James became a believer after the first
Easter. Throughout the ministry of Jesus
he appears to have been a skeptic—and who could really blame him. He had a
relationship with Jesus that was unlike that of the Twelve. He was
the brother of Jesus, raised in the same household. But somehow the skeptic became a believer—perhaps
he had been convinced by the Resurrection.
In any case he became a Christian and leader
in the church. Early in the 40s James
wrote to the churches he cared for. These
Christians were facing trial, problems living in a world where there was major
economic disparity, confusion about the kind of leaders they should follow. He produced what is sometimes called as “essay-letter,”
a document that sometimes seems like a letter and sometimes seems like an essay. He wrote to give these Christians
practical insight into their faith.
James 3:13-18
It is the dream of many to somehow
return to the simple days of early Christianity. In their minds, that primitive church was
free of the problems plaguing today’s churches.
James reminds us that sometimes the good-old –days weren’t.
Scarcely a decade after the first
Easter, James was dealing with a church in trouble. While later writers would have to deal with
churches facing great challenges to proper doctrine, James was writing to
congregations wrestling with how to demonstrate their faith daily. While there were Gentile believers in the
40s, James seems to be focused on churches where the Christians are chiefly
from a Jewish background. While that
fact helps us understand why James wrote as he wrote, it by no means suggests
we have escaped the same problems they faced.
With that in mind, let’s look at
the tough question James raises, “Who is really wise?”
James begins his answer with a
general statement that we might paraphrase something like this, “So, you
believe you’re wise, well prove it!”
Wisdom was a goal in many ancient cultures and some modern
cultures. In the Old Testament there are
several writings that are collectively referred to as “Wisdom Literature.” This would include Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. James understood that wisdom involves a
proper understanding of God, ourselves, and our relationship with others. Whether we are wise or not is seen in our
behavior.
Looking at the congregations he
cared so much about, James had reason to wonder just how much real wisdom was
at work in their lives, especially in the lives of their leaders.
James wrote to churches filled with
bickering and a partisan spirit. It’s
hard to know just how many factions existed in these churches but you can be
sure each one believed it had the corner on truth, piety, and morality.
Years ago, when we lived in New
Orleans, Pat taught at a middle school on the city’s west bank. Most of the youngsters came from the massive
projects that loomed nearby. Well, one
girl discovered that Pat was Baptist and she announced she was Baptist
too. So, Pat asked, “What church do you
attend?”
The girl responded, “I attend the
Sanctified Baptist Church.”
“I’ve not heard of that church,”
Pat said, “how is it different than Southern Baptist churches?”
Without a hint of irony, the girl
answered, “I guess we’re just more sanctified.”
Each of the factions in the
churches James wrote probably thought it was “more sanctified.”
This is why James so quickly
introduces the issue of humility. As one
translation puts it, “Wise people aren’t proud when they do good works.” Humility is the cure for the party spirit,
that tendency to think our group is just better, smarter, more attuned to what
God has in mind. Humility is hard to attain and harder still to hold on to. After all, once we're convinced we have it, we start to lose it. Someone has said, "We ought to always pray for humility but never thank God for answering our prayer."
Because so many lacked basic
humility in James’s churches, he was concerned for their spiritual well-being. As James analyzed this situation he seems to
have realized this partisan spirit may have been rooted in what he describes as
“bitter jealousy.” This kind of
bitterness may prompt a person to one of two courses; this bitter jealousy
inspires behavior that may be self-destructive or other destructive. Of course, many people take pathways
somewhere along the line between the extremes.
For some, bitterness prompts
them to withdraw and sulk.
This bitter Christian either stays
home literally or rarely mingles with others.
Should they come to church, they just observe and fume.
They remind me of something I read
recently. The writer said the bitter
person is like someone who drinks a bottle of poison and sits down to wait for
someone else to die.
We’ve all known such people and
they are miserable. The irony is the
objects of their bitterness are often unaware and untouched by their animosity.
James seems to be addressing the
other kind of bitter Christian.
Their bitterness prompts
destructive behavior. They can’t or
won’t keep quiet about their anger and you can’t reason them out of it. They set out to be hurtful and harmful; as James
says, “they cause trouble and do all sorts of cruel things.” They leave anarchy in their wake. Nothing they do, no matter how much they may
think otherwise, produces any good.
Ultimately they are destructive.
How can this be? Aren’t these
folks Christian?
Here’s how James describes the
dynamics behind their behavior. His description
is startling.
1) It may be seen as “earthly.” Even if the person manifesting this jealous
envy should be a pillar of the church, the attitude is far from heavenly. The nicest thing James says is that it
is “earthly.” Being born again, being converted, being saved—almost any
metaphor you may use for the spiritual transformation we have in Christ
suggests we ought to experience an attitude adjustment in our hearts and
minds. We ought to have a heavenly way
of thinking. Bitterness, jealousy, and
self-centeredness prove we don’t.
After describing this thinking as
“earthly,” James seems to have stopped his pen a moment and thought, “It gets
worse.”
