James on Widows, Orphans, the Poor and Favoritism
JAMES 1:26-27, 2:1-13 connected Christian Proverbs.
James writes of three constants in Christian failings. The lack of works in Faith has placed the early Jewish Christians on a path that had brought the Pharisees and Sanhedrin into a sinful state with a disregard for the humanity of God’s law.
These three constants are:
1) The Purity of Religion and the purity of speech.
2) The caring of the less fortunate and the respect that each member deserve. i.e.: the widows, orphans and the poor.
3) The bias of the rich and the powerful and the wannabes with in the community and the stereo-typing of the poor.
The pure religion that directs us to look after the orphans (fatherless) and widows is the same pure religion that directs us to guard our voices and to watch out for the vanity and egos that tend to separate us from God’s will. It is the same pure religion that Moses recorded as the Law of Righteousness in Deuteronomy and was told of by the Prophets. When we think of bridling our tongues, we often think of slander, lies and foul language. But James is concerned with the language of our heart. In our minds we speak unkindly of others, we think things that degrade our neighbors and we disregard the needs of others or bring false shame upon them. We cast them as undeserving of God’s Mercy and Love. And then we seek to surround ourselves with the “successful and powerful” rather than with those who need our friendship and compassion.
Pure religion does not see the fate of others as a failing but as a chance to serve God in fullness. We are called to be understanding of others and to be unstained by the traps and smears of the world. The Life Application Study Bible that I like to use, lists eight ways that favoritism is wrong, and I like them as a reminder of how not be behave toward others, but I want to share with you eight scriptures that illustrate the failings of favoritism and how James and the early Church believed. James was afraid that the Jewish Christians were falling into the trappings of the Temple Priests and creating an egotistical relationship within the body of believers. While James speaks of these problems, he was not alone as these scriptures will illustrate.
1.) Proverbs 24:23-25 These are the sayings of the wise. Partiality in judging is not good. Whoever says to the wicked, “you are right” will be cursed by the people, abhorred by nations, but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight and a good blessing will come upon them”
When we treat others with unkind words or show bias toward others because we seek favor from them, we open the doors of injustice. We are putting our fortunes above God. Every time we think or react unjustly toward another, we are in the Court of the Lord, When people say the poor deserve to be poor and rejected, they are Judging Christ, for he gave up everything to be “poor” for us. Jesus became “fatherless” when he came down from Heaven to dwell amongst us and to die for us. Didn’t He call God “Abba” which means daddy? And didn’t He cry out, “Why have you forsaken me?” from the cross? If Jesus did not think it a sin to be poor, why then should we think that the poor are guilty of sin because they are poor.
2.) Luke 6:20 Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.”
We need to look at those who are without as blessed, instead of cursed. As a result we will be more willing to put away the bangles of luxury that distract us from God’s blessings. We should not be snared by the things that the World think as important but concentrate on the things of God. We need to see things in God’s Light and then we can see that the widows, orphans and the poor are truly the blessed ones and we should protect and aid them at every turn. When we can see that the simple things of life are the only ones that have meaning, we can live less fearfully, we can have less stress and we can see that the rich and powerful are really powerless before God’s wisdom and might.
3.) John 7:24 Do not judge by appearance, but judge with right judgement.
For years, I tried to “raise myself up” in the standards of the world. I sought the favor of men and promoted myself at every turn. Yet God, in His wisdom, always let my attempts fail so that I might learn to live without. Investments failed, property values dropped, emergencies came up and savings had to be spent. I never got the luxuries I wanted, but I always have just enough to cover the things that I needed. I am blessed because I have no more than what I need.
Right judgment is learning to live according to God’s will and not by the desires of vanity or egos. Those who live “well” may be in misery, never having peace or contentment. Those who are rich and are truly happy are so because of the generosity of their hearts. John Wesley said to earn a lot so that you can give a lot away for the grace of God. If it were not for my charming wife telling me that we must pay the bills, I would be giving away every penny I have to so many causes. Remember that the widows pennies are more precious to God than the gold of the wealthy. She gave according to her heart rather than by the surplus as did the Pharisee and Rich. Just because the widows may be poor in the world does not mean that they are no rich in the eyes of the Father.
4.) 1 Cor 1:26-27,29 For consider your calling, brother: not many of you are wise according to worldly standards, not many of you are powerful, not many are of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak to shame the strong. ….So that no human being could boast in the presence of God.
