DON’T SHOW FAVORITISM
PT 1: DON’T SHOW FAVORITISM
Jas 2:1 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.
Jas 2:2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.
Jas 2:3 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,”
Jas 2:4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
Favoritism: An inclination to favor some person or group.
Discrimination: unfair treatment of a person or group on the basis of prejudice. Discrimination takes place when someone is treated less favourably on grounds of their race, colour, nationality or national or ethnic origin. It is not necessary to prove that someone intended to discriminate against you: it is sufficient only to show that the outcome of their action was that you received less favourable treatment.
Discrimination is a real problem within our society and there’s all types. There’s age discrimination, housing discrimination, disability discrimination, race based discrimination, pregnancy, religious, sex based and national origin discrimination.
And such was the case in the early church. Favoritism, discrimination had made it’s way into the church. How was it seen? Simply by showing special attention to one who had and one who had not. It’s the haves and the have nots. One man was rich and one was poor. The saints showed special attention to the one who was rich and treated the other man unfavorably.
Notice the strong language that James uses. You became a judge with evil thoughts. Whatever you thought that caused that type of behavior was evil and led to evil behavior.
Look at how they treated the man. You stand there. Sit on the floor by my feet. How arrogant! What a disgusting attitude this is!
Lev 19:15 “ ‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
Peter had to learn this lesson about God in Ac 10:34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.
Ro 2:9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; Ro 2:10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Ro 2:11 For God does not show favoritism.
Eph 6:9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
Col 3:25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.
Col 4:1 Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
The beautiful heart of God. God does not show favoritism, He does not discriminate, He is not prejudice. What does he say? He accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. Abraham Lincoln once said, God must love the common man; he made so many of them.
Pt 2: CHOSEN BY GOD
Jas 2:5 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? Jas 2:6 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? Jas 2:7 Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?Jas 2:8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. Jas 2:9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. Jas 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. Jas 2:11 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.
Jas 2:12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,
Jas 2:13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
For those that were poor listening to this passage would have been so encouraging that God chose them. God chose them to be poor in the eyes of the world, but were they poor in his eyes. No. They were rich in the most important way you could be rich. In faith. And God says they were to inherit the kingdom. The way the brothers were treating the poor was an insult. The poor were not the problem, it was the rich. They were the ones exploiting people. They were the ones dragging people into court and suing them. They were the ones slandering the name of God.
But wait a minute James we’re just keeping the royal law found in Scripture. Love your neighbor as yourself. That’s why were showing special attention to the rich. We’re loving Him. James point is if you really are keeping the royal law found in scripture you would not treat the poor man unfavorably. Show special attention to both but do it out of love; not because one is rich and the other poor.
I love the Barclay put this: In its early days the Church was predominantly poor and humble; and therefore if a rich man was converted and came to the Christian fellowship, there must have been a very real temptation to make a fuss of him and treat him as a special trophy for Christ. The Church must be the one place where all distinctions are wiped out. There can be no distinction of rank and prestige when men meet in the presence of the King of glory. There can be no distinction of merit when men meet in the presence of the supreme holiness of God. In His presence all earthly distinction are less than the dust and all earthly righteousness is as filthy rags. In the presence of God all men are one. Amen!
God was always concerned how His people treated their neighbors. In the Old Testament there were plenty of scriptures giving direction for treatment of neighbors.
Ex 20:16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
Ex 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Lev 6:2 “If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the LORD by deceiving his neighbor about something entrusted to him or left in his care or stolen, or if he cheats him,
Lev 6:3 or if he finds lost property and lies about it, or if he swears falsely, or if he commits any such sin that people may do—
Lev 6:4 when he thus sins and becomes guilty, he must return what he has stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to him, or the lost property he found,
Lev 6:5 or whatever it was he swore falsely about. He must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day he presents his guilt offering.
Pr 3:28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow”— when you now have it with you.
Pr 3:29 Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you.
Lk 10:25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Lk 10:26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
Lk 10:27 He answered: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’’”
Lk 10:28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
Lk 10:29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Lk 10:30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.
Lk 10:31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
Lk 10:32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
Lk 10:33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
Lk 10:34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.
Lk 10:35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
Lk 10:36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
Lk 10:37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Don’t mess with Jesus! The expert that day learned that he was dealing with an expert of experts. The expert in the law went away scratching His head. Probably mad. Why? Jesus just lifted up a Samaritan (Inhabitant of Samaria, originally was a group of foreigners sent by the King of Assyria to inhabit the land of Israel, despised by the Jews.) over a priest and a Levite, Gods chosen people! Jesus point: The man lying on the road is your neighbor. Show some mercy. Love him.
9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. Jas 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. Jas 2:11 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.
Jews had a tendency to view the law with a works mentality. To keep one was to gain credit and to break one was to incur debt. A man could add up the ones he kept and subtract the ones he broke and so emerge with a credit or a debit balance. There was Rabbinic saying, “Whoever fulfils only one law, good is appointed to him; his days are prolonged and he will inherit the land.” Again many of the rabbis held that “the Sabbath was the most important law and if you kept that one you have kept the whole law. No said James. Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty. You have thus become a lawbreaker. Now for those that trusted in the law that view would have made them feel hopeless and would have given way to pointing them to trusting not in the law but rather in Jesus the lawgiver.
PT 3: JUDGE WITH MERCY
Jas 2:12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,
Jas 2:13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
James is helping them to be humble. Hey don’t be arrogant and prideful. Don’t look down on the poor. Don’t be judges with evil thoughts. Don’t be arrogant and trust in your ability. While you’re judging you too will be judged. And judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
In our interactions with one another don’t show favoritism, recognize that God has chosen people to be what they are in the church and he has done so for His purposes, remember to love your neighbor as yourself, walk humbly with your God and as you judge me merciful. For all of us will appear before the judgment seat of Christ. May God richly bless you.
