21.08.07
James (12): Jesus Christ - Lord of Your Exchequer - James 5:1-6
According to a recent Save the Children fund study, more than 90,000 children in Scotland live in severe poverty – that corresponds to nearly 10% of the children living in our own land. In Britain, 1.3million children are living in severe poverty – the highest regional percentage being in London. In years past, the evangelical church wasn’t that interested in social statistics for fear of being contaminated by the social gospel – but isn’t it about time that the Church in Scotland began to speak up about these issues, and not just about clear cut moral issues like abortion and homosexuality? If you had spoken to James, he would have been outraged at the extreme divide between the rich and the poor – for him, and I make no apologies for saying this, God was on the side of the poor and stood against those rich people who misused their wealth. I wonder if we take that on board when we are thinking about plans for church growth and planting!
It is not at all clear whether James is here referring to the Christian rich or to non-Christians. Certainly, over the centuries there have been many Christians who have misused their wealth. I’m not sure if, at the end of the day, it really matters who James is speaking to, just as long as we understand what he is speaking about –and again, it is the misuse of wealth. James is not condemning the rich for being rich – it is what they do with their riches which qualify them for the condemnation. But what about us – if we take seriously what James says here, what is the Christian attitude to wealth to be? Using these questions, I want to see two things tonight: first, the prophetic condemnation of wealth, and secondly, Christian principles of wealth.
[A] Prophetic Condemnation of Wealth
The language of vs. 1 is very similar, and I believe, intentionally so, to the prophets. Weeping and wailing are used in Isaiah for the reactions of the oppressive landowners to the coming judgment of the Lord, for example in Isaiah 13:6, “Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.” The wealthy landowners, those who own vast quantities of land on which poor people work are being condemned by James for their misuse of wealth. But what constitutes the misuse of their wealth? What calls down God’s condemnation upon them?
1. Hoarding (vs. 2-3) – rotting wealth and moth-eaten clothes indicate that the great wealth of the landowners is not being used – it is not merely being accumulated – the rich are not only getting richer – but this wealth is not being used – it is being hoarded. And vs. 3 highlights the folly of storing up wealth in this way and not using it: first, vs. 3 shows us that this wealth will bring us no lasting benefits – we cannot take it with us beyond the grave; secondly, vs. 3 shows us that the wealth we have will stand up in the courts of heaven and bear witness against us. Wealth is designed to be used for good purposes, not to sit doing nothing. The vast quantities of hoarded possessions will bring down God’s judgment on the wealthy – the very things the wealthy man hoards will, on the day of the Lord’s coming, eat up his flesh. James introduces irony – “you have hoarded wealth in the last days!” Rather than realising that the time is short and that the Lord could return at any time which would render all our earthly possessions worthless, the rich have misused their wealth by hoarding it. In other words, James is telling us that not to use our wealth, but to hoard it, is to misuse our wealth.
2. Fraud (vs. 4) – in the society of James’ day, there was an increased concentration of land in the hands of a small group of super-wealthy land owners. Farmers made a living by hiring themselves out to these wealthy landowners. These farmers were paid daily. They lived hand-to-mouth lives – the pay for today paid for the bread for tomorrow. If these workmen were not paid for their days labour, their families would go hungry. If the wealthy landowners did not pay their workmen promptly, there was a real risk of starvation for the workman and his family. But often, the wealthy landowners withheld the workman’s wages. And so the workmen, who have no legal recourse, could only cry out to God against these super-wealthy and super-powerful landowners. But look at how God is described – He is the Lord of Hosts. He is the all-powerful and Almighty One. These workmen may be powerless against their powerful landowners, but the landowners are powerless against the Almighty Lord God of Hosts who hears the prayers of His afflicted people. James tells us that the rich misuse their wealth when they fail to pay their dutiful debts.
