From: A Torah
Commentary on James 3-5 Return to Home
By Roland H. Worth, Jr. © 2014
A Torah Commentary on James,
Chapters 3-5:
Interpreting the Text in Light of
Its Old Testament Roots
by
Roland
H. Worth, Jr.
© 2014
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[Page 2]
Chapter 3A:
Overview: How the Themes are
Developed
Third Test of Our Faith:
Controlling What We Say
(3:1-12)
Being a Teacher of God’s will Carries with It
A Stricter Standard of Judgment by God
(3:1-2)
ATP text: 1 My fellow comrades: let only a minority of you become teachers;
you already recognize that such individuals will be judged more strictly than
others. 2 We all make sinful
mistakes in many ways. If anyone manages
to avoid stumbling in what is said, such is a spiritually mature person and
able to control all the body’s attitudes and actions as well.
[Page 3]
Development of
argument:
The misuse of the
tongue is mentioned twice in the preceding chapter. From the standpoint of outsiders, we read of
those “who blaspheme” the name that believers were called (2:7). In
The first twelve verses of chapter three
zeroes in on this question and stresses the need to use one’s speaking
abilities in a constructive and beneficial manner. It begins with the example of teachers, but
uses that only as a jumping-off point for a broader discussion of the issue of
verbal self-control.
Why, then, is there this stress on
teachers? As one commentator has
correctly observed, “Words are the principal, almost the only medium whereby
personalities come into meaningful touch with each other. Hence, they contribute vitally to the
development and formation of the character of the speaker, as well as vitally
influencing the lives of the hearer.”[1] This is true of all of us as individuals; it
is even more so of teachers to whom “words” are their stock in trade.
The potential for both a positive
and negative impact of speech had clear implications for James’
readership. The Christians he wrote to
had significant local problems and the potential for major conflict among
themselves (4:1-4). Indeed, the [Page
4] seriousness of some of the issues he
alludes to may well argue that they were already at that later stage and
that his rather “low key” presentation was intended as a means of discussing
the problems without causing the situation to further disintegrate by the
hurling of fierier rhetoric—language which may make the speaker feel better but
which will not necessarily change minds or behavior.
Be that as it may, there can be no realistic question that the local
teachers were in a pivotal position to exploit disagreements and create
needless division. It is hard to see how
they could be very effective teachers unless they were readers of the
sacred text and that required literacy. Indeed
a person who wished to be a leader had an automatic advantage if he possessed
the talent since most did not.
Teaching and literacy. It is estimated that only 10% of the ancient
population was literate,[2]
though one should be careful in ruling out the probability that a significantly
larger percentage were “semi-literate” and could “sound out” the words. They simply had little or no regular use of
their far more limited exposure to “reading and writing.”
By the nature of the situation, one would anticipate literacy to be a more
urban phenomena due to population concentration and with rural areas having a
more dispersed one and far lesser chance at educational opportunities—either in
fundamentals but, far more so, in advanced studies. To the extent it was available it would be
limited to the basics.
Though one should remember that there is a major distinction between
literacy and the ability to write the language—the scribe’s function—especially
in a “hand” that would be decipherable by others. Hence “scribes” came to represent a distinct
employment niche of its own.
[Page 5] This
was only natural. Even my twentieth
century generation, which had a heavy emphasis on “penmanship,” found only a
minority who were really good at it.
Virtually everyone could “read” (if they wished to take the time and had
the interest), but few could “write” well.
One might gain one’s limited or
full literacy in the ancient world in the context of home study (by tutors),
schools, or the synagogue[3]--which
included synagogue sponsored schools.
The Jewish desire and insistence that their children be educated in the
contents of the Torah takes for granted the encouragement of at least a
rudimentary literacy so that one could, when given opportunity, be able to
follow the wording of the text oneself.[4]
The great expense of manuscripts would have encouraged memorization as
well, however, among those who wished to cultivate an in-depth knowledge of
scriptural topics. Economics made large
libraries a rich man’s indulgence.
The Biblical texts themselves clearly assume a widespread level of at
least minimal literacy among the bulk of the population and a higher level
among (at least) most who were deeply envolved in religious studies. As Edward L. Bromfield concisely sums up the
evidence,[5]
The Bible expected the common people to be
able to read and write. For example, when Moses led
[Page 6]
Concerning the 1st century, one of the favorite sayings of
Jesus in rebuttal to his accusers was: “Have you not read…” This not only implied literacy to his
opponents, but also to himself and to his apostles whom he taught, for why
would he use the phrase against his accusers, if they could turn around and
cast his own words in his teeth to point out the illiteracy of his
followers? Jesus’ parable of the unjust
steward (Luke 16:6-7) implied literacy in the normal course of business in the
Jewish society.
This is also borne out in some
archeological finds dating to the 12th century BCE where Israelite inscriptions
are found on pottery and artifacts showing literacy was not exclusive to the
elite (Aaron Demsky and Moshe Kochavi, “An Alphabet from the Days of the
Judges,” Biblical Archaeological Review, Sept.-Oct. 1978, 23-25).
Moreover, just before the Jewish revolt,
the high priest Joshua ben Gamala (cir. 64 C.E.) declared that teachers would
be appointed in every town of every province throughout
[Page 7]
“Automatic” opportunities for leadership by
those with literacy and Biblical knowledge. If one had developed to the level
where one was fluent in reading and oral presentation, that obviously conveyed
considerable social and religious prestige.
Such individuals might not be right in a religious judgment, but
they were ones expected to be right.
And the ones most able to present their views with skill and precision.
In a church service context, such folk were the ones most likely to
have the opportunity to use the tongue in a negative fashion, through
destructive “sarcasm, self-display, the crushing reply.”[6] Hence the special caution urged upon them in
the current chapter and James’ earlier rebuke of misuse of the tongue (James
On the other hand, no
century—yea, no decade—is free from some religious or cultural “issue”
that can raise tempers, especially if intentionally agitated and used to
pressure others into conformity on an “agree or else” basis. Not to mention the “housekeeping chores” that
inevitably arise over time and can prove incredibly divisive in their own right: Do we really want that color a
carpet? Is that design for additional
classrooms “superb” or “horrible”? Is it
time to increase the preacher’s salary?
Note how James’
wording can cover all of these and many more.
For James the question does not even rise to the issue of “what” the
issue is, but of behavior concerning any and all controversies.
Since matters would without doubt arise
that were potentially divisive, everyone needed to be reminded to watch
what they said. Even when justified, they
could still needlessly inflame a difficult and trying situation—driving it from
“difficult” into “uncontrollable.” A
mere quick reading of the text shows that, though teachers are specifically
targeted, the logic has inevitable application to everyone else as well,
whether involved directly in teaching or simply an “everyday” member.
[Page 8] And this is intended to benefit—rather
than merely “limit”--each individual: by
gaining control over what we say, we have a foundation to build on in gaining
mastery over the rest of our life (1:2b).
We have shown that we have a “handle” on what seems beyond control and
that demonstrates that other problem areas can be dealt with as well.
James is concerned
with the “what” is said and the “how” it is said and the consequences that can
easily occur if one is not using wisdom and self-control in what is said. This could easily be misread by the skittish
teacher as a reason for silence or for saying only something vague and without
any substance. If one does not
understand a Biblical text that is the best course! Or, at least, to make one’s uncertainty clear
so the listener will not place the same value on it as the rest of what is taught.
In other cases it is
not so much a matter of not “understanding” a text, but understanding it all
too well—and being concerned with how others will react. As one writer concisely expressed it, “Many
times the problem is not so much what is said, but what should be said and
isn’t.”[7] How one overcomes the reluctance to speak
reveals how dedicated a teacher we are and how we handle what comes next shows
how capable a teacher one really is.
To not share God’s
word candidly is cowardliness. But to
pour verbal gasoline on it to make the teaching the most provocative and
insulting we can possibly make--that is something far different. It is to use God’s word as an excuse to
unleash the “inner cobra” under the disguise of being spiritually stalwart.
