The Letter of James
A reading from the Letter of James
What good is it, beloved, if you say you have faith but do not follow it with action? Can that faith save you? If someone needs clothes or lacks enough food to live on, and one of you says to them, “I wish you well, keep warm, and eat your fill,” without giving them these bare necessities, what good is that? In the same way, faith, if good deeds do not go with it, is quite dead.
But someone might say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your good deeds, and I by my acts of goodness, will show you my faith. You believe that God is one – good! But even the demons believe that and tremble.
Remember Rahab, the prostitute. Was she not justified by her deeds when she welcomed the messengers into her home, and showed them a safe road to depart? For just as the body without breath is dead, so faith without good works is also dead.
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When you hear James refer to Rahab as a prostitute, what feelings do you have about her?
Who was Rahab? Great-Great-Grandmother of King David, Rahab is one of five women mentioned in Matthew’s Genealogy of Jesus. Other than Mary, she is the only one mentioned again in the New Testament- at all. Rahab was a prostitute, “The Harlot of Jericho” and while it is the oldest profession, it gets a bad rap.
I’m speaking about prostitution as a choice vs. trafficking, which I do not condone, though the trafficked do deserve our prayers and our help for they are victims and survivors.
Sex through prostitutes can be healing. It can reach the elderly, the disabled, and otherwise lonely populations.
Take into account this true story:
Nick Wallis was a 22-year old man born with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a progressive condition which only affects people with XY chromosomes, and these individuals do not live past their thirties. Wallis wanted to lose his virginity before he died, and due to his severe physical disability a conventional romantic relationship was not in the cards for him. The hospice staff took his request seriously, and Sister Frances Dominica, founder of the All Saints hospice care approach backed his decision. Wallis arranged the visit himself via email and telephone while his parents briefly left the home. He described the experience as pleasant, but wished he could have found a girlfriend.
Why, when sex can be so healing, is prostitution usually judged so harshly?
Sex workers face significant violence from police and clients and often are the targets of victim blaming and victim shaming. When the Long Island Serial killer, Rex Heuermann, emerged, the cops didn’t take the crimes seriously because the victims were prostitutes. Officer Jimmy Burke, former Suffolk County Chief of Police (and now ex-convict), denies saying this, but is allegedly quoted as referring to them as “misdemeanor murders” in the Netflix documentary about the Long Island Serial Killer. The victims were referred to as hookers, and their families were shamed as they sought justice for their loved ones.
How can we protect sex workers? - and - Who are the sex workers most targeted right now?
LaLa Zannell, the ACLU’s Trans Justice Campaign Manager has said, “Right now, millions of people are asking what we can do to reduce abuse by law enforcement, racial disparities in our criminal justice system, and our overall jail and prison populations. One policy that can achieve all of these goals — particularly for Black trans women and immigrants — is to recognize that sex work is work and treat it like any other industry. Sex workers have been saying they face significant violence from police and clients for decades and it is time that we all listen to these voices when determining how to improve safety for sex workers.”
I will leave you with this: The call to action I am making is to protect sex workers- especially Black Trans sex workers. They provide service to our communities, are the most marginalized among us, and they need our help.
The messengers Rahab “welcomed into her home” were not simply spies- they were customers. She showed them a safe road to depart, and through her faith and her prostitution which she used to financially support her family, we are able to know and love her great-great-great-grandson Jesus. Through Rahab’s prostitution, she struck a deal with the spies that when Joshua’s army destroyed Jericho, her family would be saved through the red cord in her window, which signaled who they were, and that she was the spies’ saviors… which led to her being able to be the great-great-great-grandmother to our savior.
Remember Rahab, the prostitute. Was she not justified by her deeds when she welcomed the messengers into her home, and showed them a safe road to depart? For just as the body without breath is dead, so faith without good works is also dead.
Resources:
https://swopusa.org - Sex Worker Outreach Project
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