Favouritism
James writes,
“My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.
Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby 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: 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 insulted 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 slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.
But if you show favoritism, 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. James 2:1-10
Do you judge a book by it’s cover? Do you judge people by the way they are dressed? I knew someone, a man who said privately believed, those on welfare are all cheats. That they need to get out there and get a job. That the poor just are not doing enough to get out of poverty. This when many poor people are holding two if not three jobs and still can’t make ends meet.
I’ve heard the same rhetoric coming from some within the church over the years. This should not be so.
Sadly though people do judge a book by its cover whether they claim to be Christian or not.
When I first came to know the Lord back in the seventies people would not go to church dressed casually. I was even criticized for having a small rip in the leg of my jeans when I was helping set up for an event. A rip that occurred while I was helping set up the event.
I knew of people who wouldn’t go to church if they didn’t have a good set of clothing. It is something that still happens today in some churches. Although I must say there is a positive trend happening telling people to come dressed as they are, casually, dressed up whatever they are comfortable with. Still however many people are afraid that they will be judged by the way they dress. Which should not be so.
Someone once said to me “more people get swindled out of more money by a man in expensive clothing that a man in rags.”
It’s a very true statement just ask anyone who’s lost money to a swindler. They will tell you he looked good, talked good, but he still took their money and ran leaving them with nothing.
Now everyone will agree that not every person in fine clothing is a swindler. Likewise not everyone in shabby clothing is a crook either. This is what James is saying.
James also makes it clear that all, irrespective of who they are, how much, or how little, they have should be treated equally in the church.
He points out that we are to keep the “royal law” to love our neighbour as ourselves and not show favouritism.
James notes “But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.”
Jesus tells this parable,
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.
At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.
In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.
So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house,
for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ” Luke 16:19-31
The Talmud while not a Christian book dose however make an interesting point I think Christians need to consider. It states,
“When a man appears before the Throne of Judgment, the first question he is asked is not, “Have you believed in God?” Or “Have you prayed and observed the ritual? “He is asked: “have you dealt honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow men?” The Talmud
There is no need to ask someone who claims to believes in God if they believe in him or prayed or observed the ritual.
However while God already knows the answer. I believe he wants to hear it from our own lips and for that matter for us to hear it from our own lips. To make us truly think about how we dealt with those around us.
Question: how have you dealt with those around you? Do you show favouritism?
Please think about it.
James writes,
“My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.
Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby 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: 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 insulted 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 slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.
But if you show favoritism, 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. James 2:1-10
Do you judge a book by it’s cover? Do you judge people by the way they are dressed? I knew someone, a man who said privately believed, those on welfare are all cheats. That they need to get out there and get a job. That the poor just are not doing enough to get out of poverty. This when many poor people are holding two if not three jobs and still can’t make ends meet.
I’ve heard the same rhetoric coming from some within the church over the years. This should not be so.
Sadly though people do judge a book by its cover whether they claim to be Christian or not.
When I first came to know the Lord back in the seventies people would not go to church dressed casually. I was even criticized for having a small rip in the leg of my jeans when I was helping set up for an event. A rip that occurred while I was helping set up the event.
I knew of people who wouldn’t go to church if they didn’t have a good set of clothing. It is something that still happens today in some churches. Although I must say there is a positive trend happening telling people to come dressed as they are, casually, dressed up whatever they are comfortable with. Still however many people are afraid that they will be judged by the way they dress. Which should not be so.
Someone once said to me “more people get swindled out of more money by a man in expensive clothing that a man in rags.”
It’s a very true statement just ask anyone who’s lost money to a swindler. They will tell you he looked good, talked good, but he still took their money and ran leaving them with nothing.
Now everyone will agree that not every person in fine clothing is a swindler. Likewise not everyone in shabby clothing is a crook either. This is what James is saying.
James also makes it clear that all, irrespective of who they are, how much, or how little, they have should be treated equally in the church.
He points out that we are to keep the “royal law” to love our neighbour as ourselves and not show favouritism.
James notes “But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.”
Jesus tells this parable,
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.
At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.
In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.
So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house,
for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ” Luke 16:19-31
The Talmud while not a Christian book dose however make an interesting point I think Christians need to consider. It states,
“When a man appears before the Throne of Judgment, the first question he is asked is not, “Have you believed in God?” Or “Have you prayed and observed the ritual? “He is asked: “have you dealt honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow men?” The Talmud
There is no need to ask someone who claims to believes in God if they believe in him or prayed or observed the ritual.
However while God already knows the answer. I believe he wants to hear it from our own lips and for that matter for us to hear it from our own lips. To make us truly think about how we dealt with those around us.
Question: how have you dealt with those around you? Do you show favouritism?
Please think about it.
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