You Aren't Better Than Anybody Else
"Did you hear what I said, Forrest? You are no different than anyone else"
Many of us know the classic scene in Forrest Gump. He has had braces placed on his legs. Apparantly, if they locked his legs in position and forced him to walk in a proper manner it would fix the problem the young boy had with a crooked spine. Another memorable scene just before all this with his mama was with the family doctor. "His legs are as strong as I've ever seen. But, his back is a crooked as a politician." Forrest's mama went to great lengths throughout his childhood to help him understand that he was just like everyone else. It didn't matter whether he had braces on his legs or if he had an I.Q. a little lower than the other kids at school. The lesson we are pushing into today can be taught from both sides of the proverbial fence. James wants his audience of Jewish followers in Jesus to not think that they are better than anyone else. He is hoping they will come to that same conclusion. We should not show favortism to people or less the Love of God is squandered in cheap moments that fail to meet people where they are. The same is true from the underappreciated in our society. They need to know that they don't deserve to be looked down upon. They are the same as everyone else. Both sides of the equation need to hear this. Both sides have a place in God's Kingdom.
James most certainly was not present for every detail of Jesus' life and ministry. I wonder what he heard about later. I wonder if he heard about that night at Simon the Pharisee's house.
This is certainly not the only place we could have gone to illustrate the point, but it is one of the best. While Jesus did not directly speak to the subject of favoritism, he does say plenty about loving your neighbor and loving your enemies. It should be easy to see the implication and direction one like James would take in tying in that nature of God's love. God loves everybody (John 3.16) Paul would have repeatedly made reference to there "no longer being any Jew or Greek" (Galatians 3,28, most famously) and therefore no reason to show favoritism to one race over the other in God's eyes. God wanted to use the people of Israel to shine the light out to all so that all might come to know the saving power of this One True God. The dishonor many of us do is looking down upon those who are poor and downtrodden in life. God often takes those who seemingly have nothing and raises them up to be powerful and wise in front of others. It sure seems to be easier to trust God and let Him be in control of our lives when we do not have many possessions and money in the way. We humans like to put our trust in those resources we can touch and control ourselves. The money we can pull from the bank. The people we think we have under our thumb. many times it takes loosing all of that before we find ourselves in a low enough spot that we realized all we truly can trust is God. And, God is not ours to control. God is not a resource whereby we can get a handle on the world around us. God is not a self help notion so that we can feel better about ourselves. God is very real and in person with us about our condition as sinful human beings in need of a Savior.
There are two words that Jew and Greek might have the hardest time wrapping our heads and hearts around. The Jews were looking for a Messiah. They were expecting one to arrive at some point. They wanted someone to set them free from the Roman rule over their heads. The Greeks had many saviors. Zeus is said to have saved the day many times in their mythological history. His children have protected the human race several times in their Grecian stories. The problem for the Jew is that many are not ready to accept the fact that Jesus has come. Jesus is the Messiah. This one and only Messiah has already been here and there is no other. For the rest of the outside world, the Gentiles (if we want to use that reference) have to accept the truth that there is only One savior. There are not many to choose from and we, ourselves, cannot save our own person out of this sinful existence. Oh and there is the real problem. How do we convey the eternal truth that we are all sinners? How do we do that without showing favoritism? "Salvation is for this group of people, but you... well, your people just aren't quite what God is looking for, I guess..." Wow. People have been treated as such down through the years. There are people right here in Lancaster, OH who need to know the love of Jesus in a very real and personal way. We are the ones with the ability to show that to them. On the streets right around this very church in this historic part of our little city. You and I have the opportunity to make a difference by letting people know that God loves them. Regardless of their social status or how they look or dress; it does not matter. This place would be full from front row to rafter if we could get a hold of that truth and this very neighborhood knew that directly from us.
It is a humbling truth. "Mercy triumphs over judgment." James really brings it home in this last section. The way he words it all makes you feel like he might actually have been there that day. Religious leaders were always pushing Jesus for answers. "Which commandment is the greatest?" We are at a similar point that we were at last week. We might find ourselves here in the weeks ahead also. The commandment to love others trumps all, encapsulates all and it the best way to explains what God's purposes truly are in dealing with mankind. Maybe judgment brings it a place of clarity as to what mankind would be like it left to it's own devices. Don't we all have this edge to us that would just like to cut into other people at times? Instead of being more sympathetic and empathetic with other as we look into their lives there is a real desire to cut them down and show how terrible they have been. Even if we had the best of intentions in what we were doing as we were doing it. In some ways we think that being a "tough love" advocate can bring about the change that someone needs. Too often all I feel I'm sensing when i speak with people like that is that I'm talking to a person who wants to validate their actions and words and place blame on the other person. Just this past week, I wish I could take some words back after speaking with a friend about matters concerning my week. We get ourselves bent out of shape about the silliest things. And, then we think harshness and a mean spirit is what we need to deal with our surroundings. James makes a tricky statement. I had to read it several times to make sure I was saying it correctly (and mostly because its not how we usually tackle things as human beings.) "Speak and act like ones who will be judged by a law that gives freedom". What law gives freedom? The law is supposed to judge and sentence someone. And it is here that we see the most striking resemblance between the Apostle Paul and little brother James.
In the now infamous 8th chapter of his letter to the Romans, Paul uses this exact wording. He speaks of freedom. Maybe those who would like to show favoritism toward the Apostle should take a moment and read a bit deeper. Listen to what Paul would say in his letter.
William Wallace is an almost fictional figure from a time when very little history was being written down. The movie BraveHeart is mostly a collection of thoughts and feelings about how he and a rag tag band of Scottish freedom fighters might have responded. I'm not afraid to correlate here with what we are speaking about in James. After all, we are wondering and thinking about how much James would have experienced and understood about his brother Jesus. It is clear he had some dealing with Paul and what the Apostle was teaching and sharing. William Wallace, it is so thought, shared his feelings on a surface level about what freedom truly looked like, The movie depicts a man who felt it very necessary to stand in the face of a tyrant, like the king of England, with freedom in hand and act like they truly were free men. They stood up for themselves and pushed back the formidable English. It cost Wallace his life. Tying in with our theme of persecution, once the king of England finally got his hands on Wallace, King Edward it clear how he felt about people pushing back against his rule. After Wallace's public execution, the king had his limbs severed and placed at an entrance place in the four corners of England - Newcastle, Berwick, Stirling, and Perth. Wallace's head was dipped in tar and placed on a pike on London Bridge as a sign that rebellion would not be tolerated. It was also made clear that Wallace, and others like him, would not receive a proper Christian burial.
There is a battle going on. It might be a little different that the one Wallace found himself in, but we still have a tyrant who thinks its his job to oppose all who would stand firm and fight in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is oppression, spiritually and physically. There are those around us who do not realize that they are under a very carnal control of their words and actions. Sometimes, we have to discover that truth in our own lives as well. Showing favoritism to others and acting downright evil and magnanimous when we should be graceful and forgiving is sometimes where we find ourselves. Let us take up the name of Jesus Christ. It's not a social cause or a political gambit. It is the name of our Lord and Savior. He stands for love and grace among all humans. He projects forgiveness where there sometimes none to be found. We are here to be His light. His eyes and feet in a world that is lost and broken. Join me. Lets change the world around us for better.
Blessings
Jeremy
Comments
Post a Comment