The Visitor: I Was a Stranger (Matthew 25:35-40)

In The Visitor, Walter Vale discovers illegal immigrants living in his New York apartment. He could call ICE. Instead, he lets them stay. When Tarek is detained, Walter fights for his release. I was a stranger and you invited me in. Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me. Walter was not seeking Jesus; he was just being kind to Tarek. Yet Jesus says that in welcoming the stranger, Walter welcomed him. Every act of mercy to the marginalized is an encounter with Christ. The least of these are not charity cases—they are Christ incognito.