A professor friend of mine at Bethel years ago got a very funny, but fake letter from a well-known evangelistic association. The letter was printed on letterhead paper and appeared official in every way. The letter said their association had just lost a valued member of their team and they were desperately looking for a replacement. The letter went on to very vividly describe an absolute wreck of a human being; horribly immoral, repeatedly divorced and persistently sleazy, drug and alcohol addicted, a long, ignominious criminal history, no educational background to speak of, several nasty, violent tattoos, blemishes, sores and warts in very visible places on his body, completely disheveled in appearance and mostly just plain terrifying to look at. They said this scary, ugly and awful fellow was known on the evangelistic team as simply, “Poor Jimmy the Geek.” Awful Jimmy’s role in the ministry was to come down the center aisle at just the right time near the end of every service, weeping and wailing out his deep spiritual needs. The team felt this dramatic, emotional display of repentance served as a catalyst for others at the service to consider doing likewise. The letter concluded by announcing Jimmy the Geek had recently been killed in a local liquor store holdup. The evangelistic association was wondering if, since my professor friend fit the necessary Jimmy the Geek profile so perfectly, would he be interested in taking Jimmy’s place in the ministry. Needless to say, my friend kindly rejected the offer.We laugh because that just isn’t the sort of applicant we look for in the church, is it?
We like sports celebrities, business executives, authors, political power figures, movie stars, fabulously wealthy people and almost anyone slim, gorgeous, jeweled and well-dressed. But not everyone can be as wonderful, wise, wealthy and gorgeous as me, can they?
So what sort of applicant are we looking for around here? What does the Bible say?
Open your Bibles to James 2. We’re continuing our “listening to leather knees” conversation today looking at another hard-hitting few verses. In a culture where slaves outnumbered masters both in society and in the church, issues of favoritism were enormous. How should a fledgling church, comprised almost completely of the poor, respond to the rich and powerful? How does a church, longing for social acceptance and credibility, handle the rich and poor people coming to faith? Do we honestly expect some wealthy, powerful, landowning master to sit down on a dusty bench and listen to a sermon given by one of his own slaves? Ludicrous! So who sits where and why? Who gets welcomed and how? Reading again today from the New Living Translation – listen to the blunt way James deals with all this…
My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives? Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear? Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.
James says nobody gets special favors. Nobody! Old, camel-kneed James pronounces it silly to even consider giving special favors to the rich! While not all poor people are virtuous, nor are all rich people evil, it was blatantly obvious to any first century observer that the rich caused the majority of the suffering. It was the rich constantly, greedily oppressing the poor; refusing to pay wages due in a timely fashion. It was the rich legally authorized to grab debtors by the collar and physically drag them into court any time they so desired. It was the rich to whom the Romans gave special legal privileges. And it was the rich most frequently slandering and despising the humble name and message of Jesus Christ. So nobody should get special favors in the church, especially not the rich. We have no preferred applicants! In a very real sense, the glorious, humble church of Jesus is the ultimate equal opportunity employer!
And yet here we are in 2009, struggling with the exact same issues of rich and poor. I am as passionate about these issues of equality as anyone I know and yet, in these troubled economic times, I would love to see some fabulously rich people wander through our doors, looking for a good place to sit. It is hard not to cater to people who might promise our church big cash and big possibilities. I know these thoughts shouldn’t enter my mind, but they do.
Of course, I know the widow’s mite is truly precious in God’s sight, but there’s demonic whispering in my ears teasing me toward cuddling the healthy, wealthy and wise. And James says stop that! Camel Knees says, Pastor, don’t even think in those spiritually toxic directions!
James gives us three lenses through which to consider the foolishness of favoritism.
The Glory
The first reason we simply cannot play favorites is found in the first verse where James asks rhetorically, “how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?” As I was studying this week, I was struck by the word “glorious.” Huh? What does the glory of Jesus have to do with this issue of favoritism? Why does James begin his argument by highlighting the gloriousness of Jesus?
I was prayerfully examining this issue when it hit me suddenly; if we truly understand the utter gloriousness of the risen and victorious Jesus, playing favorites becomes laughable. There are no status symbols that matter in the glorious presence of Jesus. The richest person is a pauper compared to glorious riches of Christ. The most beautiful, stylish, expensive suit in the world is a filthy rag compared to glorious, glowing robes of Jesus. The glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, properly considered, should be the ultimate earthly equalizer. When we catch a full and proper glimpse of glory, all our superficial pettiness, all our shallow, worldly standards disappear immediately. And if they don’t, we’re just not properly enjoying the glory of God.
I’ve gotten to see the great guitarist Phil Keaggy play several times in my adult life. I’m certainly no expert on guitar, but Phil Keaggy is one of the most glorious guitar players I’ve ever had the privilege of hearing. He is a master of many styles. With this amazing guitarist in mind then, how utterly foolish would it be for two guitar novices to buy tickets and sit in the front row of a Keaggy concert arguing about whose guitar was prettier? Can you picture it? My guitar strap is better, I’ve got nicer picks and a really good case…and I’ve got way poofier rock star hair than you! Wouldn’t such a conversation just be the silliest, most absolutely ludicrous thing? What kind of fools would do that? No – when anybody goes to a Keaggy concert, the only thing on their mind is Phil Keaggy. The glory of the master simply overwhelms the room.
