James 2:1-13 January 26, 2003
Not What The Eye Sees
They say “the clothes make the man.” It is probably not that the clothes make the man, but that the clothes make our opinion of the man, or the woman.
When I was in university, I was heavily involved with a Christian group on campus called Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. In my final year, I was president of the club. I also had fairly radical tastes in music, and style – My jeans had many patches and holes, I wore political t-shirts, I did not look like the typical button down Christian. Whenever they would have a large event that gathered all the Christian organizations on campus, My room-mate Steve would say to me “You’re not going to dress like that are you, you know you’re going to get evangelized!”
They also say to not judge the book by its cover, but the reality is that we do – we make judgments on people based on the way that they dress, how expensive their clothes or car is, the color of their skin, their attractiveness, culture…
James says that this should not be the way in the church. Particularly when it comes to a person’s wealth.
Do Not Show Partiality
The Story That Hurts – 1-4
James gives this illustration of two people coming into church – one who pulled up in a jag, is wearing fine clothes, with an heirloom ring on his finger, the other one does his shopping at Good Will and Dumpster Dan’s. The usher greets the rich guy with a warm handshake, takes him to the front to introduce him to the pastor, and seats him in the best seat in the house. He tells the other fellow, “sit here at my feet where I can keep an eye on you!”
I call this the story that hurts, because while it may be a little exaggerated, it comes pretty close to the truth. Even in our casual, friendly, and accepting church we can find that it is much easier to be accepting of the people who look like us (or people that we’d like to look like), rather than the ones who are down on their luck.
Our difficulty in welcoming the poor is not all partiality; part of the reason for this is just ease in communication.
My missions professor in Seminary used to say that economic barriers are harder to cross than cultural barriers. I have more in common with a university educated, middle class person from Ghana than I do with the guy who was born in Toronto and panhandles down on Bloor.
When I first started at Parkdale neighbourhood church, my most common way to start a conversation was to ask “So, what do you do.” When the answer is “I sit on the bench and drink all day, what do you do?” I needed to find other conversation starters.
The reason for our difficulty that James deals with is that we judge those who are well off in the world to be better.
We would like to be friends with those who are better off than we are – maybe they’ll let us borrow the Jag! We are afraid of the cost of befriending those who are worse of than we are – maybe they will ask to borrow the Jag! We usually assume that poor people will be high needs – we will have to give up something – time, emotional energy, money – it may be that in reality we don’t trust them – keep an eye on “the silver” when they are around!
James says we cannot make these distinctions in our mind.
Galatians 3:26-8
26You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
In Christ, all the outward distinctions that we have become almost nothing. No matter what clothing we wear, we are first clothed with Christ. No matter what we look like on the outside, whether it be our ethnicity, our economics, or our gender, the enveloping of Christ covers that.
This is a Gospel principle and should never be forgotten.
The sad truth is the church has not always acted in this Gospel principle.
In his autobiography, Mahatma Gandhi wrote that during his student days he read the Gospels seriously and considered converting to Christianity. He believed that in the teachings of Jesus he could find the solution to the caste system that was dividing the people of India. So one Sunday he decided to attend services at a nearby church and talk to the minister about becoming a Christian. When he entered the sanctuary, however, the usher refused to give him a seat and suggested that he o worship with his own people. Gandhi left the church and never returned, “If Christians have caste differences also, “ he said, “I might as well remain a Hindu.” That usher’s prejudice not only betrayed Jesus but also turned a person away from trusting Him as Savior.
We are called to a greater way.
This is what Isaiah Prophesies about the coming Messiah
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD .
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
Isaiah 11:1-4
We are called to judge people in the same way – not by what the eye sees, but what God thinks of them.
Samuel was one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament, and when King Saul turned away from God’s ways, God had Samuel go and anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be the next King. Samuel shows up and Jesse brings out his boys. Samuel sees the one son Eliab this big strong strapping man and says "Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD ."
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
All the Sons pass in front of Samuel, and God says no to all of them. They have to pull David (the little guy) in from the fields in order to anoint him.
James says that he wants us to see people even better than Samuel did – to see them as he sees them.
Why not show Partiality?
James gives 4 reasons not to show partiality.
God Chooses The Poor - 5
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?
I have seen more faith on the streets than in the church
The way that God chooses people is usually upside down from the way that we choose –
He says to the nation of Israel: 6 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.
