That is good advice if you are trying
to get a job or to impress someone.
There was once a town
drunk who gave his heart to Jesus Christ. He immediately stopped
drinking and began to look for a church and had purposed in his heart
that he would attend the first church he found. Determined to turn
his life around he found a church and went in. He was met at the door
by a couple of ushers and they told the man, "Please go home and
clean up, take a bath, cut your hair, shave your beard and then you
can come back to church." The man left and did what they asked
and came back to the same church the next week.
Once again, he was met at the door by the ushers. The former drunk said, "I have done what you asked, I am clean, my hair cut and combed, I am clean shaven and I am ready to come to church."
The ushers said to the man, "That is good but your clothes are dirty and torn up. Go get a suit so that you will look nice for church." A little sad, the man decided to do what they asked, after all this was the church he felt he was supposed to attend. So he went out and bought a nice suit, determined that this time they would let him in so he could worship God.
The next Sunday the former drunk returned to that same church but this time the man was met by the two ushers and the senior pastor. Together, the three of them explained to the man that he could not come into the church because of his past. How would it look if the town drunk came to their church? The man walked out of the church totally dejected because he desired to worship God in a house of worship with the men and women of God. He sat down on the steps in front of the church and put his head in his hands and began to cry.
As he sat there, he felt the hand of someone touch his shoulder. Before he could look up he heard a voice say, "Don't worry my friend, I have been trying to get into that church for years and they won't let me in either." The former drunk looked up and saw a man dressed in a white robe with nail pierced hands. Jesus wanted in that church too.
Once again, he was met at the door by the ushers. The former drunk said, "I have done what you asked, I am clean, my hair cut and combed, I am clean shaven and I am ready to come to church."
The ushers said to the man, "That is good but your clothes are dirty and torn up. Go get a suit so that you will look nice for church." A little sad, the man decided to do what they asked, after all this was the church he felt he was supposed to attend. So he went out and bought a nice suit, determined that this time they would let him in so he could worship God.
The next Sunday the former drunk returned to that same church but this time the man was met by the two ushers and the senior pastor. Together, the three of them explained to the man that he could not come into the church because of his past. How would it look if the town drunk came to their church? The man walked out of the church totally dejected because he desired to worship God in a house of worship with the men and women of God. He sat down on the steps in front of the church and put his head in his hands and began to cry.
As he sat there, he felt the hand of someone touch his shoulder. Before he could look up he heard a voice say, "Don't worry my friend, I have been trying to get into that church for years and they won't let me in either." The former drunk looked up and saw a man dressed in a white robe with nail pierced hands. Jesus wanted in that church too.
While the phrase 'the clothes make the
man' is good advice in some specific situations it leads down a path
that we do not want to venture to.
James 2:1-4
“My brothers, do not
show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord
Jesus Christ. 2 For example, a man comes into your meeting wearing a
gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor man dressed in
dirty clothes also comes in. 3 If you look with favor on the man
wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and
yet you say to the poor man, “Stand over there,” or, “Sit here
on the floor by my footstool,” 4 haven’t you discriminated among
yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?”
Once again we find that James does not
worry about talking about the fluffy feel good messages. He gets
straight to the meat of the matter. Favoritism has no place in
church, and really has no place in the life of a Christ follower.
Favoritism is incompatible with Christianity.
Deuteronomy 10:17
“For the Lord your God is the God of
gods and the Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God,
showing no partiality and taking no bribe.”
God shows no favoritism, He is
completely impartial. If we are committed to our Lord and we are to
try to be like Him in all things, if He shows no favoritism then we
must do the same.
James gives us an example of two men.
One is obviously wealthy with his gold ring and fine clothes while
the other is poor dressed in the same clothes he probably sleeps in,
eats in, and works the field in. This poor man is treated poorly
while the rich man is given a place of honor. These men are not being
treated equally in any way.
In the church if we show favoritism
based on how someone dresses or how much they give each week, we
would no longer be part of God's church. We would have become an
unjust, partial judge. Christ like? No. Worldly? Yes.
The world judges based on appearance,
they think 'the clothes make the man'. God is looking for something
completely different.
James 2:5-7
“5 Listen, my dear
brothers: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in
faith and heirs of the kingdom that He has promised to those who love
Him? 6 Yet you dishonored that poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you
and drag you into the courts? 7 Don’t they blaspheme the noble name
that was pronounced over you at your baptism?”
James is reminding us
about something Jesus said.
Luke 6:20
“Then looking up at His
disciples, He said: “You
who are poor are blessed, because the Kingdom of God is Yours.”
God has chosen the poor to inherit the
Kingdom of God. God has shown a special interest in the poor even in
the Old Testament.
Psalm 35:10
“My very bones will say, ' Lord, who
is like You, rescuing the poor from one too strong for him, the poor
or the needy from one who robs him?”
God has always been looking out for the
poor and oppressed. They should be favored, not treated poorly.
