James, a little book of wisdom: favouritism, discrimination and ultimately murder
Today’s wisdom:
My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism. 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. 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,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
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? But you have dishonoured the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbour as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favouritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 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.
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgement without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgement. James 2:1-13
My random musings:
There’s not a lot for me to say here. James’ point is clear and he illustrates it well. And it is entirely relevant for today. At Sunday services across the land, this scenario is being played out on a regular basis. We put some people on pedestals. We only talk to certain people and do what we have to do to avoid others. If we do end up talking to someone we’d rather not associate with, we only half listen, looking over their shoulder for an opportunity to get away. We groan when we see certain people approaching or wanting to say something during the service. We allow a handful of people to do all the roles because they do them how we like them to be done. We don’t trust other people to do it right. Some people find themselves surrounded by a crowd wanting to have a moment with them; others stand alone with no one to talk to.
NONE OF THIS IS ACCEPTABLE.
And that’s just at our main services. There’s also the issue of the people we invite to our homes or meet for a coffee or message to see how they’re doing; the people we avoid in the supermarket; the people we talk about but not to.
All of this forms the basics of our faith, the baseline. Without this, all the rest is a complete waste of time.
And don’t even get me started on discrimination. It astounds me how people who call themselves Christians have made peace with discrimination. In protecting our land from being overrun by foreigners, they even see what they are doing as spiritual. I don’t get it. Faced with this level of discrimination, I’m lost for words. Show me how this is love in action, love for all, love for the poor and dispossessed and not just the rich and entitled. We are not called to judge. Full stop. That’s the end of that sentence. We are not called to judge. We are called to love. Love equally without prejudice and favouritism and discrimination.
God’s kingdom is an upside down kingdom, a topsy turvy kingdom with values that are completely the opposite to the values of the world. It is by the standards of this kingdom that we are accountable.
Final point – and it’s pretty controversial!
You may be saying that you have neither committed adultery or murder. But the opposite of these seem to me to be faithfulness and compassion. When we fail to be faithful in any way, maybe this is adultery. When we fail to show compassion in any way, maybe this is murder. When a worker in India or a child in the Ivory Coast dies due to poor working conditions so that we can have our cheap clothes and tasty chocolate, have we not committed murder? When animals die cruel deaths due to intensive farming or deforestation so that we can have our burgers and milkshakes, is that not murder? Every consumer decision we make has an impact on the lives of others. And then there are the atrocities taking place all over the world – every time we watch the news and turn a blind eye to what is going on, does that make us complicit? And every time we overuse and over-consume and waste the world’s resources and exploit the earth so that future generations may not survive, is that not murder?
I think so. It’s a tough way of seeing things because it makes each one of us responsible for a whole lot more than we know how to carry. This truth can crush us. Thank God that He is a God of mercy for there is much for which we need to be forgiven.
My question for you:
Out of all this really challenging stuff, what is the one thing you sense that God is challenging you in particular about today?
