My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.
Imagine for a moment that you have been transported back in time to the days just after Jesus was raised from the dead. God has picked you, yes YOU, to be responsible for the shepherding of a thousand newly converted believers. The believers you are responsible for are all Jewish converts.
Now, answer the following question: When your believers accepted Jesus as Messiah, were they immediately changed into people who reflected God’s values?
It seems unlikely that the answer would be “Yes.” People are still people, even if they believe in Jesus as Lord. They still have all the bad habits they had before they realized that Jesus is God. No matter how good their intentions, arguments still break out, people disagree, and some are jealous of others. One of the problems James was dealing with was people showing favoritism.
James, knowing Jesus as he does, appears appalled by new believers showing favoritism. With clear, concise strokes of his pen, he tells us that believers “must not” allow themselves to pick favorites.
Application: Check yourself next time you are in church. Do you show “favorites?” If so, can you change that behavior?
Food for Thought: How did Jesus deal with favoritism?
In the Sermon on the Mount as well as in His woes to the Pharisees, Jesus warns about pretense and putting on a show to impress people. Favoritism, amongst other things, highlights worldly attitudes of being impressed with peoples credentials, achievements and social status. Jesus is unimpressed and looks at the heart. He was impressed with the widows penny. He was impressed with a Roman soldiers simple faith. He was impressed by the loving act of what the Pharisees saw as an immoral woman. He ate with tax collectors and sinners. If He showed favoritism, it was not to what the same standard as the world. He truly was there for the underdog even as He loved all. That is a good model for us.
Rich,
Thank you! Those are great examples. As you suggest, God does show favoritism as the world does, but does show favor to those rich in faith, love and humility.
👍🏻