James 2:2-3-Be Mindful of Showing Special Attention

May 14, 2024

James 2:2-3-Be Mindful of Showing Special Attention

These New Testament passages of Scripture were written by James the half-brother of Jesus Christ. They are a continuation of the previous passage that I did an article on called: James 2:1-Show no Partiality. If you have a chance, please go back and read that one so that you can have more of an understanding of what the Lord is revealing about the topic of favoritism.

James addresses his letter to his brethren of “beloved brothers” whom he considers followers of Jesus Christ. His epistle gives us practical advice on how to live our lives pleasing to the Lord. One thing that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt is that the Lord expects us to help those that are less fortunate and cannot provide for themselves.

We are commanded to help people that are in need and He reveals this truth throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament. For instance Psalm 82:3 details “Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy.” As we can see in this passage the Lord is not asking us to defend the poor but He is telling us to. There are also blessings that are attached to these commandments if they are followed correctly.

In the first part of chapter 2 out of the book of James God is revealing that we are not to show any partiality to anyone but instead we are to share our Christian faith whether it is a poor man or a rich man. Our hearts are supposed to resemble the heart of Jesus Christ loving every single person without boundaries.

Unfortunately the way society is nowadays people are treated based on outward appearance such as: social status, fine clothing, nice cars, and the amount of money a person has. When you meet someone the only thing that you should see is a human being standing in front of you just like you are.

Another important fact that we do not need to overlook is that we can actually entertain God’s angels without even knowing. Hebrews 13:1-2 exposes to us, “Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” The Lord begins the chapter by saying that we are to let our love continue. Then He goes even deeper by saying that we can possibly be entertaining angels unaware.

That is why it is imperative that we treat others just like we want to be treated. You don’t know who you are speaking to and the Lord will use certain people to test the condition of your heart. A true test that you are mirroring the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ is to compare your character traits with the fruit of the Spirit of God.

The Word of God reveals good fruits listed in Galatians 5:22-23 as it details, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Ask yourself if you are radiating the love of Christ and the fruit of His Spirit.

Are you treating a poor person with filthy old clothes the same as you do a rich person with fine clothes and completely put together? The Lord commands us to love thy neighbor as you would yourself. I know that there was a point in my life when I struggled to get out of bed because of the spiritual state that I was in.

I’m sure that I wasn’t looking the best and it I would be heartbroken if I got treated a certain kind of way when I was at the lowest point in my life. We need to be mindful of people’s feelings because the fact is that we do not know what others are going through and what battles that they are currently facing. Never judge a book by its cover.

Now let’s take a closer look at the passages of Scripture that I am highlighting out of the book of James.

James 2:2-3

“For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool.”

Here we can see that James is disclosing to us how people pay special attention to those that are seemingly in high places. This is a warning against Christians showing partiality to those that look like they have money versus someone that does not. Our Heavenly Father expects us to treat the less fortunate just as we would anyone else.

We are His vessels here on Earth and one way that you can ruin your witness for Christ is by your actions and attitude towards others. The Word of God is very clear about how He feels about the poor in so many passages of Scripture throughout the Bible. The verses that I am highlighting above are just some examples.

As we take a closer look at the passages I am going to break down some of the key words so that we can have a clearer understanding of what James is disclosing to us. The words “a poor man” being used is the Greek word “ptōchos” which means: poor, needy, and destitute of wealth. The words “pay attention” being used are the Greek word “epiblepō” which means: to look up to and regard.

The words “in a good place” being used is the Greek word “kalōs” which means: honorably and in honor. The word “footstool” being used is the Greek word “hypopodion” which means: to make one the footstool of one’s feet and to subject and reduce under one’s power.

What we can conclude that James is telling us through the Scriptures is a contrast between a poor man and a rich man. A person that has wealth will show their riches by the gold that they have on and the fine apparel that they are wearing. This kind of person typically gets honored and treated better being than others and is seated in the best places. V.I.P seating is what we would call it today.

Jesus describes in detail how He feels about one wanting to sit in the best seats in town in Luke 14:8, it mentions “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him.” He is making it clear to us that we should walk in a spirit of humility at all times not yearning for special treatment because of social status.

Then James gives us the direct comparison to how a person with money is treated versus a poor penniless man wearing filthy clothing. He mentions the fact that a person that doesn’t have any money will get treated like a footstool under a person’s feet. In other words they are treated as if they are beneath you.

We need to be very careful that we do not exalt ourselves above anyone else or feel like a person is beneath us. God has a way of making sure that a person that is arrogant and big-headed is brought back down several notches. Matthew 23:12 is definitive as it reveals, “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

It is always best to walk in the fruit of the Spirit of God. You can never go wrong with radiating the character of the Lord to all of those around you. Love is one of the most powerful weapons that we can use against the snares of the devil. There is no love in him whatsoever and so when you show others unconditional love regardless of who they are you are already one step ahead of him.

Also, don’t forget to check out my other blogs:

James 2:1-Show No Partiality

James 1:20-Anger Does not Produce Righteousness

James 1:19-Be Slow to Anger

James 1:22-Be a Doer of the Word of God

James 1:6-Have Faith with No Doubt

James 1:5-Ask the Lord for Wisdom

James 1:2-3-the Testing of Your Faith

Who is Jesus’ brother James?

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Fight Back

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Feed Your Spirit

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Renouncing