Sermon and Video for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Video for Service and Sermon at St. Luke, Rensselaer
2024 Pentecost 16
Isaiah 35:4-7a
James 2:1-10, 14-18
Mark 7:24-37
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.
“Show no partiality” James says. In other words, do not show favoritism for one person over another. The example he gives makes clear that James is not telling people to be polite. He is addressing an issue where one person, based on outward appearances, is elevated to a special status in the congregation while another is judged harshly and then treated in a dismissive manner.
I have no doubt that James is writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. As is clear from the other authors of Biblical books, the Holy Spirit uses the personal experiences and insights of the author to convey God’s point. So, why then does James focus on this sociological issue? It is perfectly normal for us to make judgments about people based on their appearance, the way they talk, how they conduct themselves, and who they associate with. And, to treat them accordingly.
James understands this. He is a man of his own time who lived amongst a wide variety of people. He knows that a soldier’s uniform means one thing and a Pharisee’s garments another. He knows how a slave will dress as well as a freeman. He certainly could tell the difference of appearance between a person of wealth and a person who only does physical labor. James also understands that the outward appearance does not accurately convey a person’s intentions, nor does it reveal a person’s spiritual state. Faith in Jesus as the Christ and the desire to live a holy, God-pleasing life does not rest on any specific income level or the refinement of sartorial selection.
I suspect that James remembers well the lessons of his brother Jesus. Jesus saw right into people’s hearts. To the surprise of many, he declared the most unlikely of people as exemplars of faith. He also verbally eviscerated the spiritually confident for having misplaced their faith.
James is addressing the church throughout the empire. His letter addresses a number of issues including today’s focus: the expectation that all church members will grow in the faith.
Jesus is the model of the Church. Jesus did not minister to a narrow, select group of people. Jesus did not take up the cross to die for a certain ethnicity. The gospels witness that Jesus ministered to Jew and Gentile, male and female, slave and free, civilian and soldier, rich and the poor, corrupt and the innocent. In today’s gospel reading from Mark 7, we find Jesus in primarily Gentile territory. The Syrophoenician woman and her daughter are gentiles. Through the course of their dialogue, Jesus is clearly impressed with the mother’s faith. This gentile is tenacious in her faith that Jesus has the means and the power to save. She believes that Jesus has the ability to remove the demon from her daughter. Jesus only says the word, and the mother finds her daughter resting in peace.
The region of the Decapolis is an area of ten cities. They are primarily gentile. We are not told explicitly, but it is highly likely that the deaf and mute man is also a gentile. It is also possible that the friends and relatives that brought him to Jesus are also Gentile. Makes no difference to Jesus. They have faith in Jesus. He heals the man. He has a brand-new life because of our Lord’s grace.
While Jesus is born of a Jewish mother, and he came first for the Jews, Jesus was from the beginning inclusive. He welcomed men, women, and children into his midst. He conversed with, ministered to, and ate with the highly respected and those who were hated and despised. His words of instruction and forgiveness were extended to all. His death on the cross is for all people. Jesus declared to Nicodemus in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” He desires to pronounce forgiveness and the promise of heaven upon any repentant person regardless of ethnicity, gender, family of origin, social position, employment, or monetary status.
James brings Jesus’ salvation to all into the interpersonal relations of church members and potential church members. “Show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.” Growing in the faith means that we resist the natural urge to welcome the one who has apparent wealth with honor while simultaneously dismissing the apparent poor man.
The church models the grace of God. Jesus’ blood was poured out equally for both men. Because of the grace Jesus has given us, we reflect that grace back to the two men before us and honor both. In the church, faith in Jesus Christ and love for our neighbor is what matters most. We honor both men as brothers in Christ. Both men are sinners who need redemption and the gifts that Christ has entrusted to the Church: true doctrine based on the Scriptures, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the forgiveness of sins conveyed through both Word and Sacrament, the presence of Jesus Christ in the fellowship of believers, the witness of prayer and song.
When we resist the natural urge to favor one over the other, we fulfill what James calls the royal law, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” To do otherwise is to behave as the world behaves. We belong to Christ, and in response to Christ’s love for us, we love as Christ as loved us. Our faith is active in love.
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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