[Page 9] And it is in the stress of dealing
with controversial doctrines, practices, and just plain strange human behaviors
that we run into one of the greatest dangers of the misuse of the tongue—that it,
rather than our insight and self-control, takes over our handling of the
situation and makes an uneasy situation uncontrollable. James’ actual argument hits hard on the principle
of controlling what one says, surely for this very reason—whether as student or
teacher we can strip a scriptural discussion into a “grudge match” in which
both truth and the congregational welfare is lost sight of. Not to mention providing the encouragement
and support for change that the morally compromised so badly needs.
If we act so precipitously in such a situation,
are we likely to act with self-control in dealing with others with whom we do
not even share the bond of mutual faith?
Nor should we overlook this startling fact: this anonymous prototype of teachers is
conspicuously not labeled as a false teacher or heretical. So far as know, not one thing is wrong about
what he teaches as truth on any matter.[8] But he makes a mockery of his faith and
becomes an obstacle to faith because of the lack of control.
Those who (rightly) put a great emphasis on
sticking with Bible doctrine need to learn this lesson well. Having doctrine right doesn’t give you a
Divine carte blanche to run over the feelings and principles of others. There is a vast difference between trying to
get others to see the truth and rolling over them with a verbal bulldozer. If you’ve chased people away “because of the
truth” is it really the truth that is driving them or your hot
temper?
[Page 10]
Totally independent of
real or imagined doctrinal issues, the tongue can also be abused by a teacher
in other ways as well. It can manifest
arrogant superiority to others. You can
make people feel dumb due to the “what” and the “how” you say it. You may also distort, misrepresent, or
outright lie not to strike out at others but to keep from having to admit that you
yourself have either done wrong or made a grievous error in behavior or
reasoning. And special indignation is
easily dumped on you as a teacher or
preacher because if you had been anyone else there would have been less
shock that a high standard of conduct had been ignored.
The ancient rabbis
mention such cases as this and how the honorable post of teacher is dishonored
as the result and how the man is scorned by his listeners,[9]
If a man devotes himself to study, and
becomes learned, to the delight and gratification of his teachers, and yet is
modest in conversation with less intelligent people, honest in his dealings,
truthful in his daily walks, the people say, “Happy is the father who allowed
him to study God's law; happy the teachers who instructed him in the ways of
truth; how beautiful are his ways; how meritorious his deeds! Of such an one the Bible says, ‘He said to
me, Thou art my servant; oh,
But when a man devotes himself to study,
and becomes learned, yet is disdainful with those less educated than himself,
and is not particular in his dealings with his fellows, then the people say of
him, "Woe to the father who allowed him to study God's law; woe to those
who instructed him; how censurable is his conduct; how loathsome are his
ways! ‘Tis of such an one the Bible
says, 'And from his country the people of the Lord glorified.’ ”
[Page 11] The basic point is that he loses
both credibility and followers. And, if
he is only mildly unlucky, the message he preaches also suffers
collateral damage for it has had no impact upon actual behavior. (Which brings us back to the reality of
“faith (claims) and (actual) works” being interlocked, as is discussed in
chapter two!)
Small Things Control
both Horses and Ships,
So It Should Come as no Surprise that the
Tongue Can Produce Disproportionate Results as Well
(3:3-5)
[Page 12]
ATP text: 3 We put bits in horses' mouths to
make them obey us, and we can turn their entire body in any direction we
wish. 4 Look also at sailing
ships: even though they are very large
and are driven by fierce winds, they are still turned by a very small rudder in
whatever direction the pilot desires. 5
Similarly the tongue is also only a little part of the body and yet brags
about greatness. See how huge a forest a
little fire can burn!
Development of
Text:
“Disproportionality” is the
theme of this section: A tongue is so
modest in size you would think it could do little and certainly not create huge,
overwhelming negative consequences. He
uses three illustrations to convey his point that the tongue has far more power
than its mere appearance would suggest.
Each of these was commonly used in the ancient world, sometimes in
conjunction with one or more of the others.[10]
Ben Witherington III
rightly sees in this James’ determination to be a constructive and beneficial
teacher to his listeners—to which I would add, in implicit contrast with
the want-to-be teachers (verse 1) who too easily used whatever ability they had
and let it “run loose” and risk harm to others (verse 5). As Witherington expresses it,[11]
That many of these ideas and illustrations [in
the book of James, RW] are stock items in Greco-Roman wisdom shows not only the
scope of James’s knowledge, but his effort to speak a wisdom to his Diaspora
audience with which they will be familiar.
While it is probably right that James is adapting earlier adoptions of
Greco-Roman wisdom into Hellenistic Jewish ways of discoursing, nonetheless he
is creative in the way he handles the material.
It was the task of the sage to reformulate things in a way that was
coherent and congenial with the author’s own manner of teaching and the
audience’s capacity for learning. In
other words, he has made the material his own, whatever its source.
[Page 13]
James begins with a horse. Their size will vary from type to type, of
course. Furthermore, it is usually
assumed that ancient horses were significantly smaller than modern ones.
For one thing the Roman cavalrymen were
trained to be able to leap on their mounts while fully armored and even when
they were running and that would certainly have limited their preferred height![12] The
size of horses used seems to have increased in the first century in spite of
this[13] and
it is sometimes assumed (quite reasonably) that the officers’ mounts were
deliberately chosen to be larger for prestige reasons if nothing else.[14]
But
one thing all horses have in common, then or today: they are huge in comparison with the
bits placed in their mouths to control them (3:3). Yet control them it does, disproportionate “influence”
or not. “We can turn their entire body
in any direction we wish” (ATP); “we are able to make it go where we want”
(TEV).
James next moves to something even larger. First century B.C. and A.D. sailing vessels
could be of surprisingly large size. The smallest in the Egyptian-Rome grain
trade were in the 100 ton capacity range and we have literary and
archaeological evidence of larger ones--300, 400, and 500 tons. “We must wait until the sixteenth century
before we see vessels of similar tonnages plying the waters of the
[Page 14] One thing these—and other sailing
vessels carrying other products—all had in common: a rudder tiny in size compared to the entire
boat. Even when it was the kind of boat
James emphasizes, a “large” one (3:4).
“Fierce winds” could drive a boat, of
course (3:4), but that is to be expected because they are so powerful; no other
result is imaginable. But that small
rudder could easily turn the vessel (3:4), exercising a huge influence in spite
of its comparatively minor size. It
could also precisely control the course and direction of travel on a calculated
basis that even the storm could never duplicate. The storm was “raw” power; the rudder was “controlled
power.” (Potentially at least.) So is the tongue when we use it.
Invoking the image of a forest fire comes
next (3:5). It begins as little or
nothing. Sometimes just sparks. Other times a small cooking fire. But give it the opportunity to spread and it
mushrooms far out of proportion.
Some have noted that the word for “forest”
simply means “wood” and stress has been placed on the fact that forests in our
western sense are uncommon in the Near East.
On the other hand Palestinian hills often had much in the way of brush
coverage and if that “wood” catches fire, the result would be the same—a
small origin and a large devastation.[17]
Major damage would be expected in such
cases even by a highly urban audience little acquainted with rural conditions. The classic illustration comes later than James,
in the situation when
[Page 15] Narrow streets, shoddy construction,
a multitude of wood structures made it easy for even a small fire to get out of
hand and burn down several buildings or more.
It was a routine danger. At least
The lesser fires occurred commonly enough
for every resident to recognize how vastly a small fire could spread into a
major conflagration. In a rural setting
they would automatically recognize that stopping it would be even more
hopeless. For fire watches would not be
in existence.
There is a great difference between these
other small objects that create disproportionate impacts and the human
tongue: the human tongue loves to brag
of what it can do: “it boasts great
things” (3:5). It brags and points to the
speaker’s supposedly great accomplishments.
Hence the ATP’s “brags about greatness” and the BBE rendering “it takes
credit for great things.” The God’s Word
translation: “it can brag about doing
important things.”
Since James’ stress is on the negative
things the tongue can do, his point is likely that what the tongue can brag the
most about—if it dares—is the evil it can inflict! The last thing anyone would normally admit to.
[Page 16] (On
the other hand, some have carved out long-lasting reputations as
“defenders of the faith” by the gut-tearing they’ve done with tongue and pen. Sad as it is to say.)