In light of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, in light of His presence in this place, how can we even be thinking of who here is wearing a better suit, driving a nicer car or carrying a heavier wallet? When we’re truly in the presence of glory, favoritism doesn’t even occur to us!
Vernon McGee once joked that some people “come to church to close their eyes, while others come to eye the clothes.” What are we here for? Are we here to close our eyes and see glory or are we here just to eye the clothes and see money or material things?
The Grace
The second lens I see in this passage is that of grace. In verse 5, James reminds his readers of the upside down kingdom of grace we’ve entered as we’ve come to faith. Folks, don’t you remember what Jesus taught us? Don’t you remember what grace looks like? Don’t you remember God has chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith? Don’t you remember God has chosen the weak to overcome the strong, the foolish to shame the wise? Don’t you remember God has chosen to make His power perfect in our weakness? Yahoo! Let all the children come, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these! This woman dropping her penny in the plate has given all she has. That sinful woman who just embarrassed herself and anointed my feet has done a beautiful thing. Leave her alone! This humble, smelly sinner falling in repentance at the altar – he is the one who will go home redeemed. This nasty Roman centurion you all love to hate so much has just displayed truly uncommon faith like I’ve rarely seen. That spiritually unacceptable, social reject Samaritan who actually stopped on the road; he’s the good one! Yeah, I know you just caught this woman in adultery, but let those who are without sin cast the first stone! Over and over and over again, our gracious Lord Jesus stood at the foot of the sycamore tree, smiling graciously up at the weasels; all the little tax collectors and termites of the world, graciously, amazingly offering them His friendship.
How can we possibly claim to follow this amazingly gracious Lord Jesus Christ and yet play favorites in our fellowship? Impossible! Downright ludicrous!
Monica and Maria were both verbally and racially assaulted on Thursday evening outside the Central Avenue Walgreens. A man walked up to the Redbox kiosk and expected them to immediately step aside while he did his business. He got abusive, nasty and mean with my precious little girls, who have never done a mean thing to anyone ever! I don’t want that man in my church. I am not interested in offering grace to men like that. Grace goes only so far!
Yet my older brother Keith would disagree. He said their relatively young church in Arkansas felt led by God to intentionally reach out to the people no other church wanted – all the unwanted people. They felt God saying “if you’ll take all the ones no one else will take, I’ll send you those who will pay the bills.” Since they began moving in this direction, they have grown to over 400 people, two worship services, several pastors and financial stability.
Has God not chosen the poor in the eyes of the world? Is this following Jesus thing truly about the amazing grace of God or isn’t it?
The Greatest
And that brings us to the third and final lens I see in this passage. In verses 8, James, the younger brother of Jesus and latecomer to the faith, boils it all down to the greatest thing. He brings the whole conversation back to the Golden, or as he calls it here, Royal Law: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” While loving God and loving our neighbor is the greatest, most important rule we all respect, we must fully and finally understand this greatness guidance utterly prohibits any sort of favoritism. If we say this great law of love is our guide, we must understand what it includes. While this favoritism issue might not seem like significant sin, any attack on the greatest law of our lives is grave sin indeed. We must see and fully embrace the great love of Jesus. If we say we value this great, golden, royal guiding principle of love, then we must allow this great principle to guide us away from any sort of favoritism among us. The great love of Christ does will not allow such superficiality. We must love all people as we love ourselves. Greatness in the kingdom is only found in fully honoring this great rule for living.
I pray we would be so overwhelmed by the glory, grace and greatness of Jesus and His law of love, any superficial, favoritism perspectives among us would simply disappear. I pray we would experience and share the good news of great joy for all the people!
We need to be very intentional that the tiny word “all” isn’t lost on us. I don’t believe good changes among us in these areas will necessarily happen by accident. This world’s utter superficiality can easily creep up on us if we aren’t intentional about rejecting it.
One of the first things I asked Leonard to do when I arrived here at Elim was remove the Senior Pastor reserved parking sign on the wall behind the building. I just don’t like that kind of thing. I don’t like special titles, preaching thrones on the platform and a whole bunch of things we frequently accept in our churches. Maybe I’m being picky, but I think stuff like that sends a favoritism message we ought not send. And since I don’t usually park behind the church anyway, I asked Leonard to remove the sign. But as soon as I did that, I discovered Monica had been using that spot and was bummed to see her sign removed. She liked being able to sneak in at the last minute – it’s sort of a Latina thing. Monica isn’t some snotty girl interested in special honors or attention from the congregation; she just liked her little spot. We all laughed about the whole thing and Leonard suggested we make a new reserved parking sign for the “First Lady of Elim Church.” As much as I would have dearly loved the joke (and Monica would have loved her preferred parking), we nixed the idea. This favoritism stuff is one thing we need to be brutal about, don’t you think? When we consider the glory, grace and greatness of Jesus and His love, even the tiniest favoritism should be uncomfortable for us.
I challenge each of us to take some time this week and consider any sneaky ways in which we’ve allowed favoritism to sneak into our fellowship or perhaps into our lives. Ask the LORD to help you see ways in which you might perhaps even unwittingly be treating people superficially. Don’t waste your time focusing on what other people in and around your life are doing wrong in this area – focus on yourself. If we all prayerfully ask God to help us change individually, what we may/may not need to do corporately will be much easier to approach.
May God give us a full glimpse of the glory, grace and greatness of Jesus! May this church more and more become a place where any and all may come to experience the full and fully warm embrace of the body of Christ!
Amen.
Posts
