Migration, Displacement and Care: The Christian Imperative (Matt 25,34-40)

Abstract:

Man is always on the move for better life. The history of humanity could be said to be a chronicle of migration. Migration has made history and history has created the circumstances for varied and complex forms of migration. Every culture, every tribe has a story regarding how they settled in their location, though some may sound only mythological. America owned originally by the Red Indians is today a country of mixed races. Early colonization of Africa and other parts of the world are all forms of migration. In the bible the story is not different. After the fall in Gen 3, Adam and Eve migrated from the Garden of Eden. Gen 12,1 begins with God’s call to Abraham to leave his homeland and move to a strange land. The eventual Exodus experience all attest to migration as a necessity. In the New Testament, the parents of Jesus had no option than to migrate to Egypt in the face of danger. In Acts of the Apostles, the disciples dispersed to many places because of persecution. Migration is therefore part of man, but the border line is that migration comes as a necessity. Today, the world especially the Western world sees it as a taunting problem yawning for solution. The author of this paper believes that migration flows have been and continues to be important vectors of social, economic and cultural changes. He argues that Matt 25,34-41 challenges us with care as the ultimate solution to the issue of migration. The paper adopts exegetical lens to challenge the world leaders to eschew racism, nepotism and see every person as one. It is the belief of the author that if we see ourselves as one and take good care of every person, migration will no longer be a burden but a blessing. It also calls on world leaders to address the remote cause of migration than attacking migrants.