Think Heavenly About People (2.1-13)
1 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?
8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
There is a famous story about a preacher who just got hired to be the new senior minister of a church. The story goes that the preacher, on his very first Sunday preaching at this church, dressed up in raggedy, dirty, smelly clothes, rubbed dirt all over his face and body, and sat outside the church’s front door with a sign asking for help. All the members of the church were so excited to meet and hear their new preacher for the first time, that barely any of them stopped to talk to the “homeless man”, much less enter into a relationship with him in order to help him. They were late to serve as greeters, late to serve the children, hurrying to get ready for worship practice. Everyone was a little confused when the service started and the new preacher was nowhere to be seen. Then came communion...still no preacher. Finally, when it was time for the sermon, the “homeless man” came strolling up the aisle to the pulpit, pulled out his Bible, and began preaching. He didn’t really need to say anything, he had already preached his sermon.
This is the same kind of problem that James sees in the churches in the diaspora. There is trial, not only outside the community, but inside the church community. A division between the rich and the poor has occurred in the church, and apparently special favor is being shown to the rich, because, they ARE the ones whose tithes fund the work of the church, aren’t they? Yet, this is not how God’s family is supposed to treat each other. That is why he begins with the phrase, “My brothers.”
James is pointing out that we are family, not a business or hierarchy. And because of this fact, we treat each other without showing favoritism. The word, “favoritism”, comes from the Hebrew idea to “take” or “receive the face” of someone. This phrase, “receive the face” of someone is a Hebrew idiom describing the practice of greeting. As you would walk the streets of Jerusalem and come to another person, the appropriate, cultural greeting would be to bow low to the ground, with your face to the ground. Then the person, if they deemed you worthy, would bow low and “raise your face” back up to the same level of theirs. When they “raised”, or “received” your face, they were making a judgment about you, saying that you are worthy to speak to me. This is what this work, “favoritism”, is referring to. James is saying that being a part of God’s people means that we are all a family, no matter what our economic status is, and that we do not enter into this practice of judging people based on their social and economic level. James starts off this section about thinking heavenly about people, with a proposition. “Don’t show favoritism”. He then moves on to give an example of what he is talking about.
The example is found in vs. 2-4 which says:
2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
Two men enter, one is shown honor based on what he is wearing, which indicates who he is. The other is shown shame based on what he is wearing, which indicates who he is. Society has a way of classifying people into classes based on how they dress and look. Yet, this judgment, this classification is based on the desires from below, not the wisdom from above. For it says in 1 Samuel 16.7 says, “7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
We are to show no partiality, or favoritism, within our community. Rich, successful businessmen should not be the characteristics that make up the elders of our church. What should make up our elderships should be men who are one women men, men who are above reproach, who have a good reputation in the community. James moves on to point out that this is a conflict in eschatology (don’t get scared with this word, we will explain it right after this). This is what he says:
5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?
The word, “eschatology”, comes from two words, “eschaton” (last) and “ology” (study of). The literal definition of “eschatology” is the “study of the last things”. But the theological definition is as follows: Living today in view of what God has done in the past and in light of what he is going to do in the future. Romans 2.11 tells us about what God has done in the past by dying on the cross. It says, “For God does not show FAVORITISM”. This is also true in the future. Those who are in Christ, whether Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, rich or poor, all of the above who are in Christ will receive God’s eternal blessing. That is why James says, “Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?” He goes on to say, “You are trying to suck up to the rich...look at what the rich are doing to harm God’s kingdom!!” And he lists three things that the rich, the ones that you are treating favorably, are doing to you. He says: 1. They are exploiting you; 2. they are dragging you off to court; and 3. they are slandering the name of Jesus. James’ point is this: when the church takes sides with the rich to try and earn favor with the influential people of the day, they are taking sides AGAINST CHRIST!!! For he follows this by saying:
8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
If you show favoritism, you sin, you break the law. And this sin puts you on the same side as the murderers and adulterers, the side AGAINST Christ. This is a serious deal. Yet, there is hope. We are to love our neighbors by showing the same mercy that God has shown us. See how James ends this section:
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
This whole “not showing favoritism thing” is a tough deal. It is not natural to us. Yet, remember the main idea for the whole book:
Wisdom from above (thinking heavenly)--> truth---> good deeds --> Life
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Desires from Below---> leads to temptation----> leads to Sin-----> leads to Death.
If we follow our natural desires, it will lead to death. The wisdom from above, which leads to life for all people, tells us to not show favoritism, to love all people equally, to show no partiality. This is what Jesus did throughout his life. He loved all people, without any reference to class, economic level, or race. We must think heavenly in how we treat people, we must simply treat others as we would like to be treated. I think someone very important said something similar.
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