James - Part 4 (Justice)

In this 4th episode of our summer sermon series, James: Wisdom from a Little Brother Pastor Mike teaches from James 2 to learn what Scripture says about justice as defined in the Scriptures.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Leviticus chapter 19 verses 13 to 15. Do not defraud or rob your neighbor, do not hold back the wages of a higher worker overnight. Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God, I am the Lord. Do not pervert justice, do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.

SPEAKER_01 0:40

A reading from the book of Luke, chapter 14, verses 12 through 14. Then Jesus said to his host, When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors. If you do, they might they may invite you back, and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.

SPEAKER_03 1:23

When Jesus was an infant, uh his parents went to Jerusalem and they took him to the temple to be uh brought before God and presented to God. And part of that ceremony was to offer a sacrifice. And according to the Gospel of Luke, it tells us that Mary and Joseph offered a pair of doves or two young pigeons. The ancient law of Moses actually calls for a lamb to be offered. Except if you are poor and you can't afford a lamb. If a family is impoverished, then the religious law allows for two doves or two young pigeons. So based on that story, we would understand that Joseph, or sorry, Jesus, his family was poor. And Christian tradition would tell us that Joseph probably died very early on. The last time we hear his name is when Jesus is 12. So that could mean that Mary was a widow, and Jesus and his half-siblings would be considered orphans, as we learned about a couple of weeks ago. So what I want you to do is I want you to hold that reality of that family in your mind as we read a letter written by Jesus' little half-brother James.

SPEAKER_02 2:50

So would you stand as we read James chapter two?

SPEAKER_03 2:57

My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, Here's a good seat for you, but say to the poor man, You stand there or here sit on the floor by my feet. Have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers and sisters, has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him whom you belong to? If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, love your neighbor as yourself. You're doing you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, You shall not commit adultery, also said you shall not murder. If you do not commit adultery, but you commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law. That gives freedom. Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

SPEAKER_02 4:46

You may be seated.

