James Chapter Two

 

James 2:1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. (2) For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, (3) and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” (4) have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

 

The passage suggests a very human bias that people of every age struggle with. The wealthy are always revered. We put them on a pedestal because they’re rich. We envy them and their accomplishments. We are jealous of what they have and, if given the chance, strive to curry favor with someone of affluence. The disciples James refers to in this hypothetical scenario appear to be doing just that. Because the man is finely dressed and boasts golden trinkets he deserves a position of prominence. But judging a man based on wealth can lead to some unfortunate results. It’s an old argument, that the wealthy must be blessed while the poor are cursed, presumably by God. Much of the book of Job contends with a narrative akin to this type of thinking.

 

Job’s “comforters” view prestige as the sure sign of God’s presence in one’s life. While hardship and suffering are stigmatic signs of hidden sin: namely that poverty and hardship must be deserved, or else you wouldn’t be poor or suffering need. Yet Christ said of the matter: “For the poor you have with you always,” John 12:8. Poverty then is not a sign of being afflicted by God, but a reminder that we live in a fallen world, and sin’s consequence has left human equity a train wreck, as it were. Moreover, our Lord, when speaking of the poor, tells us, “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God,” Luke 6:20. Conversely, and in the same sermon, Jesus states, “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation,” Luke 6:24. Clearly Job’s comforters were mistaken in their assessment that wealth equals blessing, while poverty equates into wrath. As are many Christians who behave in the manner described above by James. The pursuit of wealth is a dangerous thing. Paul writes of believers that become infatuated with money: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, from which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows,” 1^st Timothy 6:10. Christ goes so far as to make this accusation, contrasting trust in wealth against trust in God: “No one can serve two masters…he will hate the one and love the other…You cannot serve God and mammon,” Matthew 6:24.

 

A view tainted by a lust for material gain begins with favoritism, leading to one straying in pursuit of that which another has, and finally loving and serving the new master over their true Lord. The implication is sorrowfully plain: that wealth can grant a person the comfort God cannot. Or that riches make up for God’s perceived lack of care. This ruined spiritual state is highlighted very poetically in the final book in the Bible, when Jesus addresses the seven churches of Asia. The Laodicean church says of itself before being succinctly rebuked by Christ: “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked,” Revelation 3:17. The trap Paul talks about and Jesus elucidates is this: material comfort ALWAYS seems to insulate a person (saved or otherwise) from their maker. We seem to perceive that our status as a rich person protects us from need. True, material need may be taken care of, but we know that God provides that day by day because He knows we need it. The vehicle of His choice for distributing to us our need should not blind us that back of the gift is the giver. Jesus finishes his famous admonition to these Christians by saying, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent,” Revelation 3:19. Hebrews 12:11 explains the benefit of godly chastening, namely producing the fruit of righteousness to those who were willing to accept that training from their Father. Such chastening is meant to create in us palatable fruit that can sustain us and be shared with others. Galatians 5:22-23 lists such fruit as: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

 

James, led by the Holy Spirit, fervently wanted to see such fruit manifest in the Christians he was writing to, and took pains to warn them that the shining lure of wealth would produce partiality and with that it’s twin sister: hypocrisy. James surprisingly has much to say about and to the rich in his little epistle so I will refrain from further commentary about his view of the wealthy. Conversely his view of the poor holds them in high esteem, as we will read for ourselves in just one more verse.

 

As believers we are to be new creatures in Christ Jesus. Our minds are to be conformed to Christ-likeness as the Holy Spirit continues the daily work of our sanctification. The new creature, according to Paul, does not respect our former estate: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus,” Galatians 3:28. Wealth is a gift and a tremendous responsibility because God’s desire for the wealthy is that they share liberally with those who need material relief, 1^st Timothy 6:17-18. Segregating the wealthy and the poor reveals carnal reasoning that judges people on what we have, rather than who we are. And who we are as believers are members, one and all, of the body of Christ, the fullness of Him that fills all in all. (See 2^nd Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:22-23)