October 13, 2012 – Day 6

2  My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. 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. 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? 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? ⁶ But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? ⁷ Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong? ^[1]

It is in our nature to show favoritism. To show favoritism means literally to ‘receive face.’ It means to make judgments about people based on their appearance. In this passage a person dressed well and one dressed poorly are compared and contrasted. The person dressed well is received and treated better than the person who is dressed poorly. Many commentators are drawn to the idea that James may be referring to some type of legal proceeding and that judgment is rendered not according to the merits of the case but according to how each is dressed.

One of my favorite episodes of Law and Order: SVU takes on this theme. A judge is suspected of rendering his verdicts according to the defendant’s appearances. Those who were better off were given every consideration of the court and generally presumed to be innocent, while those who were poor and had a lower standard of living were presumed guilty. Of course, the folly of his justice comes to a head when one of the better off defendants repeats their crime. Though it was just a television show, art is often truer to life than we like to admit.

God has a special place for the poor and does not allow for discrimination based upon one’s station or condition in life. We are not to make decisions about people based upon their external appearance, the color of their skin, the way they are dressed, or their appearance. God looks upon the heart of a person and not their external appearance. It is far too easy to make very young man with sagging pants and dreads or long hair a thug, or every woman with form fitting clothes that are also too short and show too much cleavage a loose woman. The way people look may assault our sensibilities because they do not meet our standard but we are too look at them in the same manner God does.

Dear Lord, we are guilty of showing favoritism. We do it without thinking, automatically ascribing guilt or innocence, and developing attitudes toward Your people based on their outward appearance. We humbly confess of prejudices. Help us today to see people the way You see them. Enable us to see beyond their appearances and to judge them with fairness and justice. Amen.