Reaching Samaria | Embracing the Vulnerable
Reaching Samaria: (Part II)
Embracing the Vulnerable
Key Verse - James 1:27
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
Intro:
In 249-262 A.D., there was a plague that devastated Rome. It was the Plague of Cyprian. It was a lethal pandemic that caused up to 5,000 deaths a day in Rome alone. This plaque severely weakened the Roman empire, but the Christian response to this plaque won the admiration and a more significant following. Dionysius, a bishop in Alexandria, writes, "Most of our brother Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty, never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another. Heedless of danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ, and with them departed this life serenely happy; for they were infected by others with the disease, drawing on themselves the sickness of their neighbors and cheerfully accepting their pains. Many, in nursing and curing others, transferred their death to themselves and died in their stead."
This event occurred when there were no government or private healthcare systems. Those outside the church deserted the sick and even fled from their dearest friends and families because of fear of the infection. And yet, the early church stayed, stepped up, and showed unconditional love and cared for the vulnerable. If we follow Christian history, we see that our faith has always led believers to extraordinary good works even as the culture around them was doing the opposite. As God’s people, we have exemplified a kind of love that has always perplexed the watching world. From caring for the sick, feeding the hungry, advocating for the voiceless, serving the poor, and loving those whom the world deems unlovable, Christians have seen that it was their great privilege and responsibility to show Jesus in these extraordinary ways. Today, as we continue our series on "Reaching Samaria,” I would like to talk to you about this inheritance we have as God’s people. Pastor Jerry reminded us two weeks ago of the need to reach out to those who might look different from us or those coming from different cultures. Today, we will see why we need to reach out to those who may be vastly different from us regarding their security, economy, or class. We have been called to embrace the vulnerable. I pray that this message will not only be a theological discussion but will also be a call to action to this remarkable endeavor. I hope we will continue to see this beautiful will that God has for all of us.
1. The Heart of the Father
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father."
• For a quick background of our passage, we see James writing to the believing Jews who were part of the Diaspora. They were Jewish Christians who were scattered from their homeland throughout the known Roman world. Scholars note that James's book, unlike the Pauline epistles, focuses on right living more than having the right doctrines. What James was trying to accomplish here was to help these Jewish believers realize their new faith is not just about the new teachings they needed to adhere to. They should also be living rightly under the marvelous light of the Gospel. In our main verse, we see that James tells his readers what pure and undefiled religion is before God the Father. To put it simply, it is to care for those who are the most vulnerable in their society, namely the orphans and widows. He also implores his readers not to be corrupted by the evil ways they might see in their world.
• What James is communicating here is not unique to His writings, or even in the New Testament. If we look at the Old Testament, we can see the heart of God for the vulnerable. Verses upon verses in the Scriptures, we see God's heart for those who cannot defend themselves, those whom society just turned their back against. Please bear with me. We will read a lot of scripture today because I felt that to get a glimpse of God's heart towards the vulnerable, we need to read more in God's Word.
• When Israel's nation was being established, God gave them a set of laws specifically targeting the protection of the poor and helpless in their society. He tells them that He is unlike the gods of other nations in treating the vulnerable. In Deuteronomy 10:17-18, it states, "For the Lord, your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing."
• If we then examine the Wisdom books, we see a more passionate description of God's care for weak and needy people.
• Psalm 82:3-4 says, "Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."
• Proverbs 13:23 states, "I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy."
• Even throughout the prophetic writings, we realize God is sending a message to the rulers that they have neglected the vulnerable. The prophets came and pronounced that their nation needs to change its ways and defend and care for the weak.
• The prophet Isaiah proclaims, "For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall" (Isaiah 25:4).
• Jeremiah reminds His people about knowing God, saying, "He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the LORD." (Jeremiah 22:16)
• When we go to the New Testament, we see Jesus telling his hearers their responsibility to the vulnerable. Jesus tells his disciples in Luke 12:33-34, "Sell your possessions and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
• There are so many more verses talking about God's heart for the weak, low, and needy. If we went through all of them, we would not have enough time. However, if we do not stop and meditate on these verses, we might miss the overwhelming theme of God's unconditional love for the marginalized and the vulnerable. What is fantastic about this is that we see God is a God who identifies Himself with the poor instead of the elite and those who are rich in society.
• Proverbs 19:17 says, "Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed."
• In a remarkable sermon about the end days, this is what Jesus was trying to tell his listeners too.
• Matthew 25:37-40 says, "Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'"
• You see, we have a God who has a heart for the vulnerable. We cannot run away from this truth. He is the Defender, the Refuge, and the Provider of the lowly. He rejects the haughty. He is near the weak, and there is a great warning to those who neglect and are apathetic to those most in need. I hope in reading these verses, we get a better glimpse of God's heart. We now see why James was imploring his readers about what is pure and undefiled religion. He was reinforcing the idea to 1st-century believers that wherever they find themselves in, they need to reflect the heart of God.
