The clash between federal law enforcement and Minneapolis protestors was facilitated by the specious concept of sanctuary cities. As a result of Minneapolis being declared a sanctuary city, local police do not cooperate with ICE, the federal agency seeking to arrest and deport illegal immigrants. In some cases, Minneapolis officials refuse to turn over incarcerated individuals convicted of serious crimes, including murderers, rapists, and child predators. On occasion, those individuals are released back into society without notifying federal officials. Naturally, that makes federal law enforcement’s task far more difficult and dangerous. Tensions escalated, mistakes were made on both sides, and it wasn’t long before legitimate protests turned violent and destructive.
The concept of sanctuary cities isn’t new; its history traces back to Bible times. When Israel first settled in the Promised Land, “the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood. When they flee to one of these cities, they are to stand in the entrance of the city gate and state their case before the elders of that city. Then the elders are to admit the fugitive into their city and provide a place to live among them. If the avenger of blood comes in pursuit, the elders must not surrender the fugitive, because the fugitive killed their neighbor unintentionally and without malice aforethought. They are to stay in that city until they have stood trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then they may go back to their own home in the town from which they fled’” (Joshua 20:1–6).
In His mercy, God ordained cities of refuge in Israel to protect a person who accidentally and unintentionally killed someone. For example, if an axe head flew off its handle and struck a co-worker and killed him, the one who wielded the axe could flee from “the avenger of blood” and find protection in the nearest city of refuge. The “avenger of blood” was the nearest male relative of a murder victim, legally responsible for pursuing justice by avenging the death, thereby upholding justice for the family and the land. This was the Old Testament system of justice—“an eye for an eye and a life for a life”—which God established to deter crime and assure respect for the sacredness of innocent life.
As a safeguard against frenzied conclusions and vigilante justice, God established cities of refuge, which The Message paraphrases as “asylum cities.” In that sense, they bore some resemblance to what we now call sanctuary cities. A person guilty of involuntary manslaughter could flee to an asylum city, receive protection, and be granted a fair trial while being shielded from enraged relatives seeking vengeance. However, God’s judicial system was a careful balance of grace and truth, and there are significant differences between ancient cities of refuge and modern sanctuary cities.
The Difference Between Ancient Cities of Refuge and Modern Sanctuary Cities
- An asylum city was not a sanctuary for guilty criminals to avoid prosecution. It was a temporary refuge for those who claimed innocence but were in danger from vigilante justice.
- Local and national authorities were in complete agreement regarding the purpose of the city of refuge and the procedures to be followed. The two were not at odds with one another.
- There was an end game, and justice was served. A fair trial determined guilt or innocence. Those declared innocent could remain protected. Even then, in God’s mercy, they were not confined to the city for life. They could regain total freedom and return home when the high priest died. God, in His wisdom, knew that emotions settle and clarity increases with the passage of time.
The guilty, however, were punished. There is an old saying, often attributed to economist and philosopher Adam Smith: “Mercy for the guilty is cruelty for the victim.” Excessive leniency toward wrongdoers enrages victims and endangers society.
If someone you love is brutally murdered and the perpetrator is let off with little consequence and leaves the courtroom with a smirk, your sense of justice is deeply provoked. Failing to punish the guilty constitutes a secondary injustice—prioritizing the offender’s well-being over the protection of the innocent and the safety of the community.
Justice matters to the wounded, and justice matters to a holy God. Jewish judges were commanded, “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly” (Leviticus 19:15). Solomon warned, “When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong” (Ecclesiastes 8:11).
Once again, we are reminded that the further we drift from the truth of God’s Word, the more justice is perverted and the more dangerous our communities become. “This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength” (1 Corinthians 1:25, TLB).
Bob Russell is Retired Senior Minister of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY.
www.Bob Russell.org