SPEAKER_03 4:49

Oh, we are feeling it from James here. He is gonna last week we talked about anger. James uh gave us some wisdom about anger. Anyone get to get to practice anger this last week? Nobody raised their hand, but we got some laughs. Okay. Uh James would say, hey, be slow to it, uh, slow to anger. Um, but he's not telling us not to ever get angry. Uh we looked at an example of Jesus getting angry. Uh, but Jesus' anger led towards uh healing and restoration. And so we're told uh that there is a type of anger that is aimed at evil, and that this anger exposes evil for what it is and the harm that it does. And then James follows right after that, and he talks about how true religion is re- is caring for the widows and orphans, but then he tells us a story at the beginning of chapter two. So have you ever walked into a room and you immediately felt like you didn't belong? Like that it was okay, it was an open house. Of course, you could be there, but you just didn't feel like you were allowed to be there. I mean, that's almost every room in junior high, right? Like you are as a junior higher, you're you're supposed to be in the building, but in most of the rooms you walk into, you just don't feel like you belong, uh, if you remember that. And so here, James is going to tell this story. He's gonna tell a story about two people who walk into a room into a gathering of Jesus followers. And what and and what a person is wearing becomes the most important thing on the minds of those gathered there to worship Jesus. One is wearing fine clothing and gold. And this certainly references his wealth, but it also represents something more. What else would it represent? Him wearing a fine gold ring and wearing fine clothing. It could possibly what represent status, it could possibly represent influence, it could, it could represent power. An appearance of gold and fine threads changes how everyone in the room acted and treated the two guests. So the other person, as James says, walks in, he walks in with filthy old clothes, and the people treat him with less dignity than the first person. Thankfully, 2,000 years later, the church doesn't care what you wear to a church. Some of us could tell stories as kids, right? Of where what you wore was the most important thing. And so James is going to address that a little bit. There are church denominations who simp who wear simple clothing to avoid situations like the one we find in James 2. And there isn't anything wrong with dressing nicely. I think that uh wearing nice clothes can be a good thing too. But what happens, it goes awry when that becomes the most important thing, especially in a church community. If the church isn't careful, she can focus on all the wrong things and misrepresent the heart of God while doing it. A great writer, Brennan Manning, wrote, the temptation of the age is to look good without being. That's exactly what James is trying to talk about. But he's doing something a little bit differently. He's trying to address an undercurrent that's in that community. He's trying to address something that's a little bit deeper because I think as we read some of the other scriptures, it feels as though this church would have cared for the poor as far as giving them things, giving them food, giving them clothing. That would have been part of their practices. That was a part of the first church's practices. There would have been just this practice of generosity, which is part of the kingdom of God. Jesus shows that. But James is going to tackle something deeper here if we pay attention. He's going to tackle something that goes beyond that. It goes beyond just simply giving something to somebody else who is in need. He's going to address a system at play here, a waiver of favoring some to the hurt of others. A system that benefits a few while the marginalized are left sitting on the floor simply for their lack of resources. And the Bible would call this an act of injustice. Theologian Stanley Hauervoss says this what must be remembered is that Jesus came preaching a kingdom that makes it impossible for his followers to be indifferent to the injustices in their surrounding social order. So there's this Hebrew word mishpat. Can you say mishpat with me? This one's a little easier because we don't have to clear our throat like Hesed. This one's Mishpat. And Mishpat is found in the Bible over 400 times, probably most likely 425 times. And so that means that this word is an important word in the Hebrew context, and it gets poured over into Jesus' life as he lives out the kingdom. And we find that in this passage that Josh read in Leviticus 19. And this is it says this do not pervert mishpat or justice. Don't show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. So a simple definition for Mishpat is that all people are treated fairly. We said it often, and parents, you've had that said. And it's interesting how kids pick that up without being taught what fair is. And we as humans understand what fair is, and Mishpat is to say all people should be treated fairly. And oftentimes when we think of justice, we think about consequences and recompense, which is retributive justice, where somebody does something wrong and they need to restore that wrong. Oftentimes the courts are involved. But nine times out of ten, this word justice, mishpat in the scriptures has to do with restorative justice, which is liberating the oppressed and restoring them to dignity and giving them opportunity to flourish, ensuring that the most vulnerable in society are safe and secure. So look at Psalm 146. This passage is about our Creator God. And it says that he upholds the Mishpat of the oppressed. How does he do that? He gives food to the hungry, the Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down. The Lord loves the righteous, the Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. So there are a lot of passages speaking out against injustice. There's Jeremiah who says there are unfair wages. There's Amos who says who speaks against corrupt business practices. There is Deuteronomy and Leviticus who say speak against legal systems in favor of the rich and the influential. There are plenty of passages about speaking against lending money to take advantage of those in need. Even Daniel speaks out against a pagan leader, Nebuchadnezzar, and says, Hey, you need to have mercy for the poor. And as we've learned a couple of times, Mishpat ensures safety and security of the most vulnerable. The Bible calls the most vulnerable. There are four of them. It's the widow, the orphan, the foreigner or immigrant, and the poor. A couple weeks ago we learned about Job, and Job had this reputation. It was pretty powerful. At the beginning of Job, Job chapter 1, this is how he is described by others. Blameless and upright. He fears God, he shuns evil. Then God speaks of him this way. A man who fears God and shuns evil. And later in Job chapter 29, it says that Job clothed the naked, he helped the needy, he makes the widow's heart sing. And then he does this. Look at this. I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth. What that is saying is he is walking, he's coming out of charity, helping those by giving away things, and he's going towards things that are causing those issues. He is addressing, when he says I break the fangs of the wicked, those are the people who are just causing oppression to be greater and greater in society. And so Job's saying, I not only gave things to those who are poor, but I also tried to stop systems that caused this to happen. These are acts of Mishpat. There's a great story Brendan Manning includes in one of his books about the uh uh the Great Depression. It was right in the middle of the Great Depression, and the mayor of the city of New York City, Mayor LaGuardia, maybe you've flown into that airport once or twice. Mayor LaGuardia was known for leaving his uh his mayoral office and he would go at night to night court. That was when uh the courts were held at night, too, for people. And so he would go into different night courts and he would sit on behalf of the judges, he would allow them to have the night off, and he would sit in the uh in the courtroom so that he came out of Ivory Towers to see what is actually happening with the people during the Great Depression. And so one evening, a a uh an elderly woman is brought before the court, and he's there sitting, and it's discovered that she has stolen bread, and she defends herself by saying, My daughter's husband has deserted her, she is sick, and her children are starving. And the storekeeper, he's there too, so he he's refusing to drop the charges, and he says, It's a bad neighborhood, Your Honor, and she has got to be punished to teach other people a lesson. And so Mayor LaGuardia he sighs and he turns to the elderly woman and he says, I've got to punish you. The law makes no exceptions, the fine is $10 or 10 days in jail. And as he's pronouncing that sentence, he is taking $10 out of his pocket. And LaGuardia places it on his desk and he says, here is the $10 fine, which I now remit. And furthermore, I'm going to fine everyone in the courtroom 50 cents for living in a city where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give that to the defendant. The following day, a New York newspaper reports this $47.50 was turned over to a bewildered old grandmother who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren. Those who were forced to donate were the storekeeper, seven petty criminals, and a new and New York policeman. Christian scholar Ronald Roeheiser says justice differs from private charity. Charity is about giving a hungry person some bread, which is important, while justice is about trying to change the system so that nobody who has excess bread, while some have not. Scott McKnight tells us that justice means to be empowered through the Spirit to do the right thing. And the right thing is what Jesus teaches us. So one such teaching of Jesus is during a meal, he's at a very prominent uh religious leader's house, and he's sitting there and he's looking around the room, and there must have been a lot of people. Now, a lot of them are vying for the best seat at the table. They're actually trying to get at the most honored seat at the table. And Jesus notices this. And then he says, He tells them a parable in response. He's got everybody quiet, he tells them a parable, and then he tells them this command that Tammy read earlier. And let me read it to you again. Then Jesus says to his host, When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your chur or your rich neighbors. If you do, they may invite you back. Now, some of you might end right there and hold on to this as a command not to invite your family over for dinner anymore, uh, especially at Thanksgiving. But Jesus goes further. Then they won't invite you back, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. What Jesus is doing is he's given an example of making a meal and inviting guests to the table, but he's going to also give an example of how to push back against injustice because he tells us to invite the marginalized into our lives and into our homes so that they could spend time with us and we could spend time with them and we could see the reality of what society is like for other people outside of myself. It is so easy to form opinions and policies and dogma and political views when I'm just by myself with my own people. But when I invite others who are not who aren't normally along with me for the ride, when I invite them to the table, I learn to hear their stories and discover the reality that maybe, just maybe, society does not treat other people like I am treated. And Jesus says, let's do this often. Let's bring people to the table often. Not only to provide food, but to hear their stories and understand what is happening in other people's lives. James boils it down to this. If you really want to keep the royal law, he's the only one that calls this royal law found in scripture. Love your neighbor as yourself.

