showing favoritism

My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. 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? (James 2:1-4)

Sam Walton was always such an underrated guy when he came into his stores because he looked so ordinary. No one could believe he was so wealthy and the owner so it was easy to disregard him.

The same thing happens in church when someone comes in looking less than perfect. We forget that Jesus himself said he came to the poor. The rich already had their god.

As the prophet John the Baptizer was stuck in prison. He got to worrying. “What if” kept going through his mind. What if I wasn’t through? What if this is all a mistake?

What if Jesus was not really the Messiah and I am dying for nothing.

He sent his disciples to Jesus to ask him and to just make sure that everything was alright and like it should be. He was having a crisis of faith and needed reassurance.

Jesus knew this and did not gripe at John for his lack of faith. Instead he told John’s disciples to go back and tell John these things: Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me (Matthew 11:4-6). Jesus knew that John needed the extra ministry only he could give.

But that ministry was not Jesus going to him and saying, O John, everything is fine. Quit being a baby and take your martyrdom like a man. Whether or not John was a real man was undisputed. He was a strong preacher and a fervent follower of God was obvious to anyone who saw him even for a short while.

What Jesus said was, there are a lot of miracles happening and they are happening to people who do not have the money to pay me. The good news is preached to the poor.

It didn’t matter to Jesus whether or not you had any money. In fact, on once occasion he told a young man to sell all he had and give the money away and then come follow him. He said that it didn’t matter. He had a lot of money around him.

At one point he asked how much money there was in their treasury and there was 300 days salary. That is a pretty fair amount. You know it was enough to make Judas lust after it. He probably wouldn’t have been bothered by a small amount.

What Jesus wanted was your heart anyway. He tells us to give because he knows that where you give to is where your heart is. But he wants you.

You don’t know who the person is that comes through the door. He could be a multi-millionaire like Sam Walton or not. But Jesus loves them as much as he loves you.