Pure Religion

The book of James has always fascinated me. James was written by on of Jesus' half-brothers. Can you imagine growing up with Jesus? James was there? What was that like?

The even crazier thing is that James believed. He became convinced that his brother was the Son of God and our Savior. That's someone I would want to talk to.

In the first chapter, James drops a single-sentence world-buster:

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27).

Isn’t it strange to see how specific James gets with this verse? Why doesn’t he just say “Care about everyone?” It seems a little off from the command to love every person. Why do orphans and widows get special attention?

At this point in history, the phrase “widows and orphans” really referred to the marginalized in society. Widows and orphans were without family protection. They were left to fend for themselves and often found their way to poverty and need. When James points out widows and orphans, he is encouraging Christians to look out for those without a voice. James is calling us to look out for the ones who have been forgotten by everyone else.

James says this is real, pure Christianity.

Most of the Jews this was written to were very concerned about following religious rules. They were so concerned that they ignored the needs that were right in front of them. They were more worried about doing everything correctly than they were about caring for people. Jesus wasn't in the center of their religion, they were.

James is showing them the motion of Christianity:

What we learn from Jesus we live out in the world.

He does this very practically. If we love Jesus, and if we really believe that Jesus loves us, we’re going to care for the widows and orphans. We’re going to visit them. Care about them. See them.

People who are forgotten, looked down upon, oppressed, are important to God. This is what becomes clear: those forgotten by the world, passed by, without help, hope or provision - they are remembered by God. At the center of what James is saying here to us is simple: we should remember them too.

Really believing the Gospel of Jesus will teach you compassion. Where does that come from? It comes from Jesus. On the cross, Jesus is living out His great compassion for us. God saw us in disobedience, and out of compassion - sheer love - He came and died for us.

What happens to the human heart that is centered on the Gospel of Jesus? It becomes compassionate. Our lives become about caring for people, not about constructing the perfect religion. We become people who live out the compassion that we learn from the Lord.

So, maybe it's someone in your church or school. It might just mean calling your grandmother. We all have hurting people around us and we may just need to ask God to open up our eyes to see them. Who is God calling you to care for with His compassion? Ask Him for eyes to see the unseen today.