In contrast bits and rudders, don’t
brag: they simply “do,” producing an
intended “good” by their action (the right direction, the right course). In contrast, the fire produces only one thing
and that is destruction on some level.
So in its destructive potential its “role model” is clearly the fire
that rages out of control.
A different ancient approach: Since James specifically has in mind teachers
who provide de facto if not de jure leadership of the congregation, some have
argued that what James really has in mind is how the church is properly
controlled by the effective use of their teaching. They turn “their whole body” (3:3), a term
that in Pauline usage is applied to the church.
Furthermore the imagery of the boat as being controlled brings up the
imagery of the church as a boat in the church fathers, an image that some
imaginative souls have tried to squeeze into the boat/ark of Noah’s day (1
Peter 3:20) and into the boat where Jesus was with His disciples (Matthew
8:23-26).[18]
Of course this is an
interpretive reach—with a vengeance. There
is nothing obvious that would make one expect a borrowing of Pauline image and
the logic stands quite well on its own feet without such borrowing. (The “war in your members” in 4:1, though, is
surely a reference to our individual internal conflicts and not to
congregational ones—though the eruption of such can certainly create the
latter as “fallout”!)
Furthermore, “ships” and “bits” is James’
language. We would not anticipate such
“plural” usage when, in reality congregations in the singular are under
consideration.[19] Admittedly this might be an effective
sermonic application of James’ words, but certainly not his actual
object.
[Page 17]
Although James is
orientated toward stressing the potential negative impact of the tiny tongue,
if we stop to think about it that small instrument can have a huge positive
impact as well--when it is used to express the moral excellence and character that
should dwell in our soul. And when it is
used to encourage the development of such in others as well.
The ancient Plutarch worded it this way
(utilizing the same images of James!), “And again. ‘’Tis character persuades
and not the speech.’ No, rather it is both
character and speech, or character by means of speech, just as a
horseman uses a bridle, or a helmsman uses a rudder, since virtue has no
instrument so humane or so akin to itself as speech.”[20]
How many great
revivals have been sparked by men who were recognized as sincere, virtuous, and
powerful examples of what it meant to be a Christian—by the use of that same
tiny tongue that others use to divide, humiliate, and destroy? Hence the tongue is very definitely the
proverbial “two edged sword.” It can
sweep aside danger or it can be used to create the danger.
James, however is not yet
concerned with explicitly presenting that side of the situation. He is apparently faced with such manifest
abuse of speaking abilities that the destructive side has to be put front and
center--the readers being rhetorically “beat over the head” to make them fully
aware of the kind of folly that their misuses could create.
And probably had already. He is determined to leave them no hiding
place. So he doesn’t even implicitly get
to the positive use of the tongue until verse 13.
[Page 18]
Uncontrolled, the Tongue Produces Vast Evil
Yet It Can Never Be as Completely Controlled
As It Should Be
(3:6-10)
ATP text: 6 And the tongue is a fire, a
world of iniquity. The tongue is so set
among our members that it can defile the entire body. It sets on fire the course of our life and is
itself inflamed by hell. 7 Every
type of beast and bird, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, can be tamed and
has been tamed by humans. 8 In
contrast, no one can bring the tongue fully under control. It is a disruptive evil, filled with
dangerous poison. 9 With it
we praise our God and Father and yet we also use it to denigrate mortals, who
have been made in the likeness of God. 10
Out of the same mouth comes both blessing and cursing. My fellow comrades, this ought not to happen!
Development of
argument:
[Page 19]
Building on the image of the vast
devastation that can be produced by what began as only a small fire (3:5),
James stresses that the same thing happens in the human experience: What the tongue says may seem insignificant—what
terrible things can come from something so insignificant in size? Yet it can result in “defiling” our own body
and inflaming our own inner embers as if they had been lit by the fires of hell
itself (3:6).
For the word here is Gehenna
and the linking of it to fire is also found in Jesus’ personal teaching. He warned of those who “shall be in danger of
hell fire” (Matthew
Literally speaking, Gehenna
(= the
Ever hear of any one building an expensive
home in a garbage dump? Or brag of it to
others?
Hence to make His point James reaches out
to the worst possible location he can:
not the fire cooking the food or the fire keeping the room warm. From those sources the [Page 20] “fire” imagery would have a positive
aspect for they produce a beneficial result.
Instead he selects a place of fire that is so repugnant that any “fires”
that it might produce are assumed to stink to high heaven of the refuse and
garbage. And these fires are,
symbolically speaking, produced by “lighting the fire” of their tongues!
But in the real world the fires of the dump
got rid of the trash. But these fires destroy the good, the wholesome,
the desirable. Everything gets destroyed
on the altar of our pride-driven tongue!
It doesn’t even have the “virtue” of the physical dump which gets rid of
human wastes!
James makes the point that our tongue has a
“nature” far different than anything else in the created world. Looking around us, “every kind” of animal that
walks on the earth, flies in the sky, or lives in the sea seems tamable if we
set our minds to it. Indeed they have
been so mastered both today and in the past (“is tamed and has been tamed,”
3:7).
Note to those who like to make mountains
out of molehills: this is a
generalization. I have no doubt that he
would have conceded that certain creatures had not been tamed—assuming he had
heard of some of the more exotic ones you and I take for granted but which
would have been unknown to his experience. The point is that one would have
been hard pressed to find any animal that failed to meet that standard
of “tamability.” As such it creates a
valid basis for an argument and a generalization.
The human problem is that we can’t control
our own tongue. Everything else
we can conquer; we are defeated by ourselves.
Worst, it never seems satisfied for it is “an unruly evil” (3:8; “a
restless evil,” ESV, NIV, RSV; “an uncontrollable evil,” GW, ISV; “a disruptive
evil,” ATP).
[Page 21] When
we are doing this, we are really making a situation worse and worse. It is sometimes described as “digging a
deeper hole for ourselves.” The tongue
does that all too easily. Rather than
shutting up while we are still ahead or we haven’t made a total fiasco
of the situation, it keeps going and going making it even worse.
Verse 9 contains a touch of what might be
called religious humor or satire for it would be irrelevant to the
irreligious: “With it we bless our God
and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of
God.” Oh, we are religious. We have the greatest love and affection for
“our God and Father:” for we freely “bless” Him (“praise,” CEV, GW, NIV; “give
thanks to,” TEV; “give praise to,” BBE).
But when we turn to those who are “made in
the similitude of God” and toward whom we would naturally expect parallel
consideration, it is something very different (3:9). (“Similitude:” “Likeness [of God],” ASV, GW, ISV, NASB, NIV,
Toward God, absolute courtesy and respect;
toward our fellow mortals, absolutely no restraint. If you will:
God is to be feared; man is to be destroyed. Hence in our ATP we word it, “Out of the same
mouth comes both blessing and cursing,” good and bad, praise and condemnation
in the widest sense of both.
[Page 22] Clearly
James regards this as morally unhinged; one may claim to be a follower
of God’s will, but one is giving the lie to it by one’s behavior.
Aside: Was the “city dump” the physical model for
Jesus’ and James’ language of Gehenna? The vast bulk of commentators say so, but
there is another current of opinion that asserts that the archaeological work
from the area provides no evidence of massive burnings and that the earliest
literary reference to the dump scenario only comes from the Jewish scholar
Kimichi (c. 1200 A.D.).
However, human sacrifices were
offered in the valley by fire to the pagan god Moloch. Of King Ahaz we read, “But he walked in the
way of the kings of
Jeremiah specifically indicates that the
place was the valley of Hinnom and that it would be filled with the dead bodies
of those perishing when God’s wrath was unleashed, “And they have built the
high places of Tophet, which is
in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters
in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into My heart.
Therefore behold, the days are coming, says the Lord,
when it will no more be called Tophet, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but
the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Tophet until there is no room”
(Jeremiah 6:31-32).
Hence the valley would be full of dead
bodies in the same place that their children had been burned to death as idol
offerings. It seems easy to see how this
would, conceptually, easily translate into “they will be thrown into the
place where their children were thrown into the fire” as if they themselves were also being thrown into it as well. It would be a natural rhetorical development
whether the valley was used as the city dump or not. After all, in ancient days human bodies had
been literally put into fires at that site.
