A Favorite Problem
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Intro:
One of the key features of Grace Baptist Church that sticks out among the rest of the protestant Yooper churches, is that we mingle with each and every one of our congregants. Time and time again both Ted Jensen and I have heard newcomers and first-time visitors comment how when they observed our church, they did not see any divisions among the people or clicks/groupies. What they saw was the youth fellowshipping with the “young impaired.” They saw the able-bodied members helping the disabled. Now for us here today this is not something we readily notice since it is/and has been natural for us to intermingle. And why not?? After all we are family--warts and all!” What these new visitors were inadvertently telling Ted and me is that other churches in this area of like faith are struggling with the basic issues of unity within one local body of Christ. In our expository Journey, James addresses this now for us which applied in the first century church just as much as it applies today in the U.P.
1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?
Transition:
This might sound a little familiar, and it should because we’ve heard James speak about the rich and the poor before. If you look back at the previous chapter, you can see starting at verse 9 he already mentioned something about this subject. And further, if you can recall from a couple of months ago, we’ve already spoke some about the rich and the poor on what he was addressing at that time. I am certain you can recall every detail that sermon but just in case you missed it let me give you some highlights from that sermon:
1. The Poor (v. 9)
i. What James is saying & What James is not saying
His Warning against poverty (having the pity poverty mindset, although extremely rich spiritually)
James is not saying Being poor is more spiritual
and problems with The Prosperity Gospel from a poor perspective
2. The Rich (v.10)
i. What James is saying & What James is not saying
Warning against the wealthy (not trusting in wealth)
ii. James is not saying Being rich is wrong
and problems with The Prosperity Gospel from a rich perspective
Then we ended that Sunday with The same Fate of Both (v.11)
So naturally there is some overlap this morning, seeing as James, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, decided that it was important enough to repeat this topic so we will again address the rich and the poor. However this time James hits this topic at a different angle. Chapter one addressed the pride of the rich and the poor, and now we see that he’s addressing the treatment of the rich and the poor.
Here in James’ example, of course the rich man received preferential treatment while the poor man is robbed of dignity respect and even basic comfort -- all this within the local church.
Even though it is not a problem in our congregation right now, I fear that if left unchecked long enough, one day here at Grace, we might begin to make an ungodly mental distinction between the rich and the poor.
You might be saying “no Josh, I wouldn’t/couldn’t ever do that!” but consider if you were to walk into a McDonald’s to order some food and two cashiers are ready to take your order. One cashier has greasy, messed up hair and maybe you notice his clothes are wrinkled and ripped while he smiles at you with his only tooth showing. Then you notice the other cashier who has her hair in an intricate weave, clothes stiff and starched with one discreet pleat line as she smiles at you blinding you with her bright whites. Who would you honestly choose? So we do have preferential treatment issues after all!
It is way too easy for us to prefer the rich for at least a couple of other reasons as well:
First, we might find it more pleasurable to be with the rich. They look like a million bucks, they smell like a million bucks, they just might even have a million bucks! Whereas the poor might have an odor, or maybe some teeth that are the colors of the rainbow.
Second, we would rather identify with the apparently successful people than with the poor. We deceive ourselves in thinking that hanging out with the rich might make us even richer and more successful. A big problem with seeing the poor as failures in life is that we are then defining success and failure in the same terms of this world's system rather than in the terms of our Creator. Jesus didn't see the poor as failures. If that were the case, was Jesus then a failure?
The Problem Defined
The Problem Defined
The problem is easily identifiable by the end of verse three, but verse one hints at it with the command. But beyond the command, verse one sets up the answer before the problem is mentioned.
By now, you may have noticed that James has addressed his readers as “My brothers” four times already. In fact, in the 5-chapter book of James , he refers to his readers as brothers about nineteen times! Clearly he wants the attention of Christians. James wants Grace Baptist Church to hear this!
“...the Lord of Glory” This interesting phrase gives us a taste James’ Christology. Here, for the first time in the book of James, Christ is identified and equated with God. How? By glory, the Shekinah glory to be more specific, which was the visible manifestation of YHWH in the OT. James believes that Jesus is God in His essence and therefore, YHWH is revealed.
And then don't forget about the holding faith part!
David Nystrom points out in his commentary on verse one,
“Jesus is the object of faith. There is clearly more than a meager gospel here, for Jesus Christ, the very manifestation of God’s glory, chose to identify with the poor and the outcasts. On the strength of that model and memory James urges his readers to avoid favoritism, just as did our Lord. In this manner James continues his discussion of the proper way to treat the poor, which he began in 1:27 with his discussion of the widow and the orphan.”
