Our God who is full of mercy and compassion demonstrates His extravagant and amazing grace to people of all backgrounds and class, rich or poor, Asian or European, African or American without showing any favoritism. This is not always the same when people are relating with each other in their respective places of work, with families or even in Church. The inclination is mostly towards the outer appearance and not the inside.
When God chose David at his young age as a boy, no one could have recognized him or looked at him as an option of God’s choice until Man’s seven options were over that David had to be called from the fields where he was looking after his fathers sheep. Samuel’s 1st choice as king was Eliab Jesse’s son and the Lord said to him “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 sam16:7. Irrespective of David’s age or status, he was God’s choice. In realizing that he was the last in Jesse’s sons, Samuel said in 1st Sam 16:11b, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives”.
Likewise, James tells us that we are not to judge people according to how they look, according to their economic status or consider people poor or rich in regard to what our eyes can see. The eyes can see what people have, where they come from and can easily classify them in different categories. When God looks at His Children He doesn’t see the rich or the poor, He sees the glory and the great riches of His son Jesus Christ who lives in us.
James gives an example of a poor and the rich in v2-4 as an illustration to emphasize this point, “For if someone comes into your assembly wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes, do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and say, ‘You sit here in a good place, and to the poor person, ‘You stand over there,’ or ‘Sit on the floor’? If so, have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil motives?”
God in many ways chooses the simple things in life to demonstrate the power of His kingdom. V5 He has chosen the poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him.
James also uses the second greatest commandment that says “love your neighbor as yourself”, meaning love for others should not have any limit. It should be to all whether rich or poor because any one who shows favoritism sins and are convicted by the law (God’s word) as law breakers.
In conclusion, James tells us that we must speak and act as those who are going to be judged by God’s word that gives freedom “to those who look on the gospel of Christ as a word of great hope, a promise of liberation from their suffering” (Thomas Hale-applied NT commentary:610)
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