[Page 23] It
should also be considered that if one were deciding to build such a facility
(refuge dump), what better—or more likely--place to put it than a valley
that had been repeatedly defiled by the fires of human sacrifices? A desecrated site for a necessary but
distasteful and vile side-effect of life—getting rid of the wastes. In other words, probability works in behalf
of a / the dump being in that location.
Furthermore, Jesus speaks as if the
allusion to Gehenna would be one easily understood by His listeners. Unless it had a reasonable connection to some
local point where fires were regularly burning (like a dump) how could He
possibly have made this kind of argument?
Does it not require some local
identifiable site that they would believe is being used to make a spiritual
point? Hence we are back to where we
began—if He doesn’t refer to the then current usage of the
We concede that its past historical--rather
than current--usage might have been referred to, but that seems significantly
less probable. It’s the KISS principle
(Keep It Simple Stupid) at work: make
the allusion obvious and easily identifiable.
Current usage would work better to assure that.
Furthermore, the same local allusion
seems clearly intended in the eternal fire language of the Old Testament. In Isaiah 66, the prophet speaks of a place
of burning where the evil would be disposed of in the time of God’s triumph, “23 And it shall come [Page
24] to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to
another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me, says the Lord. 24 And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the
men who have transgressed against Me.
For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They
shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”
Can we read this—or
Jesus—without believing that a local site is clearly the jumping off point for
the prophet’s imagery? A place that was already
being used for burning. Again, the “city
dump” scenario—whatever spiritual applications may be intended to be grafted
upon top of it.
We Should Imitate Nature:
It Never Brings
From the Same Source
(3:11-12)
ATP text: 11 Does the same spring send out
both drinkable water and bitter tasting from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my comrades,
bear olives or a grapevine bear figs?
Similarly, no source of salt water can also pour out drinkable water.
[Page 25]
Development of
argument:
To illustrate how (spiritually) insane it
is to treat God with honor but those created in His image with verbal (and
presumably other) contempt, James argues from nature. It is flat out unnatural.
Take a spring that is
pouring forth its water. It is not going
to simultaneously be pouring forth both “fresh” water and “bitter” water
(3:11), that is “salt water” (3:12). It
simply is not going to happen.
Some translations of
3:11 shift this a little in an effort to bring a clearer understanding: instead of “fresh” and “bitter,” we have “sweet”
and “bitter” water” (BBE, Holman, TEV, Weymouth, Young’s Literal), “fresh and
brackish” (ISV), or “drinkable water and bitter tasting” (ATP). A few opt to bring out the moral
overtone: “clean and polluted water”
(GW) or “clean water and dirty water” (CEV).
But here we clearly get into the conclusion James wants us to
draw rather than the argument based upon which we are to reach that
conclusion.
The reading in verse 12 continues the
argument that has just been made, but a significant number of manuscripts have
a shift from what a spring does to what a pond does, producing this type of translation: “Neither can a salt pond yield fresh
water” (ESV). Hence making the same
basic argument, once from the standpoint of a spring and then from the
standpoint of a pond. In both cases the
“type” of water is going to be uniform.
Likewise a Christian’s speech should be uniform—in a good direction and
not a destructive one.
[Page 26]
Next James switches to
fruit-bearing trees: “Can” (i.e., is it
possible at all?) for a fig tree to grow olives or for an olive vine to produce
figs (
Hence James introduces
a double argument—from water and from agricultural products—both of which are
firmly grounded in nature and what is natural and unnatural. So unnatural it can’t be expected and it
simply can’t be done. Period. Yet Christians, in their (unintentional? unthinking?) arrogance, think they can “flow
forth” with two incompatible ways of treating people and that there is nothing
wrong with it.
At times they are soothing spiritual
counselors attempting to help you deal with your difficulties and
weaknesses. At other times they are
tearing your heart out with savage innuendo and insult. Worse yet, with some people you aren’t fully
sure which it will be till the words start coming out of their mouths.
In contemporary argument of today, this is
probably the point where the author would have added, “Are you stark raving insane?”
Similar incongruity
arguments—i.e., how can both possibly occur?—are found in ancient
Greco-Roman philosophers:[21]
[Page 27]
Plutarch, arguing that an individual should
remain content with one’s naturally suited role in life, states: “We do not expect the vine to bear figs, nor
the olive grapes.” And again, Epictetus
exclaims, “For how can a vine be moved to act, not like a vine, but like an
olive, or again, an olive to act, not like an olive, but like a vine? It is impossible, inconceivable.”
Finally, Seneca states this same
principle: “Do you think a sane person
would marvel because apples do not hang from the brambles of the woodland? Would he marvel because thorns and briars are
not covered with some useful fruit?”
The
precedent for James’ incongruity analysis rests directly and most immediately,
of course, upon Jesus having utilized the same kind of argument. Jesus warned His listeners that a good test
of whether a prophet was true or not was whether the actions were consistent
with the claims:
15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in
sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You
will know them by their fruits. Do men
gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so,
every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A
good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the
fire. 20 Therefore by their
fruits you will know them (Matthew 7).
[Page 28]
Indeed,
He Himself argued from the incongruity of claiming to be a follower of God
while all types of horrible evil comes out of the mouth:
33 Either make the tree good and its fruit good,
or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.
34 Brood of vipers! How can
you, being evil, speak good things? For
out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man
out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man
out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to
you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the
day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and
by your words you will be condemned
(Matthew 12; cf. the parallel account in Luke
With
such a vigorous precedent to remember, is it any surprise that James’ argument
should be present in forceful and “undodgable” language as well? Both wanted to root out any chasm between
claims and practice.
Fourth Test of Our Faith:
Manifesting the Right Attitude in What We Do
(3:13-18)
[Page 29]
There is far more to
life than what comes out of the mouth--though that can either heal or make
things worse. Hence, James next turns to
a discussion of how true wisdom requires a destruction of self-centeredness (
The Underlying Principle:
How We Act
Demonstrates the Motives and Attitudes
In Our Hearts
(
ATP text: 13 Who is wise and well-instructed
among you? Show by good conduct that
your behavior is motivated by the humility that comes from wisdom.
[Page 30]
Development of
argument:
Everyone wishes to be thought of as
intelligent and, perhaps, well educated in addition. Even the person who lacks “book learning”
wants to be regarded as fully competent and able in their individual career
choice, preferably a step above the competency of everyone else doing the same
thing. It’s a matter of self-respect and
establishing one’s ability. Not (at its
best) running someone else “down,” but building oneself “up.”
James raises the
tender question of how one proves our intellectual success. He argues that we demonstrate it not by the
scholars and experts we can quote, but by how we treat others. In his—and our—culture, to say that a person
is “wise and understanding” easily becomes a euphemism for saying he’s puffed
up and egotistical and occasionally visits planet earth to mingle with the
unwashed heathen who are his brethren.
In contrast, James defines intellectual
success not as mere book learning but in terms of how we treat those we regard
as less wise and less perceptive. That
proves what we really are. Just as character
is proved by action and not claim, likewise true knowledge and insight is
verified in the same manner.
Note that he doesn’t
say we are actually smarter than they are.
Merely that we think we are or claim we are. This seems to carry unspoken freight: if you aren’t really the perceptive and well
instructed person you perceive yourself to be . . . then, of course, you
are going to act boorish. You stand
self-indicted by the gap between your pretensions and your behavior.
[Page 31] Either way—genuinely smarter or
not--they stand self-condemned. Even if
they have true wisdom and perceptivity they should know better for they
haven’t been using it in their relationship with others. Unused talents are worthless talents, aren’t
they?
First century society
highly commended humility—if you were a slave or if your social status was not
high. Among those who were free or of
significant societal “standing,” humility would normally be considered as out
of place and a needless denigration of one’s own status.[22] Hence to expect all church members to show
such restraint would have been a major rewriting of the “social rules”
anticipated in Greek influenced society.
Especially would this be the case of the
teachers with which James began the chapter.
