A game that my children like to play from time to time is the “Would You Rather” game. In the “Would You Rather” game a person is presented with two options and they have to pick which one they would rather have or do. For example, “would you rather have a lifetime supply of bacon or red licorice?” Tough one, right? I love me some red licorice, but it is impossible to say no to bacon. The answer to, “would you like more bacon” is always “YES!” The more philosophical among us might ask, “would you rather have a million dollars and one friend, or a million friends and one dollar?” Oh, that’s deep. “Can you place a value on your friends”, some might ask? Others might say “absolutely; one million dollars is the value of a friend.” “With that kind of money, I can rent some friends.” Sometimes the game gets morbid. “Would you rather be burned to death or drown?” My children asked me that question once. It was unsettling. I felt as if they were telling me what my choices were. I didn’t sleep well for weeks after that. I told Michelle to put a clause in my will that says if I die by drowning or burning our children were not to get a dime of my money. She said I was overreacting, but she didn’t see the look in their eyes.
Occasionally, the “Would You Rather” game can be downright disturbing. “Would you rather be abused or neglected?” What kind of a question is that, right? It is a disturbing question, that’s what it is, even more disturbing then the death by fire or water question. At least that was something that happened to you. Abuse or neglect are something that someone does to you. It is disturbing to imagine a situation where you have to choose one or the other. Which one is worse? “Would you rather be abused, or would you rather be neglected?” “I would rather be neither”, is the obvious answer. I am not sure there is a lesser of these two evils. In my experience, the pain is the same and the emotional scars run uniformly deep. If you have ever had to endure either one, you know they are equally disagreeable.
It is disturbing to try to imagine which is the lesser of two evils between abuse and neglect. It is even more disturbing to realize that we are guilty of doing both. Today, in chapter 2:1-13 of his letter saint James talks to us about the disturbing way we treat other people.
Let me first say, I like James. His style of writing is different than the other epistles, with the exception of his brother Jude. The style of both James and Jude is very similar to the style of their half-brother. The half-brother of James and Jude is Jesus. It makes sense that these men who shared the same mother, same upbringing, same life experiences should have the same style of communication. James is blunt and to the point. He is down to earth and matter of fact and at the same time intelligent and articulate. His letter is reminiscent of the sermon on the mount; it is authoritative, confident, and unapologetic-- it’s a bit in your face. In his letter, James doesn’t focus so much on justification; that is the work of the Holy Spirit that calls people out of the darkness of unbelief into the light of faith. Rather, in his letter, James focuses much of his efforts discussing sanctification; that is the life of gratitude and good works the believer lives after they have been called to faith by God. James does not write about theory, he writes about application. His letter condemns a phony faith which exists only in the mind or mouth and not also in the hearts and hands. In short, his letter instructs the believer on how real faith produces real fruit in real world situations. I like James.
The real-life situation James puts in our face today is about showing favoritism. In 2:1 of his letter he writes, “My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.” James bluntly says, “don’t do it!” “Don’t show favoritism!” He says, “2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.” James wants us to think about two types of people. We might think of them as the haves and the have-nots. Here James focuses on a financial distinction between the two types of people, but we know that the haves have more than money. They are the people who also have power, status, and influence. Conversely, the have-nots have none of these things. Not only are the have-nots poor, but they are also weak, common, and irrelevant.
James continues, “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?” James describes two different reactions that the haves and the have-nots receive. James says the haves get special attention. Literally, he says people look upon the haves “intently”; people get all starry eyed around them and go out of their way to make them happy. Again, conversely, the have-nots are looked down upon and treated like dogs; “you sit on the floor at my feet.”
James is describing a situation that could have easily occurred in any of the synagogues of his day and I’m sure such favoritism can still be found in places of worship in our day as well. (We have all heard stories about the crotchety old church member who got upset because a visitor was sitting in their seat.) Now, I will say I am very thankful I have not seen our guest treated in such a manner here at Messiah. I will also say, if we ever do see it, we will not see it twice.
