James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
The last verse of this chapter gives an example of the type of obedience we must have as we study the Bible. True religion is not found in the library or monastery but out on the streets and in homes where people live. James is particularly concerned about care for orphans and widows. In the biblical world and in much of our world today, orphans and widows have little to help them. Fortunate are those places where there is a strong social system. But even in those places where there are financial resources, orphans and orphans suffer from emotional and relational neglect. These two groups of people, the very young without parents and the very old without spouses, are special in the Bible and in God’s sight because of their vulnerability to abuse and neglect in society. In the ancient world and in the developing world today, life is difficult and often not long, which leaves many families incomplete without parents, spouses, or care givers. Often as I drive the streets of Manila, I see people out on the streets begging. This creates an ethical dilemma for me. How can I help them? Give them a peso? The other day a handicapped person knocked on my car window and I ignored him. I felt convicted about that later. Can we become numb to the people in need around us? The needs in Manila are overwhelming. There are literally millions who live from day to day, and many of these do not have enough to eat. This verse is probably one of the most challenging for me to live out on a daily basis as I sit in my air conditioned van and have plenty of food in my refrigerator. We cannot help all the poor, can we find at least one person in need of food, shelter, clothing, or a caring family relationship?
It is interesting that James also attaches to this the idea of being polluted by the world. Is this linked somehow to neglecting widows and orphans? In our day of materialism, it is not difficult to see the link. The world pollutes us by its false promises that “things” (houses, cars, clothes, gadgets, etc.) will make us happy. But they actually just leave us hungry for more. There is nothing wrong in working hard in order to have comforts in life. The problem is when we allow these comforts to cloud our vision for the world and the people around us in need. Reading this verse once in a while brings us back to what really matters: showing the unconditional love of God, especially to those who have little love in this world.
For older posts, click here.