By the nature of their “calling” they occupied a de facto special status
since few would actually be such. Hence
with their limited numbers came a certain prestige and “standing,” at least
within the Christian community. Yet
they, too, were expected to exercise a generous standard toward all others,
both because they were Christians and because of the special influence they
would have.
Being “wise and understanding” envolves two
overlapping areas. First, how we act
when we are routinely going about our business without any special involvement
with others; secondly how we interact with others. The first consists of our demeanor when we
are in “neutral” so to speak: we are
just “doing what we would normally be doing” and nothing is specially happening
in regard to other people. Nothing
beyond, perhaps, a nod and a smile.
[Page 32] Like
the Pharisee and the sinner Jesus refers to as going into the
We discover, virtually inadvertently, just
how much their faith actually shaped their lives when they are simply “being
themselves.” And it should be
exhibiting a major effect. One
commentator suggests a possible intended verbal tie-in with the Old Testament and
it fits in well here,[23]
James was steeped in the Old Testament, and
the Hebrew word for “wisdom” has the nuance of skill. Specifically, the kind of wisdom that the Book
of Proverbs exhorts us to seek is the skill to produce an attractive life in
God’s sight. James may have had in mind
Job 28:28, which in the LXX uses the same Greek words for wisdom and
understanding. It reads, “And to man He
said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is
understanding.’”
True wisdom is based on knowledge, but it
is more than knowledge. It is the
ability to live in a manner pleasing to God because you understand His truth
and you live in constant submission to His Spirit, applying that truth to all
of life.
[Page 33]
And then there is the
area of life that James is centered upon and which grows out of that individual
relationship with God that we should have fully developed: Our actions toward others. The poorer.
The richer. The ones we like and
the ones we dislike. Humility and
consistent courteous treatment of others was clearly one of the practical
fundamentals of a proper lifestyle in James’ mind. Without it our pretensions to true “status” are
useless. No matter what official or
unofficial “post” we hold or how prestigious are our intellectual credentials.
What Is Manifested in Our Behavior
If Our Motives Grow Out of
Envy and Self-Centeredness
(3:14-16)
ATP text: 14 But if you have bitter envy and
self-centered ambition in your heart, do not brag about yourself and so betray
the truth. 15 This wisdom
does not come down from heaven, but is of earthly origin, self-centered,
demonic. 16 Why do I say
this? Where envy and self-centered
ambition exist, there is turmoil and every moral failure.
[Page 34]
Development of
argument:
Unfortunately many of the “smart folk” in
the world—even in the church—have the wrong attitude toward both others and
themselves.
In their heart they
are full of “bitter envy” (3:14; also in ATP, BBE, Holman, NIV; “bitter
jealousy,” ASV, CEV, ISV, NASB, RSV; “bitterly jealous,” GW; the TEV,
interestingly, lists the two items separately, perhaps to emphasize that each
is wrong in and of itself: “jealous,
bitter”). It’s not necessarily that they
don’t have what they need to be happy and content. They often have enough to make most folks
(and themselves when they are in a better mood) quite satisfied.
But to see someone else have something
different, but which they emotionally misinterpret as “better,” that galls
them. For some this is a departure from
their normal level-headedness.
For others it is chronic: they always find someone else having a
possession, ability, or respect that they do not enjoy. It would (just temporarily, unfortunately)
make them feel better if it was where it “belonged,” i.e., with them—that
is, until they come across another appealing [fill in the blank] that would then
meet their “joy high” for another few days, weeks, or months. Because they find in others rather than
themselves what they seek, they are doomed to perpetual discontent.
[Page 35] And it inevitably affects both what
they say and how they say it: The
description of them as “bitter” suggests that the teachers sharing in this
fault “were ferocious, emotively expressive, harsh, and angry. . . . However foreign it might be to the Western
Christian world, we should not ignore the possible physical violence involved
in this language (cf. 4:2; see also
They have mixed two
negatives together: to the nasty cooking
pot of envy they have stirred in bitterness—making the resulting “stew” even
nastier. Or, as one writer has put it,
“If ‘envy’ is desire for what another has, ‘bitter envy’ must mean a person
wants something so much that he is angry and hateful over it. Bitterness is a child of anger and
resentment.”[25]
Can the result be anything else but
hateful—even if hidden behind pious rhetoric?
Unfortunately some become masters of using their piety to cut the other
to the quick—out of the most “dedicated motives,” of course. Sometimes such people actually believe what
they are saying (and self-deception gets added to the bitter stew); it becomes
a religiously sanctioned way of getting in the dagger. In other cases there is an element of
conscious misuse of position and influence.
Either way it remains sinful.
The second
characteristic they have is being permanently “self-seeking” (3:14; “selfish,”
TEV; “selfishness,” CEV; “selfish ambition,” Holman, NASB, NIV, RSV;
“self-centered ambition,” ATP, GW; “rivalry,” ISV, Rotherham, Weymouth, Young;
“desire to get the better of others,” BBE).
It isn’t wrong to wish to advance one’s interests. It is wrong when it becomes an
obsession or is done to the harm of others.
When it is the “I” who is the only one who counts.
[Page 36] Can one be self-seeking in the
negative sense without regarding others as rivals? Does it not too easily become a “zero sum”
game, in which there is no room for both of us be successful but only one
of us—myself of course! Hence “envy” must
go hand-in-hand with “self-seeking,” for it is through the latter that we try
to assuage and remove the envy—by obtaining what is sought.
Envy carries with it
unadmitted freight, however: if they really
do have something so much more important and better than us, they must be
more important and greater than us! The
insightful pagan ancients were well aware of this. Pliny once spoke of how, “Envy always implies
conscious inferiority wherever it resides.”[26] Or as the mid-twentieth century evangelical
C. S. Lewis wisely put it, “We dislike the Big Noise at the party because we
want to be the Big Noise.”[27]
James warns his
readers that if they exhibit these two character faults, they are the last
people who should “boast” about themselves (3:14; also: NIV, RSV; “boasting,” ISV, Rotherham;
“boastfully,” Weymouth; “brag,” ATP, CEV, Holman; “arrogant,” NASB). They must puff themselves up to make them
look as if they are greater than they really are to compensate for their
perceived lacks. Nothing external is
really compelling them to do it; only the fires of their own ego.
In doing this they
inevitably “lie against the truth” for to establish themselves as what their
fantasy would make them out to be, they have to misrepresent and distort the
truth—about both themselves and others.
Perhaps other translations bring out a bit
better this element of distorting reality:
these folk “lie to cover up the
truth, CEV; are “false to the truth,” RSV; “talking falsely against what is
true,” BBE; “showing yourself false against the truth,” Rotherham; “lie in
defiance of the truth,” Holman; “speak . . . falsely, in defiance of the
truth,” Weymouth; “lying against the truth,” ISV; “deny the truth,” NIV;
“betray the truth,” ATP).
[Page 37] To be blunt, they are not going to
let something as “unimportant” as truth and reality stand in the way of their
delusions. (Think of politicians when
they have to go from hyperbole to outright fantasy to attempt to justify
themselves in doing something unsavory.)
To the extent that
this kind of behavior can be an expression of “wisdom” at all, it certainly is
not of Divine origin; it does not come “from above” but originates in the
“earthly, sensual, demonic” (3:15). The
first half of the argument is to strip such behavior of any claim to having
God’s approval. It doesn’t have it. This kind of behavior can not and will not be
endorsed or encouraged by Him.
Commentators have
often suggested that this trio of evil “form a climax, each one indicating
greater alienation from God.”[28] With “demonic” at the end of the list, one
can easily see the reasoning behind the approach. More likely the point is to be all
inclusive, i.e., there is no good place to have gotten these traits
from.
It is as if James is
saying: Your self-centered ego has
betrayed you. Which of these negative
sources would you prefer to admit is your true motivation? Obviously none of these are
complimentary! Furthermore, whichever
one they might choose, it is still a totally inadequate justification for their
behavior—and they full well know it. It
is simply indefensible.
[Page 38] It is
almost as if there is an undercurrent here, flowing beneath the text: “You think there is some other way to justify
yourself? They either all come down to
one of these—or if you can somehow come up with a different
alternative--to one that is equally inadequate.”
