James Chapter Two, Part 2

James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

James focuses his lens for a moment on the plight of the poor. To define: he is describing the materially poor believers of this present world. The New Testament seems to indicate that the rich are far more likely to reject the gospel than the poor. The secular argument may go something like this: "The poor would more readily accept the message of the gospel because the gospel is escapism. Somewhere 'out there' is a better world and the poor can be content in their poverty believing that one day God will make it up to them." In other words the poor would latch onto the message of the gospel because it has a placebo effect.

Yet our Lord was concerned for the rich. Jesus says, "Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God," Matthew 19:23-24 KJV. This sermonette, delivered to His astonished disciples, was in response to the rich young man that inquired of Christ how he might have eternal life. In typical fashion, his question was (understandably) incorrectly worded, asking Jesus what he needed to do to enter into eternal life. The rich young man was interested in what work he might perform to gain entry into heaven, so Jesus answered in a very Old Testament way: "if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments," Matthew 19:17 KJV. See also Leviticus 18:5. The rich young man approached this Prophet with a business venture, if you will. So Jesus, exposing the futility of the young man's proposition, answered with the impossibly high standard God set for salvation: perfect obedience. The young man inquired about specifics, which is a little reminiscent of the dodging tactic the woman used at the well when Jesus convicted her of sin, John 4:17-19. Jesus indulged him by listing several commandments, including the one James refers to as the "royal law": Love they neighbor as thyself, Matthew 19:19; Leviticus 19:18; James 2:8. When the young man answers that he has always kept the list of commandments (presumably without fail in his opinion) we are told Jesus loved him, Mark 10:21. Our Lord doesn't hate the rich; but through James and other inspired speakers He cautions us about the danger of BEING rich. Being materially wealthy makes us blind to our spiritual needs. And spiritual need isn't something that can be purchased with money. Jesus needed to drive the point of this man's genuine need home. The young man (and through him, us) needed to be made aware that money can't solve every issue. "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shall have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me," Matthew 19:21 KJV. The critical moment came for that young man when he was asked to choose between the world and its pleasures, or eternity and Christ's Lordship. We can't have Jesus as Savior, but not Lord. He is both, or He is neither. Any fool would wisely make the choice of Heaven over Hell. Yet Satan tempts not with Hell, but with the earth and its delights, Matthew 4:8-9.

Paul, in agreement with Jesus, writes to the church in Corinth: "For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence," 1st Corinthians1:26-29. James tells us God chose the poor to be rich in faith. Paul writes to the Corinthians that their calling was from among the foolish, weak, and despised. Despised and considered foolish and weak by whom? By those who 'are' according to Paul. Those who have made a name for themselves: the affluent of past and present times. Paul reveals that one reason the poor are chosen is to demonstrate to those of stature that God does not respect the person of men. Your status means nothing to God, so it should mean nothing to His children, either. Rich or poor, a believer is a brother or sister in Christ and is to be received with the love due to their position as part of the church. The poor are receptive to God's word because they suffer material need, so it is easier for them to understand that they also have a spiritual need. They recognize more easily that they need help in the same way that a sick person recognizes their need of treatment. Relief is never so welcome as when you realize how badly you need it. When someone is insulated from human suffering, they may begin to believe they suffer no lack of anything. Therefore the message of the gospel is foolishness because it describes rich and poor the same: dead in sin, requiring God's merciful intervention due our sin and the just punishment sin deserves.

James 2:6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?

The poor man from verses 1-4 is dishonored by the behavior such Christians would visit upon him. He is a person for whom Christ died and accepted in the beloved. To treat him otherwise is to pass a different judgment than the one Jesus administered when He purchased him through His vicarious death. That is why James says such Christians become judges with "evil thoughts" James 2:4. The word "evil" in verse 4 is a derivative of the Greek word "poneros" meaning hurtful, or "evil" through effect and influence. It is different than the use of the term from James 1:13 which is "kakos" and implies a lack of a quality that should be possessed, or bad in character. Whereas the evil that God cannot be tempted with is a lack of essential character, this "evil" is an influence asserted over the self-made judges, and pouring over onto the unfortunate victim. The catalyst, then, of such evil is the presence of the rich man. Or rather, our human perception about how the rich should be treated. But unlike the celebrity-like status these Christians want to accord him, James bluntly reminds us that it is the rich who oppress us and take us to court. In the modern vernacular this would be a sense of entitlement exhibited by the wealthy. Granted, these are generalizations. But even today it is a common thing to hear how the poor tend to be more generous and sympathetic than the rich. Why? Because the poor have contact with genuine human suffering more intimately on a daily basis. Our Lord summarized this distinction between those that "are" and those that "are not" best I think when He answered the Pharisees' accusation with this exceptional truth: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick [do]. ...For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance," Matthew 9:12-13. The Pharisees were wealthy, influential men. But Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners, confusing and insulting them. Until they (and us) recognized their need of salvation, Christ could not reach them. To them, Jesus had nothing to offer because they trusted in themselves. We must all, rich or poor, shift our trust from self to God, who alone can and does save us by virtue of the finished work His Son did for us 2000 years ago at Golgotha.