7 The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
He chose a stuttering, exiled murderer to lead Israel out of Egypt
He chose the smallest of Jesse’s sons to be the greatest king
He chose the poor fiancée of a carpenter to bear the very Son of God in her womb. She sings:
My soul glorifies the Lord
47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49for the Mighty One has done great things for me--
holy is his name.
50His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers."
He chose 12 men made up of, fishermen, terrorists, tax collectors, a betrayer and a denier to start the church that would bring his message to the world.
Do not look down your nose on the poor people they are the people who God uses most to do his great works.
In fact if you want to experience more signs and wonders – go and visit the Christians in the Third World – that is where the people know their need of a miracle more than we do. Jack Deere makes this comment in his book “Surprised by the Voice of God”, that people experience God’s voice and his miracles much more where there is desperate need and persecution.
The Rich Exploit You – 6
Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?
There is this great irony in the people that James was writing to – they were showing great honor to the wealthy people, but it was the wealthy who were abusing them. They were the ones mistreating them as workers, and they were the ones harassing them with lawsuits that the Christians could not afford to defend themselves in.
When a person who is obviously from the street comes into church, we might think, “Oh no, what does he want?” and go looking for a pastor to help this person, but James is saying that we might be better off seeing the rich person come in and say “Oh no, what does he want?”
It is my experience that wealthy people can be just as high needs, and more troublesome than our poorer Brothers and Sisters. It was the rich that Jesus singled out to say that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it was for them to enter the Kingdom of Heaven!
The reality is that we shouldn’t say “Oh no” about anyone because Jesus loves both groups enough to die for them.
Leviticus 19:15 says " ’Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. This verse is in regards to how to administrate the law, but it also applies to how we treat people one on one or as a community.
To Keep the Royal Law – 8-11
Mark 12:28-31
28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"
29"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: ’Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’31The second is this: ’Love your neighbor as yourself. ’There is no commandment greater than these."
The reality is, we hope that people do not judge us by our outward appearance. We would rather that people do not judge us at all – that they would just accept us! If we want people to accept us without judgment, we should do the same – this is the second greatest commandment.
James takes this moment, in verses 10-11, to remind us that God doesn’t have a hierarchy of sins. We can’t say “I’m pretty good, I’ve never stolen, or killed someone… I do make snap judgments, and treat people differently according to their appearance, but that’s all!” James is saying that there is no “that’s all” to break one law is to break the law. This is why we need Jesus - there is no way that we are able to keep the whole law; he forgives us for the times we slip up, and he gives us the Holy Spirit to empower us to learn to keep God’s law.
Romans 15:7 says
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Life Magazine did a photo essay a few years ago – they took people from all walks of life, from street people to fortune 500 executives and photographed them each undressed except for a bath towel – the amazing thing was you really could not tell who was who: they basically looked the same!
This is the way we come to Jesus – naked with nothing to offer, and at that point Jesus accepts us, from the basement apartment and from the penthouse, he accepts us the same way. He loves us, he forgives us for our faults, he gives us his Holy Spirit, and he lifts us up to be a child of the King of all kings!
He calls us to accept people in the same way.
To not incur the same Judgment (12-13)
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
While we are to treat people the way that Jesus treated us out of thanks giving for how he has accepted us, the other side of that is that if we do not show people the same mercy that was shown us, we are rejecting that mercy, and we will be judged with the same judgment that we use.
If we do not show mercy, we will not receive mercy. It is a simple as that. And this applies to how we interact with people from all walks of life – both poor and rich.
Conclusion
If we want to check ourselves on how we impartial we are in our acceptance of the people who come through the door, one way is to examine how we pray for our visitors. I hope you do pray for those are visiting us. My prayer for people is usually “Lord meet them today” or “Lord meet them in their need.” Do we have a different prayer for people of different economic stations? Both need to meet Jesus, both need Gopd to meet their needs – pray fop all our new comers, asnd invite them to stay and come back again!
I think that the reality is that it is very hard not to show partiality. We find it easier to talk to people who are the same or higher on the economic scale than we are rather than those who are lower. This means that we actually have to work to be impartial – we have to work to cross cultural and economic boundaries that are erased in Jesus.
Ask the Holy Spirit to put “Jesus glasses” on your eyes, so that like him, you will see people as first beloved by God.
