Judging Others
James 2:1-9
Introduction
All day long I am around people from India, Pakistan, and other places in the world where they have a very different standard of living. I show up at work, freshly bathed, shaved, wearing men’s cologne, and wearing clean, well pressed, good quality clothing.
But many times when I walk up to one of the poorly dressed men or women from India or Pakistan to talk to them about something we are working on I will get a whiff of curry or body odor. There have been times when it was very difficult to set through and hour long meeting with a person with different values toward cleanliness.
Around my house I am constantly begging my children to bath, comb their hair, and put on nicer cloths, but I cannot make value judgments on who they are in relation to their outward appearance.
Neither should we judge others by outward appearance.
James, the half brother of Jesus, and Bishop of the Jerusalem Church, looks around the church and discovers that he has a problem in the church. Brothers and sisters in the church are showing partiality towards those who have the finer things in life, over those who cannot afford to live the life.
So James addresses the problem to the church;
Jam 2:1 My brothers, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, [the Lord] of glory, with respect of persons.
ðñïóùðïëçìøίá – (only occurs for times in the NT) the fault of one who when called on to give judgment has respect of the outward circumstances of man and not to their intrinsic merits, and so prefers, as the more worthy, one who is rich, high born, or powerful, to another who does not have these qualities
So Literally it says, translating from the Greek – My brothers, do not, in respect to judging others by outward appearance, have faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, Glory.
The Les version: Brothers & sisters in Christ, don’t judge others by outward appearance, holding a better opinion of a man or women who has nice cloths, a nice car, and a nice house, then you do of those who have little,
and at the same time say you are a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, Glorious.
For Emphasis, James places the word Glorious at the end of the sentence.
In other words, if you consider the Lord Jesus Christ Glorious, then do not glory in one person over another person. In the sight of God, Man in man and God is God. To be a Christian and judge another man or women by what they have or wear is to say that God does also. You are misrepresenting God, to the people on the earth.
Remember, When Jesus died and rose from the dead and departed to Heaven, he sent back His Spirit, the Holy Spirit to live in you. If you are judging others, in respect to what they have or wear, you are showing partiality toward them, over those who do not have.
You are saying, as the representative of God in the earth, filled with the Holy Spirit of God, that God judges people this way, when in truth, He does not!
So James says;
Jam 2:2-4 For if there come unto your assembly (your church) a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel (a man with a well pressed $400 dollar Brooks Brothers suit and gold cuff links or a women with a Neiman Marcus dress and a real pearl necklace), and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment (stinky, dirty, old shirt and tattered jeans) ; And you have respect to him that wears the goodly clothing, and say unto him, Sit you here in a good place (The place of honor); and say to the poor, Stand you there, or sit here under my footstool: Are you not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
Eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Jesus in Mat 7:1-5 Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the same judgment you judge another, you shall be judged: and with whatever standard of measure you use to measure others, it shall be used to measure to you.
And why do you look for the splinter in your brother's eye, but consider not the telephone pole stuck through your own eye? Or how will you say to your brother, Let me pull the splinter out of your eye; and, yet, the telephone pole sticking out of your own eye is so long you hit the poor devil, every time you try to get close enough to pull it out?
You hypocrite, first pull the telephone pole out of your own eye; and then you shall see clearly to pull out the splinter in your brother's eye.
Listen Up: If you are one of God’s children you will see this over and over in your life. When you set up a standard of measurement for judging others that is inconsistent with God’s way of judging, and you apply it in judgment toward another person, with in a day or two, or a week, or two, God will use someone in your life to apply the same judgment toward you. It’s uncomfortable isn’t it! When someone judges you they way you have been judging other, it hurts.
When this happens, it’s God calling upon you to repent of this sin. To not repent will bring down even harsher judgment. When you get the warning shot, that is the time to turn from this. The next round is no fun. This I know. Do not push God into a corner and force Him to do something He does not want to do.
You children, you treat someone unkind, say bad things to them, hit them, if you are God’s children does he not send someone into your life that does the same to you. It does not feel good. Ask God for forgiveness and try to do better the next time.
James goes on verse 5-7: Listen up, my beloved brothers, Has not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to them that love him? But you have despised the poor. Is it not the rich men who oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats (i.e. to sue you and take what is yours)? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which you are called?
Mark 10:13 – 27 (5 parts) Riches & Heaven
1. The parents brought children to him, but his disciples rebuked the parents who brought them, then Jesus rebuked the disciples, saying: Verse 15-16 Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put [his] hands upon them, and blessed them.
2. Then one of them, a rich, proud, young man, ran up to Jesus to get His blessing, so he could feel good about getting into Heaven and Jesus said: go your way, sell whatsoever you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
3. Then the young man went away sad, rejecting the call and Jesus said; How difficult it shall be for they that have riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
4. Then the disciples were shocked and Jesus said; Children, how difficult is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
5. Then the disciples were exceedingly astonished, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saying, With men [it is] impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
Matthew 6
Jesus states that the rich are no greater than the flowering grass that is here today and gone tomorrow.
Do not get caught trying to hold to one and worship the other because you will fail miserably. You cannot serve both God and wealth.
Jam 2:8 If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well:
Jam 2:9 But if you have respect to persons, you commit (ἐñãάæïìáé, labor) sin, and are convicted on behalf of the law as transgressors.
Conclusion
Jam 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one [point], he is guilty of all.
Example
Jam 2:11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not kill. Now if you commit no adultery, yet if you kill, you are become a transgressor of the law.
Jam 2:12 So as you speak, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
Jam 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that has showed (been doing, ðïéέù) no mercy; yet mercy rejoices (itself, middle deponent) against judgment.
