Expository Summary - James 2:1-13

I just finished reading the novel The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. The Hobbit is the prelude to the Lord of the Rings trilogy that most people have probably either read or watched. The book is about a little hobbit named Bilbo Baggins that goes on a long adventure. Early in the book you learn that Bilbo is a small, scared, timid creature that on the outside would appear to be useless in a great adventure fighting against goblins, giant spiders, and dragons. But in the end you discover that Bilbo, despite his small appearance and tameness, was able to be used in very grand ways to be victorious in his quest. It was actually a very cool story by J. R. R. Tolkien.
But J. R. R. Tolkien wasn’t the first person to think of using a small insignificant person to accomplish great things. The Bible is filled with historical stories of God using ordinary people (or worse) to do extraordinary things in the name of God. From boys slaying giants to prostitutes hiding Israel’s spies, God continually picked unlikely people to help complete his glorious plan. But unlike Tolkien, God did not do these things for our entertainment. He has done it for His own glory. He has done it to show that “the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25). The Apostle Paul reminds the believers in Corinth of their own lowly position in the world apart from God by saying, “not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption so that, as it is written, Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).
Hopefully being reminded of this should be humbling to those of us who have been called to salvation by God. The kindness that we have been shown and the mercy that we have received from God has not come from our own status in society or natural skill sets. It has come from the sovereign love and kindness of our God for the purpose of His own glory.
This should not only prevent us from boasting in ourselves but it should also caution us in how we treat others. If we find ourselves tempted to look down on a person because of their appearance or be partial to one person over another because of some worldly standard, we must remember that God views things on a different standard. God chooses to bring people into His kingdom based on his plan and design regardless of how the world values a person. The teaching in James chapter 2 should help us to remember this truth and to be loving and merciful to all people without showing partiality.

James 2:1-13

What is it behind the act of partiality that makes it such an offense against God?

Partiality shows our self-centeredness (2-3)
James gives the example of a rich man and a poor man coming into an assembly and being treated completely different. What are the clear motivations behind the two different treatments? Common worldly sense tells us the rich man has much more to offer the assembly than the poor man. The rich man brings money, status, and perhaps a powerful pull in the community. His earthly riches, at least at first glance, can bring huge gains to the assembly and the leaders and therefore he is shown great kindness and respect. The poor man on the other hand appears to offer very little to the assembly and therefore is treated as a nuisance.
In order to further illustrate the drive of our selfish greed James points out that the rich that are being treated with such great honor and esteem aren’t just neutral players. They are actually enemies of the assembly. They oppress the people of the assembly and are blaspheming the name of Jesus. But the desire for selfish gain is so great that it ignores these things and continues to give preferential treatment.
We normally treat people better from whom we think we will benefit the most. Whether it’s money, personality, beauty, or connections, we show favoritism to those that can help us. We judge one person as being more important than the other and as a result honor the one and dishonor the other. We can resist partiality by releasing our hearts from worldly self-centeredness and holding firm onto Christ.

Partiality ignores the sovereign plans of God (4-5)
A man’s value and worth is determined by God: the creator and the judge. In his wisdom he has chosen many of those who are poor and weak in this world to be given high value and esteem in his Kingdom. James says that when we show partiality we are making ourselves judges with evil thoughts. Instead of showing love to all people we are choosing who we think is worthy of love and attention. We are judging the value of people, but not basing it on God’s standards but on the world’s. The world has chosen the rich and the proud to be in high positions while God has chosen the poor and the humble to be heirs of his Kingdom.
If we are showing partiality it is because we have become judges with evil thoughts. We can correct this by submitting to the real judge and living in obedient love.

Partiality prohibits us from loving our neighbor (8-9)
James shows us that loving your neighbor as yourself and showing favoritism are not compatible. If you’re loving your neighbor then you are doing well, but if you’re showing partiality then you are committing sin and are a transgressor of the law.
James calls the command to love your neighbor as yourself “the royal law.” This is the royal law because it is the law of the kingdom of God. It came from the lips of Moses and from the lips of Jesus.
The idea of you loving your neighbor as yourself is to show everyone equal love and kindness; to care for the needs of others as you would your own, no matter what their status, race, or culture. When you give preferential treatment, you are not loving your neighbor.

Partiality forgets mercy (12-13)
When we give preferred treatment to someone over another we completely ignore what God has done in our life. We forget that we are unworthy of the kindness of God and yet he still gave it. We forget that there are others who are richer, wiser, more talented, and more beautiful than we are yet God still gave us his love.
God has freed us so that we can live under the law of liberty. Those of us who will be judged under this law of liberty and shown grace in place of judgment are being called to speak and to act in a manner that reflects what God has done for us. We need to treat those who are lowly, dirty, and poor with the same respect that we would a rich man. We need to show kindness and compassion to all of our neighbors, both domestic and foreign, legal and illegal, thus being people overflowing with mercy.
In the end of this text we are reminded of a common biblical theme, that mercy comes to those who show mercy. Mercy is the calling card of all of those who believe. Those who do not show mercy to others, no matter how involved they are as “believers” in the church, or out in the community, will not be shown mercy by God. This is understood here as James says, “Judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy.” It is understood in Matthew on the sermon on the mount (5:7, 6:15), in the parable of the unforgiving servant (18:21-35), and in Jesus’ description of the final judgment (25:31-46). Those who are blessed by the Father, who have been chosen for salvation to enter the kingdom of Heaven are people of mercy. God offers unfathomable mercy. Taste it, love it, and give it to others.

When we see someone who is poor, unattractive, and seemingly useless (perhaps a bit like Bilbo Baggins) we must remember the unmerited love, the unearned mercy, and the undeserved kindness that God has shown to us and respond, not with partiality, but with love.

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