Mercy is the cure for discrimination.
I grew up in a small city in south western Ontario called Sarnia. There were very few Chinese people in the city. In fact when my older sister was born my father received recognition from the mayor since she was the first Chinese born in the city. In school the only Chinese children were basically my sister, my brother and me. Of course people treated me differently. I regularly encountered situations where I was called racist names, sometimes behind my back, and sometimes in front of my face. But in one sense I sort of expected it. After all, this world is a segregated and racist place. You only have to read the stories in the paper to see how discrimination causes attacks, murders and even mass bombings.
We expect discrimination in the world. It doesn’t mean it’s right and that we shouldn’t do all we can to fight against it, but it’s expected. But what about the Christian church? Is the church free from discrimination? No, I don’t think you can say that. They say that in the southern United States that Sunday morning is the most segregated time of the week. That’s when whites go to their churches and blacks go to their churches and the two never meet.
Well, the worldwide church may not be doing so well with discrimination, but what about our church? What about BTBC? Over the years God has granted me quite a few cross cultural learning experiences. I grew up in a predominantly white church. I worked for many years in a predominantly black church. I served as a missionary in Papua New Guinea serving with Melanesian people. But I have to say coming to this church is as much of an adjustment for me as working in a predominantly black church or going on the mission field. You see growing up without a Chinese community I grew up as a banana, that’s yellow on the outside but white on the inside. Coming here I am both excited at the prospect of being reunited with my roots, but also anxious about trying to fit in. I feel guilty because I’m not Chinese enough. I’m ashamed I don’t know Mandarin or Cantonese. And sometimes I feel like I’m left out of conversations and social situations because I don’t understand what people are saying.
Being with people we’re comfortable with is natural. There’s nothing wrong with that, but if we exclude others while we spend time with those in our close social circles then we are sinning. We are showing favouritism for our friends and we are showing discrimination toward those who we neglect and avoid. Favouritism and discrimination are really two sides of the same coin.
God takes discrimination and favouritism very seriously. When we show favouritism to one and discrimination to another, we have sinned. We have been looking at the book of James, and we’ve focused on the main theme of the book: Real faith leads to real action. In this passage this morning, James 2:1-13 we will see that real faith leads to the real action of mercy instead of discrimination. (Read passage.)
Mercy is the cure for discrimination. This passage lists five reasons why we cannot show prejudice against others.
First, we are all in the same family. Look at verse one (read verse). James begins this passage by calling us brothers and believers in the glorious Lord Jesus Christ. When we became Christians we were transferred into a new family, a spiritual one. Christians are all brothers and sisters in Christ. If we are related in this way then how can we treat our brothers and sisters with favouritism and discrimination? In a very real way when we become Christians we transcend our birth race and the culture we were raised in. We don’t lose our heritage, but when we become Christians we have a new culture that supersedes our upbringing. Galatians 3:26-29 says (read verses). As Christians there is no longer Jew or Greek, that means there is no longer any race distinction among Christians.
There is no longer slave or free. That means there is no longer any discrimination because of different economic or social status. There is no longer any male or female. That means there is no longer any sexism or judging in terms of gender.
When you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, it’s true, you were changed, spiritually, but this change also affects every aspect of our lives. It affects us in the deepest parts of our identity. I can say that I’m a Chinese Canadian man who works as a pastor at Bridle Trail Baptist Church. I can say I’m a husband of a beautiful woman and father of three wonderful children. Those descriptions are all totally true, but there is one description that should come first. I am a child of God. And if you are a Christian, then you are my brother or sister. We share the same spiritual experience. We follow the same leader. We have the same heavenly Father. And we are heading for the same destiny. How can I discriminate against you when we have so much in common?
Let’s live like a family. It’s true that maybe there are some people in our families that we don’t really click with that well, but one thing about family, we are committed to them and they are committed to us. In fact, when one member of the family is struggling, we gather around them and help support them. Take a look around. That person sitting next to you is your brother or sister. They are your family. Learn to love them. That attitude will destroy discrimination.
The first reason we cannot show discrimination is this: We are all in the same family. The second reason is listed in the last part of verse one (read verse). The second reason we cannot show discrimination is this: God doesn’t show favouritism. The bottom line is that we don’t show favouritism, we don’t discriminate because God doesn’t. In verse 1 we are called believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. We are followers of Jesus Christ and He was one man who was totally free from discrimination. Jesus welcomed the poor, the rich, women, men, children, the sick, the outcast, tax collectors, prostitutes and those considered sinners by the world.
