Church For The Rich And Poor

CHURCH FOR THE RICH AND THE POOR (JAMES 2:1-17)

According to a 2024 report, the top 10 percent of Hong Kong’s richest household now earn about 81.9 times that of the poorest family. The richest 10 per cent of households in Hong Kong has a median monthly income of HK$131,000, while the lowest 10 per cent earns a median monthly income of HK$1,600.

https://hongkongfp.com/2024/10/02/hong-kongs-wealth-gap-widens-as-almost-23-of-households-living-in-poverty-oxfam-study-finds

The church is a microcosm of the city’s inhabitants, with rich and poor, young and old, learned and unlearned, locals and immigrants, in Hong Kong or any other major church reflects society. James addressed the rich (James 1:10, 11, 2:5, 6, 5:1) and the poor (James 2:2, 3, 5, 6) more than any epistle in the New Testament.

The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation asked 1,686 American adults which is generally more often to blame if a person is poor: lack of effort on their own part, or difficult circumstances beyond their control? The results indicate that Christians are much more likely than non-Christians to view poverty as the result of individual failings. 46 percent of all Christians said that a lack of effort is generally to blame for a person's poverty, compared with 29 percent of all non-Christians. In contrast, by more than 2 to 1, Americans who are atheist, agnostic or have no particular affiliation said difficult circumstances are more to blame when a person is poor than lack of effort (65 percent to 31 percent).

Among Democrats, 26 percent blamed a lack of effort and 72 percent blamed circumstances. Among Republicans, 63 percent blamed lack of effort and 32 percent blamed circumstances.

(https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/christians-poverty-blame-lack-effort-twice-likely-us-white-evangelicals-faith-relgion-a7875541.html)

What is your attitude to people, whether you are rich or poor? How does God want us to treat others? Why are we stewards of God’s treasures regardless if our savings are more or less?

Be Respectful in Service

1 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old 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?

The first church I served at after graduating from seminary was a Chinese church in Southern California where we rented the early morning session from an American church that had reasonable parking spaces, but at times parking could be chaotic when the two services overlap if the Chinese service end too late and the American church parishioners arrive too early.

The arrangement was fine as long as worshippers could recall until one day when a clueless driver from the Chinese church parked in a spot reserved for Mr. Smith, one of the most respected and senior and founders of the church. Not only that, the driver knocked down the wooden roughly-painted “Reserved for Mr. Smith” sign. Mr. Smith huffed and puffed and demanded, “Who parked in my space and knocked down my sign?” We had no way of knowing, no one claimed responsibility and there was no CCTV then. Our apologies were not accepted. In the end, Mr. Smith left the church because other leaders from the church did not agree with his narrow viewpoint, his special privilege and his embarrassing reaction.

First of all, the book of James is a brotherly book. Caution: you don’t have the authority to lecture like James until you love like him. The phrase “my brothers” (v 1) occurs the most three times in a book (Rom 7:4, 9:3, 15:14), but eight times in the book of James (1:2, 2:1, 14, 3:1, 10, 12, 5:10, 12). Besides, James also called his readers “brethren” three times (4:11, 5:7, 9) and “my beloved brethren” (1:16, 19, 2:5). Another possible reason is for the readers to acknowledge each other, for them to address and accept all as family.

The first imperative is “show/have” (v 1) and the word “favoritism” means “face” (prosopon) + “receive.” It means to greet others on the condition of the face – the exterior, the appearance or surface. Some translations translate it as “personal favoritism” (NASU), “partiality” (partiality) and respect of persons (KJV). The title “Lord Jesus Christ” is the foremost, grandest and most glorious title of Jesus Christ, occurring 84 times in the Bible, with 55 times “our Lord Jesus Christ” included, so to treat others less is to devalue, damage and disgrace His name. “Our Lord Jesus Christ” means we have a shared faith, a shared fellowship, and a shared future.

Verse 2’s “gold” is contrasted with “poor man,” and “fine clothes” is contrasted with “filthy old clothes.” From the word “fine” (lampros) comes the English word for “lamp” – a shining, splendid and striking outfit. The poor man, however, has filthy clothes, which means unpresentable, undistinguished, unbearable, untidy and unclean garments. John Gill says: “The senatorian and equestrian orders among the Romans were distinguished from the common people by wearing gold rings; though in time the use of them became promiscuous; the ancients used to wear but one, as here but one is mentioned; and only freemen, not servants.” https://www.studylight.org/commentary/james/2-2.html