Even Paul, the “wisest of the wise” among the followers of Jesus was sent to live among the Christians of Antioch, to learn from the simple and devout (see Acts 11:19-26). All of his wisdom did not save him or hold him high before the LORD. Even Solomon in all his wisdom did not keep from sinning against God. True wisdom comes from the heart of God. I can’t tell you of ll the times that the older women have shown me the wisdom of God and His Mercy. Many times I have been blessed because of the words, questions and simple prayer of children and child like adults. Even though have studied the Word, the history of the Church and the philosophies of man, still what I know is what God has placed upon my heart. I am “wise” because of Christ and the Spirit of God. And as Christ has come to me, so also He comes to the poor in Spirit and the weak in body so as to bring the good news to all.
It is when the powerful and the rich take control of the churches that they embrace foolishness and invite sinful natures to enter into the congregations. It is better to be poor and want of nothing except the Lord than to be rich and powerful and be at the mercy of the hands of finance and thus dilute the wisdom of the Word.
5.) 1 Peter 4:16-18 Yet if any of you suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgement to begin out of the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the Gospel of God? And “If righteousness is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” (see Proverbs 11:31)
Peter spoke of hospitality to others without grumbling and he spoke of suffering. How can we judge if a person is poor or an orphan or a alien among us? What right do we have to say whether or not the state of their life is a result of sin? This was the question asked of Christ about a man who was born blind. Maybe those who are the widows, orphans and poor have been given a blessing that we might see the Glory of God because of them. We who are “righteous” in our own eyes because of wealth, power or because of noble birth may be the poor ones. We are to be judged just the same as the poor and the weak. What right do we have to lift ourselves up higher than them. God will judge the just and the foolish without bias or show favor, by our lips and our expressions we judge ourselves more right than God.
6.) Lev. 19:15,18 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….but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
While Moses speaks of a court of Law, James is clearly concerned with the court of public opinion. We are not to prejudge those within the congregation by wealth or by status within the greater community but we are to judge the content of their heart. In this manner, we can see that many who are within our doors are worthy of God’s Grace and Mercy regardless of the standings within the neighborhood. We are to show no bias or favoritism toward any. We are not to set preconditions on becoming a member of our Christian community other than living within the Word. I recommend reading all of the passage (Lev. 19:9-18) to get a fuller understanding of God’s Law to the Children of Israel. There is the lesson to the Israelites in the treating of the whole of the congregation. I also suggest that you read Matthew 7:1-12 and Romans 13:8-10. As the Law of God is the law of Love, to show bias or favoritism is wrong in the understanding of the Word. To treat those who have less as less is a fallacy of false worship and we will be judged by the content of our heart and the words of our mouths.
7.) Matt 5:19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Gandi required that his followers must read the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, we will not see the Kingdom. Unless we treat each and everyone of the body of Christ, rich or poor, the widows, fatherless and the aliens the same, we are like the proud and still sinful priests of the Temple who rejected Christ. We are to love the poor as our own, the fatherless as our children, the widows as our mothers or even as wives as Christ loved us. Unless we are willing do do so and make every effort to see God’s Grace in them, we will never see the Kingdom of God. If non-believers can see the good in the Sermon on the Mount, why then do so many of us avoid the righteous among us just because they are poor or weak instead of powerful and proud?
8.) Colossians 3:12-14 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved; compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with each other and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so that you must also forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
I don’t need to add much to these powerful words of Paul but to say that as Jesus told us to sin no more, to obey His commandments of Love and that Peter, John and Paul all seem to relate how we are not to have partiality or bias in the Church, the lesson of James is a conformation that such behavior is vile to God. They are all in agreement that the ones who the world sees as unworthy are in fact the ones that God seeks to make worthy. God loved us while we were still sin, He does not differentiate the rich from the poor. We are made of the same dirt. Bias, prejudice, avoidance or rejection is meaningless to God who has called us all as equal heirs of His Salvation.
And that brings us back to the beginning. We are to watch what we say, check what we think lest we say the wrong things. We are to guard our hearts and our voices that we cause no harm to any believer. We are to treat each with the same kindness as Christ treated us. Most importantly, we should speak prayerfully to each other, have conversation with each as we would have with the Father of us all. I remember that someone said that as we speak to each other, we would speak with God, and that as we pray to God, we should speak as in prayer to each other.
And as we would have God treat us as worthy, we should also treat each other. As we were all orphans, until we were adopted by Christ’s blood, we should treat the orphans and widows as our sisters and children. Be in God’s Peace.
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