Even Jesus made sure people understood
that He did not come just for the rich. His focal point for the
gospel is the poor.
Luke 4:18
“The
Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach
good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the
captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the
oppressed”
The good news is for the poor. That is
where it started. The Message was for all humankind but it started
with the poor as the rich felt they did not need anything from
anyone. The rich had everything they needed, why would they listen to
Jesus. Remember the rich man who asked Jesus what he needed to do to
be saved? Jesus told him to sell off everything he had. Did not go
over to well.
In these verses James did make it clear
that he is talking about the 'poor in this world', or those who are
financially poor. He does go on to say they are 'rich in faith and
heirs in the kingdom'. The world sees them as poor and not worth the
same attention or honor as those who have the money or fame. The
world may see them that way, but God does not.
The world judges on these artificial
measures, wealth, popularity, abilities, the clothes one wears,
etc.... God does not pay attention to these things. He is simply
looking for those people who Love Him. If you love God you have
faith. If you have faith you are saved. The poor of the world, those
with no money, the outcasts, dirty clothes, if you hair is to long or
falling out, belly to big, clumsy, deaf, blind, and so on if you have
faith in God nothing else matters. Your faith means you will inherit
the Kingdom of God.
James goes on to remind us that the
rich of the world oppress believers. In James time, the rich would
drag Christians into court. At that time Christians were hated and
more often than not the rich man would take the Christian to court
and win just because no one wanted anything to do with those who
followed the cursed Galilean.
James saw the trend in the churches to
do the same thing. Honor the rich and push the poor to the side. It
was beginning to look like the church was looking like the world.
James 2:8-9
“8 Indeed, if you keep
the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as
yourself, you are doing well. 9 But if you show favoritism, you
commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”
Their are two royal laws,
as found in Mark chapter 12. Jesus was asked which command is the
most important and His response was.
Mark 12:29-31
“29 “This
is the most important,” Jesus answered:
Listen,
Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is One. 30 Love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with
all your strength.
31
“The second is: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other
command greater than these.”
Love God, Love Others. Jesus said these
are the most important so it is imperative that we follow them.
Favoritism, however, is not loving your
neighbor as yourself. In fact, it is not loving your neighbor at all.
If you are showing favoritism you are breaking the royal law. Hence
sinning in the eyes of the Lord.
Someone might say that showing
favoritism is such a minor thing, it is can't be that serious.
James 2:10-11
“10 For whoever keeps
the entire law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of breaking it all.
11 For He who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder.
So if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you are a
lawbreaker.”
James points out very
clearly that a sin is a sin. It does not matter what sin you commit,
once you break even one even if you think it is a minor law you are
guilty. Showing favoritism or not loving your neighbor as yourself,
being an adulterer, or committing murderer are breaking commands
given by God and hence you would be guilty of not listening to Him.
In Old Testament times
what was the punishment for adultery? Death. How about murder? It was
also death. The punishment for one sin is no different than the
punishment for the other. So the punishment for not loving your
neighbor as yourself is the same, death.
The message here is that
sin is sin, and the sin of favoritism is the same as murder or
adultery. Commit anyone of them and the punishment is deserved and
severe.
James 2:12-13
“12 Speak and act as
those who will be judged by the law of freedom. 13 For judgment is
without mercy to the one who hasn’t shown mercy. Mercy triumphs
over judgment.”
We need to speak and act
as people who will be judged not by the law the Pharisees had
corrupted but as the law that sets us free. The law as explained
through Jesus' ministry. The law that has set us free to serve God.
All of our actions, behaviors, words, and thoughts need to be aligned
with the teaching of Jesus, and not influenced by the world.
Throughout the Good Book
we see that God is a God of mercy.
Deuteronomy 4:31
“He will not leave you,
destroy you, or forget the covenant with your fathers that He swore
to them by oath, because the Lord your God is a compassionate God.”
And He expects that we
will behave in the same manner.
Matthew 5:7
“The
merciful are blessed, for they will be shown mercy.”
If you show mercy, if you
love your neighbor as yourself, you will receive mercy. Since we all
fall short of God's expectations we need His mercy. We are all set to
be judged and it is only through the mercy we are given from God that
we can survive that judgment and not receive what we deserve.
On judgment day each of us
will stand before Jesus and be asked what we did for the 'least of
these'? Did we feed the hungry, give the thirsty something to drink,
take care of a stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and
visit those in prison.
Did we care for the poor
or play favoritism and focus on the rich?
As a church and
individuals we need to make sure we are looking at people the way God
looks at them. We need to care for them as God wants us to. A lost
soul is a lost soul, regardless if they are dressed in finery or
wearing dirty clothes.
The world may say that
'the clothes make the man', but God tells us to Love your neighbor as
yourself.
What can you do this week to Love your neighbor?
Thanks for reading and May God Bless You!
Robert
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