Someone dear to me swears by James—that is,
the Book of James from The Bible The early verses passed along to me last week
are followed by this passage from Chapter 1:
9 Let
the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: 10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of
the grass he shall pass away. 11 For
the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and
the flower thereof falleth, and the grade of the fashion of it perisheth: so
also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
And, continuing the line of thought, in
Chapter 2:
2 For
if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and
there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say
unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there,
or sit here under my footstool: 4
Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
To my mind, pointedly this writer offers
in the same chapter a rather wry observation: 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart
in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are
needed for the body, what does it profit?
The language of James can turn
ferocious, in a manner quite beyond the expression way harsh that was once in vogue:
5 Go
to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your
garments are motheaten. 3 Your gold
and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you,
and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for
the last days. 4 Behold, the hire of
the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by
fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which reaped are entered into the ears of
the Lord of sabaoth.
Damning, scathing, virulent. But,
despite the linguistic pyrotechnics, nothing really new to see here.
In the Judeo-Christian tradition reaching
deep into history, we find an ongoing heightened awareness of suffering—even more,
we hear recurring admonitions that those in great need are in our charge,
demanding of us with more a compelling duty.
In the Old Testament, Isaiah counsels us
to “Learn to do right. See that justice is done—help those who are oppressed,
give orphans their rights, and defend widows”. (Isaiah 1:17)
From Zechariah, “…Execute true
judgement, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: 10 And oppress not the widow, the
fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against
his brother in your heart”. (Zechariah 7:9-10)
My readers are savvy enough to rescan in
their minds the focus of headlines in our contemporary world: refugees, the
impoverished, the homeless, victims of natural disasters.
I have no interest in wading into the
waters roiled by contemporary political currents. Maybe, however, we at least
may come together and agree to give what we can give, to do what we can do.
And so, good deeds, done.
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