He justifies his
highly negative selection of unconscious motivations on the simple ground that
they explain what is actually happening:
where these are present you can’t stop negative things from
happening. “Every evil thing” is present
(
He seems to be saying
that, “I’m pulling my punches. You’ve
got a bad situation. I know it and you
know it. The kind of examples I give
touch just the edge of it.”
We see here a very
perceptive arguer. Sometimes it does
absolutely no good to “hit a person over the head” with every dumb or foolish
thing they’ve done. For one thing, many
are going to stop listening. For
another, the longer the list, the more likely you are going to have something
on it that they can find a self-justifying rationale around.
So he limits himself
to a few characteristics that virtually no one can question—in particular,
treating the poor with contempt in church services and neglecting the destitute
(chapter 2) and outright mistreatment of them (chapter 5). The wise teacher argues from where the
unwilling listener is most vulnerable and most unable to dodge the
criticism. The aim being: “Learn the lesson here and it won’t be half
as hard applying it to other matters.”
A. T. Robertson
suggests that the personality pattern being described is one that could be
“justified”—in their minds—by the religious “motive” they claimed was behind
it. Actually, it let the teachers build
up their own egos by tearing down others—all in the name of being steadfast
defenders of the gospel . . . not to mention that the same thing happens
today both out of these reasons as well as misguided over-enthusiasm,[29]
[Page 39]
“The whole of Christianity of many a
devotee consists only, we may say, in a bitter contempt for the sins of
sinners, in a proud and loveless contention with what it calls the wicked
world” (Stier). The point of James is
precisely this.
The very contentiousness which they
regarded as supreme proof of their qualifications as exponents of the faith is
here urged by James as absolute proof that they are disqualified for the
position of teachers. Their bitterness
makes it improper for them to talk about love and gentleness. Sometimes the very fierceness of one’s contention
for orthodoxy drives some people into heresy.
It is a sad outcome when one’s high and holy ambition to teach the
things of Christ is frustrated by a Christless spirit of wrangling and personal
abuse.
To many preachers of
the gospel, to denounce sin seems virtually equivalent to triumphing over
it—even when few or no one is changing behavior due to their harshness. “Steamroller religion” can make a pulpiteer
feel good; it can unleash his most creative (and destructive) talents. But when ferocity is effectively defined as
“success”--rather than repentance being such--what has really been gained?
In all fairness, there were times in my
preaching career when I suspected that there were more than a few listeners
who defined orthodoxy as this teaching style and felt most comfortable when
matters were approached this way: The
sermon was to be their “weekly spanking” so they could feel appropriately
guilty—and go out and continuing doing the same thing over again. If was their “penance” for their sin.
[Page 40]
What is Manifested in Our Behavior If
Our Motives Are What They Should Be
(3:17-18)
ATP text: 17 But the wisdom that originates
from heaven is first pure, then peace seeking, gentle, open to persuasion, full
of kindness and good deeds, consistent and without pretence. 18 Now
the harvest of being acceptable with God is planted in peace by those who aim
to maintain peace.
Development of
argument:
Paul asks:
What is love (1 Corinthians 13)?
James asks: What is wisdom? What is prudent and reflects true
insight? Yet the answer to both questions
reflect the same essential conclusions.
Love and wisdom create similar repercussions and “fall out” from their
existence: Just and fair treatment of
others.
[Page 41] How can people know that what they
are doing reflects the best course, reflects the greatest possible “wisdom?” James argues for the standard being wisdom
“from above,” an obvious euphemism for “from heaven” (ATP, BBE, NIV) or “from
God.” Or as Proverbs 2:6-7 puts it, “For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He
stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He
is a shield to those who walk uprightly.”
And
that wisdom is shared with us through His word:
“For the commandment is
a lamp, and the law a light; reproofs of instruction are the way of life.” Or
as Psalms 119:104-105 expresses much the same idea, “Through Your precepts I get understanding;
therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my
path.”
In short, want to have
true wisdom? Then listen to His revealed
word. It will become the “operating
manual” for life in this world.
There are two basic divisions in James’ list. The first one concerns the inward nature we
have—or should have--developed as believers.
The second division concerns how they are expressed in concrete behaviors. Brent Kercheville develops the analysis in
this manner,[30]
Verse 17 is very interesting, not only for
its meaning, but also for its literary style. Much of the verse is in
alliteration and rhyme. These things are
lost, of course, as the Greek is translated into English. The [first] three
characteristics James lists . . . are: eirenikos
(i-ray-nee-kos), epieikes (ep-ee-i-kace), eupeithes
(a-yoo-pe-thace). The ESV reads, “peaceable, gentle, open to reason.” These are three characteristics that describe
the wise person’s disposition. . . .
[Page 42]
The second set of qualities reveal the wise person’s actions.
James says that those with godly wisdom are full of mercy and good fruits. In Greek, these words have some rhyme to
them. The Greek reads: mestos eleos kai karpos agathos. In the ESV,
the English is “full of mercy and good fruits.”
. . . The final couplet is found at the end
of verse 17. These final two words in the Greek also have alliteration and
rhyme. The Greek reads: adiakritos (ad-ee-ak´-ree-tos) kai anupokritos
(an-oo-pok´-ree-tos). The ESV reads, “impartial and sincere.” These final two words describe the steady
constancy of the one who has godly wisdom. The NASB reads, "unwavering and without
hypocrisy." I think this reading matches
the intended idea best.
Of course, in real
life disposition and actions inevitably overlap, one influencing and “bending”
the other. James wants them to both
overlap in a positive and constructive direction, reinforcing each other
for the good. James tells us that the
Divine wisdom wishes us to be--
[Page 43]
(1) “Pure” (similarly, ATP, CEV, GW,
Holman, ISV, NASB, NIV, RSV,
Hence our behavior is motivated by
“pure” intents and purposes—not preferring one above another or using our
benevolence as cloak for self-serving enrichment (either financial or from the
appreciative praise of others). Whatever
faults we surely will have, they will not be controlling what we say and do.
This is explicitly labeled “first”
on the list—not merely because it is numerically listed in that place,
but because it is the foundation that the others are built upon. And without which the others have their value
diminished—or even eliminated.
Of what value is peace and gentleness, for example, if it is purchased
at the price of tolerating and even endorsing anything and everything? Then there is peace because there are no
standards and no demand for purity at all.
The challenge is to seek both without compromising either.
(2) “Peaceable” (similarly RSV; “peace
seeking,” ATP; “peace-loving,” Holman, ISV, NIV; “peaceful,” GW, TEV, Weymouth;
“full of peace,” BBE; “friendly,” CEV).
We speak of people who walk around “with a chip on their
shoulder.” They have an agenda and they
expect to accomplish it—period. Everyone
else is supposed to get out of their way.
This assures conflict. The only
question is how much and in what form.
The combative mind frame:[32] “My way or the highway.”
[Page 44] And it isn’t necessarily
even an “issue centered” difference. It doesn’t
have to be a matter of perceived moral principles of right and wrong, but
simply what the aggrieved insists must be done to keep him, personally,
happy. With Biblical texts appropriately
“massaged,” perhaps, to “prove” why it is necessary. (Some don’t even feel the need for that
camouflage.)
This mind frame of “restrained aggression 24 hours a day” may exist but
it doesn’t reflect God’s will or His preferences. His agenda is to seek out
accommodations where it is honorably possible.
Paul put it this way, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you,
live peaceably with all men” (Romans
Peacefulness envolves giving everyone as much “elbow room” as possible
short of violating the scriptural norms.
But are your standards actually a matter of personal preference rather
than something required by the texts?
You may well, voluntarily, choose to live a life with more “thou shalt
nots” than plainly demanded by revelation.
That is your freedom and your right.
But don’t harshly “come down on” those who have not made the same
decision!
