A few years ago Oliver James wrote a book called ‘Affluenza’ In it he described what he called a virus – an obsessive desire to have what others have, to the point that it makes us miserable.
He argues that, amongst other things, advertising constantly creates false needs in us. Money, possessions and looks then become the things we assume we must strive for.
But in an unequal society people always have more. And so we constantly feel that we lack, fail and are ugly. Add in the overwork and debt that we is created in striving for these things, and we really do feel miserable.
Well our passage this morning suggests that ‘Affluenza’ is not a purely modern condition. But the striking difference between Oliver James and James the Lord’s brother, is that our James urges change, not because of the misery such an attitude can bring now, but the misery it will bring when Christ returns.
Verse 1 [READ]
The language is of those facing a spiritual Tsunami. Its destruction is inevitable, and they are unable to escape.
Of course this leaves us wondering whether we stand on the shore with them, whether we are liable to the same fate? And so we come:
(1) The issue—injustice
Take a look at verse 4 [READ]. Now verse 6 [READ]
There is a big debate about who the rich James speaks of are. Are they so called Christians within the church? Most commentators say no. Like an Old Testament prophet, James is denouncing non-Christian landowners who are oppressing his Christian hearers. That’s why in the light of what he says, he tells his hearers to be patient – verse 7, until the Lord comes.
It’s as if he is saying to his readers: “Look: don’t envy the rich. Just consider what responsibility money gives. And make no mistake. Justice will be done for how they are abusing you. So be patient. Just wait.”
So, those of us with tender consciences should not assume we face this Tsunami too. These people were probably not Christians. And whether they were or not, their sin is intended. They are consciously refusing to pay their workers – verse 4. And it is probably this that is described as “condemning and murdering innocent men” – verse 6.
Workers in the first century lived hand to mouth. You could not survive very long without income. So the sense may be that they are condemning such people to death for no reason. And this is effectively murder.
Well look again at verse 4. The first witness in God’s court are the wages that should have been paid. Nothing is hidden from his sight. He sees that they are still in the landowners possession. And it is as if they cry out: “Look look, what he has done. He has kept us for himself.”
The second witness is of course the workers themselves. Their cries are probably prayers for help. And we can be sure that they reach God’s ears. And note here, he is “God Almighty.” They reach the ear of the awesome one whose justice should be feared.
[I] The Fair Trade label is one we’re all familiar with. But do you know, it wasn’t launched until 1988. In fact it’s only really in the last ten years or so that Fair Trade has taken off.
Well it is to the glory of God, that his label is at least three and a half thousand years old. Deuteronomy 24v14-15: “Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns. Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.”
In his book “Good news about injustice” Gary Haugen writes of how he grew up pretty sheltered from injustice. But after graduating from Harvard he worked in South Africa during the 80s. Then he spent some time investigating human rights issues in the Philippines, before becoming director of the UN genocide investigation in Rwanda.
He describes how it sent him back to the Bible, where he came to realise that God’s holiness meant that he has “a core hatred of injustice” that is “rivalled only his hatred of idolatry.”
Could it be that we baulk at the idea of the coming judgement, because we just do not grasp how evil humanity is. We don’t know what it is to slave away for 12 hours a day, 7 days a weak making trainers in a sweat shop, surrounded by intense noise and fumes. We don’t know what it is to live in a one room hovel in order to do so; to be fined if you refuse overtime, and shouted at or abused of you complain. But do you know? God does. And he is rightly outraged.
When Jesus returns, it will be to his glory that he judges. Yes, it will be to his glory that he punishes sin. It will be to his glory that all injustice will be dealt with. In Revelation Jesus is portrayed as ruling with an iron scepter. And in chapter 19, God is praised because he is finally avenging injustice.
It is sobering stuff. And at the very least it should leave us asking ourselves how we can better ensure that our decisions as consumers don’t lead to the abuse of workers. How we can reflect God’s sense of justice as those being renewed into his image.
In my preparation I found myself thinking that I should ask myself the following questions when I buy something:
First, do I need to buy it at all. It is only by not buying something that we are sure we are not contributing to injustice. Second, if I must buy it, can I buy it second hand. At least here, no more work or resources are being put into the product. Third, if not, can I get it fair trade or through an ethical trading company. Obviously it is they who seek to ensure workers are paid fairly. Fourth, if none of these, can I at least check the internet, to see how ethical the company I am buying from is. Fifth, can I do anything to encourage those I buy from or bank with to be more ethical in their practices.
