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
Some commentators say the rich and the royals often wear more than one ring.
The two imperatives “sit” and “stand” (v 3) are contrasted. Sit means a place of rest, a platform of recognition and a person to respect. Sit and stand contrasted the exclusive versus the excluded, classy and classless treatment, the liked and the disliked, the princeling and the poor, the haves versus the have nots. Not “first come, first serve” in church, but “first class, second class” in reality.
Verse 4’s “discriminated” (dia-krino) is mostly translated as “made distinctions” (NASU, RSV, ASV and ESV) and “partial” in KJV. The verb “discriminated” and the noun “judges” (krites) share the same root word. The verb added the preposition “dia,” which means thorough, through and through, and total, making those involved as “judges” of evil thoughts. The commentaries suggest decisiveness, divisiveness, discrimination. The discrimination is more than just action, but attitude.
Be Rich in Mercy
5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: 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? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong? 8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. 12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
The imperative “listen/hear” (v 5) is with utmost authority and urgency because the verb occurs 62 times in the epistles but its imperative usage is not used in any epistle except here. The purpose is to observe and obey.
Inherit is the noun “heirs” (v 5) in Greek. “Heir” is better because the focus is on the person, not on the possessions. An heir is a successor, a son and a sharer. It is a prominent, powerful, privileged, princeling and protected position.
V 6 Dishonor (atimazo) V 6 Exploit
(katadunasteuo) V 6 Drag to court V 7 Blaspheme
Personal
Social Legal Verbal
Obligation Omission Offender Order
V 8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. V 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. V 11 For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. V 12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
The biggest surprise in studying this passage is the realization that the admonition “Love your neighbor” (v 8) over five times in the Bible (Matt 5:43, 19:19, 22:39, Mark 12:31, Rom 13:9, Gal 5:14, James 2:8) is a regular verb – an obligation- and not an imperative. The “love” imperatives occur only nine times in the New Testament, including “love your enemies” (Matt 5:44, Luke 6:27, 35), “love your wife” (Eph 5:25, 33, Col 3:19), “love one another” (1 Pet 1:22), “love the brotherhood” (1 Pet 2:17) and “not love the world” (1 John 2:15).
Lawbreaker (v 11) is breaker (Rom 2:25) or transgressor (Gal 2:18). The noun has to with the “foot,” so it has to do with overstep, misstep or sidestep the law.
The imperatives are speak and do (v 12), more than just do. Speak is relational, interpersonal and not merely functional and practical.
Be Renowned in Works
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
One cold evening during the holiday season, a little boy about six or seven was standing out in front of a store window. The little child had no shoes on and his clothes were mere rags. A young woman passing by saw the little boy and could read the longing in his pale blue eyes.
The woman took the child by the hand and led him into the store. There she bought him new shoes and a complete suit of warm clothing. They came back outside into the street and the woman said to the child, “Now you can go home and have a very happy holiday.”
The little boy looked up at her and asked, “Are you God, Ma'am?”
She smiled down at him and replied, “No son, I'm just one of His children.”
The little boy then said, “I knew you had to be some relation.”
The noun “work” (v 14) occurs a record-breaking 12 times in one chapter, with five them qualified by the negative phrase “without/no works” (James 2:14, 17, 18, 20, 26) and thrice the conclusion:
Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone (James 2:17)
Faith without works is dead (James 2:20, 26)
By “dead” (v 17) it means incomplete, incompatible, incongruous and incomprehensible; it is expandable.
What does it mean? It means “faith being alone” (James 2:17) and “not by faith only.”
The negative “without (deeds)” (v 14) is not the usual “not” but “apart” in Greek. James is very careful not to associate “not” with “faith” so that the casual reader did not see the words could in nay way possibly match. Faith and works are stuck, not separate. True faith is in our deeds and not in doctrine alone, not in declaration but in demonstration, not in discussion or dissection but in our discharge or dispensation.
The three imperatives “go,” warm” and “fed” (v 16) are imposing, instructive imperatives, but they are as heartless, harsh and hurtful as they come. You should not eat well if others are hungry, sleep well when others are sleepless, praise and pray like a sleeping saint in the company of starving sinners.
Finally “dead” (vv 20, 26) is not the intangible, immaterial or imperceptible “thanatos” (Avengers’ enemy in Infinity War), but “nekros” or “corpse,” the lifeless, breathless, heartless, emotionless and motionless body – so is our witness without works (plural).
Conclusion:
Do you see a brother or sister in need?
Do you serve them like serving Jesus?
Do you share the little you have?