In other words, within this area of peace-seeking must be blended in
the fact that there are some things I may not be able to do in good conscience,
but someone else can. Paul dealt with
this problem in regard to those who would attempt to undermine that person’s
aversion and encourage him to eat meats he would regard as sinful (Romans 14:1-23). Not objectively sinful, but sinful in his own
eyes. Don’t undermine him by ridicule or
snide remarks was Paul’s response (Romans
[Page 45] In turn, avoid eating meats
impure to him when it is obvious what you are doing: remember Paul’s warning about eating meats on
social occasions in pagan temples where it would be obvious that the meats were
“dedicated” to alien gods (1 Corinthians 8:9-13). But note that even here it is prudential care
for the other person rather than any absolute wrong in our own behavior that is
envolved.
In short, seek peace—but maintain one’s moral integrity. And allow the other person to do so as well.
(3) “Gentle” (similarly, ATP, BBE, CEV,
GW, Holman, ISV, NASB, RSV, TEV; “considerate,” NIV; “courteous,”
The one who is “gentle” is the one who pulls the punches, who attempts
to achieve the desired goal with the least amount of damage. The zeal and any (hopefully constructive)
ambition that is driving the person is tempered by “gentleness” that steers him
or her away from excess[33] and
toward finding a way of maxim acceptability to all. We are willing to compromise what we
personally would prefer in order to obtained what we all need.
I rather like the way one unidentified
commentator worded it, “It carries the meaning of moderation without
compromise, gentleness without weakness.
Carl Sandburg described Abraham Lincoln as a man of ‘velvet steel,’ a
good description of biblical gentleness.”[34]
[Page 46] In
other words, we exercise such virtues, “but not because of weakness.
Rather, power and strength exists but it has been placed under control.”[35] This is because we know we are in the
right and that we don’t need to intimidate anyone. Only error has to use coercion.
We know that moral decisions must be
made voluntarily and not out of compulsion or they won’t last—or the old evils will
be maintained as hypocritical sins. And
what good does that accomplish any one?
We aim to win the hearts of men and women rather than merely
produce a superficial outward conformity.
(4) “Willing to yield” (also ISV; “reasonable,”
NASB; “open to reason,” RSV; “readily giving way in argument,” BBE; ATP;
“sensible,” CEV; “compliant,” Holman; “friendly,” TEV; “not self-willed,”
Weymouth; “submissive,” NIV; “obedient,” GW).
That doesn’t mean he is going to reverse himself just because you want
him to. It doesn’t mean for a second
that he is supposed to be gullible or blind to the evidence.[36]
You are going to have to give him or her a good reason. With that in hand, he won’t permit his
stubbornness to keep him from giving way. He’s evidence driven, not emotion
driven.
The caveat is essential: God
calls on us to treat the needs and concerns of others with understanding—not
to permit ourselves to be unilaterally abused by them because they simply
“want” something different. They need to
have better reasonable cause than we do.[37]
[Page 47] Divine wisdom pleads for
accommodation, honorable accommodation, when it can be obtained. Human stubbornness should yield to
flexibility. That means one must be able
to distinguish between what is insignificant and what is important and between
what is important and what is vital.
Winning the “war” and needlessly chasing the man or woman away from the
faith puts our personal pride of accomplishment over the good of the other
person.
Some find here a fascinating distinction between “gentle” and “willing
to yield.” In Greek usage, the former
often has the connotation of someone higher in status cutting leeway for one
lower in importance, wealth, or power.
“Willing to yield” is associated with the actions of that other person
and his willingness to accept a course rather than digging in his heels and
refusing to cooperate.[38]
Call it whatever you will in a given society. It remains a mind-frame essential for the
prosperity—and even survival—of a congregation.
You don’t rest on your “rights” real or imagined. You seek what is best for the general welfare
and for each other individually. You cut
each other “slack” so that self-respect can remain.
(5) “Full of mercy” (similarly, BBE,
Holman, NASB, NIV, RSV; “filled with mercy,” GW; “kind,” CEV; “full of
kindness,” ATP; “full of compassion,” ISV, TEV,
It also involves cases when someone just simply needs help. (Think the poor and hungry church members in
chapter 2.) Nothing of our own ego or
pride is directly involved here. It is a
pure example of our willingness to be helpful to those who stand in its need.
[Page 48] “This is compassion that
moves a person to act or aid the other person. This is true even when the
person in trouble has brought it upon himself.”[39] In this context we might well think in terms
of how often “mercy” is used of God’s relationship to us struggling mortals who
find ourselves in dire situations. Not
just out of injustice or bad fortune but sometimes out of pure stupidity.
My teenage grandson went to court the day I wrote the above paragraph and
the defense attorney warned him that he was likely to get two weeks in jailed
detention. By the narrowest of good
fortune the judge was “full of mercy” and gave him several non-detention
substitutes—and a scathing lecture on his needlessly failing grades. “Mercy” but not at the cost of denying the
foolishness or trying to get him to straighten out his life while there is
time.
“Full of mercy” does not mean that you necessarily like the
person. Rather the emphasis is on your
doing what the person needs—either to survive or better himself. Like the judge did to my grandson.
Skip Moen develops the argument at length that the Greek word used here
must be interpreted in such a manner and the emotional aspect reduced to a
secondary emphasis if even that. He does
so on the grounds that the Old Testament—in Greek—used the word in the sense of
describing behavior rather than attitude.
Hence that would have played a decisive role in James’ use of it in
writing to a Jewish-Christian audience living in the Diaspora,[40]
[Page 49]
In Greek, “mercy” is eleos.
In Greek thought, mercy is a pathos; an emotion that arises
from encountering undeserved suffering in another. . . . Emotion overpowering reason is the worst
possible situation. Greek thinkers do everything possible to avoid
these situations.
With this background in mind, it is clear
that James cannot be using eleos in the Greek sense of the term.
He uses eleos the way the LXX uses eleos, and that means he
is thinking of hesed, not the emotion of mercy. Over and
over, the LXX translates the Hebrew hesed as eleos.
But if this is true, then James is not thinking about emotions at all!
He is thinking about the godly actions of hesed. Divine
wisdom from above produces a life of hesed; a life dedicated to
relational, reciprocal, transitive obligation in demonstrable action.
For James, it doesn’t matter how you feel. It only matters what
you do!
If emotions become envolved, that is fine (we are not, after all, mere
robots!), but the behavior should be the same whether they are there or
not.
(6) “Full of . . . good fruits”
(similarly, Holman, ISV, NASB, NIV, RSV; “good deeds,” ATP; “harvest of good
deeds,” TEV; “filled with . . . good deeds,” GW; “full of . . . good works,”
BBE; “helpful,” CEV; “kind actions,”
Vague and wide covering language. Anything that is beneficial and helpful comes
under the description.
[Page 50] Hence this lifestyle can
manifest itself in an ever-changing array of ways as a multitude of different
problems are encountered. No two are
likely to ever be exactly the same. Our
actions will be shaped by the specific situation, what our own resources and
skills are, and the problems our coreligionists encounter.
For example, taking a lonely elderly person out to dinner is fine, but
if we know they are in need of house repairs which they can’t afford—but which
we have the talent to help with—anything we can do in regard to that
problem would be even better.
To be “full of” means that it is not
to be stopped; it is to be a consistent and ongoing way of life. That requires a periodic re-evaluation
of how we are acting and living. Have I
allowed some desirable behavior to atrophy out of boredom? Am I simply blind to what is happening around
me because I drifted out of the habit of having concern?
Have others “de-evolved” from persons into mere “objects” that drift
across my course of life and who are of as little importance as driftwood? Am I “hiding” in a large congregation so
others won’t notice what I’m doing—or, in this case, not doing?
There is no need to be hypercritical
or ever seeking out some “unmissed” fault in ourselves. That would be as wrong as seeking them out in
other people! But we do need to conduct
occasional “spiritual health checks” on ourselves lest we allow weaknesses and
unconcern to creep in unnoticed.
To be “full of good fruits” means we
have to stay alert to the opportunities.
Not only today, but ten years from now.
It avoids becoming a burden because we don’t dwell on the “ten years
from now” but on the eternal “now” that represents our daily lives
and opportunities.
