U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions claims that the bible supports ripping immigrant families apart – because it’s the law.

“I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13 to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained the government for his purposes,” Sessions said. “Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves. Consistent, fair application of law is in itself a good and moral thing and that protects the weak, it protects the lawful. Our policies that can result in short-term separation of families are not unusual or unjustified.”

Based on Sessions’ reading of Romans 13, Rosa Parks should have marched her black butt to the back of the bus.

If you take Romans 13 out of any context and suspend reason, I suppose you could come to Jeff Sessions’ conclusion. But Paul clearly didn’t mean you have a moral obligation to obey every government pronouncement. Proclaiming, “It’s the law,” is not a moral dictate. One only needs to look at Peter’s response to the Sanhedrin when that governing body ordered him to stop preaching Christ.

“But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’ (Acts 5:29)

In fact, the history of the early church was shaped by Roman persecution because Christians refused to obey tenants of Roman law that conflicted with their faith. As Tertullian wrote, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”

In Sessions’ world, Moses’s mother should have drowned her son in the Nile. Daniel should have bowed and worshipped the golden statue of King Nebuchadnezzar. And Peter should have shut his yap and stopped preaching.

Verses in Romans 13 certainly present interpretive challenges, but we can easily rule out Jeff Sessions’ simplistic notion that they demand unwavering submission to government authority. No rational Christian would argue this sliver of scripture obligated Germans to march Jews into a gas chamber, condemned Harriet Tubman for violating federal law and assisting runaway slaves, or damned Rosa Parks for refusing to get up and move to the back of the bus.

Paul writes that everyone should submit to government authorities. Nowhere does he say we should unquestioningly obey them. A distinction exists between submission and obedience. In fact, Rosa Parks demonstrated a Christian response to unjust government laws. She both refused to obey, and she submitted to the authorities.

“When he saw me still sitting, he asked if I was going to stand up, and I said, ‘No, I’m not.’ And he said, ‘Well, if you don’t stand up, I’m going to have to call the police and have you arrested.’ I said, ‘You may do that,’” Parks recalled in a 1987 PBS documentary on the Civil Rights movement.

Notice what Rosa didn’t do. She didn’t punch the bus driver. She didn’t tear up the bus. She didn’t pull a gun and start blasting away at the police officers when they showed up to arrest her. She refused to comply and went to jail.

She “submitted” to the government authorities, but she did not obey the law. And her noncompliance sparked a fire that ultimately consumed Jim Crow.

This was precisely the approach early Christians took toward the Romans. The Acts of the Christian Martyrs chronicles the trials and punishments endured by Christians who refused to obey Roman laws.

In one account, a man named Julius refused to follow an imperial edict and sacrifice to Roman gods. He was arrested and brought before the prefect (magistrate) Maximus.

“You are surely aware,” said the prefect, “of the Emperor’s edicts which order you to offer sacrifice to the gods.”

“I am aware of them,” answered Julius, “But I am a Christian and I cannot do what you want; for I must not lose sight of my living and true God.”

Maximus later tries to bribe Julius into obeying the imperial decree by offering a “generous bonus.”

“I will not do what you wish,” answered Julius, “lest I incur an eternal penalty.”

At that point, Maximus lays down the ultimatum.

“If you do not respect the imperial decrees and offer sacrifice, I am going to cut your head off.”

“That is a good plan!” answered Julius, “Only I beg you good prefect, by the welfare of your emperors, that you execute your plan and pass sentence on me, so that my prayers may be fulfilled.”

Maximus told Julius he would have “eternal glory” if he would only “endure this for the sake of the civil law.” This sounds a lot like something Jeff Sessions might say.

Julius replied: “I surely suffer for the law – but it is the divine law.”

“And so the Devil’s servant struck the blessed martyr with a sword and brought his life to an end, in Jesus our Lord, to whom is honor and glory for ever. Amen.”

So much for Jeff Sessions and his unwavering obedience to “the law.”