Last week, we saw that the good works of the faith were to take care of the poor, namely widows and orphans, which is really the catch-all phrase to help the helpless that can’t help you back. So James is developing and exhorting us to further the care of the poor.
Looking at verse two now:
2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in,
Robert J Utley says:
Jesus’ Half-Brothers Speak: James and Jude Word and Phrase Study
2:2 “if” This is a THIRD CLASS CONDITIONAL which refers to potential action. This refers to (1) hypothetical wealthy visitors coming to a Jewish, Christian worship meeting or (2) a synagogue-like Christian court setting.
So Dr. Utley believes that this might not have been actually occurring at the time based on the syntax of the Greek. However,
David P. Nystrom, in his commentary says:
The first two words of verse 2 (e-an gar), which the NIV renders “suppose,” could also be translated “for example” or “to illustrate.” There is no clear reason to believe that this is merely a hypothetical situation. James is most likely referring to an actual situation in the life of the community.
I tend to agree with David Nystrom here that the Holy Spirit was prompting James to write about what was actually going on. James continues his story:
3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,”
Verse three is James’ inspired example of preferential treatment (sadly, James had no McDonald’s restaurants to draw from).
4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
These are harsh words from an Apostle! Yet it is likely because James knew that they were sinning and he is calling them to stop! James knew because he could have been thinking of his brother’s words:
Matthew 25:34-46
34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
The Poor Revealed
The Poor Revealed
(v5) Here come the majority of that overlap from the first chapter—which is great since we usually learn by repetition! i.e. factory work! how to crimp wires, how to land wires, how to measure, how to harness, how to cut/strip etc. how did I learn this in one week? Repetition times 10,000!
5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
By now, it is painfully obvious that James is preferring the poor, and perhaps you might be thinking it’s not a bad thing to be in poverty. And if so, then you’re thinking is not too far off of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Christ
But it it is easy when you’ve been poor for years to feel ashamed, if you are poor perhaps you’ve thought: “if only I can try harder” or “if only I were smarter, I’d be rich” which leads to the wrong emotion of shame. Why? Well there are plenty of hard-working people in the slums in America or in the rural farms that don’t earn a lot of money, but that has nothing to do with hard work. Most people whose life passion matches their profession, work hard regardless of the pay. Likewise you can be very smart, yet choose a profession that doesn’t bring in the six figures. But is not God sovereign in all things as to make us rich? Yes! But Dr. Bob Utley rightly points out:
Jesus’ Half-Brothers Speak: James and Jude Word and Phrase Study
“did not God choose the poor of this world” “Choose” is an AORIST MIDDLE INDICATIVE (cf. Eph. 1:4). We get the English word “elect” from this Greek term. “Of this world” is literally “in this world” used in the sense of this world’s goods. The irony is that God has chosen to bless the poor and socially ostracized. God has chosen them and made them rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, but the local worship leaders were favoring the wealthy and powerful. These were the very ones who were persecuting the early believers. The gospel being preached to the poor was a sign of the New Age (cf. Isa. 61ff; Matt. 11:5; Luke 1:51–53; 4:18; 7:22).
The poor have always felt ostracized from “official” religion, but they were wonderfully accepted and embraced by Jesus. The poor gladly accepted Christ, while the rich tended to trust in their own resources (cf. Matt. 19:23–26). This is not to imply that every poor person is saved, but they surely are welcome to come to Jesus. Most of the early church were from the poorer classes of society.
God chose the wealthy Christians to be materially rich and the poor Christians to be materially poor and that’s okay because He is God!.
The Christian Author, J. H. Bomberger once said:
“Columbus had no gold; he begged bread for his hungry boy and died in want, but he gave the world that which was better than gold, a new continent [...] Jonathan Edwards had no gold to give; his wife and daughters were compelled to help support the family, but he gave to the world a great book, perhaps the most profound volume produced in this continent [likely referring to The Religious Affections].
Jesus Christ had neither gold nor silver. He supported Himself as a carpenter and He often ate the bread of a [beggar]. When crucified He was nailed to a cross while His enemies mocked. But He spake as never man spake, in words of priceless truth.”
And what about this kingdom James brings up? We know we are heirs of this kingdom, but has God’s kingdom come yet? Dr. Utley answers this:
Jesus’ Half-Brothers Speak: James and Jude Word and Phrase Study
“the kingdom” This is a key phrase in the Synoptic Gospels. Jesus’ first and last sermons, and most of His parables, dealt with this topic.
