s one more thing that I need to consider for me to be comfortable that supporting a wall is not anti-Christian.

It’s not just poor families looking for a better life who are sneaking across our border.  Our Southern border is the way in for people from the middle East, Central America, Turkey, and Asian countries to name a few.  It’s not just that these people are from other countries and seeking a better way of life, it’s that some of people who are sneaking into our country aren't interested in bettering their lives.

There have been many documented instances where an illegal alien (I refuse to call them "undocumented") committed serious crimes and did harm to our citizens - even to the point of death.

I don’t know anyone who believes there should be no immigration at all.  Most of us are average people who just want a safe country in which to live and raise our families.  No one I know is against helping the refugees, the poor, the infirmed.  We just want to make sure we’re protected so we can be around to offer a safe haven for those who might need it.  Immigration REFORM should be the focus of our representatives in Washington.  We need to streamline the process so it doesn’t take years from initial request to actual entry.  And once the immigrants ARE here, we need a better process that leads to citizenship so those people can become productive American Citizens.

So, after all of that, I’m comfortable in agreeing that we need to build the wall.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.  Psalm 33:12