The Sin of Favoritism

By Guest Writer

Scripture Reading: James 2:1-7, Deuteronomy 10:17-21, Luke 14:7-14

Our favorite people tend to be those we find easy to like and whose mindset we understand—the people who see and do things the way we do. Another favored group is the people we admire for what they’ve accomplished and wish to emulate what they have: influence, position, money, etc. So, the question is, who is not in these categories?

I find it jarring that Jesus favors the unimpressive who have no connections, resources, or status. And yet it’s comforting when I realize I’m one of those. Echoing our text from Luke 14, we’re to invite into our lives the “poor, maimed, lame, [and] blind” (Luke 14:13). In other words, our invitation shouldn’t be based on what they can do for us in return.

Our biases tend to favor our own sense of being and security. Who we favor shows what we prize. And much is also revealed in how we hope to be favored by others.

I didn’t understand favoritism as a sin until God showed me my own heart in a most unexpected way. I was an international student for a good part of my youth. I was the one with an accent who travelled a little farther for holidays. Over time, the accent softened and I became part of my community. Armed with an international education and my polished accent, I felt confident in my ability to adapt, connect, and contribute.

It wasn’t until I became an immigrant decades later that I found myself on the receiving end of distinctions where I didn’t make the cut.

Feeling reduced to a number on a form with a last name difficult to pronounce brought to light my own tendency to favor certain people, and as a result, overlook others. I noticed that I gravitated toward the smartest person in a room or strong leaders, not just for their good qualities but for how being in their proximity might elevate my own standing and my own self-esteem. I may not have done it on purpose, but this tendency overlooked those whose position couldn’t add anything to mine.

It was humiliating to see myself as the lowly one, the one dismissed or passed over. It was deeply humbling to understand that I also do that. Yet Jesus favors me with His love and grace, even though I have no position and can’t add anything to His.

We don’t like to be lowly. The lowly are hard to notice, with little to offer. We see their needy condition and awkwardly set them aside, forgetting it is our own condition as well.

James writes, “Do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ” (James 2:1, emphasis added). And our passage from Deuteronomy says that “He is your praise.” (Deuteronomy 10:21). So what are we holding on to when we favor some over others? Who or what is our praise?

Written by Paola Barrera