SPEAKER_02 19:31

Basically, keep it fair for them like you would want it to be fair for you. And in this you are doing right.

SPEAKER_03 20:11

But those who had not, who could not bring meals because they didn't have the food to bring, sat outside and watched them eat. And this was the form of gathering for the church. And then Paul is like, Wait, what are you doing? This is how he describes it in 1 Corinthians 11. When you're eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? So the context is they're all having like this meal together, but only some of them are eating and enjoying it, while the others are literally watching them. This is 1 Corinthians 11. It's in the context of the Lord's Supper. It's where if you grew up in church where you learned to usually confess or have your heart examined before you have the Lord's Supper. That's in that in the context of that. And so what he's saying is, listen, how could you go and have the Lord's Supper when that kind of stuff is happening? And he says, What I want you to do is to examine yourself before you go.

SPEAKER_02 21:34

This is a tough topic. It almost feels political, doesn't it? I think there are some Christian things, some ways of Jesus that do feel political.

SPEAKER_03 21:50

Because it impacts our culture. It impacts our society. And what Jesus keeps on saying is you're gonna do things that are gonna feel foolish. They are foolish to the world, but they're wise in the kingdom of God. And I want you to keep on doing this because this will represent heaven on earth.

SPEAKER_02 22:12

This is how I want you to live. If you lack resources, if you feel marginalized in any way, if you are among the poor, and the widow, and the orphan, or the immigrant, Christ welcomed you, he invites you to become brothers and sisters. If you have resources, and you have great influence, Christ welcome, and he invites you to be the apostle Paul describes what it is to become like him in 2 Corinthians.

SPEAKER_03 23:10

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that through his poverty we might become Father, Christ, our brother and our helper, Holy Spirit, would you work out in us these things that feel uh difficult to walk through and to consider?

SPEAKER_02 23:45

Help us to be just as you are God.

SPEAKER_03 23:49

Help us to live this out as a church community every day. Thank you for this community who loves each other well, who continues to love and welcome well. Would you bless us as we continue to do that? That that could happen more and more. Help us to bring that into our homes, our neighborhoods, our workplaces, into the uh into the community.

SPEAKER_02 24:17

So now would you examine our hearts? Would you help us to listen?