Good Samaritan makes border states reconsider bias against immigrants
JOE MILLER JR.
Isaiah 2:1-5

Joe Miller Jr. is pastor of First United Methodist Church in Newton.

On Thanksgiving Day this year a tragic accident occurred in an isolated area of Arizona along the Mexican border. A woman and her nine year old son ran off the road, and their van rolled over and over down a rugged ravine coming to rest against a mesquite tree.

The woman was seriously injured but Christopher was able to free himself from the wrecked vehicle. The boy was in shock but managed to climb up to the road. Manuel Jesus Cordova Soberanes came across the boy, who was wandering in a disoriented state some distance from the wreck site. Manuel had just illegally crossed the border to find work to support his wife and children in Mexico. He had successfully eluded the Border Patrol. Rather than continue on his furtive journey, he stopped and rendered aid to Christopher.

Manuel accompanied Christopher to the wreck site and tried unsuccessfully to free the trapped and dying woman. He stayed with the boy throughout the cold night, gave him his jacket and precious food and water that he had packed for his journey, and built a fire for warmth. Early in the morning, Manuel engaged some hunters who called for help on their cell phones.

The Border Patrol arrived first and arrested Manuel. It took hours to free the mother's body from the wreckage. Christopher was taken to a hospital and treated.

This story has created an enormous amount of argument in Arizona. The governor that if he were president he would personally grant Manuel a visa for legal entry. The news media is calling Manuel a hero and a good Samaritan.

Others have taken an opposing view. One person speculated that illegal immigrants caused the wreck, and one of them (Manuel) felt guilty and stayed behind to help. There have been many racist remarks directed at Manuel and illegal immigrants in general.

But what does this have to do with Isaiah 2:1-5? Read through Isaiah chapter 1 to get a flavor of the context. God is calling the people to task for a very sinful society. There is widespread injustice and corruption throughout the country, and people are not taking good care of each other, especially the poor widows and orphans.

God says that they will reap the consequences for their sins, but Chapter 2 is a dramatic change in tone. God holds up great hope for the future, when relationships between people and God will be very different. This change will occur in the future… what does God expect them to do in the present?

Verse 5 says "…come, let us walk in the light of the LORD!" For the persons in Isaiah's society who were caught in the midst of troubling and sinful ways, their recourse was to walk in the light of the Lord. They could not change the world around them, but they could alter their response to the world.

Manuel had walked many miles to try to create a better life for his family. He became a hunted man when he crossed the border; yet, he held hope. The last thing he wanted to do is attract attention to himself, but he decided that helping a nine year old boy was more important than his own journey to help his family.

Was he "walking in the light of the Lord?" Verse 4 envisions a time when there will be no boundaries between countries. There will be no governments because God will reign as the only government needed by all people. Has Manuel's action brought us a little closer to that prophetic time? Does an illegal immigrant's action typify the Kingdom of God "breaking into" a sinful society? Email me at newtonumc@valornet.com with your comments.