Don't be a Jedi
I was recently watching a cartoon Star Wars episode where two sisters were describing a major event in their lives that involved the Jedi. The Jedi were chasing a runaway fugitive, and during the chase, the fugitive damaged a ship to help his escape. One of the Jedi used the force to redirect the ship away from the gathering of people it was about to crash down on, as you often see Jedi characters do. When you initially saw this scene, it appeared that the Jedi had saved many people. And while they did save the crowd of people, as the sisters continued, we found out the rest of the story. The new crash location of the damaged ship ended up being their family’s home. The crash killed the sisters’ parents – leaving them orphans. After the battle, the Jedi approached the sisters and told them “I’m sorry, I had to make a choice. But don’t worry, the force will be with you.” And then the Jedi left, never to return. After going through an unexpected tragedy and then being left completely alone by everyone responsible, you can imagine what the sisters thought of Jedi…
I know, I know…it’s just a cartoon. But I was immediately struck with the thought, “How often do us Christians say something like that, and then leave people to themselves?”
Or, more specifically, How often do we say things like that to other Christians?
When you believe in Jesus for eternal life, you are immediately adopted into God’s family. Regardless of your biological family background, you now have a Heavenly Father who loves you perfectly. He looks out for you and knows what is best for you. In addition, you suddenly have more brothers and sisters then you ever thought possible…but biological age often doesn’t match a person’s spiritual maturity. Depending on your age when you believe in Jesus, don’t be surprised if you find Christians who are physically older than you, but still acting like spiritual babies. It is also possible to have a spiritual mother or father that is physically younger than you.
I point out these differences within God’s family so we have a little context to what we’re about to read from the book of James. Often misunderstood as a letter describing the actions of a “true Christian”, it is, in fact, a letter pointing out what a mature Christian does in contrast to an immature Christian. Although it is a letter from Jesus’ younger brother to the early church of believers, its structure and feel is much like the wisdom literature of the Old Testament. James heavily focuses on practical application in a believer’s life.
James wants his readers to intentionally live out their faith in Jesus. He desires to see them treat each other the way that Jesus treats us. At about the halfway point of the letter, he says this:
James 2:15-16
If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?
In situations like this – from a practical standpoint – our words are useless. Did your brother’s need change? Do you still have the ability to help your sister?
Before James asked this question, just a few paragraphs back, he was scolding his readers about favoring the rich believers over the poor believers. He exhorted them to follow the royal law: Love your neighbor as yourself. Next, he poses the above question as a practical application of his teaching. However, with the following verse, he cuts deep and to the point. For those who only say niceties, to those who could do much more than only offer “thoughts and prayers” to their fellow believer in need, James says:
James 2:17
In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.
Ouch.
But the truth can be painful sometimes. When we encounter painful truth, don’t ignore it…instead, we need to learn from it.
Some have taught that “faith without works is dead” means that person wasn’t a “true Christian” to begin with. However, acting immaturely doesn’t mean you aren’t saved from eternal condemnation. What it does mean is that you’re a lousy sibling to a brother or sister in need. Throughout his letter, James constantly refers to his readers as believers and family. He’s not saying that their immature behavior means they’re not really family. “Dead” in this passage does not equal “corpse”. Based on the context, we find that James is emphasizing the usefulness or profitability of faith in action. So instead of a “dead body” assumption, try this analogy:
We love our cars. We love the freedom they give us to travel quickly, accomplish tasks, help others, or to just enjoy a drive. However, without fuel, that car is useless. For all intents and purposes, it’s dead. Without fuel, it’s still a car…but it cannot fulfill its designed purpose. However, if you add gas back to the car, it becomes “alive” again.
Similarly, our faith – in order to be useful and profitable – needs to have action. Just like the car needs gas. And that’s what James is really getting at here:
If you see a brother or sister in need of help and you have the capacity to help them, don’t just say Christian-sounding words that do not change their situation. Buy them groceries. Lend them your car. Cut their grass. Buy them coffee and listen to their story. Mentor their kids. Hire them. Use your connections to others who can help them in ways you can’t.
Don’t be like the Jedi from the cartoon I watched – don’t give a nice little platitude about “God will be with you” and then walk away. These are fellow members of God’s family. So let’s act like family and help each other.
You’ll be amazed at what God does when your faith is alive through our actions.
Keep Pressing,
Ken