Love, don’t judge - Who’s in your path today?
Written by Kevin Williams (Elder of Fellowship Memphis)
Favoritism on the surface brings to mind the advantages of a teacher’s pet in school or the star player who doesn’t have to run sprints after practice like the rest of the team. In my business life, elements of favoritism could be viewed as a practical way to gain an advantage and maybe a not-so-offensive, even shrewd strategy.
For example, career coaches encourage their clients to foster a “network” that can serve to advance one’s career. These efforts specifically target building touch-points with others by showing them favor; those who can help us progress up the career ladder.
Sales professionals are being pragmatic in choosing to invest their time and favor with those prospects most likely to generate revenue, building relationships there over those with individuals of less promise to land a sale.
Socially, we are naturally drawn to others like ourselves with common interests (books, hobbies, sports, jobs, etc.) that could lead to enjoyable shared experiences. However, in chapter 2, verses 1-13, James cautions believers by noting that at its core, favoritism is rooted in a motive for our material self-interest, a love deficit, and judgment; so we must guard against how the worldview and natural human tendencies can mislead us in our Christian walk.
James offers three arguments against favoritism. Let’s take a look at each.
The first argument is simply that we shouldn’t judge others, because we just aren’t good judges. Have you ever wrongly accused someone or missed in your instinctive assessment of their motives? I sadly have, just ask my sons, my wife, and coworkers. Beyond the shame that soon follows the realization of my error, those moments are a sharp reminder that I am not all-knowing and don’t have a full perspective of others’ stories. We don’t know others’ hearts, only God does.
Recall the truth of what the Lord told Samuel when he wrongly assumed David’s eldest brother Elihab was to be anointed king. “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16: 7 NIV) David was the Lord’s choice, Samuel misjudged him by his outward appearance.
We can avoid favoritism by resisting the urge to judge others by how they look through our limited human lens, knowing that we often aren’t correct in our judgments anyway. There is also the realm of subconscious bias to consider and leave for discussion another day, but suffice it to say that we have many factors impairing our judgment; as James highlights, it is often flawed.
James then reminds us of the royal law, “love your neighbor as yourself”. Many will recall the exchange captured in Luke chapter 10 between Jesus and a scribe who asked “who is my neighbor”. The challenge led to Jesus telling the beloved parable of the Good Samaritan, in which we learn that our neighbor is anyone in our path to which we can show God’s love and compassion.
Neither that person’s physical appearance, wardrobe, savings account balance, job title, gender, race, level of education, or age matter…. simply what matters is that they were in your path and you can show love to them without consideration of your self-interest. Failure to do so, James notes, is a sin.
Lastly, James provides an argument that ironically is one of preserving self-interest, our spiritual self-interest that is, in the context of our self-awareness of our sin problem and in turn our sole reliance on the finished work of Jesus. In other words, James says don’t judge because it is not in your spiritual best interest to do so, as judgment without mercy will result from our failure to be merciful to others. Since we ourselves are in dire need of God’s mercy and know it, we should be readily compelled to show mercy to others. Jesus himself addressed this topic directly in the Sermon on the Mount. “Do not judge or you will be judged. For, in the same way, you judge others you will be judged and the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2 NIV). This is a command and a promise from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we should take heed!
The worldview of gaining advantage through tactics that look or feel like favoritism may have their place if grounded in a genuine interest in other’s needs over self and kingdom-thinking, but in any event, cannot ever overshadow the commandment for us to stay out of the judge’s seat and to love those in our path. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul takes these concepts to an even greater extreme citing how we should love others and avoid the pitfalls of favoritism. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interest but also the interest of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4 NIV).
Paul continues by charging us with the ultimate goal of being like Jesus in our relationships. He set THE perfect standard for loving others. Being like Jesus is a tall order, to say the least, yet one we should always aspire to achieve. Specifically, embracing a posture of humility, a servant-hearted focus on others’ needs and always seeking to embrace the will of God resonate in the passage to follow describing Jesus. We can set that as our goal, fixing our gaze on the example of Jesus to combat a judgmental attitude and resulting favoritism.
“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who in his very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something
to be used to his own advantage;
rather he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death –
Even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2: 5-11 NIV)
