What's Justice Got to do With it?

James 2:2-4 "Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say 'Here's a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man, 'You stand there' or 'Sit on the floor by my feet,' have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

In our society today discrimination based on wealth may look a lot different than it did in the days the letter of James was written but it still happens. It happens on all levels and in many different ways. Wealth is valued above character and rich people are treated as though they deserve more and better things than poor people.


If a person walks into a busy restaurant and slips money into the hands of the host there is an unspoken agreement that their party will be the next one seated. They get a table ahead of all the people who have been waiting, who showed up earlier than them. Businesses that pollute too much can purchase points from those who emit less pollution and continue breaking the laws on environmental impact. Less (financially) successful businesses do not have that luxury, they are forced to comply with the laws.

Even the drug trade gets in on the business of bribing people to do what they want. If someone is caught bringing illegal drugs across the border they will often offer to have a new car brought over for the border control officer who caught them. Most of the time the officer will accept the bribe and let them go. Another route they will take is to send a 'decoy' ahead, someone new to the drug trade will cross the border first with only a few drugs and get caught. Being new to the trade they don't have a bribe to offer and will be arrested. While the officers are focused on the little car a vehicle with a larger amount of drugs will cross undetected.

So, the question becomes, 'what can we do about this'? My answer is that as Christians we are called to be 'in the world but not of it'. We have to make a conscious decision to do things differently. Those of us with enough money to bribe people need to be aware that it is wrong to do so. We need to choose to wait for an open table just like everyone else. Choose not to slip money to the host. As business owners we need to comply with the laws rather than pay for permission to ignore them.

When we, as Christians, are in a position to accept a bribe we need to choose the moral high ground. If a Christian is working as a restaurant host or manager we need to refuse the bribe. Leave the money in the hands of the person who tried to give it to us and continue our job as though the under the table tip were not offered. When we work as customs and border officers, or any other position of authority, we need to uphold the law, flee from the enticement of unjust gain.

I believe we ignore the poor in many more subtle ways as well. How often have you walked past a person with a 'will work for food' sign and stared at your shoes, avoided eye contact sped up your walk pace and ignored them when they spoke to you? Shockingly enough, they can tell that you're doing that, you haven't fooled them into thinking you didn't see them. When given the opportunity to show a poor person that they are of equal value with wealthier individuals you chose to do the opposite, to tell them that they aren't even worth a conversation. If you were to, a few feet later, pass a little old lady asking for the time would you treat her the same way or would you look at your watch and answer her question? A lot of people act as though they just don't have time to be bothered talking to strangers however I know no one who would ignore the little old lady in my second scenario. I believe that we always have time to treat people with respect and dignity.

I am not suggesting that you give money to every person who asks, we each have to determine in our own hearts what we will share with the poor in our midst. Their are a lot of considerations, such as 'will they use the money for food or alcohol'? I certainly wouldn't want to feed someones addiction as that will, in the long run, create more of a problem rather than a solution to the problem. That being said I do think that there are times when we are called to give, and if we are listening for it God will tell us when those times are. There are also other ways to give such as offering to take a person to lunch with you which is a great way to both feed the hungry and get to know knew people. Carrying food with you, granola bars or fruit... really anything that is easy to transport and that won't spoil while you're looking for someone to give it to... is another way to make sure you are filling a need without feeding an addiction. Another simple thing that I would ask everyone to do is to acknowledge their presence. It won't take more than a few seconds of your time to look at someone, hear their question and say "I'm sorry, I don't have any cash but you have a nice day". In this way you can choose to show the poor among you that they are worth your time, that they have value.

James 2:15-17 "Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."

I believe that the bible is pretty clear that we are not to ignore those in need. I hope that everyone will take some time to examine their own lives and determine what changes should be made to live out the gospel more fully. As always remember that the honest answer for all of us is that we could be doing more than we are so their is always room for change/growth.