Showing Favoritism James 2:1-13 Part 3

Read James 2:1-13

James starts chapter two with the command not to show favoritism and goes into an explanation of what this means and why we ought not to do it. We are not to judge by appearances and not show partiality to the rich or the poor. This command goes back to the original law in Leviticus 19:15, where it says, “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great but judge your neighbor fairly.” Jesus reiterated this in John 7:24 when He said, “Stop judging by mere appearances and make a right judgement.”

James gives us an example of when we might be inclined to favoritism in verses 2-4 when he wrote, “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?”

There’s a story that a guest pastor showed up to the church he was to preach at, dressed as a homeless person might. No one greeted him or offered him a seat, but instead, he was ignored by some and, worse yet, given dirty looks by others. When it came time for him to preach, he approached the pulpit and started with the question: who of you was willing to ignore my appearance and offer me brotherly love? Not a one! James is essentially asking the same thing. Are we willing to look past physical appearance and look at someone’s heart instead? Do we honor people simply because they look good or dress well?

James gives several reasons against showing favoritism to the rich. The first is seen in verse 5-7; the rich persecute the poor and the believers. Poverty often makes us uncomfortable because we don’t want to face our responsibility to those who have less than we do. We can also be jealous of those who have more than us and want to be like them. We have selfish motives and often feel we are superior to poor people. This is a hypocritical sin as all the good things we have are a gift from God and not something we’ve earned. James says the readers were insulting the poor and being exploited by the rich. Despite this, the rich were still being shown favoritism. If we claim to be Christians than we must live as Christ lived. He didn’t show favoritism but instead loved all people, regardless of their financial status. In John 15:12 Jesus said, “Love each other as I have loved you.” In verse 5 James says, “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 to those who love Him?” Again, James points out how the poor are blessed. In chapter 1, James already pointed out how hard it will be for the rich man to be saved, and here again, we see that poverty can be a blessing as it draws us closer to God.

The second reason James gives for not showing favoritism can be seen in verses 8-11. Favoritism goes against God’s law and is therefore a sin. We can see in Leviticus 19:18 that we are to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus references this in Mark 12:31. When speaking of the law, He said, “the second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” Jesus often spoke of how we judge others and about the law; in Matthew 7:12 He tells us, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” 

Often, we think there are levels of “badness” and sin, however, James tells us that to break even one part of the law is to break all of it. God’s Will is expressed in His law so to break one part of it is to sin against God’s Will. We can’t decide to only keep part of God’s law, we must keep the whole law. You cannot break it just a little bit; if you have broken any of God’s law you have broken the whole law and need forgiveness. We cannot compare ourselves to others saying they have broken the law more than we have. By God’s standards, once we sin, even a “little”, we are law breakers. We must ask for forgiveness for all our sins, in every area of our lives, and strive to keep all of God’s commandments.

The third reason James gives for not showing favoritism can be found in verses 12-13. Favoritism will be judged. James is once again echoing Christ’s teaching. In Matthew 6:14-15 Jesus said, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” If we judge others harshly, we too will be judged harshly. Instead, look at the freedom the law gives us. By grace, through faith, we are saved, not by our ability to keep the law. However, we are still required to obey the law. God’s grace does not negate our duty to obey, but rather, gives us a reason for obedience. We are to joyfully and willingly obey the law because we love God, we want to show our thankfulness to Him and because of the Holy Spirit He has given us. If we withhold forgiveness from others, we are not showing the mercy that we ourselves have been given. In Matthew 5:7, Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.” In Matthew 18:21-35 Jesus tells the parable of the unmerciful servant. The master showed mercy to the servant, but the servant dealt harshly with his fellow servant. When the master found out he called out the wicked servant for being unmerciful and sent him to jail. Jesus ends the parable saying, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” If we deal harshly with and condemn others, we too will be condemned. If we discriminate against the poor or judge others without mercy, we are showing that we don’t understand or appreciate the mercy God has shown us. Paul taught us in 2 Corinthians 5:10 that “we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

So, do not judge by appearance but by the heart, as God does. Do not judge harshly or you too will be judged harshly. Be merciful, as God has shown you mercy. Do not break God’s law, but rather, in thankfulness, show obedience and gratitude by keeping His law; asking forgiveness when you fail. How can we not show mercy when God has been so merciful to us!

1. Think of a time where you might have shown favoritism based on looks or appearance. How do you think you could have acted differently?

2. When someone new shows up to your church do you judge them? Do you reach out to them? 

3. Think about the gifts God has given you, how can you use them to benefit others? How can you use them to help others?

4. Have you ever justified a sin because it was "just a little bit bad"? Do you justify your sins? Is there a sin in your life you haven't let go of? 

5. Think about how you treat others, do you treat them like the master did or like the servant did?