Remember the story of Peter, in Acts 10, how he fell asleep on the roof top and had a dream. It was a strange dream of animals lowered down in a sheet and how God told him to kill and eat. Peter doesn’t want to because these are animals that were not lawful to eat. But God tells him, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.†But God wasn’t talking about animals. Right after the dream, Gentiles come asking for Peter. They ask him to visit Cornelius the centurion. Cornelius also had a vision. In it he saw a man in shining clothes who told him to send for Peter. After hearing this Peter says in Acts 1:34-35, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.â€
This realization went against years and years of indoctrination. Peter was taught from a child that the Israelites, God’s chosen people, were the favourites of the Lord. All other people were forsaken by God. They were given the name, Gentile, and Peter was taught from birth to avoid them, not to eat with them, and not even to go into one of their houses. But the Israelites were wrong. That’s not how God thinks. The Israelites weren’t chosen by God because they were special and better than any other nation on earth. They were chosen to show how God’s goodness and grace would triumph even over the most stubborn sinfulness. And if you read through the Old Testament you will quickly come to realize how wayward and sinful the Israelites were. They seemed to habitually wander from the Lord and follow false gods and idols. But you know, we’re no different from the Israelites. We wouldn’t have done any better in their place. And that’s the lesson. God loved the Israelites in spite of all they had done. It’s a wonder that God chose the Israelites, and if you’re a Christian, it’s a wonder that God picked you and me.
Peter had to learn the truth that God is no respecter of persons and so do we. As Christians who strive to imitate our God who is no respecter of persons, favouritism and discrimination is not an option.
We cannot show discrimination because: 1) We are all in the same family; 2) God doesn’t show favouritism. There is a third reason. We cannot show discrimination because: Our perspective is messed up. Look at verses two to four (read verses). In these verses an illustration of favouritism is. This illustration deals with showing preference to someone who is wealthy over someone who is poor. A man wearing nice clothes comes into the church and he is given the best seat. When a man in shabby clothes comes in, he is told to stand in the corner or sit on the floor. But according to verse four, when we discriminate in this way, we become judges with evil thoughts. And I do believe that these thoughts that divide rich and poor are evil. They are from the devil.
Our godless society shapes our thinking to value what is not valuable and to discredit what really matters. We are programmed to worship things and to honour the people who own these things. I went jogging a couple of weeks ago in the neighbourhood just west of Kennedy and Major Mackenzie. We ran by some pretty impressive homes. I didn’t know such big houses existed in Markham. I thought they were all on the Bridle Path down in Toronto. But these homes were monstrous in size with 5 car garages and private tennis courts. The people I was running with expressed their admiration, and more than a little envy for these mansions. Not one person questioned why a person would want such a large home. It was a given assumption that someone who had enough money they should buy as big as they could get.
And this kind of thinking has infected Christians as well. We buy into the American or Canadian dream of starting off poor and working hard to get rich. That’s just opposite to the classic Christian vow of poverty. The Christian vision is someone starting out rich and giving away all that he has to become poor. That’s exactly what Saint Francis of Assisi did. He was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant, but after a vision of Christ, renounced his wealth and gave up everything to follow Christ in poverty. Closer to our time, C. T. Studd, the founder of WEC, followed the same path. Studd was a famous cricketer who could have made a name for himself in professional sports. Instead he chose to serve as a missionary in China. He came from a wealthy family, and when his father died and he received his large inheritance, he gave it all away to different missions and Christian charities.
In terms of money we have warped perspective. Instead of holding up people like St. Francis and CT Studd as examples to follow, we try to follow in the footsteps of Donald Trump, Tiger Woods and LeBron James. We need to regain God’s perspective of money and wealth. That’s exactly what verses 5 to 7 say (read verses).
