Seating Charts (Friday Devotional)

 

My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you? You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

- James 2:1-8

As I’m writing this, my family and I are currently on a 2-week vacation through Italy, starting in Rome before making our way to Florence, Venice, and Milan. Yesterday’s morning was spent in the Colosseum, where gladiators famously battled to the death in front of cheering crowds and where prisoners (including many Christian martyrs) were fed to lions and other wild beasts.

One thing that struck my interest was the seating arrangement in the Colosseum. The bottom level was reserved for the emperor, senators, and other politicians and dignitaries. One level up was reserved for wealthy nobles. Above them sat the common people. And finally, at the top level, were the women, children, and slaves.

With such a system in place, it’s no wonder Christians soon became enemies of the empire. Christ taught that the kingdom of heaven belonged to the poor, not just the rich. Apostles like Peter, Paul, and James welcomed people of all stripes to the Lord’s table. Most of all, the church taught that God Himself showed no partiality.

Almost 2000 years later, we still have some work to do to fully apply these teachings. Our nation remains mired in racial strife, unwilling to fully reckon with its original sin of slavery. Our world is seeing economic disparities grow wider, not smaller, as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. And even in our own lives, we too often forget that our God shows no partiality, caring more about a person’s status than their soul.

The days of the Colosseum are over, praise be to God. So let’s throw out the old seating charts and replace them, in our hearts and in our lives, with the one Jesus drew up. Everybody’s welcome to his table.