The phrase relates to the eschatological (end-time) thrust of Jesus’ teachings (followed by James). This “already, but not yet” theological paradox relates to the Jewish concept of two ages, the current evil age and the righteous age to come, which will be inaugurated by the Spirit through the Messiah. The Jews expected only one coming of a Spirit-empowered military leader (like the Judges in the OT). The two comings of Jesus caused an overlapping of the two ages. The Kingdom of God has broken into human history with the incarnation at Bethlehem. However, Jesus came not as the military conqueror of Rev. 19, but as the Suffering Servant (cf. Isa. 53) and the humble leader (cf. Zech. 9:9). The Kingdom, therefore, is inaugurated (cf. Matt. 3:2; 4:17; 10:7; 11:12; 12:28; Mark 1:15; Luke 9:9, 11; 11:20; 21:31–32), but not consummated (cf. Matt. 6:10; 16:28; 26:64).
Believers live in the tension between these two ages. They have resurrection life, but they still are dying physically. They are freed from the power of sin, yet they still sin. They live in the eschatological tension of the already and the not yet!
Life Application New Testament Commentary points out here:
The poor people may not have mattered in that society, but they mattered very much to God. The poor will inherit the kingdom God promised to those who love him. The poverty of poor believers is only poverty in the eyes of the world, but they are rich in faith and will inherit the Kingdom. The rich are not excluded from the Kingdom; just as the poor are not “chosen” due to any merit of poverty. However, great riches can stand in the way of a person recognizing his or her need for God. The poor, on the other hand, have nothing about which they can boast before God. To continue to show favoritism to those who are only rich by the world’s standards is not only wrong, but shortsighted.
Which now leads our focus to the rich:
The Rich Exposed
The Rich Exposed
As we envy the rich, James slaps us in the face by reminding us that a lot of the rich got rich off of us whether it be by scams or legitimately—it doesn't really matter what when it is your money that’s gone!
6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?
In the historical context of our passage, It was mostly the wealthy in society that were persecuting these early Christians—and that’s on top of being blasphemers! It is almost as if James is painting the picture of the rich being the enemy as desperate cry to the poverty-stricken Christians in order to display the foolishness in treating the rich any better than they ought. Why treat your ungodly enemy any better than your brother or sister in the faith? It would be folly!
Now, I’ve already spent time in chapter one proving that being rich is not evil, if you remember I listed several Godly men in the Bible (mainly kings) who were very, very rich. James is attacking the unfair, sinful treatment of the rich.
Life Application New Testament Commentary summing up this whole exchange:
“These believers [the ones James is writing to] insult the poor because they were not treating them as God treats them. James showed how evil their actions were by making three observations. First, it is the rich who oppress others. In this society, the rich oppressed the poor. In James’s original case study (2:2–4), both the rich person and the poor person are probably visitors to the church who are unbelievers. At best they are people whose faith is not yet known. So how wrong it is to fawn over this rich person who may not be a believer, and ignore the poor person, who might be a believer.
Second, the rich typically showed no mercy or concern for the poor. They would take the poor into court, most likely for not repaying a debt. Wealthy moneylenders often took advantage of the poor. A creditor, if he met a debtor on the street, could literally grab him and drag him into court.
But economic persecution was not the only oppression these believers faced from the wealthy; James’s third observation focuses on religious persecution. These rich people are the ones who slander Jesus Christ either by speaking evil of him or by insulting Christians. James pointed out the irony that Christians would show favoritism to those who were known to slander Christ!”
Rich or poor, believers must obey God and love him. This could be called the heart of James’s message. If we really love God, both our faith in him and our obedience to him will be right. We will not belittle anyone with whom we share a common inheritance.
Conclusion:
Perhaps you’ve heard life isn’t fair, and how true is that when you compare yourself to the Jones’! As I remind my kids almost daily, God never promises that life will be fair, but He does promise joy! Here God, through James, commands us to be fair in our treatment of our Christian brethren. I am reminded of YHWH’s words in Leviticus 19:15
15 “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.
fairness commanded! both the rich and the poor need Christ just the same.
And if you are throwing a pity party that you are not as wealthy as you want to be then consider this:
if you drove here or had a ride to church, you are materially rich! If you were to compare your wealth (or rather contrast it) to the 7.5 billion other humans—you’d find out that you can call yourself filthy rich. However, I am well aware that we usually compare or contrast our wealth to the rest of our fellow Americans and that is where we make our distinctions here at Grace.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with a man being rich or with making him feel welcomed at Grace. The problem lies in treating him differently—and even better than the poor man.
Essentially James is telling us to treat the rich poor and to treat the poor rich. Treat the rich poor? What I mean is to treat them the same, as if they were poor. Not poorly, but the same way you would treat the poor. How are we to treat the poor again? Richly! because spiritually they could be the richest!