While leading a class on baptism last Sunday morning, I read a passage that describes the social structure of the Church. “You are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3) I have read that passage hundreds of times but this week it arrested my attention in a new way. God wants His Church to be without the divisions that exist in human society. Simply said, in Christ Jesus ALL of the ways that we divide ourselves are erased. We are “one” in Him when we are baptized into His Body.
Let’s be honest. While we might say “amen” to that passage, the reality is often far from the truth, isn’t it? Christians are just as likely to favor some over others as anyone else. One of the more common ways we do it is around economic status. Wealth has always attracted the attention of others - as far back as we can track history! Money is a magnet. Access to resources gives a person power over others; the ability to buy services and influence.
This issue was a problem all the way back to the first
Church of Jerusalem. James, who led that church, spoke pointedly about it.
“My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our
glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? For example,
suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive
jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you
give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the
poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, doesn’t
this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?
Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?” (James 2)
The natural way to approach life is to honor those that we believe provide resources – money, leadership, skills of various types – for the Church’s existence. So, we give the guy with the fancy clothes and expensive jewelry to James’ terms, the front row expecting that he can help pay the mortgage. We justify our choice by pointing out that his donation benefits so many. But God sees it differently.
That autistic boy who sometimes noisily disrupts the gathering is every bit as valuable to the Body of Christ as the person who is able to put a large donation in the offering every time, he enters the building. That immigrant woman who can barely speak English is as beloved by God as the eloquent preacher in the pulpit.
I love the way Russell Moore writes about this. He says “the Kingdom of God turns the Darwinist narrative about the ‘survival of the fittest’ upside down. When the Church honors the vulnerable among us, we are not showing charity. We are simply recognizing the way the world really works. … if we allow a fascination with elite forms of cultural influence – political and/or economic- we will drive away the truth of the Kingdom.”
The only way to defeat the natural (yes, sinful) choice to give preference to the rich, the beautiful, or the talented is to give the Holy Spirit full access to our minds and heart. Unless He does a deep work of transformation, we will slip into discriminatory patterns without even a conscious thought.
“The Church is not built on the rock foundation of geniuses and influencers but on apostles and prophets. This should hardly be surprising, since the kingdom is not greater than the King. When confronted by the Gospel, the natural response parallels that of those who heard about Jesus and asked, “can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” - Russell Moore
May the humble Jesus find a place of honor in our hearts and make us like Him – filled with genuine love, without the sin of preference for supermodels and billionaires. May our churches truly be ‘the Body of Christ’ where His cross is remembered and His selfless life is our model.
The word from the Word is familiar. May it take new meaning for us all. Jesus said “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” (John 13)
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