2. The Identity of the Vulnerable
"to visit orphans and widows in their affliction"
• In this section, James gives his readers two sets of the most vulnerable in their community: the orphans and the widows. They're the ones in great affliction back in those times. In the original languages, affliction means to experience tremendous pressure, oppression, or distress. In the ancient world, these people were the most helpless and were neglected by everyone. They had no assistance and many times, they were on the margins and overlooked. They were susceptible to being taken advantage of and they had minimal means to provide and defend themselves. They were seen as people who had nothing to offer and society wanted nothing from them. Especially in Roman culture that emphasizes power and strength, no one would bother to give them any attention.
• In the Scriptures, more groups are part of this vulnerable class. There is the widow, the orphan, the immigrant, and the poor. Nicholas Wolterstorff calls them the "quartet of the vulnerable." Zechariah 7:10 merges these different groups. It says, "do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart." As we see the biblical writers identifying the vulnerable in their world, this is also key for us today. Even in the 21st century, the vulnerable are still around us. The thing is, we need to open our eyes and seek out those who are in affliction, desperation, and are suffering in our communities and societies. We still have the poor, single mothers, refugees, and high-risk children who are hungry and desperate. They may be people living overseas or may even be our local neighbors. The question is, do we care to open our eyes to their needs? As Tim Keller states, "If you aren't intensely concerned for the quartet of the vulnerable…it's a sign your heart is not right with God."
• This notion is so countercultural because the world does not care about the vulnerable class. We live in a society that emphasizes the need to have more. We can never have enough. We need more pleasures and possessions. We place high value on how much stuff we own. Many times, these stuff can become idols and blind us to those who are in great need. A culture of materialism and consumerism will rarely embrace the vulnerable and will instead spew them out. Please don't get me wrong. It isn't easy to be countercultural. It will take a lot of change in our perspective and our heart’s posture. Here is a question that we should ponder together. How can we turn a blind eye to those whom God deeply cares for and whom He has chosen? James 2:5 says, Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
3. The Response of the Believer
"and to keep oneself unstained from the world."
• In his letter, James is encouraging his readers not to be worldly. He calls for a religion that has compassion for the vulnerable and a firm stance on godliness. I believe we should also see this as not being corrupted with the world's lies of materialism and consumerism. We need to be free from the cycle of wanting more for ourselves and keeping things for ourselves. The world tells us to isolate ourselves from those who are different from us and gain as much as we can to be as comfortable as possible. However, the way of Jesus calls us to pursue a different path. These worldly things are not what Jesus pursued when He lived on earth.
• We have a Savior who has all the riches, power, and glory. He sits on the throne of heaven, yet He came down to reach us who could never save ourselves. He loved us even when we have no power of our own, no righteousness to boast, and no riches to claim. We had an infinite debt because of our sins that we can never pay on our own. He paid for us with His own life. He saved us when we were most vulnerable. He became vulnerable for us. He was born in a meager manger and lived where He had nowhere to lay his head. He had no royal steed and only a borrowed donkey. In His death, He did not have His own grave and only a borrowed tomb.
• This is what Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 8:9, which says, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich."
• Jesus lifted us from our great spiritual poverty. Now, what can be our response to His love and generosity?
• Jonathan Edwards said, "Where have we any command in the Bible laid down in stronger terms, and in a more peremptory urgent manner, than the command of giving to the poor?" This famous preacher says we have nothing more explicit and more robust in the Bible than our duty for care and involvement with the poor.
• Martin Luther King Jr. echoed James’s statement when he said, "A religion true to its nature must also be concerned about man's social conditions."
• Tim Keller said, "Christ literally walked in our shoes and entered into our affliction. Those who will not help others until they are destitute reveal that Christ's love has not yet turned them into the sympathetic persons the Gospel should make them."
• This is how the early Christians were able to turn Rome upside down and give massive credibility to the Gospel message they were proclaiming. They fed the hungry, took care of the sick, gave to the poor, and set the captives free. They were able to convert the Roman empire not by seizing power on the throne. It was by showing incredible kindness, selflessness, and mercy to the marginalized, the early Christian community kept the watching world in awe and wonder. These Christians had an unmistakable grace that can only come from meeting the gracious Savior. They opposed a culture of power and dominance by humbling themselves and serving the least of these in their cities. This was because they understood that this was the lifestyle that Jesus called them to. They were able to share Jesus' love with others. What if this is the same call for us today?
Last year, I had the opportunity to go to Uganda with our team. Pastor Steve Allen said something that I cannot forget. He said, "Our Gospel witness must involve both proclamation and demonstration." When we embrace the vulnerable, we demonstrate the unconditional, incredible, undeserved mercy, grace, and love of Jesus Christ to those who are very dear to God's heart. The task to embrace the vulnerable should never be out of obligation or guilt. If we realize the glorious beauty and the amazing grace found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it should lead us to reach out to those who are vulnerable. This is what the Gospel does. It creates in us a heart that leads to radical grace, unconditional love, and incredible mercy. And so as we look to Jesus and how He embraced each of us, as His followers, let’s practice embracing the weak in this world. Even in a pandemic let’s live this calling together through the pain, suffering, and afflictions. Together, let us embrace the vulnerable.
-Rev. Jerusalem Ona