Last week Jesus confronted the Pharisees about some tight, exclusionary rules and accused them of being hypocrites by giving lip service to God's word, but being far from God's heart. They were actually trying to be "good guys," trying to follow the rules, upholding "tradition." But they were separating themselves from "others," and ultimately from God.
James gave us some practical suggestions to keep us from having a "worthless" religion - to be doers of the word, and not hearers only. To be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. To bridle our tongues, to be true to our hearts and not deceive ourselves, and to care for the widows and orphans and distressed - the poor and marginalized, and to be "unstained" by the world.
This week we see how God treats "outsiders," and learn important lessons about impartiality. The gospel account has Jesus teaching the disciples a lesson about faith and impartiality when he heals the Syro-Phoenician woman's daughter, but only after a rough exchange in which she persists in saying "even dogs eat crumbs from the table," expanding God's love and healing beyond the Jews. See The Rev. John Ortberg's "True Grit."
When James tells us not to show partiality to the rich over the poor, is he being partial? What else does James tell us about God's impartiality? See “Playing Favorites:What Will Campbell Learned” by Dr. Daniel B. Clendenin, and "Standing in the Tragic Gap" by the Rev. Dr. Trace Haythorn.
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