8/9/24
Trinity 15
Psalm 125
James 2:1-17
Mark 7: 24-37
The lectionary readings this morning are rather dense and present us with challenges to our own behaviour as well as the challenging behaviour of Jesus. James has a lot to say about favouritism, uncaring behaviour towards the poor, the need for mercy and the purpose of good works. Jesus encounters two people who desperately need his help which they both receive with different processes.
We will start in the shallower end with a few questions: What is your favourite colour? What is your favourite food? Favourite song? Film? Television program? We all have our favourite things and this is certainly okay. Favourites can bring comfort or security and of course enjoyment. Given our different personalities and tastes, if we went around the room this morning, there would be a lot of different favourites.
However there is a fine line with our favourites. The line when our favourites grow a sense of favouritism. Especially when it crosses over to people. Do you have a favourite parent or child or sibling or friend? You might! When we begin to treat people differently or preferentially over others is what James is warning us about.
James’ letter was for the followers of Jesus who left Jerusalem after the resurrection of Jesus. They had been sent to spread the Good News of the Gospel. His letter is full of instructions on how they should operate and get on with people. James had learned a few things the hard way, he missed the message of Jesus while he was alive. Now James is urgently wanting his audience to get it and do it better than he did.
James has a unique insight into human behaviour; he knows the dangers and damage the tongue and the words that roll off it can do. If he was speaking to a modern audience, he might also include our thumbs and the send button. From the same mouth, or thumbs, come blessing and cursing.
What makes James’ letter even more poignant is that James is thought to have been a biological brother of Jesus. He may have been the first-born son of Mary and Joseph. Imagine for a moment growing up under the same roof with Jesus as your older brother? Maybe James grew up feeling he was not the favourite? Anyone with siblings generally knows the destructive power of the tongue. We do not know much about James’ life. The references in the New Testament to Jesus’ family coming to remove him or being embarrassed by him would have included James.
In Acts, James seems to be involved in the early church in Jerusalem after the resurrection. At some point James went from non-believing to believing in Jesus, the potentially annoying older brother to the true Messiah. Something happened to transform James to a passionate leader in the church and writer of one of the most challenging letters in the New Testament.
James is pointing out our condition of inconsistency and carelessness. We need boundaries and guidelines to help us live in peace and freedom with other people. At the end of chapter one, James reminds his readers to remain unstained by the world. He starts chapter two with an example that is still spot-on for today: our capability to treat people differently. Left to ourselves we would favour one and dismiss another. We all have our own prejudices.
James would call this being stained by the world. We cannot have faith and favouritism as they do not go together. The people in the Jerusalem church liked rich people more than poor, clean people better than dirty people, healthy people better than sick people. Who doesn’t?
Well God doesn’t! This is the shocking answer that James gives. God is totally blind to our normal measures of society. He does not seem to notice accents or cost out people’s clothes and treat them accordingly. He makes no distinction between posh and common. He doesn’t need to. He is God.
Faith should change the way we live. Calling ourselves Christians should make a difference in the world around us. The streets of Charwood and the lanes of Sidlow Bridge should be better because of our faith. Our neighbours should be loved the same as we love ourselves.
Our faith needs to work. There should be some evidence in the world around us and in our families of our faith. As much as we might want to be favoured or more highly favoured than another, sadly we are not in the sight of God. This might be disappointing news!
This does not mean that we are less loved or less valued by God. Of course not. It means that in God’s kingdom there is no favouritism. We are equal in his eyes and there is nothing that we can do or say to change that. He would not be a good and loving Father if he favoured one of us over another.
We see this in the Gospel story of the Syro-Phoenician woman and her daughter’s encounter with Jesus. I think this is a fascinating passage although I am not always sure of what to make of it. A new insight into this story in regard to favouritism is that she is certain that God does not have favourites!
Jesus appears to be travelling on his own. He has left the Disciples and has gone away to the region of Tyre. Wherever he was going Jesus did not want anyone to know he was there. He seems to have wanted to close himself off – catch a break, have a rest. But instead he is interrupted by this woman of a different race and her persistent begging for a favour.
Her little daughter, we are told, has an unclean spirit and she is in distress over what to do. She has obviously heard about Jesus and somehow found out that he is in town. I wonder who told her about Jesus? It must have been a convincing story for her to seek him out. That or she was so desperate to find someone to help her daughter. Despite the social, class, race and gender difference she is determined to speak to him. Nothing is going to stop her from asking, begging and pleading with Jesus to heal her daughter.
Jesus’ response to her is less than kind; it is really quite shocking! Jesus is rude to her. What is going on?! Jesus was fully human and we all know what it is to want a break, take a rest or just be alone for a while. Where was the compassionate Jesus who fed the 5000 because he felt sorry for them? How can he not now have compassion on a single, poor, hurting woman? Jesus has his vision enlarged by the encounter with her.
It is surprising to say that this woman reminded the Son of God of the scope of the Father’s love. Jesus is moved deeply by the depths of her faith. She is certain that God does not have favourites, that there is always enough of God’s provision: his love, his healing and grace to go around. Even the crumbs of God are enough to heal and restore and this is what she believes.
Her answer is so striking that Jesus heals her daughter that instant and sends the woman home to find that the demon has left the child. Jesus shows in his actions that he has no favouritism either. He goes from this encounter to heal the deaf man with a speech impediment.
Jesus’ prayer here is interesting. He looked up to heaven, he sighed and said, ‘Be opened.’ Be opened. Maybe this was a prayer for himself as much as it was for the deaf man whose ears needed to be opened.
Be opened. Maybe this morning we need our eyes and ears opened again. Opened to those around us who need less favouritism shown from us. Opened to those around us who need more attention or better treatment from us.
There is no room in our faith for favouritism. If we have made space for it then we need to close that gap. Return to the one who loves you and cares for you but doesn’t favour you.
I want to end with a few verses from the Proverb set for today.
Proverbs 22
1 A good name is more desirable than great riches;
to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
2 Rich and poor have this in common:
The Lord is the Maker of them all.
8 Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity,
and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.
9 The generous will themselves be blessed,
for they share their food with the poor.
22 Do not exploit the poor because they are poor
and do not crush the needy in court,
23 for the Lord will take up their case
and will exact life for life.