Jesus Did Not Speak English

West Nashville UMC has reached out to the West Nashville Hispanic Community, and fought against the English-Only vote being taken in Davidson County. Pastor Dennis Meaker reflects on what happened when the church’s sign said, “Jesus Did Not Speak English.” Article from the West Nashville United Methodist Church newsletter WITNESS, January 2009.

“I was a stranger and you did not welcome me,...” Matthew 25:43a, NRSV

“How stupid! Of course, Jesus didn’t speak English. English wasn’t even a language in the first century!:”

That was the mildest comment I received for putting the title to this article on the church sign. The problem with the church sign is we only have three short times. Nuance is hard to convey in three lines. I didn’t have room to explain that Jesus, and indeed all of Scripture, instructs us to welcome the stranger. Yet, I suspect a number of people who complained about the sign understood exactly what we were trying to convey. I think they complained because they did not want to accept that their support for the English-only referendum could be contrary to Scripture. They wanted a Jesus who speaks English and who holds their view of the world.

It is easy to “proof text” the Bible: to choose portions of Scripture that support your views and ignore those to the contrary. Yet, one theme that is difficult to avoid in Scripture is the command to welcome the stranger in our midst, to treat the stranger with justice and fairness. This principle was rooted in God’s act of salvation for the people of Israel. God tells the people of Israel to remember they once were strangers in a strange land and that they were persecuted. God heard their cries and will hear the cries of those they persecute. Consider these verses:
.“There shall be one law for the native and for the alien who resides among you.” (Exodus 12:49)
.“The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt, I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:34)
.“You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice, . . .” (Deuteronomy 24:17a
.“I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, . . .” (Matthew 24:43a)

The truly extraordinary thing about the God of Israel, and something Jesus wanted us to understand, is that God is the God of all people. Unlike the gods of other nations, who reflect the nationalism of their lands, God is the God of creation. All people are God’s children. God will judge us by how we treat one another.

Should the resident alien in the United States learn to speak English? Of course. Few ever have resisted doing so in our 233-year history. That, however, is a separate issue.

The issue at hand is one of hospitality and common sense. Government runs more efficiently if our law, rules and regulations are communicated effectively. Why would we hamstring our elected leaders by requiring them to act as if a language barrier did not exist?

Christians have one more thing to consider. Many of those aliens who would be affected by this law are our brothers and sister in Christ. Many already are baptized and profess Christ as their Lord and Savior. They may know the gospel in a different language, but it is the same gospel, the only gospel. The biblical command to extend hospitality is not limited to those of our faith. It is particularly ironic, however, that self-professed Christians are so willing to exclude their brothers and sisters in Christ by reinforcing the barrier of language.

As noted in 1 John 4: 20-21: “Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars, for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.”

By the time you read this article, early voting will be open in Davidson County. The English-only referendum is not a political issue that the church is supposed to avoid. It strikes at the heart of what we profess to believe. As you go to vote, and please do vote, remember Christ is present in every person around us, even those who do not speak English.

--The Rev. Dennis Meaker