James 2:2-4

NIV: Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, Here's a good seat for you, but say to the poor man, You stand there or Sit on the floor by my feet, have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

The Message: If a man enters your church wearing an expensive suit, and a street person wearing rags comes in right after him, and you say to the man in the suit, "Sit here, sir; this is the best seat in the house!" and either ignore the street person or say, "Better sit here in the back row," haven't you segregated God's children and proved that you are judges who can't be trusted?

Here James gives a an example of what he means when he says we should not show favouritism, or let the opinion of others affect how we behave.

How many times a day do we consciously or subconsciously judge others, let public opinion sway what we say? I know when I am in a group of people who are all loud spoken with firm opinions, I am far more likely to sit back and say nothing whether I agree with them or not. And what about the times I pass people in the street or l meet people and make a snap judgment based on what they are wearing or how they look? One of my clients looks like a biker, he has tattoos all over his arms, is strong and muscular looking, and the first time I met him I was really unsure of him. But in actual fact, he is the sweetest guy you could ever meet, so shy, insecure and full of love for his family. How appearances can be deceptive as he looks like one big tough individual.

Then in this particular example, James is talking about judging people in church, judging Christians and how many times do we do that too? Look at someone else and what they are doing or saying, and tell ourselves that they can’t be a "real" Christian if they do that or say that, how they be a genuine believer if they criticise others and yet do exactly the same thing, or worse, themselves without comment? I reckon that when I do those I should start taking a good look at myself as I am sure I must do some pretty awful things that would make people begin to doubt my faith. It is so easy to doubt others, to point the finger or to judge by outward appearance or show.

We are called to love one another as Jesus loves us, yet how often do we do this? Show real, genuine, Christian love? The love that God has for each one of us even though He knows us inside out, warts and all, right through to the deep dark places inside our hearts where even we don't go because of the mean and nasty things hidden in there.

We shouldn't favour one man above another because of their outward appearance, the things they say, the show they put on to make themselves look good (and let's face it, don't we all put on a show to a certain extent?). Man looks at the outside but God looks at the inside. He knows each of us from head to toe, inside out and back to front. He knows the reasons why we do the things we do, say the things we do, act in that way. He has all the facts and figures at his fingertips and can make an accurate judgement. Can we say the same of ourselves?

After all, we don't know why some people are poor and others rich, some are employed, others aren't, some are the life and soul of the party, others are shy and sit in a corner, some seem really hard, unfeeling, uncaring, others openly break their hearts at what is happening around them or in the world. But the cynical banker may turn out to give generously to charity, pray without ceasing, be a real blessing, unbeknownst, to many. The one who cries when they hear of the latest disaster, the floods, the earthquakes, may actually be a miser who never gives any money to charity or helps others but hoards it all away like a squirrel hording nuts. The woman who always seems so cheerful with not a care in the world could have a son who is a drug user, a husband who is continually having affairs and who doesn't know from one minute to the next where the money is going to come from to pay all the bills. And the one who seems like the most eloquent and faithful prayer warrior may in actual fact be someone who is only hanging onto their faith by their fingertips and it is all for show to make themselves look and sound "holier than thou".

I'm probably coming over all holier than thou myself right now, but so often, I make snap judgements about people I know, those I meet, the ones I pass in the street. And it’s not right to do this. I know that. I don't know people's circumstances, their motives, their reasoning, only God knows that. So I know I need to stop being so judgemental, so petty minded, and to just leave it all up to God, take at face value what people say, what they do, and not judge them, not criticise them for doing probably what I would do if I were in their position or had been through whatever it is they are going/have been through.

And what about you? Do you pass judgement on others, even unwittingly? Treat some people differently because of the way they dress, where they live, their accents, whether they look like "respectable" people? Do you criticise others when they gossip, when the break one of the Ten Commandments, commit adultery, lie, cheat, look down on others, hold grudges?

I think we could all learn a thing or two from Jesus' reaction to the woman caught in adultery "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." (John 8:7)