Isn’t it true that God has a special love for the poor? You see it in who Jesus spent most of His time with. Yes he did have a meal at the Pharisees house and He went to Zaccheus’ house to celebrate. But most of the time He was with the crowds, the poorest of the poor in Israel. He spent most of his time with the sick, the lepers, the outcasts, not the rich and powerful. I think one reason Jesus did that was that the poor were more receptive to His message. Remember when the Pharisees asked why Jesus was spending all of His time with the tax collectors and sinners, how Jesus answered? He said that it’s not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. Now think with me for a minute. Was Jesus saying that the Pharisees were spiritually healthy? We see in other passages, especially in Matt. 23, that Jesus sees the Pharisees as very far from God. No, the Pharisees and teachers of the law weren’t spiritually healthy, but they thought they were. So they had no desire or need to get help. The tax collectors, the poor, the outcast, on the other hand, knew their need. They were open to come to Christ for help and deliverance. That’s why Jesus spent so much time with the poor. And you see this principle is true in the spread of the gospel throughout the world. Where in the world is Christianity growing and the church booming? It’s growing in Africa, South America, South East Asia. Where is the church dying? It’s in Europe, and in a lesser extent, North America. In the so called first world countries the church is struggling. In the poorest countries, the gospel is spreading like wildfire.
We need to change our perspective. Instead of seeing the rich and wealthy as people to emulate and follow, we need to value those of lowest status. Instead of being impressed by all the toys that the wealthy have, we need to be drawn to the spiritual openness of the poor.
One day, a wealthy family man took his son on a trip to the country so he could have his son see how poor country people were. They stayed one day and one night at the farm of a very humble farm family.
When they got back home the father asked the son, "What did you think of the trip"?
The son replied, "Very nice Dad."
Dad said, "Did you notice how poor they were?"
"Yes".
"So, what did you learn from this trip?"
"I’ve learned that we have one dog in the house, and they had four. We have a fountain and imported lamps in our garden, they have a stream with no end and the stars in the sky. Our garden goes to the edge of our property, they have the entire horizon as their back yard." At the end of the son’s reply the father was speechless and then his son said, "Thank you Dad, for showing me how poor we really are."
Oh, that we would have the attitude of that little boy. What this world values is often just opposite to what is truly worthwhile. And spiritually, the wealthy are often the hardest to reach and the ones most opposed to the spread of the gospel. Almost without exception, attacks on Christianity have not come from the poor, but from those who are privileged with power and wealth. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t reach out to the rich with the gospel, we should. But we need to be careful not to have our focus on the rich overshadow our concern for the poor.
And that’s only one area where our perspective is messed up. Our evaluation of the rich and poor is skewed but it is also true for issues of race, culture, gender, and social status. We can’t judge others because our judgement, our perspective is messed up.
We cannot discriminate because: 1) We are all in one family; 2) God does not show favouritism; and 3) Our perspective is messed up. But there is a fourth reason. We cannot discriminate because as soon as we start discriminating, we stop loving. Look at verses eight to eleven (read verses).
The second greatest commandment is to love our neighbours as ourselves. This passage says that when we discriminate we break the second greatest commandment and as a result we break all of the law. These verses state a very important fact. We may be doing a lot of good things. We may be serving the church, we may be sharing the gospel with our friends, we may be giving money to missionaries, we may be reading the Bible and praying every day, but if we are showing any form of discrimination, we are lawbreakers. We are guilty in God’s sight. In fact, we are as guilty as someone who commits adultery or murder.
God takes racism, sexism, elitism, all forms of discrimination very seriously. Why is it so serious? Because discrimination stops us from loving our neighbour. When we classify people by their race, their sex, their culture or their social status, then we stop seeing them as our brothers and sisters who we are called to love. Discrimination builds walls between us and our neighbours.
How do we cross these barriers? The best way to destroy discrimination is to get close to the people we discriminate against. When we start living with these people and learning that they are in many ways the same as us, tears down the walls and stops prejudice.
In the film, “Remember the Titansâ€, the true story is told of black football coach Herman Boone. In 1971, the city of Alexandria, Virginia decided to totally integrate its school system and appointed Herman as its first consolidated head football coach at T.C. Williams High School over a white coach Bill Yoast with several years seniority and a steadfast citywide following. The team was made up of black and white boys who had never played together before. Here’s a scene from the movie when the team members are embarking on their first training camp together (show video clip).
As the boys on the football team lived and played together, they lost their prejudice and discrimination toward each other. Remarkably, the Titans became one of the most powerful football teams in the state of Virginia, winning the 1971 Virginia State Championship. This team was ranked second in the nation by national polls. The willingness of these young men to talk to each other, along with their determination to win, brought together a city torn apart by prejudice and hatred.
