“I Was Hungry and You Did Not Feed Me”: Methodist Pastor Confronts Jeff Sessions

Attorney General Jeff Sessions was speaking to the Boston Lawyers chapter of the Federalist Society on Monday afternoon when he was interrupted by a Methodist pastor with a biblical message. Watch:

A religious leader just interrupted Jeff Sessions and recited Matthew 25:42—43:

“I was hungry and you did not feed me. I was a stranger and you did not welcome me.”

He was removed by police.

Another religious leader defended him.

He was also removed.pic.twitter.com/2dRJtpe7AL

— low voter turnout (@JordanUhl) October 29, 2018

“I was hungry and you did not feed me,” said United Methodist Pastor Will Green, quoting Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew. “I was a stranger and you did not welcome me. I was naked and you did not clothe me.”

As the room watched in silence and Sessions mumbled out a “thank you,” Green continued:

“Brother Jeff, as a fellow United Methodist, I call upon you to repent, to care for those in need, to remember that when you do not care for others you are wounding the body of Christ.”

Police escorted Green out, at which point Darrell Hamilton, pastor at the First Baptist Church in Boston, rose to speak. Unlike when the white pastor spoke, this time the room booed him and told him to “go home.” Police escorted Green out as he called the attendees “hypocrites” for supposedly endorsing religious liberty until it inconvenienced them.

When they were gone, per Vox, Sessions addressed the concerns with a laugh:

“I don’t believe there’s anything in the Scripture … [or my] theology that says a secular nation state cannot have lawful laws to control immigration … not immoral, not indecent, and not unkind to state what your laws are and then set about to enforce them.”

Neither Green nor Hamilton had time to levy specific charges against Sessions, but their meaning is clear—this is a man who has spearheaded the effort to separate immigrant children from their parents, and who participates in the demonizing of the caravan of immigrants attempting to find a better life. Whatever else, these men obviously believe he is in violation of the message of Jesus Christ.