'But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” - XC
Hebrews 13:1-3 sets up several distinct commands for Christians: to love your brother, to love the stranger, to remember those in prison and those who are mistreated. Although distinct they are based on the same sentiment. The word used in verse 2 which is translated into English as hospitality is philoxenia. This compound word is based on philos (φίλος), meaning “loving,” and xenos (ξένος), meaning “stranger.” The word is the precise opposite on xenophobia, the dislike of or prejudice against people who are different.
At unCUFFED we are focused on serving the incarcerated, but our mission also extends to asking our Christian Brothers & Sisters to love the people the world tells us to hate. If you listen to the news, you know that Juvenile Crime is rising, and this is an existential threat to our cities that must be addressed. However, the vilification of these boys, especially the squeegee boys, as unworthy of God’s love and irredeemable is not aligned with our Christian faith. Remember “the least of these” from Matthew 25:40, where Jesus states, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”. In this context from the parable of the sheep and the goats, “the least of these” refers to the hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick, and imprisoned—people in dire need, both believers and non-believers, whose suffering highlights a profound connection to Jesus. Caring for them is an expression of faith, and how one treats them is seen as how one treats Jesus himself. As Jesus said, ‘go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
In all cases, we love the unlovable, knowing that they are created in God’s image and worthy of salvation. We never dismiss sin, we talk about accepting responsibility, seeking forgiveness, changed behavior and the effects their actions have had on society. We understand that sin and crime have a consequence but still we love. We practice philoxenia.
'But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” - XC
Hebrews 13:1-3 sets up several distinct commands for Christians: to love your brother, to love the stranger, to remember those in prison and those who are mistreated. Although distinct they are based on the same sentiment. The word used in verse 2 which is translated into English as hospitality is philoxenia. This compound word is based on philos (φίλος), meaning “loving,” and xenos (ξένος), meaning “stranger.” The word is the precise opposite on xenophobia, the dislike of or prejudice against people who are different.
At unCUFFED we are focused on serving the incarcerated, but our mission also extends to asking our Christian Brothers & Sisters to love the people the world tells us to hate. If you listen to the news, you know that Juvenile Crime is rising, and this is an existential threat to our cities that must be addressed. However, the vilification of these boys, especially the squeegee boys, as unworthy of God’s love and irredeemable is not aligned with our Christian faith. Remember “the least of these” from Matthew 25:40, where Jesus states, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”. In this context from the parable of the sheep and the goats, “the least of these” refers to the hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick, and imprisoned—people in dire need, both believers and non-believers, whose suffering highlights a profound connection to Jesus. Caring for them is an expression of faith, and how one treats them is seen as how one treats Jesus himself. As Jesus said, ‘go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
In all cases, we love the unlovable, knowing that they are created in God’s image and worthy of salvation. We never dismiss sin, we talk about accepting responsibility, seeking forgiveness, changed behavior and the effects their actions have had on society. We understand that sin and crime have a consequence but still we love. We practice philoxenia.
Hebrews 13:1-3 sets up several distinct commands for Christians: to love your brother, to love the stranger, to remember those in prison and those who are mistreated. Although distinct they are based on the same sentiment. The word used in verse 2 which is translated into English as hospitality is philoxenia. This compound word is based on philos (φίλος), meaning “loving,” and xenos (ξένος), meaning “stranger.” The word is the precise opposite on xenophobia, the dislike of or prejudice against people who are different.
At unCUFFED we are focused on serving the incarcerated, but our mission also extends to asking our Christian Brothers & Sisters to love the people the world tells us to hate. If you listen to the news, you know that Juvenile Crime is rising, and this is an existential threat to our cities that must be addressed. However, the vilification of these boys, especially the squeegee boys, as unworthy of God’s love and irredeemable is not aligned with our Christian faith. Remember “the least of these” from Matthew 25:40, where Jesus states, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”. In this context from the parable of the sheep and the goats, “the least of these” refers to the hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick, and imprisoned—people in dire need, both believers and non-believers, whose suffering highlights a profound connection to Jesus. Caring for them is an expression of faith, and how one treats them is seen as how one treats Jesus himself. As Jesus said, ‘go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
In all cases, we love the unlovable, knowing that they are created in God’s image and worthy of salvation. We never dismiss sin, we talk about accepting responsibility, seeking forgiveness, changed behavior and the effects their actions have had on society. We understand that sin and crime have a consequence but still we love. We practice philoxenia.