From the Daily Lectionary for Friday and Saturday of Ordinary Time, Proper 27, November 14, 2020
James 2:1-13
My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?
You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For the one who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
In discussing the evolution of the early Christian church, Bart Ehrman in his textbook The New Testament, A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings says that there were numerous disagreements among early Christians as they were trying to decide exactly how to define their faith and themselves. There were numerous theological and practical issues at stake, and internal disputes and controversies about what it meant to be “Christian.” He writes: “Internal conflicts arose in no small measure because Christianity was so remarkably diverse in the first two centuries. From the beginnings of this religious movement, believers who insisted that they had a corner on the truth found some of their most energetic adversaries among those who also claimed to be Christian but who advanced a different point of view or promoted a different kind of lifestyle…. Christians were by no means in agreement on some of the most basic questions about what to believe and how to live.” We have to remember that what defined this “Christian” faith was a work in progress, and there were many voices saying different things. What became “orthodox” within the church had not yet been settled, and even orthodoxy, once later defined, was subject to interpretation. Does this statement not ring true even today? It never ceases to amaze me at how differently people who define themselves as Christian interpret scripture, worship, act, and—especially relevant now—vote! We are indeed a very diverse group. Of course this is also true historically. Just look at the Reformation of the 16th century, when Martin Luther and others led the movement to split away from the Roman Catholic Church, and Protestantism was born.
I have chosen to reflect upon the epistle of James today because it is an example of how some of the conflicted theological issues of the early church evolved. The author addresses one of these earliest conflicts, specifically whether we are justified (“saved”) by faith alone, or does salvation also require good works. We don’t know for sure who wrote this letter, but it was probably not James the brother of Jesus. More likely it was a later author who was simply either also named James (James is the English translation of the common Jewish name Jacob), or wanted it to appear that he was James the brother of Jesus and the early leader of the church in first century Jerusalem. It may have been written as a response to and as a counter of the statement that Paul made earlier in his letter to the Romans that we are “justified by faith alone,” apart from works or actions. The author of James states clearly that “a person is justified by works, not by faith alone.” (2.24) Martin Luther took exception to this theology. He decided that since James contradicted Paul’s teaching about justification by faith, the book of James should receive only secondary status within scripture.
Are we saved by our faith in the life and resurrection of Jesus alone, or does our salvation depend upon both our faith and the works we do, or better put by the way we live our lives? Many have interpreted Paul’s version of Christianity to mean that we are saved by our faith alone. In his letter to the Romans he states: “For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.” (Rom 3.28) Yet, it is unlikely that Paul meant that our actions in life have no significance for our justification with God. The idea that Paul actually meant salvation by faith alone was probably a distortion and/or misinterpretation of his intent. What Paul was probably saying is that followers of Christ did not have to follow the “works” of the rituals of Jewish law, meaning circumcision, kosher food laws, observance of feasts, etc. So, Paul and the author of James were not defining faith and works the same way. Faith to the author of James meant an intellectual assent or acknowledgment of a proposition, and that assent alone was not enough. Justification also required a way of life that followed the moral heart of the Torah, namely the Ten Commandments and the law of love, as in the preachings and teachings of Jesus. In all likelihood Paul would not have disagreed. He just didn’t consider following the many ritual laws of the Jewish faith was necessary. So, in summation, the epistle of James is a powerful witness to the diversity of early Christianity, and also a moral exhortation for Christian identity in every age.
Let’s take a look at that moral discourse. How is the author saying that we as Christians should lead our lives? Does his message have relevance for us today? The letter is an appeal for a moral way of life, and has 59 imperatives among its 108 verses. It is in some ways a type of wisdom writing similar to Proverbs, concerned with practical wisdom of right behavior. Our passage today is from the second chapter. I will put forth some of the moral teachings, and you can decide if they still apply to us today. The first four verses address the incompatibility between faith and discrimination based upon appearances. What is our response upon seeing a dirty and bewildered homeless person wandering into our Sunday morning fellowship? Is he/she a welcome visitor? Or, on the other hand, do we show disproportionate attention and honor to the famous or rich or powerful we encounter in our gathering, perhaps one seeking deference or power to direct the affairs of the church? James is telling us that our faith in God and love for God cannot be separated from the way we treat our neighbors, regardless of their social status, gender, race, or sexual orientation. God’s Kingdom is an all-inclusive kingdom. There is no place for exclusion and/or marginalization based upon appearances. The “socially unacceptable” and “inconvenient” people, those poor by the world’s standards, must have a place in our church if the church is truly connected to Jesus. How are we as a society doing at this? How are our government leaders doing at this? How do we care for the poor, the orphans and widows, the imprisoned? How do we as a society provide for them? To James our lives are to be informed by faith and by love. In verse 8 James quotes what he calls “the royal law,” which is the second of Jesus’ greatest commandments: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19.18). And our neighbor includes everyone who enters our space, including those we know and those who we may find alien, even threatening. God provides the gifts of mercy and compassion, raises up the sick and the poor, hears the oppressed, and forgives. James says we as a community are to live according to this “wisdom from above” given by God’s word, and not according to the “wisdom from below,” which is the way of the world. There is no room for slandering, boasting, judging, envy, or arrogance. We as a community (the “ekklesia”) are to be gathered by common values and convictions, summarized by our faith in Jesus Christ, and by our actions as messengers for Christ in the world. Our faith must be translated into practice. Knowing the “correct” truth or position of the church, espousing the correct doctrine, dedication to the proper liturgical forms, and pious language and practices will not, according to James, make us right with God. Only our actions in the world can do that. The author of James is uncompromising. This is strong rhetoric. He gives us no room to straddle the fence between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of the world. Is this too idealistic in the post-enlightenment world today? Is it possible for us to truly adhere to James’ moral exhortations?
Jim in his Liturgy of the Word last week spoke about liberation theology, the movement within Christian theology that emphasizes liberation from social, political, and economic oppression by involvement in political and civic affairs. Perhaps we can see now why James is the most important text for many liberation theologians, who to their credit have reminded Christians of the central place of the poor in Jesus’ teachings and in the call of the church. Yes, in my opinion this epistle still has great relevance for us today. What do you think?
Rev. Bob Donnell
November 14, 2020
Collect for the Nation (BCP p. 258)
Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace: Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
