Recap
- James was the brother of Jesus
- A “pillar” of the early church
- Speaking to Jewish Christians (from Jerusalem, most likely)
- Human anger v.s. God’s righteousness
- Being a “doer” of the word
- God’s law is a “mirror” we can use to approach our own sin
- Pure religion
Warm Up
Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met?
How did it happen?
How did you feel or react?
Coming to Terms
What does it mean to show favoritism?
Have you ever been impacted negatively by someone showing favoritism? How about your kids or grandkids?
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Ok, let’s be really honest about verse 2. What if this actually happened? What do you think would happen today in our church?
What if we weren’t talking about rich v.s. poor? What if we were talking about someone coming in who is openly trans-gender? What other types of favoritism do we show in the church today?
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What is James saying about the poor?
Is what he is saying well founded Scripturally? (Luke 6:20-26)
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What is James saying about the rich?
What do you think James means by exploiting, dragging into court, blaspheming the good name? What do you think might be going on at the time?
If you look at today’s uber-wealthy (Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Elon Musk) through the lens of what James is accusing the rich of, how do you think they would fare in that trial?
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In today’s society, which is easier to serve? What does American culture promote serving? Are there things we could do to change that narrative for our kids and grandkids?
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What do you think James is trying to say in verses 8-10?
Why do you think he would write those words to the Christians of the time?
How do you feel about the idea that breaking even one commandment breaks the whole law? Do you think that’s fair?
How do you treat the idea of “fairness” at home, with kids, grandkids etc?
In the context of James writing to people well-versed in all of the 600+ laws of Torah, this seems a little remedial? Why do you think James took the time to write this down?
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What do you think it means to speak and act as someone who is about to be judged?
What would you change about how you act today, if you knew you were going to be judged tomorrow?
In the context of favoritism, what do you think James means when he talks about mercy?
If you had to pick, which do you think, based on James and other Scripture, deserve special treatment: the rich or the poor? Why?
For centuries, Christian scholars have tried to set up a debate between James and Paul, which we’ll talk more about next week. When James says mercy triumphs over judgment, what do you think he means? How does that tie into the concept of Faith versus Works?