Love Freely

In James 2:1-13 the author addresses the issue of discrimination and favoritism. Back in the New Testament days the rich were always favored over the poor. Those who had money and status were respected and treated well wherever they went. Those who dressed in rags were often treated as scum, not even worthy of a glance or good morning gesture. Fast forward a couple of thousand years and notice that as a society we have progressed greatly in this area where the rich and poor are treated equally. Unfortunately, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Ecclesiastes 1:9 says “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.”

The issue of discrimination has roots that go far back into the history of humanity. Jesus taught us to love everyone (Mark 12:31). There was no caveat to this great command. Jesus did not say love those who are in the same social class as you. He did not say only love people who are the same race as you or live in the same country as you. It’s true as humans we tend to gravitate towards people that are similar to us. However, it’s clear from James 2:1-13 that while we may gravitate more towards people that are like us, we should not show favoritism towards any person or group of people. The Christian faith is predicated on equality for all people. Galatians 3:28 says “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or fee, male or female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

So how do we stop showing favoritism to those most similar to us or those that we feel are worthy of our love and respect? The way Jesus lived His life is the best example we have. Jesus spent much of time hanging around with those that most considered unworthy of anyone’s attention, let alone Jesus the Son of God. The Pharisees and Sadducees were furious with Jesus. They couldn’t understand why He was associating himself with those they considered as scum (Luke 5:30). In their eyes, the people Jesus hung out with weren’t worthy of love, healing or even acknowledgement of their existence. However, Jesus came to show how living according to God’s Kingdom is sometimes doing the opposite of what the world is doing. Jesus made clear that His love is for any person who can recognize they are sinners and need to repent, not those who think they are righteous (Luke 5:31).  

It can be a difficult task to love everyone the same. Those with status and wealth (like the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus’ time) may feel like they have earned or that they deserve such special treatment. Our own political viewpoints can get in the way as well. If you identify with a certain party maybe you think that those living in other countries don’t deserve the favoritism that Americans have historically received. How can we love country leaders that choose war over peace? However, this is who God has called us to be. We don’t get to decide who should be loved or favored. Our job is simply to love. God is the authority that brings the ultimate judgment. We don’t love based on how people have treated us or how we think they will respond. It’s a simple act that we show regardless of circumstances. We should remind ourselves of this daily in order to avoid our fleshly nature towards discrimination and favoritism.