God's Restaurant

How often do we unintentionally show favoritism toward one over another?

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. - James 2:1-13

James wants us to focus on loving our neighbor as ourselves, so he reminds us that we tend to show favoritism for those who dress well, or have fancy titles.

These are the people, he says, who are most likely to treat us poorly, to show disrespect for those they consider beneath them.

What if we choose to flip the scene and show favoritism to those least likely to expect it?  What would happen then?

What if the poor got treated better than the rich, got the best seat in the restaurant, and was offered fine wine?

Would the rich complain?  Or would they wonder who this person was that is getting so much attention?

For the most part, the poor are invisible.  You don't see them when you go out to eat, or go shopping.

If you pass them on the street, you wouldn't pay them any mind.

Because they don't go where we go, we really don't know they exist.

And yet, they are there.

So, why not offer them a taste of what we know and have?

James did not say they should be treated better than anyone else, just that they should be offered the same respect as any other neighbor.

Love one another means respecting and caring for one another.

So, when we step into God's restaurant, we shouldn't be surprised to see people we have never seen any where else.  After all, they may be just as surprised to see us.

More to come...