Criteria for membership
This week's study is on James 2:5-7:
These verses come after James is scolding his readers for playing favorites with visitors to their church groups. Rich-looking people were given preferential treatment, while poor-looking people were shoved to the edge and given the cold shoulder. Can you imagine Jesus doing that? But James knew they were doing it, and here he points out how it's wrong.
First, an aside: I've heard a lot of very complicated theology from megachurches talking about how God doesn't want people to be poor. I think he doesn't want us to lack, but I think the jury is still out on whether being poor by world standards is something wrong. Jesus had one garment, pretty much. No car. No cable TV. No health insurance. No cell phone. No transport of any kind, really. (He had to keep borrowing other people's boats and donkeys, remember?!) Did Jesus lack anything? No. Did he live in the center of a very evident blessing of God's provision? Absolutely. Yet by our standards, and the standards of the church in James' time, Jesus would probably have been considered poor.
Being poor isn't necessarily being righteous. There are a lot of character flaws which can cause someone to be poor. Mental illness can also cause someone to be poor. So can bad luck. So can being bad at math. So can a bad economy. Very few people are in a mad rush to become poor. It's not the goal.
But James is pointing out that when you're poor, you are in a special place to rely on God. As we've just mentioned, people aren't likely to want to help you when you're poor. So when you have to make ends meet, you will more likely be seen by God and be the recipient of his mercy than someone who has it all. In terms of total miraculous giving, the poor are in pretty good shape. James says that they are honored by God and are set to inherit his blessings. And yet the church rejected them!
James turns it around. What about the rich? The poor can be demanding, but the rich have their share of problems too. Don't they abuse their power? Aren't they shrewd with their money? Don't they have a view of the world that makes God seem unnecessary and which puts up an emotional wall between themselves and those who have less? The rich aren't perfect either.
The problem is that our spiritual sense isn't as strong as our worldly sense. We don't think of God's kingdom when welcoming people. We think of ourselves. We think of getting the bills paid. We think of "diversity." We think of who we might find ourselves naturally being friends with. Young people seek out young people. Old people seek out old people. And so our love is imperfect. We don't think of who might be needing God the most, or who might be there in the moment.
I think this only has gotten worse as we've developed career clergy. Someone who is thinking of advancing their career is going to unconsciously prefer people who can get them there. Maybe they have no patience for people who don't tithe. Maybe they don't invest in people who aren't leaders. Maybe they don't associate with people who say uncomfortable things, who smell like stale beer, who need more from them than they could ever give in return. But those people, chasing power and wealth and comfort and recognition, are exactly who James is writing to here!
Does Jesus only invest in people who can further his goals? Is salvation only for clergy and wealthy donors? Did he just die on the cross for people who gave a donation of X dollars or more? Does he ever say to anyone "I'm sorry but you're never going to amount to anything, or be a worthwhile investment." It's absurd to think of that happening, and yet as his representatives, we act as though it did.
When Jesus died on the cross, it was for everyone who showed up, not just the rich. Not just his fellow Jews. Not just his generation. Not just the people who spoke his language. Not just the people who agreed with him on politics. The fullness of what he had was poured out completely so that we could all be welcomed by him into eternity. We need only show up and accept him.
Someone asked Jesus once who we should love. They were hoping he'd say something like "Just people of your race, good Jews like you, with a good education. Not those filthy Romans and Greeks, who are like dogs and are occupying our sacred land." Instead he said something like "Whoever is around you in need is your neighbor." James is saying the same thing here. If we're going to represent Jesus to our neighbors, our definition needs to be the same as his.
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? 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? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?
These verses come after James is scolding his readers for playing favorites with visitors to their church groups. Rich-looking people were given preferential treatment, while poor-looking people were shoved to the edge and given the cold shoulder. Can you imagine Jesus doing that? But James knew they were doing it, and here he points out how it's wrong.
First, an aside: I've heard a lot of very complicated theology from megachurches talking about how God doesn't want people to be poor. I think he doesn't want us to lack, but I think the jury is still out on whether being poor by world standards is something wrong. Jesus had one garment, pretty much. No car. No cable TV. No health insurance. No cell phone. No transport of any kind, really. (He had to keep borrowing other people's boats and donkeys, remember?!) Did Jesus lack anything? No. Did he live in the center of a very evident blessing of God's provision? Absolutely. Yet by our standards, and the standards of the church in James' time, Jesus would probably have been considered poor.
Being poor isn't necessarily being righteous. There are a lot of character flaws which can cause someone to be poor. Mental illness can also cause someone to be poor. So can bad luck. So can being bad at math. So can a bad economy. Very few people are in a mad rush to become poor. It's not the goal.
But James is pointing out that when you're poor, you are in a special place to rely on God. As we've just mentioned, people aren't likely to want to help you when you're poor. So when you have to make ends meet, you will more likely be seen by God and be the recipient of his mercy than someone who has it all. In terms of total miraculous giving, the poor are in pretty good shape. James says that they are honored by God and are set to inherit his blessings. And yet the church rejected them!
James turns it around. What about the rich? The poor can be demanding, but the rich have their share of problems too. Don't they abuse their power? Aren't they shrewd with their money? Don't they have a view of the world that makes God seem unnecessary and which puts up an emotional wall between themselves and those who have less? The rich aren't perfect either.
The problem is that our spiritual sense isn't as strong as our worldly sense. We don't think of God's kingdom when welcoming people. We think of ourselves. We think of getting the bills paid. We think of "diversity." We think of who we might find ourselves naturally being friends with. Young people seek out young people. Old people seek out old people. And so our love is imperfect. We don't think of who might be needing God the most, or who might be there in the moment.
I think this only has gotten worse as we've developed career clergy. Someone who is thinking of advancing their career is going to unconsciously prefer people who can get them there. Maybe they have no patience for people who don't tithe. Maybe they don't invest in people who aren't leaders. Maybe they don't associate with people who say uncomfortable things, who smell like stale beer, who need more from them than they could ever give in return. But those people, chasing power and wealth and comfort and recognition, are exactly who James is writing to here!
Does Jesus only invest in people who can further his goals? Is salvation only for clergy and wealthy donors? Did he just die on the cross for people who gave a donation of X dollars or more? Does he ever say to anyone "I'm sorry but you're never going to amount to anything, or be a worthwhile investment." It's absurd to think of that happening, and yet as his representatives, we act as though it did.
When Jesus died on the cross, it was for everyone who showed up, not just the rich. Not just his fellow Jews. Not just his generation. Not just the people who spoke his language. Not just the people who agreed with him on politics. The fullness of what he had was poured out completely so that we could all be welcomed by him into eternity. We need only show up and accept him.
Someone asked Jesus once who we should love. They were hoping he'd say something like "Just people of your race, good Jews like you, with a good education. Not those filthy Romans and Greeks, who are like dogs and are occupying our sacred land." Instead he said something like "Whoever is around you in need is your neighbor." James is saying the same thing here. If we're going to represent Jesus to our neighbors, our definition needs to be the same as his.
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