If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbour as yourself,” you are doing right. [James 2:8 NIV]
James gives another reason why the early Christians were so wrong to make such a distinction between the rich and the poor. James tells them in verse 8 of chapter 2 that they were breaking the 'royal law' which was that they should 'love their neighbour as themselves.' Who is my neighbour? This was the question that the expert in the law asked Jesus when Jesus adroitly turned the trick question from him into a challenge to his conscience. (Luke 19:29). These early Jewish Christians were selective in their application of 'loving their neighbour.' They were happy to offer an extravagant welcome to the wealthy but they were cold and indifferent towards the needs of the poor. When Jesus told the parable of the good Samaritan, it overthrew the traditional boundaries which the Jews had erected. The Jews had no dealings with the Samaritan and yet in Jesus' parable, it is the Samaritan who implements the principle of loving his neighbour as himself.
Too often our decisions are based on how our actions affect ourselves. We are self-centered. We cater to the rich because of the hope of reward, either socially or materially. We neglect the poor because there is little prospect of their benefiting us in this way. [William MacDonald: The Believer's Bible Commentary]
There is a real challenge contained in this verse. Do I really love my neighbour as myself? How many prejudices are lurking in the depths of my heart? Am I intrinsically selfish? I put my priorities first and make sure that not only my basic needs are met first but also my wants which can be self-indulgent. "If That Were Christ Would You Give Him Your Blanket." This is the challenging title of a book by Richard Wurmbrand who was imprisoned for being active in the underground church in Soviet occupied Romania. The title refers to his times of extreme suffering in prisons and penal establishments. On a different note, I remember a friend of mine in my teens (who shall remain nameless) presenting us with a scenario to illustrate the challenges of this principle. You are making your way home on foot and a fire engine passes you travelling towards your home. Your instinct is to walk faster to find out which house is on fire. You turn the corner and see that the fire crew are attending a house two doors down. Is there a feeling of relief that the house on fire is not yours?
Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. [Leviticus 19:18 NIV]
The passage from which this verse is selected, provides several examples of how the Old Testament Law expected Israelites to treat their neighbours.
They were not to harbour any form of hatred towards their neighbours
They were to judge their neighbour fairly by not showing partiality to the poor or favouritism to the rich.
They were to be careful not to do anything which would put their neighbours' lives in danger.
They were to ensure that poor and vulnerable neighbours were not going hungry.
They were to correct their neighbour's behaviour if it was wrong.
So it is clear that the actions of the Jewish Christians to whom James was writing was contrary to the law of Moses. "One cannot love one’s neighbor while dishonoring the poor. One cannot pick and choose which commandments to obey and to be judged by." [William MacDonald: The Believer's Bible Commentary]. But what does James mean when he describes this commandment to love their neighbour as themselves as the royal law. There are at least two possible interpretations of this. Firstly, the word 'royal' is associated with a king and his kingdom so this principle is the foundation of Christ's kingdom. His kingdom is not about greatness or wealth or ambition. His kingdom is the exact opposite of the earthly kingdoms where wealth and status are valued. Jesus was highlighting the need for humility and the poor were taken as the paradigm of his kingdom - it was modelled on those whom the world despised and disregarded. This is not to suggest that we need to be materially poor to be part of His kingdom but wealth and materialism are obstacles to be overcome.
Secondly, there are those who suggest that this was a sovereign principle which superseded the other commandments. MacDonald states: 'It is called the royal law because it belongs to the King and because it is the king of all laws.' [William MacDonald: The Believer's Bible Commentary]. In other words this commandment takes precedence over all the other 9 commandments. Richard Bauckham casts doubt on this interpretation for technical reasons. He points out that 'in the New Testament and the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) the word for “law” (nomos) only very rarely refers to an individual commandment. So Bauckham regards this commandment as the one which summarises the whole law. In Matthew's Gospel there is a record of a discussion between the Pharisees and Jesus on which is the greatest commandment. Here is the reply from the Saviour:
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” [Matthew 22:37-40 NIV]
This is a very clear statement from the Saviour that this commandment has great significance. The kingdom of God is based on these two major principles: loving the Lord God with all our heart and loving our neighbour as ourselves. They sum up all the commandments and provide us with clear guiding principles for living.
Photo by King's Church International on Unsplash
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