SPEAKER: DATUK KENNY NG
TEXT: JAMES 2:1-13
A Summary:
All people have a natural prejudice against another person simply because of his origin, race, ethnicity, nationality, colour, creed, religion or gender. It is also not uncommon for us to discriminate based on class and socio-economic considerations. Invariably we tend to suck up to the rich and powerful but despise the poor and the marginalised!
James warns in 2:1 that we are not to show ‘favouritism.’ What does he mean? He is certainly not saying that it is wrong to make appropriate distinctions (i.e, Philippians 2: 3 – 4) or to defer to those in authority (1 Timothy 5: 17 and Romans 13: 1 – 7). Such distinctions are a necessary part of life.
What James is writing against is discrimination that is based on shallow externals for self-serving ends. To illustrate his point, James gives the example of the way a rich man may be welcomed to the best seat in church while a poor man is overlooked or despised. James says this attitude is opposed to our professed faith in Jesus our Lord (v1). Indeed in v9 James even says such behavior of ‘favouritism’ is a sin.
James goes on to list 7 reasons why showing favouritism or favouring the rich while despising the poor does not make sense.
• It makes us improper judges of people (v 4).
• It dishonours those whom God honours (v 5, 6).
• It is often the rich who exploit the poor (v 6).
• It is often the rich who blaspheme the Jesus’ name (v 7).
• It goes against the royal law to love our neighbor as ourselves (v 8 - 11).
• It reveals a faith that is in error and inconsistent with God’s law (v 8 – 11).
• It overlooks the fact that just as we need mercy, we too need to show mercy (v 12 - 13).
In conclusion we were challenged to check ourselves more closely:
Are we showing kindness to a person who is not of the same race? Are we more kind to the young and the good-looking and reject those who aren’t? Do we favour the rich over the poor? Do we give the “cold shoulder” to “foreigners”? The words of Jesus in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats in Matthew 25:40 are timely.
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
May God forgive us for self-serving partiality based on externals. And may God help us to honour him by honouring all people equally according to the royal law of love.
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