S152P9 – Our saintly duty: view others equally
Jam. 2:1-5
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
Most of us, if not all, have experienced the apprehension of being the new person in a group. Any child who has had to change schools knows what this is like. When I first started going to church, I assumed that I would be treated a certain way. I thought the church people would look at me as less holy than they. I thought there would be a period of having to prove myself, but that was not the case. By and large, I was welcomed like anyone else. I pretty much fit right in even if some did not take to me right away or ever. My concern was not being good enough on the inside. I never feared being judged based on the outside, but some will encounter such judgment.
These eyes of ours can really bring us trouble if we are not careful. There are reasons why many are deceived by charismatic teachers, and it is not always about their smooth words. Some will be followed and exalted by people because they look the part; they appeal to the senses. By the same token, others will be ignored and judged less valuable because they look less pleasing. These deceptive eyes of ours can keep us from the spiritually sound ones and lead us to the spiritually deadly ones if we rely only on what we see. We must look at people with spiritual eyes. It should be our desire to see others as God sees them, which will allow us to see them with clarity.
The issue here is one of assigning value to others. We have neither the wisdom nor the authority to do this. We cannot say that one person is more valuable than another no matter what we know about them. If I follow the instruction to hold others in higher esteem than I hold myself [Phi. 2:3-8], then I consider everyone greater than myself, which places them all on an even playing field above me. I am to look down on none. In order to love as He loves, we have to see as He sees. If we are partial toward the brethren, then we are no better than the world, and we must evaluate our place in the Church. Father, help us to see others with the love and compassion You have for them, giving of ourselves as your Son gave.