Showing favoritism to our guests is not an issue here at Messiah, but the problem is, we are not always at Messiah. When we are here at church we tend to be on our best behavior -- Jesus is watching! But when we are not at church… I think that is when our temptation to show favoritism really gets intense.
Every day we are surrounded by the haves and the have-nots. Typically, the have-nots are people that are different than us. They might not have our level of education, they may be in a lower tax bracket, they might not share our social graces. They are the people who collect our garbage, solicit our business, and beg for our change. The abuse the have-nots tend to receive from us is disturbing. We tend to be rude to them, inconsiderate of their feelings, and uncharitable toward their needs. We tend to think they are less than we are and, as a result, we abuse them, we treat them like dogs.
The abuse we heap upon the have-nots is disturbing and you might at first think such abuse is the greater of the two evils, but the way we neglect the haves is equally disturbing. The haves are the people we want to be. They are our bosses, they are people of resource and means, and they have connections. The temptation to get all starry eyed around the haves and tell them what they want to hear is strong. Jeremiah faced that temptation in our first reading today. Instead of proclaiming a message of doom and gloom, I am sure Jeremiah would have rather told the king that he was doing a great job, that everyone really liked how he was ruling the kingdom, and that he was going enjoy great success in all his campaigns. There is a great temptation to tell the haves what they want to hear. Flattery gets you promoted, invited to parties, and showered with gifts. Likewise, there is a great temptation to not tell the haves things they don’t want to hear. Jesus faced that temptation in our gospel lesson for today. Peter was one of Jesus’ close disciples, he was a vocal supporter and a good friend. No doubt Jesus would have rather not spoken to His friend so harshly. Instead of rebuking Peter, I am sure Jesus was tempted to overlook his friend’s sin as a minor indiscretion or temporary lapse in judgement. Biting your tongue is a way to avoid conflict; it ensures that you are not mocked by your friends or called old fashioned by your children. Neglecting to tell the haves things they don’t want to hear; neglecting to tell them things they need to hear is as disturbing as the abuse we heap upon the have-nots.
In verse 5 James says, “5 Listen, my dear brothers: 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?” James points out that God does not make a distinction between the haves and the have-nots. In his letter to the Corinthians[1] saint Paul wrote, “brothers, think of what you were when you were called.” At one time we were all have-nots. Thankfully, God’s choosing is an act of grace. It matters not to God whether a person be what we might call a have or a have-not. In his letter to the Romans,[2] saint Paul wrote, “There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” When Jesus died, He broke down the wall that separated creation from its Creator. But with His birth and life, Jesus also broke down the walls between rich and poor, young and old, educated and uneducated; He broke down the wall between the haves and the have-nots.
God does not show favoritism. His loving gospel invitation embraces the haves and the have-nots alike. Since this is what our God does for us, does it not make sense that we should do the same for others? James encourages us to “keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”” Instead of showing favoritism to people, how about showing them some love instead. James says when we do that we are “doing right.” So, how do we show love to others? Well, we can show love to the have-nots by treating the custodian with as much respect as we do the CEO, we can give the person holding a GED the same honors we would give a person with a PhD, we can offer our children the kind of attention we offer our clients. And we can show our love to the haves by telling them the things they may not want to hear but need to hear. In place of flattery we can present them with facts. Instead of hiding the truth for them we can speak the truth in love to them.
My brothers and sisters, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, we do not have to make a choice between abuse and neglect. Instead we can choose to treat each other as God has treated us. We can choose to see each other not based upon what we do or do not have. We can see each other as people who have equally fallen short of the glory of God and yet because of His grace and mercy have been equally justified, equally redeemed, equally forgiven. We can start asking each other questions like, “would you rather be shown mercy or given grace”. Mercy is the spiritual equivalent to red licorice. But grace is the bacon of the LORD. “Would you rather live on the northside of heaven or the southside of heaven?” If in doubt always choose the south side. “Would you rather sing with the angels or listen to the angels?” “Yes. Yes, I would.” May our Lord Jesus Christ allow you to see each other as He sees you. May you find ways to love any every and all of your neighbors the same. Amen
[1] 1 Corinthians 1:26
[2] Romans 3:22-24