Hope Bible Church

Don't Be a Shortsighted Usher!
James 2:1-4
Pastor Andy Chulka

Faith and favoritism do not go together.

Together, we are going to see 3 elements that James uses to communicate the fact that faith and favoritism do not go together.

I. An Imperative (2:1)
II. An Illustration (2:2-3)
III. An Inquiry (2:4)

The imperative, the command that James gives to his brothers and sisters in Christ is simple and direct: “show no partiality.”

Other English versions of the Bible will translate “partiality” as “favoritism” (CSB, NASB, NIV)

Another attribute of God that is not thought or spoken of so often is His impartiality.

To be impartial means that our judgments and actions in respect to people are free from fleshly/sinful biases and appetites.

New Oxford American Dictionary: “treating all…equally; fair and just.”

John MacArthur comments: “The phrase ‘the Lord of glory’ perhaps refers to God’s Shechinah glory (cf. Ex. 40:34; 1 Kings 8:11), the history of which James’s Jewish readers would have been very familiar. The idea is that we cannot hold the faith of Jesus Christ, who is the very presence and glory of God, and be partial. Jesus Himself was impartial (Matt. 22:16), as indicated by His humble birth, family, and upbringing in Nazareth, and His willingness to minister in Samaria and Galilee, regions held in contempt by Jewish leaders.”

You’ll notice the title of my sermon this morning is “Don’t Be a Shortsighted Usher!”

I borrowed that in part from a pastor/theologian named, Rev. Guy H. King, he titled this section of James 2, “The Shortsighted Usher.”

The scene that James paints for us is a local assembly of Christians.

“Assembly,” translates sunagōgē, which has the basic meaning of gathering together and is commonly rendered “synagogue.”

Someone has noted that: The fact that James uses sunagōgē here instead of ekklēsia, which has the same meaning and is usually translated “church” (as in 5:14), gives further evidence that the churches to which James wrote were composed primarily of Jews and that the letter was written at an early date in the life of the New Testament church.

The first, a distinguished looking gentleman, with gold rings and fashionable clothing.

This wealthy man literally is “gold-fingered,” meaning “many gold rings.”

He’s wearing “fine clothing,” literally “bright, sparkling” clothes.

In sharp contrast to the previous visitor, the poor man is wearing shabby, dirty, filthy, old clothing.

This time, the usher seeks to save the congregation from embarrassment by offering this visitor standing room at the back, or a place on the floor, in front of his own seat - “You stand over there, or, Sit down at my feet” (2:3b).

Vernon Doerksen: “Prejudice is a cancer that [permeates] the whole body.”