Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you. [James 5:1-6 NIV]
“If the Letter of James were sent to the Christian communities of certain countries that suffer from violence and exploitation, it would very possibly be intercepted by government security agencies. The document would be branded as subversive.”
[Scot McKnight: The Letter of James (New International Commentaries on the New Testament) page 3.]
James is on a soap-box and he is not pulling his punches. He is engaged in what might seem to us political rhetoric. Look at the emotive language he is using.
Wealth has rotted
Moths have eaten your clothes
Silver and gold corroded
Corrosion … will eat your flesh like fire
Hoarded wealth
Failed to pay workers' wages
Cries of harvesters have reached the Lord Almighty
James is taking his stance against social injustice. A small number of rich people have been accumulating wealth at the expense of their workers. They were refusing to pay those who harvested the crops and were demonstrating no compassion for the poor. Is James taking a political stance here? Is he advocating something which is akin to socialism?
I have spent a lifetime in Christian churches in the central belt of Scotland but I have no memory of any preacher or Bible teacher condemning wealthy business-people for exploiting their workforce. In fact, although I was brought up in a church where most people did not vote and cited Bible passages in defence of this stance, I have observed that most Christians were politically conservative (with a small 'c') and would probably have voted for the Conservative party. It is uncommon to find anyone publicly declaring any sympathy for anything which savours remotely of socialism and, although many preachers avoid politics, it is often suggested that socialism is associated with evil and indolence.
This blog is not taking a partisan political stance - and my experience as a senior manager in local government made me question whether I could be an active member of any political party. However, it is worth noting that there is a strong argument for social justice in both the Old and the New Testament. The Old Testament or the Torah commanded the Jews to treat their neighbours equally and to be generous to those who were in financial need. Here are some passages worth which demonstrate God's concern for the poor and the needy such as the fatherless, the foreigners and the widows (Leviticus 19:13, 18; Deuteronomy 10:17-19; Deuteronomy 24:19-22). Here is a quotation from one of the Psalms which speaks of social justice for the poor
Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. “How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? [Psalms 82:2-4 NIV]
Isaiah also advocated social justice:
Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. [Isaiah 1:17 NIV]
So, James's passion for social justice is in keeping with the teaching of the Old Testament. Jesus also made it clear that his kingdom was founded on social justice for the poor and the needy.
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. [Matthew 25:34-36 NIV]
In this parable Jesus clearly stated that service for the poor was equated with service for the Lord.
James is right to be passionate against social injustice. There is still a huge injustice in our society - it seems sad that a country which is generally wealthy has so many people dependent on foodbanks to stay alive. And yet I have heard Christians stigmatising all those who use foodbanks as cheats and lazy. As an observation, as evangelical Christians have become wealthier and have stopped living in close proximity to those who are destitute, they have sought to distance themselves emotionally and psychologically by labelling them as dishonest, deceitful and indolent. This makes us feel justified in not giving to the poor and being reluctant to condemn those who have become wealthy by exploiting the poor and the destitute. Andrew Carnegie, the Scots American multi-millionaire philanthropist made his huge fortune in steelmaking by breaking the power of the trade unions which allowed him to pay his workers at such an hourly rate that they earned hardly enough to live on for working long hours in dreadful conditions. As a Christian, I cannot condone such conduct. I agree with James in his condemnation of those who have exploited the poor in order to become obscenely wealthy.
Were these people James is condemning believers in the Lord Jesus? I close the blog with that question. I am happy to take any comments by email at dayshare153@gmail.com or if you are a member, you will be able to comment publicly at the end of this blog.
Photo by Dulana Kodithuwakku on Unsplash.
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