[Page 51]
(7) “Without partiality” (“without a trace
of partiality,” ISV; “impartial,” GW, NIV; “without favoritism,” Holman;
“without uncertainty,” RSV; “unwavering,” NASB; “consistent,” ATP; “genuine,”
CEV; “free from prejudice,” TEV; “free from favouritisim,”
When need is present it doesn’t
matter who that person is. It’s also needed
regardless of our personal relationship in the past. In the context of chapter 2’s discussion of
the treatment of the poor, he surely has particularly in mind those who have
less than we and who can be assisted by our actions and intervention.
There is nothing wrong with “lending” to a person whom we can expect a
fat contract back in future years. But
there is nothing wrong with flat out “giving” to the person who can benefit us
in no way, at no time. The first
“lending” comes out of self-centered interest (at least in large part); the
second out of the desire to do good for those who need a helping hand they can
not provide for themselves.
“Without partiality” is a principle fully applicable to whatever
leadership role we come to occupy within the congregation. As Bobby L. Graham worded it some thirty
years ago,[41]
Elders and deacons must be impartial in
their determination of which men to use, in decisions of whom to help, and in
the exercise of corrective discipline.
Bible class teachers ought to show impartiality in their treatment of
their students; preachers in their selection of lessons and forming of
friendships; and all Christians in their encouragement, visiting, hospitality,
help, and general treatment of others. . . .
[Page 52]
In the selection of elders and deacons and teachers, impartiality should
guide our efforts. The elite have no
priority with God, nor do the less conspicuous.
The spiritual credentials make a difference with Him. The same context (1 Timothy
Or today we would perhaps word it, “Sin only exists for the powerless
and the unesteemed. Something close to a
quiet ‘blank check’ is given to everyone else.”
Quite likely he would have been willing to word it that way himself back
then.
(8) “Without hypocrisy” (similarly,
Holman, ISV, NASB; “free from . . . hypocrisy,” TEV; “without pretence,” ATP;
“without . . . insincerity,” RSV; “free from . . . all sincerity,”
To some charity and good endeavors
are a thin veneer. Done because, to be
blunt, it is expected. You associate
with “the great unwashed” (to use an expression from not that long ago) not to
benefit them, but to create the right public image for ourselves. You do it not because of what it benefits
them, but how it benefits you in non-monetary terms of public prestige
and praise.
[Page 53] In
one sense, it’s good that it’s done even under those false pretenses. After all, the needy are helped even
if they serve as nothing more than animate image builders. On the other hand, nothing of spiritual
benefit is being accomplished by the giver.
All the “repayment” that they can ever be expected to receive is
in the present praise.
It’s rather like the hypocritical fasters of Jesus’ day who were only
concerned that their public religiosity be noticed. Jesus gravely rebuked their practice with the
words, “I solemnly tell you that they already have their reward”
(Matthew
Hypocrisy can come in a number of forms. It can come in the form of self-deception: we con ourselves into believing that there
really is a legitimate reason why we violate Divine behavioral mandates. Hence we feel no conflict while coming down
harshly on others who do the same.
Possibly even committing the identical sin!
Hypocrisy can also come in the form of a conscious and knowing
double standard. We know right from
wrong and no longer care. If we are an
able preacher, we may not want to lose a comfortable position. If we are a long-term member, we may simply
feel content to follow in the same visible path as established by decades of
practice; it is easier to pretend than to admit a radical change of heart. Why go through the discomfort of admitting
that our heart is no longer in it? We
are now a member of God’s flock in nothing but membership on the church roll. Whatever
the rationale, God still knows what is going on. We can’t deceive the All Knowing One.
[Page 54]
Verse 18 informs us that these types
of motivations and behaviors are what create and maintain peace: “Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in
peace by those who make peace.”
This verse is often used as a text advocating international peace and
peacemaking. Although there is certainly
nothing wrong with that ideal, it is still totally alien to the intent and
purpose of the passage.
It is “proof texting”—in the bad sense—with a vengeance, often (though
not exclusively) coming from those with a theology that looks upon the Scriptures
as neither objective Divine revelation given in a comprehensive and
comprehensible form . . . nor which is required to be obeyed by all mortals. But this fundamental hostility to Scripture is
ignored because it is a passage that can be easily bent to their politico-theological
preferences and provides a “Christian” veneer for it.
This is also an utterly inappropriate means to use the sacred text regardless
of one’s personal theology and politics.
Just as sadly, by “internationalizing” the application of the passage,
we provide a ready excuse to avoid the personal application that James
is anticipating and demanding.
Indeed, if there is to ever be national or international peace, surely
it begins with efforts to have such a relationship with those we
ourselves come in contact with. We
cannot change the world, but we can do much to change our working and
living environment.
[Page 55]
Notes
[1]Williams,
121.
[2] McKnight, James, 269.
[3] Ibid., 269-270.
[4]
[Anonymous,] “Ancient Literacy.”
At:
http://thriceholy.net/literacy.html.
[January 2013.] This site provides a well-reasoned and excellent
in-depth article, quite effectively arguing that the anti-Biblical biases of
religious liberals has led them to dramatically underestimate the true amount
of literacy in the ancient Gentile and Jewish worlds.
[5] Edward (Eddie) L. Bromfield. Smoodock’s Blog. At:
http://smoodock45.word press.com/2010/09/09/were-most-ancient-jews-illiterate/. [April 2014.]
[6] I. J. W.
Oakley, “James 3:1-12.” Sermon notes
[7] Harry Bethel, “The Art of Almost Saying
Something.” At: http://www.bethelministries.com/ART.htm. [July 2012.]
[8] Robert
Wall, Community of the Wise, in the New Testament in Context
series (Valley Forge, Pennsylvania:
Trinity Press International, 1997), 174.
[9] Specific source not identified, as quoted by Polano,
“The Law and Its Study.”
texts.com/jud/pol/pol27.htm.
[January 2013.]
[10] Moo, 152.
[11]
Witherington, n. 275, page 481.
[12] Cluny Jane Johnstone, A Biometric Study of Equids
in the Roman World (PhD thesis,
[13] Ibid., 74; cf. 76.
[14] For working estimates for reconstruction of Roman
legion resources, see Gary Brueggeman, “[Roman] Army Animals,” © 2003. At:
http://garyb.0catch.com/ animals/animals.html. [April 2014.]
[Page 56] [15] Giulia Boetto, “Merchant Vessels and
Maritime Commerce in Roman Times” (translated into English by Claire
Calcagno). At: http://www2.rgzm.de/navis/Themes/Commercio/CommerceEnglish.htm. (April 2014)
[16] Ibid.
[17] Moo, 155.
[18] For examples of contemporary scholars doing so and
citations of the “church fathers,” see McCartney, 181. He also provides an analysis of ways that
such an approach might make it easier to understand the logical arrangement of
the epistle (181-182).
[19] For a discussion of these and other objections see
McCartney, 182,
[20] How to Study Poetry, 12, as quoted by
McKnight, James, 277.
[21] As
quoted by Lockett, Purity and Worldview, 125.
[22] Witherington, 499.
[23] Steven
J. Cole, “Wisdom for Harmonious Relationships (James
[24] McKnight, James, 304.
[25] Adam
Gagne, “Bitter Envy.” Dated
[26] Quoted by [Anonymous,] “The Impact of Envy on Our
Relationships with Others, and with God.”
Dated
[27] Ibid.
[28]
Greenlee, 153.
[29] Robertson, 178.
[30] Brent Kercheville.
“James 3:13-18, Two Kinds of Wisdom.”
Dated
[34] [Anonymous.]
“The Right Kind of Wisdom: James
3:13-18.” At:
http://horizoncentral.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/james-3-13-18.pdf. [May 2014.]
[35]
Kercheville, “James
[36] Witherington, 503.
[37] In contrast Blomberg and Kamell, 176, believe that it
refers to one who is being mistreated and willingly gives up further
resistance.
[38] Cf. Gil Raugh, “Wisdom from Above--James
[39] Gil Raugh, “Wisdom from Above--James
[40] Skip
Moen, “99 and 44/100th Percent.” Dated
[41] Bobby
L. Graham, “The Sin of Partiality.” Guardian
of Truth (April 18, 1985). At:
http://www.truthmagazine.com/archives/volume29/GOT029112.html. [May 2014.]