How We Treat People
James 2:1-13
“…believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.” vs. 1b
Kindness
On Tuesday night, April 12th, a man was driving an SUV recklessly. The Antioch, CA city council meeting had let out minutes before and council woman Lori Ogorchock was on her way home. The SUV struck her car and continued on who about 10:01 p.m. on A Street near the Highway 4 on ramp. The crash crumpled the SUV and trapped the 35-year-old Antioch man in the twisted wreckage.
Both Mayor Wade Harper and Councilwoman Ogorchock immediately jumped into the mode of helping the victims. I kept calling his name,” Harper said, adding that the man was conscious. “I made sure he heard his name. I wanted him to know he was going to be OK, to keep him alert.” The SUV’s engine was smoking, so Harper yelled for someone to fetch a fire extinguisher from the minimart at the Chevron gas station nearby and began talking to the driver. Harper remained at the scene until emergency responders were able to extricate the man, a process that he said took at least 30 minutes. The two people inside the truck also were taken to the hospital, but their injuries were considered minor, Antioch police Lt. Don LaDue said in a statement.
I want to give kudos to both Mayor wade and Councilwoman Ogorchock. Both showed a great deal of integrity and I would say restraint as well. If that were me that were hit, I might be out there getting angry or upset.
Today we are going to look at how we treat people and what the Bible says about how we should treat people. If you are able, please stand as we read God’s Word from James 2:1-13.
Read Passage – James 2:1-13
My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “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. 11 For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,”[b] also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. 12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Polluted by the World
In order for us to get a clear picture of what James is trying to convey to us we must backup to verse 27 of chapter 1. He says in verse 27:
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:…to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27
In the OT the Israelites had to concern themselves with being ceremonially unclean so they would not be hindered from worshipping God. James uses the word polluted here. The first definition of polluted in the dictionary is:
Polluted: To make ceremonially or morally impure
What James is getting at is that if we let the world be our influence if we let the world be our guide and dictate our actions, then we have become polluted or made impure.
The main point that James makes in the beginning of chapter 2 is the need for us to treat people well. Unfortunately, in the world, there are many areas in which people are not treated well. It could be based on gender, ethnicity, social status, job, etc.
Ex. Women still make considerably less money in performing the same job. Many of the CEO and higher position jobs in our country are dominated by white males, very few people with little wealth can run for a political position. Of course there are many more examples.
There is another word for this: favoritism.
Do I Show Favoritism?
One area that is of concern is wealth. James warning here is not to treat people differently based on wealth. Most of us may think of ourselves as better than we are at treating people fairly but I think it would be best for us today to ask ourselves an important question:
Do I show favoritism?
Most of us may answer with a quick “no!” But take a moment to challenge yourself here. If most of us are honest with ourselves, we probably have to admit that we can do a better job of treating people fairly and equally. In verses 1 through 13, James challenges his audience in this area of treating people based on wealth.
Ways We Divide
A natural thing for us to do as human beings is to divide ourselves and we usually do this by labeling people. If we can put a label on someone, we tend to assert some control and to keep an upper hand. The challenge is really to avoid division and focus on God’s ways of treating people, not the world’s ways of treating people. So how does that work, it comes out in 2 ways.
- How We Treat the Rich
The first way is how we treat the rich. In your outline you have a fill-in. The first is that we treat them with “Special Attention.”
Special A__________
James points out in verse 2a:
“Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes…” vs. 2a
There is something subtle going on here. Though you see this outwardly, you are making the decision inwardly. See, when someone walks in, unless you know them, unless you know their situation, you are making a judgment based on what you see, the outward nice clothes and jewelry, but you are assessing them in your mind. You are assuming they are important, and rich, based on what you see and you are deciding in your mind to treat well because of your thoughts about them. Ask yourself; “How do I feel when I see someone in nice clothes and expensive jewelry or in a nice car, or in a big house, etc. When you decide to treat them better than others because of that, you are playing favorites and showing bias.
