Mark W. Wethington: Jesus was a refugee

We have yet to learn from the many stories about refugees in our various faith traditions.

One from my own tradition is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew when an angel tells Joseph “to take the child (Jesus) and his mother and flee to Egypt ... for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him.” There they found safety.

Refugees from so many places are seeking sanctuary in our country where they can find safety and well being. With President Trump’s order to ban refugees, some even being detained within proximity of the Statue of Liberty, the hospitality which defines both our nation’s history as well as many of our faith traditions, is being surrendered to a fear that is driven by religious discrimination and cultural racism.

Had Joseph and his family been banned as refugees some 2,000 years go, the child Jesus would have been subjected to the murderous campaign of Herod.

In the present time he would be banned from our country, vetted as a radical extremist, albeit nonviolent.

This story was originally published February 4, 2017 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Mark W. Wethington: Jesus was a refugee."