But you have dishonoured 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 to whom you belong? [James 2:6-7 NIV]
I used to hear the expression 'he has a bee in his bonnet,' when someone kept going on about the same matter and refused to let it go. Well, James certainly has 'a bee in his bonnet.' He is really upset at how some people are being treated in the early church. It is all about discrimination and favouritism. The early churches were not practising equality - they were not treating everyone alike whether they were rich or poor. They were being sycophantic towards the rich - making a fuss about them and making them feel so special perhaps so that they would be generous to the church which was probably in need of their cash. But, they were ignoring the poor and treating them as an embarrassment. They did not want them to be seen in the meetings because their shabby clothes was lowering the tone of the place. We looked at the scenario in the church with the different welcome given to two visitors - one rich and one poor [See Day Share entitled 'Favouritism' 22/08/2022].
James condemns this partiality. In the last Day Share, we saw that James had two reasons for his sharp criticism of this unfair treatment. Firstly, he told them that they were not following God's example in their treatment of poor people because God cared for the poor and made special provision for meeting their needs. Jesus showed this care for poor people because they were seen as an example in their humility to those who wished to be part of God's kingdom. Secondly, James referred to the fact that it was ironic that they were being so deferential to the rich when the rich were taking them to court. [See 'Dishonouring the Poor' 24/08/2022].
But in the verse quoted at the beginning of today's Day Share we have another reason mentioned why it was wrong to give preferential treatment to the rich. The rich are blaspheming the noble name to which you belong. We might be tempted to think that foul language and blasphemy was more common among 'the lower classes!' Surely the respectable wealthy people would not resort to bad language. What does James mean when he speaks about the rich blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong.' This is a reference to the name of Jesus and it is likely that it refers to the fact that these early Jewish Christians had been publicly baptised 'in the name of Jesus' to show their allegiance to Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah. This prompted persecution from the Jews. And we know that the Pharisees and teachers of the Law were wealthy and respectable. So it seems likely that the early Christians were trying to curry favour with the socially respectable Jews (Pharisees etc.) to get their financial and moral support for the early Christian church.
“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. John 16:1-3
So Jesus had predicted this persecution from the Jews and had warned them to expect it. This verse from John's Gospel also provides a clue to what James is describing. The powerful, religious Jews are putting the Christians out of the synagogue. In the early days they used the Jewish synagogue as their meeting place. Now they are being excommunicated from the Jewish religion. This would have a big impact on the early believers. They would be treated as social outcasts and 'lepers.' It would affect them financially and practically. The Jews would not buy from these excommunicated Christians nor would they sell them food or other necessities. Also, Jesus warned that this opposition would only get worse and Christians would lose their lives for their faith in Jesus the Messiah.
So James is pointing to the incongruity of their conduct in trying to win over the wealthy Jews hoping to persuade them to support them financially. Are there clues of a panic and a lack of clear thinking among these early Jewish Christians? But we should hesitate before being too sore on them. They were going through tough times. They were struggling to come to terms with what was happening to them. They had not long come to faith in the despised and rejected Jesus of Nazareth who had been crucified by these same Jewish religious leaders. The temptation was to look to the respected social Jewish elite for help rather than to trust in God. They were looking for help from the very group who were blaspheming the name of Jesus.
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