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READ.
In the Bible, there were 2 groups of people that the Jews hated.
First, the Jews hated the Samaritans.
During Jesus’ time, the Samaritans were the people living in the place known as Samaria, which is located in the middle of Israel.
The Samaritans were racially half-Jews and half-Gentiles (non-Jews).
Because they were mix, the pure Jews disdain this group and would avoid them (and not even talk to them) so that they won’t be defiled.
If you read , Jesus breaks the cultural norm and talks to a Samaritan woman.
Second, the Jews hated the Romans.
Second, the Jews hated the Gentiles.
This would have included the Romans and the Greeks because they were barbaric and ceremonially unclean.
There was a historical event back in .
It was the beginning when the Jewish Christians recognize that the gospel of Jesus Christ, the message of salvation, was not exclusively for the Jews, but it was for everyone, including the Samaritans and the Gentiles.
Peter was invited by three Gentiles to go to the house of a Roman Soldier named Cornelius.
When Peter entered his house, he said:
Acts
Cornelius then asked Peter to tell him all the things that God commanded Peter to tell Cornelius.
Afterwards, Peter says:
Afterwards, Peter preaches the gospel to the Gentiles for the first time, and the Gentiles received the gospel and were saved by God.
How often do we let our partiality and favouritism to hinder us from telling others about Jesus and hinder us from loving others?
Today, James will challenge us with this big idea:
In James, the passage points us to the central topic:
Today, James will challenge us with this big idea:
Big Idea: Christians Must Not Show Favouritism Because Favouritism Violates The Christian Faith.
(v.1)
Big Idea: Christians Must Not Show Favouritism Because Favouritism Violates The Christian Faith.
READ v.1
In some of your Bible translations, partiality could also be translated as favouritism.
To play favourites.
To favour and prefer a specific group of people over others.
For the lesson, I will use the word favouritism because it may be easier for us to understand than partiality, but it still carries the same meaning in the original language.
Favouritism - literally means “to accept a face.”
In other words, you make distinctions and judgment of people simply by looking at their face or appearance.
Based on their appearance, you treat that person better than others.
COURT OF LAW
The Old Testament has a law given to the Israelites on how they are to handle themselves in the court of law.
Deuteronomy 16:
Therefore, in the court of law, the judge must not favour one side of the party simply because the person is rich or because the person bribe the judge or because the person is good looking.
If the judge is playing favourites, then justice is perverted.
Which is why later on in will mention that the rich drags the Jewish Christians into court.
The way James is talking about favouritism is not in the context of the court of law, but he is talking about favouritism in general.
Favouritism is an act that violates the Christian faith.
Favouritism goes completely contrary to our faith because God shows no partiality.
If we claim to follow Jesus and hold the faith in Jesus Christ, then we are not to show favouritism.
James challenges us
Favouritism goes completely contrary to our faith because God shows no partiality.
James is instructing the Christians not to show partiality as they hold to the faith of
“as you hold the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.”
What favouritism does is that we place glory that belongs to Jesus alone
Jesus Christ deserves all glory and praise.
This kind of glory belongs to Jesus alone.
And when we play favouritism, we are in a sense placing glory to another person that we favour more.
When James uses the word, “partiality” or “favouritism,” he is using a plural form.
In other words, James is talking about “ACTS” of partiality.
Show no acts of favouritism.
The reason why it is plural is because there are more than one act or one kind of favouritism that James is talking about.
When James talks about favouritism, he is not
REFLECTION: What other ways do we show favouritism, partiality or discrimination?
The meaning is very clear, “show no acts of partiality,” but man are there many applications to it.
And so, James will give an example of what favouritism looks like, and it is found in verses 2-4.
In the context of the assembly as mentioned in verse 2. The assembly is the Jewish synagogue where the Jews come together to listen to God’s Word and worship the LORD.
We could say that James is talking about favouritism in the church and in the youth group as we gather together to worship and listen to the teaching of God’s Word.
in the context of the assembly as mentioned in verse 2. The assembly is the Jewish synagogue where the Jews come together to listen to God’s Word and worship the LORD.
Application wise, we could say that James is talking about favouritism in the church and in the youth group as we gather together to worship and listen to the teaching of God’s Word.
Christians must not show
1. Favouritism is a sin because...
It is discrimination.
a.
It is judging people’s appearance at a surface level.
(v.2-4)
In this example, the setting where favouritism takes place is in the assembly as mentioned in verse 2. The assembly is the Jewish synagogue where the Jews come together to listen to God’s Word and worship the LORD.
We could say that James is talking about favouritism in the church and in the youth group as we gather together to worship and listen to the teaching of God’s Word.
In the context of the assembly as mentioned in verse 2. The assembly is the Jewish synagogue where the Jews come together to listen to God’s Word and worship the LORD.
We could say that James is talking about favouritism in the church and in the youth group as we gather together to worship and listen to the teaching of God’s Word.
Some think that James may be using a hypothetical example.
I think what James is describing here happened in real life.
The Christians were making judgment upon people’s physical appearance.
And verses 2-4 is a if and then statement.
If you’re doing this, then this is the result.
V.2
They see a rich man walking into the Christian gathering.
How do they know that he’s a rich man?
Well, they just need to look at what he’s wearing.
He’s wearing a gold ring and fine clothing (reminds me of Drake).
The phrase, “fine clothing,” is a weak translation.
I mean…I think we’re all wearing a “fine” clothing.
The word literally means bright, glistening, shiny, and splendor.
They’re the kind of clothings that celebrities wear when they go to the Oscars.
And if you see someone wearing a gold ring in that culture, then you would immediately know that that person is wealthy and carries a special status in the society.
It fails to love.
(v.9)
You can tell that someone is ballin with money if he’s wearing expensive brand of clothings and accessories, such as Lululemon, Nike, Apple and etc.
I mean, you guys are teenagers, and I doubt most of you don’t wear expensive brands.
But, if you see a guy dressing up like a k-pop star, or if you see a girl dressing up like Selena Gomez.
Now, they also see a poor man walking into the Christian gathering.
They know that he’s poor because he’s wearing shabby or filthy clothings.
And I think it is easy to tell that a person is poor based on the way they look, dress, smell, and behave.
The poor that James may have in mind here is a person whose ribs are always showing or walking in rags
But, in that society, most people, including Christians were poor.
If you remember back , there were both poor and rich Christians.
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