THE CHARACTER OF FAITH
JAMES 2:1 13
A Chinese man and a Jewish man were eating lunch together. Suddenly, without warning the Jew gets up, walks over to the Chinese fellow and smashes him in the mouth, sending him sprawling.
The Chinese man picks himself up, rubs his jaw and asks, "What in the world did you do that for?" The answer came back: "That's for Pearl Harbor!" The guy was totally shocked and said, "Pearl Harbor? I didn't have anything to do with Pearl Harbor. It was the Japanese that bombed Pearl Harbor!"
The Jew responded, "Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese they're all the same to me." With that they both sit down again, but before long the Chinese man gets up, walks over to the Jew and sends him flying with a hard smack to the jaw.
The Jew yells out, "What did you do that for?" And the answer came back: "That's for the Titanic." "The Titanic? Why, I didn't have anything to do with the Titanic!" The Chinese man replied, "Goldberg, Steinberg, Iceberg...they're all the same to me."
You shouldn't laugh at that...because that is just the type of thing James refers to in the first part of chapter 2. This morning we're going to look at the subject of discrimination...partiality...of making decisions about people based solely on appearances or wrong motives. James uses a different story but one that's just as up to date.
READ James 2:1 13 Pray
James closed out chapter 1 with a discussion of religion. And we saw from that passage that being a Christian is not conforming your outward behavior to some religious pattern.
This morning we are going to look at an important subject that James uses to illustrate that very fact. One Sunday morning two strangers come into church. We know they're strangers because they don't know where to sit, and need someone to find them a place.
One guy has all the outward indications that he's got big bucks...and he gets ushered into a seat. But the other guy...who has the appearance of one who lives in a cardboard box on a city street, has to stand...or a best, he has to squat on a stool, probably in the corner somewhere. And the obvious reason for this discrimination is appearance. One looks important...the other like a bum or an outcast.
Making judgments on appearance is something we do so often I doubt we even think much about it...and that may be the biggest part of the problem...not thinking! But we do show a great deal of partiality. If someone is a different race, or religion, or economical status we often share the same type of feelings the Jewish and the Chinese man did.
I guess what makes it okay for us is that we most often do it in the form of a joke. But humor almost always contains some element of truth. It reveals a lot about our heart when we use crude terms to describe certain ethnic groups or the social status of others.
But before we look deeper into this, I want to give an example of what partiality, the kind James is speaking of, is not. It would not be showing partiality to offer the last remaining seat to an elderly person and to ask a young person to stand or maybe sit on the floor. Why? Because the elderly command respect and considerate attention (Lev. 19:32).
Or if the President of the United States or maybe the Queen of England would come to worship with us...it would be only natural to give them the best seat. And again, that would be obeying Scripture...(Prov. 24:21a; 1 Peter 2:17).
But its one thing to acknowledge the dignity of position or age...but its another thing altogether to be swayed by the mere chance that the guy has some worldly advantage, like money, while the other doesn't.
The sin of partiality is the sin of judging by the externals...and as James notes, it always bears down on the poor and the disadvantaged. But why is it a sin? This question brings us to a very curious piece of Greek which James uses to begin ch. 2.
Now, English versions smooth it out one way or the other...but this verse makes reference to the "glorious Lord." This word glory is actually a descriptive modifier...which means it is used as a name for Christ...our Lord who is the glory.
The use of this title by James reflects Jewish thought about the Shekinah. Have you ever heard of the Shekinah before? It's a word not found in the Bible but it was used often in rabbinical literature. The rabbis used the word Shekinah when speaking of the glorious manifestation of the presence of God with His people.
In Exodus 33 we find Moses all bummed out about the Israelites. A good paraphrase of his thoughts about them would be that they were a people who could mess up a soup sandwich. And he's getting worried about the future. He needed some encouragement so he begged God to show him His glory.
So the Lord, who is always anxious to meet the needs of those He loves, says O.K. "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name in your presence." And that's exactly what He did in Exodus 34:5 8.
And when the Lord proclaimed His name, it was more than just a statement of who He is...but also what He is. It summarized the Lord's character and his attributes. Moses asked to see the Lord's glory and the Lord said to him..."Yes, I'll come to you and reveal myself to you...I'll show you my very essence and my very nature.
So glory refers to the personal presence of the Lord in all His goodness...in all His majesty...in all His fullness. Just like the cloud that filled the Holy of Holies...or like the pillar of fire that led the Israelites by night. And Jesus is the Shekinah...the divine glory!
But why is all this so important...and what does it have to do with the whole thought of partiality? Verse 4 supplies the answer. You see, in the structure of the verses, James' illustration begins with an if in verse 2. And verse 4 is the then clause that brings out the conclusion.
If the wealthy are favored...and if there is discrimination against the poor simply on the grounds of worldly advantage...then the result is found in verse 4. And James brings the conclusion out in the form of a question..."Have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?"