3. Luxury (vs. 5) – the rich live in luxury and self-indulgence, surrounding themselves with things which pander to their creature comforts – things which have nothing to do with God or the life of the spirit within them, but merely to their physical or mental pleasures. The rich accumulate and hoard pleasure. But look at the folly of their position – they are fattening themselves in the day of slaughter. The day of slaughter is the day of God’s judgment, and the image is that of a field of cows – on the day of slaughter, which cows will be chosen to receive the chop? The thin ones will be left alone – it is the fat ones which shall be taken. By living in luxury and self-indulgence, these rich people are making themselves ready for the knife! James tells us that the rich misuse their wealth when they pander to their creature comforts.
4. Persecution (vs. 6) – because of their wealth, the rich also have legal and societal power over the poor. And so, when they fail to pay their workmen, and these workmen and their families starve, and the workmen have no recourse to law because the law courts are stacked up in favour of the rich, it is as though the rich are killing those who can’t and won’t fight back. The clause ‘innocent men’ is literally, ‘the righteous man’ – a possible allusion to the way in which Jesus Himself was sold into the hands of the Romans by the money hungry Judas for thirty pieces of silver. Jesus was a poor man subjected to oppression by a man who wanted to get rich. He was killed and He didn’t resist. The poor are in good company whilst the rich have Judas as their model. James tells us that the rich misuse their wealth when they make it more important to them than Jesus.
So in these four ways James describes how the rich misuse their wealth. They misuse it when they do not use it but hoard it; they misuse it when they fail to pay their dutiful debts; they misuse it when they use it to pander to their own creature comforts and they misuse it when they make it more important to them than Jesus. But the message is this: rich men with a bad attitude beware – for the day of the Lord is coming, and they and their wealth will perish.
[B] Christian Principles of Wealth
What does this passage teach us about how we are to use our wealth? How do we avoid not misusing our money and possessions?
1. Hoarding vs. Saving – in Luke 12:33 Jesus lays down a time-honoured principle for the use of money – “sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.” In other words, Jesus tells us to use our possessions, not to hoard them. The Bible does not condemn prudent saving, but it does condemn saving to the detriment of using. Therefore, we must be careful to strike the right balance between what Alec Motyer calls, “prudent saving and sinful hoarding.” After all, remember that the Lord could return tomorrow and He won’t judge us on the size of our bank balances, but on what we have done, who we have helped, how we have furthered the Kingdom of God with our money.
2. Honesty in Business – in a sentence, vs. 4 challenges us to be scrupulously honest in all our business transactions. Every bill we receive must be paid promptly – even if it is from BT or Scottish Power. To do anything other, is to defraud them of their rightful dues. This has been convicting for me, because as a rule, through being disorganised, I leave bills until the last moment before I pay them. But this is wrong.
3. Spiritual Fitness – the more we surround ourselves with creature comforts, the less likely we are to discipline ourselves in spiritual things. It is hard to be wealthy and spiritual at the same time. Self-indulgence leads to selfishness, a lack of regard for those 90,000 children living in severe poverty in our land, which is itself a theological issue, and most importantly, a lack of regard for God. Keep in spiritual trim by denying yourselves the luxuries you could have.
4. Suspicion of Wealth – remember that it was for the love of money that Judas betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ. Money is a dangerous thing, far more venomous than poisonous snakes or spiders. All too quickly, our desire for wealth drowns out our desire for Christ. James wants us not to put wealth first, but Jesus first. Be suspicious then of the impact of wealth upon you.
Is Jesus Christ Lord of your exchequer? Is He the Lord of your wallet and your bank balance? How is this reflected in the way in which you use your wealth? There is nothing wrong with being wealthy, but wealth itself is a snare we must be careful not to step into. There is nothing wrong with being close to a cobra, but cobras kill. Whether you are rich or poor, do not be double-minded. If you are poor, do not envy the rich their wealth, but rather seek after treasures in heaven. If you are rich, do not misuse your wealth, but use it to further the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. Do not be double-minded, but even today, make a covenant with yourself to make Jesus Christ Lord of your exchequer. AMEN