Well, this is the heart of this section. Injustice towards workers. But there is more. You see, verse 4 is the lowpoint, a dark valley of oppression. But on each side of it, verses 2-3 and verse 5, we see an attitude that inevitably leads to this sort of abuse. The attitude is of course a love of money. And so we come to two marks of materialism, we would do well to weigh ourselves against.
2) The cause—love of money
1) a desire to hoard [READ v2-3]
Which of your clothes become moth-eaten? Aren’t they the ones that sit in your cupboard unworn? And which of your garden implements get rusty? Isn’t it the ones that get wet and then just stay in the shed without use?
That’s the sense here. We are stewards of what God gives. He deals us more cards than we need to play our game, so that we can deal our excess to others.
It is not the fact that people earn a lot of money that is being condemned here. It is the fact that they keep it for themselves. They hoard it in two ways: by simply storing it up – the corroding gold and silver, or by buying possessions with it that they barely use – the moth-eaten clothes.
And how does this lead to oppression? Such greed clutches so tightly to its money that it will not use it to pay others their due. It will always want the bargain, and close its eye to why the work done or object bought might be so cheap.
Well we see the foolishness of this at the end of verse 3. There is no perspective to it. These people are doing this in “the last days.” The Tsunami is on the horizon. Jesus the Judge is at the door. When he returns all we have will pass away. Yet still these people hoard.
And so James says, what they have “testifies” against them in God’s court. And then he uses what his readers would have recognised as the imagery of hell. “It will eat – or consume – your flesh like fire.”
2) a desire for luxury v5
Here is the second cause of oppression. Some hoard just to keep up the Joneses. Others out of worry about the future – a worry that struggles to trust God. But in all hoarding, there is this desire for luxury and self, isn’t there?
Well by saying this is how the rich live “on earth” James hints it will not be how they live in the life to come. Instead, with the bluntest of language he says they are like the choice calf being fattened up only to be slaughtered.
Again, their problem is perspective. They think only of their 70 years. They pay no attention to the judgement that is accelerating towards us with every day that passes.
Well, again there are principles here for us: questions we should ask ourselves? Am I a hoarder? What do I actually need to save or own? What luxury can I forgo in order to give more away?
I found this passage very challenging: I found myself asking, should I be striving to gain the maximum income I can in my pension, or seeking the minimum so that I have more to give away now? Should I be planning stylish holidays that cost more, or sufficient holidays that still give me the rest I need? Should I be saving the maximum I can for my children, or the minimum that is sensible, trusting God to meet our needs?
I thank God that a number of you already give generously on a minimum pension and despite the fact that you rarely have holidays at all. But the rest of us should at least be asking these sort of questions.
[I] Would you turn to Luke 16. Do you remember the story of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man is a Jew. He believes in God. No doubt he went to the synagogue. He may well have been regarded an upright, even good man. In the words we so often hear today, he did nothing to hurt anyone. But his problem was that he did nothing to help them either.
Day after day he passed a beggar at his gate, but did nothing for him.
Well both die. And we pick up the story in verse 23: [READ v23-26]
This story comes from Jesus’ mouth. And it can be read no other way than as a warning of the fate that faces those whose love of money keeps them from the sort of generosity that proves true faith.
The fate is hell. An experience of agony under the burning anger of God at sin, and the realisation of being shut out of his kingdom. And did you notice, it is stressed that there will be no comfort and no escape from this.
Well what do we do with that? We are Christians. We believe Jesus proved himself the Son of God. So do we think he was mistaken? Do we think he was lying? Or do we think he was telling the truth?
James was right to speak as frankly as he did. Jesus will come in terrible judgement. And this is to his glory. But the wonder is, that this Jesus was prepared to suffer this same agony so that sinners might not have to. This judge was prepared to absorb his own justice on other’s behalf.
Here is our hope as we face the truths of our passage. And here is the hope for others too. So let’s bring our money and possessions to the foot of the cross. Let’s seek forgiveness for where we have failed and God’s Spirit to give us the generosity of Jesus himself, who became so spiritually poor, who endured such oppression, that we might become so spiritually rich.