This is really a matter of divided loyalty. In chapter 1 James asks whether we are completely devoted to the Lord in the midst of trials and difficulties. Here he's asking whether we put the Lord's glory first in our scale of values..or if we allow ourselves to be led by the standards of this world about what is worthy and worth while.
James clearly teaches us that the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Glory...the Shekinah...the very presence of God...He must reign supreme! And if we claim to be Christians, our values, our priorities, and our actions should always reflect the true glory displayed in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ!
So when it comes to how we accept others...we must ask, "How would he accept them?" As to how we act toward others...we have to ask, "How would He act toward them?"
The central though of this passage is that those who have entered into a faith relationship with Jesus Christ...who are to be imitators of the divine glory...must never allow social distinctions and differences continue to find a place in our lives.
Now, no doubt his own growing years in the house of Joseph and Mary, a simple working class family much like many of us...had sharpened his awareness of how the scales can be tipped in favor of the rich.
But we need to ask the question, "Is the Lord unconditionally on the side of the poor? Are the rich by nature destined to become persecutors of the poor? Is he calling us to take sides on every social issue on the assumption that the poor man must be right and the rich man wrong?
If that's the case, what about Abraham, or Job, or Joseph of Arimithea, or Zacchaeus? I think Paul had the right balance when he said that not many...powerful, not many...of noble birth were chosen by God. What we see here is a general statement of truth.
The Lord doesn't just choose the poor...and it's not just the rich who persecute believers and blaspheme the name of God. But in general, it is true. Love for the poor, the downtrodden, and the helpless is written into the divine nature.
It has always been the case that the Lord's true followers are predominately less well off...subject to less justice than those who have the means to manipulate the system. The Bible even says that Jesus, the Lord's glory, became poor for the sake of the poor. And if we follow Him then we too should be on the side of the underprivileged, the disadvantaged, and the oppressed.
Well, James has given us an illustration with a negative meaning...we shouldn't give honor to someone just because of the externals...or discount others by the same criteria. But on the positive side, what are we to do?
James now turns our attention away from the illustration and turns our attention to a principle..."if you really keep the royal law you are doing right." So, we have a law to obey...a special law that carries Scriptural authority. And quite simply put, we are to love our neighbor how...as ourselves!
And just for the record, according to the teaching of Jesus, a neighbor is anyone who needs my care and attention (Luke 10:25 37) So, if we want to know how we're to love our neighbors, we have to ask the question: how do we love ourselves? And the answer would be with concern, care and attention.
When we catch sight of our face first thing in the morning, what would be the first word that comes to our mouths...UGH! We have bed head and morning breath...and sometimes lines all over our faces. And yet we take that revolting face to the bathroom and wash it and do with it whatever we can to make it as presentable as nature will allow.
This principle is how we're to base our relationships to all our neighbors. Regardless of the outward...we're to look to what's inside and do all we can to give the care and attention that person needs.
But that is much easier said than done. James wants to go beyond this obligation to obey the royal law and establish a universal obligation which no one can avoid. And this is how he does it. He says there is no way we can pick and choose between the commandments ...because if we break one, including the one that says to love your neighbor as yourself...we've broken the law.
And listen to me...each one of God's commands reflects some aspect of His divine nature. If we say that any of His commands don't apply to us, what we're saying is that there is some aspect of the nature of God that doesn't matter...that we can get along without it because it has no particular value.
And which of God's attributes are unimportant? Which can we get along without...His mercy...or His grace...how about His justice or His holiness...or maybe His love? So why do we rebel against it so much? What people are really seeking is freedom.
But we need to understand that we are made in the image of God. Right? So our true freedom depends on discovering how we can express our true nature. If you're a horse, then don't just eat like one...run like a horse and talk like a horse. Move into a barn.
But if you're a Christian...if you're made in His image...then we're to be like Him. But how do we do that? When we obey His commands we are living like Him....and we are actually being ourselves...we're free! It's God's law that describes the life of true freedom...and obedience opens the door to the free life.
We have what the world wants...real freedom. But there is another whole dimension to that freedom. Acts 5:32 says that God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him. In other words, the very act of obeying is the key to power. It's obedience that liberates!
Sadly, we fail, over and over again to live the life of obedience. But lucky for us James goes on to speak of mercy. We are in constant need of the mercy of God...and he shows us how we can get it. Read James 2:13
In Matthew 5:7 Jesus taught us that it is the merciful who will obtain mercy. Instead of simply saying that mercy is available, James states the truth about mercy in a way that finishes off his whole argument. The mercy we need is conditional upon showing mercy. Without mercy we get what we deserve!
What is it that you really deserve today? Is it mercy we deserve because we've shown mercy to others. Or are we judges with evil thoughts who discriminate against others. Are we ones who judge by the outward appearances...or do we reflect the glory..the very presence of Almighty God?
Mercy triumphs over judgment...but only to those whose heart and actions reflect that presence of Jesus in our lives.
