Was Baby Jesus an Illegal Immigrant? Setting the Record Straight
The Holy Family were law-abiding subjects of the Roman Empire who complied with the decrees of the state.
Every Christmas season, a familiar argument tends to resurface: the idea that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were "undocumented immigrants" or "illegal aliens" during their flight to Egypt. Some use this narrative to justify modern illegal immigration, suggesting that to oppose it is to oppose the Holy Family itself.
Can you imagine people trying to use baby Jesus during the Christmas season to justify illegal immigration? Yes, that's how misinformed some people can be. Was the baby from Bethlehem an illegal immigrant?
The answer is an easy NO.
1. Migration Within a Single Empire
When Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt to escape Herod’s decree, they weren’t crossing a modern international border. At the time, both Judea and Egypt were provinces under the Roman Empire.
Moving from Bethlehem to Egypt was a move within the same legal jurisdiction. Crossing from one area to another didn’t violate any immigration laws because they remained within the boundaries of the empire that governed them. no
"And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod." — Matthew 2:14–15 (ESV)
2. Compliance with Civil Authority
The biblical narrative highlights the family’s commitment to following the law. We see this clearly in the events leading up to Jesus' birth:
The Decree: Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem specifically to comply with a legal order from the highest civil authority, Caesar Augustus.
Legal Registration: They did NOT evade civil authorities, nor did they reject legal obligations. They traveled a difficult distance specifically to legally register and fulfill their civic duties. They complied with them!
"In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered... And all went to be registered, each to his own town." — Luke 2:1, 3 (ESV)
3. Submission to Governing Authorities
The New Testament consistently teaches that believers are to be subject to the laws of the land. Joseph and Mary modeled this behavior by following the "ordinance of man," even during a difficult pregnancy and under the threat of persecution.
"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God." — Romans 13:1 (ESV)
"Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good." — 1 Peter 2:13–14 (ESV)
The Bottom Line
Using the "Baby Jesus" narrative to justify modern illegal immigration is a historical and theological stretch.
The Holy Family were law-abiding subjects of the Roman Empire who complied with the decrees of the state.
Misinformed people use this argument, but a closer look at the Gospel accounts and the historical context of the first century shows that the "illegal immigrant" label simply doesn't fit the King of Kings.
What are your thoughts on how we apply biblical narratives to modern policy?
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