THE MAN IN GOLD
2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” 4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? James 2:2-4 (NKJV) >
Read James 2:1–4. It is, among other things, a study in contrasts.
One person is rich, well dressed, and, apparently, important, while the other is poor, shabbily dressed, and, apparently, a nobody. One receives the utmost courtesy, the other disdain. One is offered a comfortable, prominent seat; the other is told to stand off to the side or find a place on the floor. The description is not a very pretty one, especially because it is depicted (potentially, at least) as happening in a worship service!
The Greek word for “gathering” or “assembly” in verse 2 is synag- og- e,
probably an early reference to a Jewish-Christian Sabbath service, many of which would have taken place in private homes (see Acts18:7, 8).
In the Greco-Roman culture of the first century, one’s public image and position were all important. Those with wealth, education, or political influence were expected to use these assets to enhance their reputation and benefit their personal interests. Any large gift to public or religious projects obligated the receiver to reciprocate to the giver in some way. Kindness was repaid with loyalty and generosity with public appreciation. The few upper-class people who attended Christian services expected privileged treatment. To ignore these expectations would have brought disgrace on the church. A failure to be “politically correct” or to reject societal values was a recipe for offense and a cause for division.
43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Luke 11:43(NKJV)
It is not a sin to be poor or rich, but one barometer of our Christian experience is how we treat people who are different from us in age, wealth, education, and even religious convictions. We tend to give more respect to those we perceive as “above” us on the social ladder and less respect to those “below.” We must remember that it is easy to get pulled into convention even though God calls us to be different.
Let’s face it: we might not be as open and as crass about it as James depicted, but are we not all easily susceptible to playing favorites? Let's pray that the Holy spirit give us a humble and meek spirit to able to respect and treat all people equally regardless of their age, experience, social status, education background, race, political or economic status. Amen.
source: SDA Adult Sabbath School_2014