Today we will do a study on the first half of James Chapter 2 Which in the Life Recovery Bible (NLT) is Titled:
A Warning against Prejudice
1 My dear brothers and sister, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?
2 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, "You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor" --well, 4 doesn't this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?
5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn't God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren't they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn't it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren't they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?
8 Yes indeed it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.
10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God's laws. 11 For the same God who said, "You must not commit adultery," also said, "You must not murder." So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.
12 So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. (The Law of Grace and Mercy, the new covenant under Christ) emphasis mine. 13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.
Our discussion then began with talking about who was this target audience that James was reaching out to? Well, the book of James was written to the twelve tribes of Israel over all, and as we know, this book was written by James, the half-brother of Jesus, the only sibling of His that the Bible records as being a follower of Christ. So this chapter though appears to be addressed to his brother and sisters in Christ based on the very beginning of verse 1: My dear brothers and sisters. He again reiterates and reinforces this thought more forcefully in verse 5: Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters.
James then goes on to talk about how they would give preferential treatment to the rich, while essentially scorning and reviling the poor. The custom in these times, in synagogues, and it would appear in some of the early churches as well was that you would Pay for your seat. The more money you had, the more you could afford to pay, the better seat you got. This is a practice that continued well through the middle ages I believe. Meanwhile, if you were poor, and could not afford to pay for your seat, you were lucky if you got to stand, where you were told, if you were unlucky, you would be told to sit on the floor.
Imagine if you will, coming into church, you have been out of work for an extended period, as many in our church are, and being told by the ushers, that the seats were for those who could pay for them. And that since you weren't working, you could go sit in the back of the sanctuary on the floor. You couldn't see the leading elder very well, you may not be able to hear well (thankfully we have a great sound setup) but you definitely wouldn't be able to see Bernie as he preached. Thankfully you would have the benefit of our large screens that we project to, but depending on how far back you are you might have to turn around and look at the one in the back. Now imagine that when you had to do this, everyone staring at you, knowing that you weren't good enough, or rich enough to afford a seat.
This is what the apostle was addressing. He then goes on to say that God has chosen the poor to be the one's who are rich in faith. Have you ever known anyone who was poor? I have. In fact, I have known many...Growing up for many years, my family was dirt poor. This principle that he is touching on has practical applications in the secular arena as well as the Christian one. I was tormented and bullied, verbally and physically from Kindergarten until about the 7th or 8th grade. At one time, in Kindergarten, I was actually thrown in a dumpster by older kids, this would have been an elementary school, and in the 70's, when I grew up, I would have been 4, maybe 5. And the elementary schools back then went to about grade 5. So I was thrown in a dumpster by these older kids, under the guise of "Hey kid, do you want to come play with us?" what Kindergartner wouldn't be thrilled to be asked if he wanted to come play with older kids if given the choice? They then proceeded, after throwing me in the dumpster, to throw eggs at me, and dump syrup on me as well as pouring milk and other food stuffs on me.
In 5th grade, now in another Town, Norton actually, One day at the bus stop (about 100 feet, if that) from my house, the tormenting continued. One day, I was beat up at the bus stop, again because we were poor. One fat kid sat on me, while 4 or 5 others beat the excuse the expression, "hell" out of me. The bus came along, and they all got on the bus, and the bus driver asked if I was coming to school that day, as blood is pouring out of my nose, and my clothes are in tatters... I waved her off, and struggled to get home that hundred feet and made it in the door where I promptly passed out on the floor from inhaling blood. I stopped breathing.
Right around the end of the 6th grade, my family moved back to Easton, another affluent community. Again, I was teased, and tormented. One day in the seventh or 8th grade, a "Zoof" or "Stoner" we called them, stood on his desk in Math class and kicked me in the head repeatedly with his steel toed boots on. When the Math teacher came in, and I told her, she told me that she didn't believe me, to go sit down. I was constantly preyed upon by the older kids, and in Easton at the time, Junior High school meant 7th, 8th, and 9th grade since the high school was too small to house the 9th graders.
One day, I had had enough. I went into one of the boy's rooms to use the bathroom, and a kid who was in the same grade as me happened to be in there, and this particular kid, while never bullying me, was friends with many of those who did. I cornered him, and smashed his head 30-40 times into the concrete wall to send a message. Although I deeply regret doing this, the message was well received. My days of being bullied were over.
I share these stories not for pity, but to give you greater insight into what the Apostle was talking about, and perhaps give you a greater glimpse into me and my life, and the things that have made me into the man I am today.
James then goes on to talk about the Law of God, at this point, He is speaking to the Mosaic Law, the 10 commandments. He says that if you favor some people over others, you are sinning. You are then guilty of breaking the Law, not only the 10 commandments, but we see that in Verse 8, he talks about the second great commandment that Christ gave us, "Love your neighbor as yourself", so you are breaking the law here that Christ gave us as well. You cannot keep all of the law, no one can, if we could, we wouldn't need Christ. He says that to keep all of the law, but break one, it is just as though you had broken them all. He also speaks to how one sin is no better, or worse than another sin, he uses the examples of Adultery and Murder in verse 11. So if you murder someone, but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law. Sin is SIN, it doesn't matter if that sin is stealing, or lying, or murder, adultery, and I must be careful here, I don't want to offend you, my brothers in Christ, but homosexuality. In the church, we tend to treat sexual sin, especially the sins of homosexuality or lesbianism as those they are a special class of sin. They aren't. They are sin, just like lust, adultery, etc.
James concludes this part of the passage by saying that whatever we say, or whatever we do, we must remember that we will be judged by the law that sets us free. This is the law of the new covenant, the law of Christ, Grace and Mercy. Remember that Grace is when God gives us something that we don't deserve, Mercy is when God doesn't give us what we do deserve. This is the reason Christ came to earth as a man, lived a sinless life, was crucified to show us both the ultimate act of Grace and Mercy, and show us how we are to act towards all others, then he resurrected, showing us that even when our physical bodies are no more, we will live again in the resurrection. Christ has told us that He will someday return again, and I believe whole heartedly that He will return in the clouds as He has said. Do you? Then let's begin to show it, but practicing Grace and Mercy with others, it isn't easy to do, but the more you practice it, the better you will get. And let's continue to show the world what it means to be followers of Jesus the Christ by not giving anyone preferential treatment over another. This is how we can act out the things that James and ultimately Christ has called us to do!
Next week, Part Two entitled: Faith without Good Deeds
Be Well, and continue to view life through the lens of the Scripture, it really is our guidebook to this life!
-Michael
