The opening of chapter five is a sober and stern warning to “rich” people. In the end, riches will be “rotted” and “rusted.” What will remain is our character–how we got rich. James says that these treasures laid up for the last day will actually be evidence against us! And then James gets painfully specific AND frighteningly relevant. What example related to riches does he use? The wages paid to laborers and the harvesters have been “kept back” by fraud and their cries have reached the Lord. When was this written? In the first century? Sure sounds like today! It is clear we will be held accountable for making our lives better (more money and things) on the backs of others (cheap labor that results in greater profit and lower prices). And lest we think we are somehow not included in this warning, we need to remember that our lifestyles are significantly subsidized by the cheap labor of immigrants who harvest our fruits and vegetables which directly impacts the price we pay at the market. And what percentage of homes in Southern California are manicured by these laborers, again, resulting in increasing our standard of living significantly?
Increasingly we are learning that many other industries and businesses benefit from laborers who have no access to protection from employment law and yet are contributing disproportionately in a way that increases the standard of living for many. James says this is wrong and that the Lord hears their cries.
I realize that immigration issues are contraversial and there are arguments on all sides. However, the scripture trumps all arguments with the law of love and justice especially for the “alien” among us, as the scripture calls all outsiders. We are to treat every person the same, without partiality and show them the love and grace that has been shown to us. This is where living the scripture gets much more difficult. When the culture around us is heading in one direction, gaining momentum, going against the flow is very difficult and holds risks. It takes careful and prayerful discernment to know how to be faithful to God’s Word when it is not the “popular” way to go. May God help us to be willing to struggle and risk in order to be faithful.