When we gather in the name of Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, something wonderful happens. Our faith becomes a great equalizer. It matters not whether someone wears fine clothes or tattered ones, whether they are gifted in ways the world notices or quietly serving where no one sees. God created each of us and loves each of us the same. He died for every soul. This truth, if we truly grasp it, changes the way we look at one another.
Yet partiality creeps in so easily. It begins when we are children, wanting to be with certain friends and not others, making scenes when our favorites leave. It continues into our youth, when we long to be part of the “cool group” and overlook those on the sidelines. Even as adults, we are often just polished versions of those same children, still drawn to status and success, still tempted to judge by outward appearance rather than by the heart.
Consider how Jesus lived. He was born in a stable, not a palace. He ate with tax collectors and sinners. He spoke kindly to the Samaritan woman whom others despised. In His parable, the shepherd leaves ninety-nine sheep to find the one that wandered, and there is more rejoicing in heaven over that lost one than over all the rest. Jesus cares deeply for the overlooked, the annoying, the different. His heart goes after those the world would say, “Good riddance.”
James does not treat partiality as a small matter. He calls it sin. God’s royal law commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and if we stumble at even one point, we are guilty of breaking the whole. Like a mirror that shatters completely when struck in just one corner, God’s moral law is all connected. We cannot pick and choose which parts to obey.
But here is the beautiful mystery: we now live under the law of liberty. Through the shed blood of Jesus, we have received mercy and grace beyond measure. This does not lower God’s standard. It raises the bar, for now we are called to live transformed lives that reflect the mercy we have been given. When we look at others, let us see them through the lens of grace. For mercy triumphs over judgment, and those who show mercy will receive it in return.