2)
It may be seen as “unspiritual.” The word is translated different ways: “natural,” “selfish,” and “unspiritual.” But the Amplified Version offers a suggestive
translation, saying this attitude is “animal.”
Picture a couple dogs fighting over a few scraps of garbage. Often it doesn’t matter if they are well-fed
and healthy. Rosie wants that bread
crust not so much because she’s hungry but because she doesn’t want Molly to
have it. And she’s willing to bite for
it.
3)
It may be seen as “demonic.”
James may be speaking of its
source. It is actually prompted by
Satan. Or he may be speaking of its
character; he may be saying it is the kind of attitude you’d expect from
demons.
It any case, what James says should
have shaken his readers, should have forced them to reassess their claims.
If those infected with this kind of
bitterness are unrestrained, the outcome is a Christian fellowship in
disruption. The church loses its impact
and potential to make a difference.
*******
Before I move on to the antidote
James proposes, allow me to offer to say something about challenges we
sometimes face in our churches.
I’ve spent my life in the church and over the
years I’ve discovered the church has some blind spots. Here’s one that is a special problem for our
Baptist churches. We don’t know how to
handle those who are emotionally or psychologically ill. Some of those infected with “bitter jealousy”
are wounded; some are wounded worse than others, some wounds are more
superficial; some are aware of their wounds, some have not even noticed they’re
bleeding.
I wouldn’t suggest our churches try
to cure these wounded souls—at least on our own—but we need be aware they may
do damage unless we keep a watchful eye.
They’re not to be numbered among those James is describing but the harm
they do may be the same.
The antidote for this kind of
“bitter jealousy” is the same as the antidote for the jealousy that James calls
“earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.”
Real “wisdom,” is the wisdom that
“comes from above.” James is describing
a mindset, an attitude, a perspective that has its source in heaven. Years later Paul will write of the “fruit of
the Spirit” changing a person’s character;
almost certainly James has the same thought in mind—only God can infuse
us with a state of mind that reshapes our character.
Here’s how he describes it.
1) The truly wise are marked by a character that is “pure.”
I think James pictures a character
marked by unmixed motives in our words and actions. This is probably one of the most difficult
qualities any of us might pursue. It
certainly counters any behavior that is self-centered or deceitful.
2) The truly wise are marked by a character that is “peace-loving.”
A person with this quality has a
disposition that seeks peace. It isn’t
that foolish and escapist demeanor that seeks peace at any price. Instead, it is a friendly spirit that models
what Paul describes in Romans 12: “Do
your best to live at peace with every one, though you know that isn’t always
possible.”
3) The
truly wise are marked by a character that is “gentle” or “considerate.”
Those demonstrating the attitude
James found so out of place in the church would have never demonstrated
gentleness toward others. Those touched
by God’s Spirit won’t run roughshod over others; self-centeredness isn’t part
of their demeanor.
4)
The truly wise are marked by a
character that is “compliant.”
This is a difficult idea to
express. This is the only place the
Greek word is found in the New Testament.
It doesn’t mean we ought to be so pliable that people can force us to
act against our will. The basic idea is probably that we shouldn’t be “hard to
get along with.”
5)
The truly wise are marked by a
character that is “kind.”
Unlike the ravaging animals that
James just described, those who are infused with this true wisdom stand ready
to act compassionately toward others.
6)
The truly wise are marked by a
character that is “genuine” and “sincere.”
That person with true wisdom is the
real deal. James is saying that anyone
who lives by this real wisdom never makes anyone worry about what they’re up
to. They are transparent. When they claim to be wise, people believe
it. Funny thing is they’re not likely to
make the claim.
Conclusion
The product of this kind of life is
implied in the proverb James ends with: “a
harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. “
Some scholars believe they were
words James learned from Jesus—his brother.
James understood that the truly
wise were healers. They did not tear
apart the fabric of Christian fellowship to promote themselves. Instead, they built up others, sought
harmony, and encouraged unity among fellow kingdom builders.
During Billy Graham’s Greater
Boston Crusade in 1950, a staff member of Dr Harold John Okenga’s Park Street
Church opened the pastor’s door without knocking. He was stunned to see Dr Okenga stretched out
on the floor with a small rug pulled over his head. He rightly assumed the pastor was praying for
the crusade.
Okenga had worked hard to persuade the
churches of Boston to invite the young evangelist to the city. Graham’s Los Angeles Crusade that had
catapulted him to national fame had occurred only three years before. As a leader of the Evangelical movement,
Okenga supported Billy’s ministry and believed he had a message for the people
of New England.
Graham had great success in Boston. The Catholic bishop befriended him. Billy was invited to speak at Harvard. Thousands trusted Christ.
Years later Okenga explained what
he was praying about that morning in his office. He confessed that he had been struggling with
jealousy. In a city of intellectuals,
this scholar-pastor had been working hard to reach people. Now a southern farm-boy was reaching those he
had failed to reach.
He said that he realized he had to
get the feelings under control. So he
prayed for God’s power to deal with his jealousy. God answered the prayer.
James knew that the transforming power
of God was the only power that could erase the bitter jealousy in the human
heart and fill it with true wisdom.
