James 2:1 My brothers and
sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose someone comes into your
meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor person in filthy old
clothes also comes in. 3 If you
show special attention to the one wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a
good seat for you," but say to the one who is poor, "You stand
there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges
with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my
dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of
the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who
love him? 6 But you have
dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not
the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him
to whom you belong? 8 If you
really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as
yourself," you are doing right. 9
But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as
lawbreakers. 10 For whoever
keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking
all of it. 14 What good is it,
my brothers and sisters, if people claim to have faith but have no deeds? Can
such faith save them? 15 Suppose
a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and
well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself,
if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
In
our second installment of "Faith that Works" from the Epistle of
James, the lectionary presents us with a sort of natural two part outline--vss 1-10, and vss 14-17. These two parts suggest
an INSIDE/OUTSIDE formula.
INSIDE: vss 1-10 talk about the way our faith governs
our actions INSIDE the worshiping community. James even goes to the extent of
setting up a 'case study' regarding two visitors to the worshiping community--one
obviously rich, the other obviously poor.
A
little background info could be helpful. The New Testament Church was the most
egalitarian institution the world had ever seen. It's not so much that St. Paul commands
this in Galatians, as that he describes
and endorses what is already a
reality: There
is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and
female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:28). What's more, in various places
in the New Testament we're given snippets of information regarding the specific
economic makeup of early Christian congregations. Acts 16 introduces a certain
Lydia, a seller of purple. She is an
exceptional figure, being a woman of independent means, and given her trade, a
woman of considerable wealth. In Col 4:15, a certain Nympha and the church that meets in her house is
mentioned. It's more than a little interesting that the head of the house is
stated as a woman and not a man. Nympha is obviously the patroness of the local
congregation. It owes its existence to
her. The last item I'll mention is from the entire Epistle to Philemon.
Philemon is evidently a man of means and also a Christian. The local
congregation meets in his house. Yet, Philemon is no emancipator; he has a
slave named Onesimus who has run away. In a strange twist of events, Onesimus
meets up with St. Paul and is converted to the faith of his master, Philemon. Paul sends Onesimus back to Philemon with a
letter instructing Philemon to welcome him into the worshiping community as a brother.
Many other passages could be cited,
but the above examples illustrate two things: (a) like synagogues (see Luke 5),
the New Testament church relied on some form of patronage in order to have a
building; place to meet; and the bare essentials for worship. In other words,
without the conversion of people of means to the faith, first generation
believers would've had to meet in open fields, etc. (b) Even so, the patron or
patroness of the local congregation was equated no greater honor than the
lowest slave member of the congregation--at least theoretically. Given innate
human imperfection since the Fall, one wonders how perfectly this was pulled
off, especially in a society as stratified as the Greco-Roman culture of the
1st century. Yet, there was a concerted
effort to BE THE IDEAL; to BE God's vision for the world, actualized in the
worshiping community--and this vision/goal/effort was clearly supported by the
writings of the Apostles and early Church leaders.
That said, it is very likely true
that the overall message of Christianity (blessed
are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of God, etc.) had a greater appeal
to the poorer classes. Then, as now, the rich weren't exactly
"seeking" anything other than the next party or opulent outing. Early
Christianity owes much to the sporadic conversion of people of means--but it
must be said that these early congregations were far from wealthy. Nowhere is
this more true than concerning the Jerusalem Church. In fact, several portions
of the book of Acts as well as 1 and 2 Corinthians detail St. Paul's efforts to
collect an offering for the Jerusalem Church.
Which brings me back to the text
from James. While he may be writing to congregations outside of
Jerusalem/Judea, he writes from within his own cultural setting. He KNOWS the
temptation it would be to show favoritism to a wealthy potential convert. All
of a sudden, the money woes are over; they can proceed with the new building
project; they can get the AV equipment they've been wanting; they can replace
the worn/faded carpeting; they can upgrade the heating and cooling; get a new
roof; etc. etc. When they see this rich visitor, they don't see a man, they see
a solution to all of their problems.
On the other hand, when they see
the poor visitor, they don't see a man... they see a likely exasperation to all their problems.
True, they allow him to stay (You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my
feet, vs 3), but they'd prefer he not. If he's
that poor, he will likely need help from the benevolence of the
congregation--funds that, no doubt, are already stretched beyond the limit.
It's not that they would want to deny him the Gospel per se, but they'd
probably prefer he join the congregation down the street.
The
rich potential convert is a problem solver; the poor potential convert is a
problem creator. And James' point is that THIS IS NOT HOW FAITH WORKS. Or,
putting it in the most positive light, when we as believers are truly putting
our faith IN GOD, we are completely liberated to see others not in terms of
what we can get from them or what they'll cost us, but as equal recipients of
God's love and mercy. This, as I say, is how faith works ON THE INSIDE.
OUTSIDE:
The latter portion of the reading broadens the picture to the relationship
between faith and 'deeds.' Note, some translations use the word 'works.' Either
word would be a fitting translation of the Greek 'ergon,' which means labor; deeds; actions. St. Paul will
often use a technical phrase: works of
the Law, by which he means keeping Kosher dietary rules, practicing
circumcision, etc. Paul will clearly state that salvation is by grace through
faith apart from these outward
markers.
James,
however, uses the word in a much more common manner; ergon/works/deeds are acts
of compassion; or just plain old 'good deeds' in the boy scout sense. He
proceeds with another 'case study' in vss 15-16. In the absence of real action,
the point here is the utter emptiness of the words from the believer: Go in peace; keep warm and well fed. Speaking
empty words that sound like faith, is
NOT HOW FAITH WORKS.
Cheers,
T.M.
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