Ex. Scene from Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts character goes into a store and is not helped because she is dressed like a hooker. BTW, didn’t we all loves when she went back after buying a ton of others things and rubbed it in the saleswoman’s face?
A second way we treat the rich is with “Special Treatment.”
Special T__________
James points this out in verse 3a:
“If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” vs. 3a
So here we move from the inward to the outward. It has now moved from our thoughts to our actions. We are visibly showing them, and others, that they are important enough to be treated differently and with a greater status and honor. Here’s the thing with that, we are telling them that they are more important and we are telling others that they are not.
Ex. Gift bags given to the stars at the Oscars. The 2016 gift bags had some impressive things in them: $12,500 vacation package, an Italian train trip valued at $11,500, $800 in custom candy, and the list goes on.
Ex. I saw this in the corporate world where stock were made available to the upper management, and to those that have.
2. How We Treat the Poor
James also touches on a second way we divide and it is how we treat the poor. These are really startling points and it does make us consider if we may act in these ways. First, the way we treat the poor is that “We’re Repelled.”
We’re R___________
Notice how James states it in verse 2b:
“Suppose…a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in…“ vs. 2b
It’s almost comical the way he states it; “filthy clothes.” He could have said this same thing a number of ways but he chose a way that shows the disdain that tends to dominate our thinking. Many of us have a dislike for dirt; for things that are not kept clean or in a neat way, even more so when it comes to the poor. We really become uncomfortable with them. We are repelled by the dirt, the smell, the filthiness.
Now how does this play itself out in us? In the same way we gave special attention to the rich, we now avoid or give no attention to the poor. Think about it, we choose to walk around them we choose to walk on the other side of the street, to use another door, to go around if at all possible. We even ignore them if we can.
Ex. Homeless woman who told me I dropped my smile.
The second way we treat the poor is that “We Exploit” them.
We E____________
James points out in verse 3b:
“…but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” vs. 3b
Notice the actions here, it’s more than just not giving attention or not helping, it’s putting them in a position of humility and establishing dominance. When he says “stand there” he is implying “over there,” out of the way, in a place that cannot be seen. He also says to “sit on the floor by my feet,” in a degrading or humiliating position. A place where there is definitely an established dominance and hierarchy.
Ex. Sept. 2013 the state of Nevada shown they were shipping homeless people with mental illness to S.F. on buses
Selective Obedience
James also puts in a few verses that may seem out of place at first but they really are supposed to be here and they are important to understand in the passage. They come in verse 10-11, verse 10 says:
“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” vs.10
Here’s what James wants us to remember; that our obedience to God’s Words is not selective. We should not be in the habit of picking which laws of God’s we want to follow and which ones we do not want to follow. God’s Word is not a smorgasbord of things we can choose to do or not to do. So what are God’s laws about how we treat people? Let’s start with 1 John 4:11:
“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:11
Here are a few things that God calls us to be:
- We are to be people who love – 1 John 4:1
- We are to be people of peace – Mark 9:50
- We are to take care of the widows and orphans – James 1:27
- We are to be gentle, kind, patient, and people of peace – Gal. 5:22
Can Anybody Really Do This?
Now you may be looking at this and going; “Can anybody really do this?” Part of the reason that James addresses that we should not be selective is because he follows that thought up with verse 12-13:
“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” vss. 12-13
The reason we are called to follow God’s law and not be polluted by the world, God’s law gives freedom. If you follow the world’s ways you will never be able to keep up. You will always be struggling. God’s ways bring freedom but you might be asking, “Yes, but I fail. How can I possibly follow God’s ways when I fail?” It’s simple, you don’t have to worry about failing because we all fail and we all have God’s forgiveness. I believe it comes down to what Jesus did for us. John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that he gave is only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Jesus is the living example of how to treat people. He didn’t die for the rich, for the important, for the successful. No, he died for all. Jesus could do what James is talking about and we are called to be as much like Jesus as possible. He does what we can’t. And, he invigorates us to follow God’s ways and not the world’s because that’s what he did.
Ex. Jesus and the lepers
