How does Leviticus 19:33 connect with Jesus' teachings on loving neighbors? The heart of Leviticus 19:33 “When a foreigner resides with you in your land, you must not oppress him.” (Leviticus 19:33) Leviticus 19:33–34 in context • God speaks to Israel as His covenant people living among nations. • Verse 34 continues: “You are to treat the foreigner living among you as a native-born and love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” • The injunction against oppression is matched with a positive command to love—the same Hebrew verb and idea found in verse 18 (“love your neighbor as yourself”). • God grounds the command in His own redemptive act (“I am the LORD your God”) and Israel’s past experience (“you were foreigners”). Jesus’ summary of the Law • Matthew 22:37-40: “‘Love the Lord your God…’ … ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” • By placing love of neighbor beside love of God, Jesus affirms Leviticus 19 as foundational and binding. Who is my neighbor?—Jesus broadens the circle • Luke 10:29-37: In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus answers, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor…?” The answer: the one who showed mercy—an outsider loving another outsider. • Matthew 5:43-44: “You have heard… ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” • Matthew 25:40: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” Points of connection between Leviticus and Jesus • Same source of authority: both commands come from the LORD, who never changes (Malachi 3:6). • Same definition of love: an active, practical commitment to another’s welfare. • Same object of love: beyond ethnic or social boundaries—Israel must love the foreigner; disciples must love all who cross their path. • Same motive: remembrance of redemption (Israel’s Exodus; believers’ salvation in Christ, 1 Peter 1:18-19). • Same fruit: holiness that reflects God’s character (Leviticus 19:2; Matthew 5:16,48). Practical takeaways for believers today • Guard against any form of oppression—economic, social, or verbal—directed at immigrants, refugees, or cultural outsiders. • Proactively “love as yourself”: share resources, friendship, advocacy, hospitality (Romans 12:13; Hebrews 13:2). • See every person through the lens of Christ’s cross: we were once “strangers to the covenants of the promise” (Ephesians 2:12-13). • Let personal and congregational ministries demonstrate that the gospel erases dividing walls (Ephesians 2:14-15). Leviticus 19:33 is thus not an isolated Old Testament rule; it forms the bedrock under Jesus’ call to love our neighbors—whoever they may be—with the same unqualified, sacrificial love God has shown us. |
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