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James 2 (NIV):

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,” 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.

 

Leviticus 19 (NIV):

15 Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.

16 Do not go about spreading slander among your people.‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.

17 Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.

18 Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

 

In James 2, he rebukes his readers for showing favoritism to the rich (and presumably powerful) and discriminating against the poor (and presumably powerless) in their worship meetings. Indeed, they are breaking the “royal law” by doing this. So far, so good; he has both Leviticus 19 and Jesus’ teaching about the 2 great commandments (Matt 22:36-40) on his side. So how does he go from talking about showing favoritism to adultery and murder? Where’s he going with this? A couple of observations:

 

1. The breaking of any commandment makes one a breaker of God’s law. James pulls two of the more dramatic commandments to make his point. You don’t get to pick the ones you agree with and get a pass on the rest. Any miss means you’re not following the royal law to love your neighbor as yourself, even something as seemingly insignificant as “favoritism.”

2. His use of the commandment against murder, however, is instructive here because of what it means when we show favoritism like this. We judge that some are inherently more “worthy” than others. More worthy of our time, our attention, our favor. To decide that some people are more worthy than others leads to us treating some of them as “less than”, or “other than”, which devalues them. And what is murder, but the ultimate de-valuing of someone else’s life? This echoes Lev.19 and also reminds us of what Jesus says in Matthew 5:21-22, where he puts anger and contempt against a brother or sister on the same level as murder.

 

As James reminds us, “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” Show mercy and kindness, and do not de-value your brothers or sisters.

 

Lord, help us to see people as you see them, that we may learn to love them as you love them. Amen.

 

Damon Glassmoyer

jwl1040@gmail.com

 

Prayer Concern: For all who serve as youth pastors and leaders, that they may be faithful mentors for those whom they serve, so that the church may continually be renewed.