Can you think of some group of people you feel uncomfortable around? Why not decide to spend time with someone from that group of people? Get to know them and learn to love them.
We cannot show discrimination because: 1) We are all in one family; 2) God doesn’t show favouritism; 3) Our perspective is messed up; and 4) When we start discriminating, we stop loving. But there is a fifth and final reason listed in this passage. We cannot show discrimination because mercy triumphs over judgement. Look at verses 12-13 (read verses).
These verses give a final reason not to discriminate. We are warned that we will be judged by the law without mercy if we don’t show mercy to others. Now you may be thinking, what about God’s great love and grace. Won’t we be forgiven instead of judged? It’s true that the blood of Christ has paid the price for every sin. As Christians we have been forgiven of our sins. But it is also true that if we have been truly forgiven, if we have really received the love of Christ, then we won’t be the same. That’s the theme of the book of James. Real faith results in real action. If we have really received the mercy of God, then we in turn will show mercy to others. Showing mercy isn’t a requirement to receive salvation, but once we do receive salvation, we will naturally show mercy to others. And mercy triumphs over judgement. That’s true for how God views us. In His mercy, He forgives us our sins even though we deserve punishment. But mercy triumphs over judgement in our relationships with others as well. We are called to show mercy to others, and when we do, discrimination is destroyed.
Showing mercy means we extend forgiveness and grace to people, even when they don’t deserve it. We think the best of people. We overlook insults and offenses against us. Maybe you’ve heard about Jeremy Lin. He is an NBA player for the New York Nicks who jumped to world attention when he came off the bench and had an incredible run leading the Nicks to seven straight victories. When Lin and the Nicks finally lost a game, ESPN published an internet article with this title: “A Chink in Lin’s Armourâ€. There was a public uproar over the headline and the article was pulled after a few hours, but the damage was done. Anthony Federico, an ESPN editor issued an apology, but it wasn’t enough. He was fired.
For his part, Lin seemed willing to accept the ESPN apology and perhaps even believe Federico’s claim that the headline was not intended to be racist.
“ESPN has apologized,†Lin said after the Knicks’ next game, a win over the Dallas Mavericks. “I don’t think it was on purpose or whatever. At the same time, they’ve apologized, and so from my end I don’t care anymore. [You] have to learn to forgive. And I don’t even think that was intentional, or hopefully not."
After losing his job, Anthony Federico, ESPN editor issued a long apology via Twitter, insisting that his mistake had been honest and referring to the Christian faith he shared with Lin. At the end of his apology, he included his email address. According to Federico, by way of Newsday, a member of Lin’s family reached out via email to arrange a time for the pair to have lunch.
"The fact that he took the time to meet with me in his insanely busy schedule . . . He’s just a wonderful, humble person," Anthony Federico, the ex-ESPN editor who ran the headline, told Newsday, adding that their conversation pertained mostly to ideas of reconciliation their shared faith.
Jeremy Lin is a vocal Christian and he lived out his faith by showing mercy. We need to extend that same sort of forgiveness and grace to people. Those who deserve love the least, often need it the most. It may be that we are prejudiced against a group of people because of what someone in that group has done to us. It may be that we’ve had negative experiences or we’ve been hurt deeply. I know that my grandmother, who lived in Hong Kong during World War II had a strong dislike against the Japanese. She lived through the Japanese occupation and she witnessed firsthand some of the pain and loss the invading Japanese army caused.
The only solution is to extend mercy. We need to forgive and show grace to others, especially to those we find the hardest to love. If we did that, then discrimination would disappear from our lives and from our church.
You know people are dying to come to a church where they feel totally welcome, safe and free from judgement. They want to come to a place free from prejudice, where they can experience the mercy of God.
Tony Campolo, a psychology professor and Christian speaker tells this story in the book, “The Kingdom of God is a Partyâ€:
I had to go to speak in Honolulu. If you go to Honolulu, because of the distance from the east coast where I live, there’s a sixâ€hour time difference. And I woke up at about three o’clock in the morning and I was hungry and I wanted to get something to eat. But, in a hustling city like Honolulu at three o’clock in the morning, it’s hard to find anything that’s open. Up a side street, I spotted this greasy spoon, and I went in. It was one of these dirty places and they didn’t have any booths, just row of stools at the counter. I sat down a bit uneasy and I didn’t touch the menu.
