The Rich Man Gets the Good Seat

James 2:1-4. James tells his readers not to hold faith in the glorious Lord Jesus Christ together with favoritism, and then he shows them what he means. A man walks in wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man walks in wearing filthy ones. The first is shown to a good seat. The second is told to stand over there, or to sit on the floor by someone's feet. James asks whether they have not discriminated among themselves and become judges with evil thoughts.

The sting is in the setting. This is not a marketplace or a courtroom. It is the gathering of believers, the one place where the world's rankings were supposed to be left at the door. And the people doing the ranking are not enemies of the faith. They are the faithful, acting on instinct.

Sunday is the day this verse was written for. Notice today who gets your attention, who gets the seat, who gets the warm greeting and who gets a nod. James says the glory of Christ leaves no room for that sorting.