So, there I am, threeâ€thirty in the morning, drinking my coffee, and eating a dirty donut. And into the place comes about eight or nine prostitutes. It’s a small place, they sit on either side of me, and I tried to disappear. The woman on my immediate right was very boisterous and she said to her friend, "Tomorrow’s my birthday. I’m going to be thirtyâ€nine."
Her friend said, "So what do you want me to do? Do you want me to sing happy birthday? Should we have a cake a party? It’s your birthday."
The first woman said, "Look, why do you have to put me down? I’ve never had a birthday party in my whole life. I don’t expect to have one now."
That’s all I needed. I waited until they left and I called Harry, the waiter, over and I asked, "Do they come in here every night?
He said, "Yes."
I said, "The one right next to me..." "Agnes."
"Tomorrow is her birthday. What do you think about decorating the place? When she comes in tomorrow night, we’ll throw a birthday party for her. What do you think?"
He said, "Mister, that is brilliant. That is brilliant!" He called his wife out of the back room. "Jan, come out here. I want you to meet this guy. He wants to throw a birthday party for Agnes."
She came out and took my hand and squeezed it tightly, and said, "You wouldn’t understand this, mister, but Agnes is one of the good people, one of the kind people in this town. And nobody ever does anything for her, and this is a good thing. I said, "Can I decorate the place?"
She said, "To your heart’s content."
I said, "I’m going to bring a birthday cake...
Harry said, "Oh no! The cake’s my thing!"
So, I got there the next morning at about twoâ€thirty. I had bought the streamers at the Kâ€mart, strung them about the place. I had made a big poster – ""Happy Birthday Agnes" †and put it behind the counter. I had the place spruced up. Everything was set. Everything was ready. Jan, who does the cooking, she had gotten the word out on the street. By threeâ€fifteen, every prostitute was squeezed into this diner. People, it was wallâ€toâ€wall prostitutes and me!
Threeâ€thirty in the morning, in come Agnes and her friends. I’ve got everybody set, everybody ready. As they come through the door, we all yell, "Happy birthday Agnes!" In addition, we start cheering like mad. I’ve never seen anybody so stunned. Her knees buckled. They steadied her and sat her down on the stool. We all started singing, "Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you!"
When they brought out the cake, she lost it and started to cry. Harry just stood there with the cake and said, "All right, knock it off Agnes. Blow out the candles. Come on, blow out the candles." She tried, but she couldn’t, so he blew out the candles, gave her the knife, and said, "Cut the cake, Agnes."
She sat there for a long moment and then she said to me, "Mister, is it okay if I don’t cut the cake? What I’d like to do, mister, is take the cake home and show it to my mother. Could I do that?" I said, "It’s your cake." She stood up, and I said, "Do you have to do it now?"
She said, "I live two doors down. Let me take the cake home and show it to my mother. I promise you I’ll bring it right back." And she moved toward the door carrying the cake as though it was the Holy Grail. As she pushed through the crowd and out the door, the door swung slowly shut and there was stunned silence. You talk about an awkward moment. Everyone was motionless. Everyone was still I didn’t know what to say.
So, I finally said, "What do you say, we pray?" It’s weird looking back on it now. You know a sociologist leading a prayer meeting with a bunch of prostitutes at threeâ€thirty in the morning in a diner. But, it was the right thing to do. I said, "God, deliver her and make her into a new creation because I’ve got a God who can make us new no matter where we’ve been or what we’ve been through." And I prayed that God would make her new.
When I finished my prayer, Harry leaned over the counter and he said, "Campolo, you told me you were a sociologist. You’re no sociologist, you’re a preacher. What kind of church do you belong to?"
In one of those moments when you come up with just the right words, I said, "I belong to a church that throws birthday parties for whores at threeâ€thirty in the morning."
I’ll never forget his response. He looked back at me and he said, "No you don’t, no you don’t. I would join a church like that!"
People are dying for a place where they can belong, where they can feel safe, where they won’t be judged, a place that is free from discrimination. What if our church was a place like that? The only way that can happen is we learn to be people without discrimination, people who live by mercy. Because mercy is the cure for discrimination.
