THE LETTER OF ST. JAMES
Wisdom and the Tongue
James 3:1-18
INTRODUCTION
In chapter 3 we come to what is probably the second most famous passage in the letter of James, the chapter on the tongue. Although most of the passage will deal specifically with the tongue, there is actually a wider issue being addressed here--wisdom. Although the word "wisdom" does not appear until verse 13, the first 12 verses are actually about wisdom, a specific area of wisdom concerning the tongue.
You may wonder what wisdom and the tongue have to do with each other. The Jews like the Greeks emphasized heavily the idea of wisdom (the book of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes being the prime Jewish examples in the Bible). Whereas the Greeks focused primarily on the speculative part of wisdom (is there a God, what is God, etc.), the Jews focused more on the ethical aspect of wisdom. The Jews didn't wonder whether or not there was a God; they KNEW God existed. They focused more on ethics, what it is that this God wanted them to do. Whereas some might think that ethics and philosophy don't go together, the truth is that right now although I technically teach ethics at Navarro College, I am teaching philosophy according to the college handbook.)
James here will focus on one major issue of ethics--the tongue, that is, how I use my tongue. It is funny that I will teach a whole semester on ethics and hardly mention the tongue at all. According to James though, the use of the tongue may be one of the most important aspects about the way you live the Christian life. His step Brother had earlier emphasized the tongue when He stated: "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man” (Mark 7:20).
A MAJOR CAUTION (3:1)
When James teaches about the tongue, he is primarily addressing the teacher in the church. We living 2000 years later will automatically apply this passage to the lay Bible study teacher. The truth is that the teacher James is addressing is the pastor who until the 19th century was the primary and in some cases the sole teacher in the church. This verse does apply in a limited way to the lay Bible study teacher, but it more specifically applies to the priest/pastor and other official teachers in the church.
James warns: "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren." It is a warning we all need to hear. Not everybody should be a teacher, even if they have a passion to teach. James explains the reason: "knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment." When it is all said and done, God is going to hold teachers highly accountable for the teachings they have passed on to their listeners. Whereas it is true that many times teachers are saying nothing harmless, at other times they can really inspire or convict people to live for Jesus. On the other hand, teachers can do some serious damage to the lives of their listeners. It is a fact teachers can gain a massive following whenever they teach something the people want to hear, e.g. the rapture before the tribulation; therefore, God is going to hold us more accountable than those who do not teach. Because of the damage teachers can do, we need to be very careful in whom we allow to teach.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TONGUE (3:2)
We tend to gloss over the importance of the tongue. We laugh it off whenever we say something snide or cruel about somebody else. We quote the statement: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me." That attitude is neither true nor Christian; it so totally contradicts what the Bible teaches about the tongue. Proverbs claims: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and he who loves it shall eat its fruit." Earlier James had said that "If any man thinks himself to be religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, this man's religion is worthless" (1:26). Here James again makes the point that the tongue is extremely important when he claims: "if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well." The tongue is such a key to a person's life that if he controls it, according to James he will master his whole body.
DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE PHYSICAL SMALLNESS OF THE TONGUE (3:3-4)
It is so easy to roll your eyes whenever you hear somebody claim that the tongue is sooooo important. "Surely something that small can't be all that important." James points to some examples to illustrate that little things, including the tongue, actually can be extremely important.
The first illustration demonstrating the power of the tongue is that of the bit the rider places in the horse's mouth. Compare the bit to the rest of the horse. The horse is huge and powerful compared to the small bit; however, that small bit can actually control the horse, pointing the horse in the direction the rider, not the horse, but the rider wants to go.
Second, the rudder illustrates that small things can be vastly important. The ships of James' day were considered huge, especially when compared to the rudder. It took strong, mighty gusts of wind to move these vessels across the waters. Yet look at what was directing these ships which carried hundreds of people. A small rudder. Therefore, don’t be fooled by the smallness of the tongue. It can be vastly important. Every president of the greatest nation on this earth in the past 220 years has been elected on the basis of the tongue.
LIKE MANY SMALL THINGS, THE TONGUE CAN BE EXTREMELY DESTRUCTIVE (3:5-7)
The tongue can be used to achieve great things. F.D.R. gave hope to this nation when he claimed that the only thing we had to fear was fear itself. J.F.K. appealed to our better natures when he said: "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." Winston Churchill kept the British people from lapsing into despair with his words: “Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour.'”
As inspirational as the tongue can be, it can also be one of the most destructive forces in the world. Unfortunately for every Churchill there is a Hitler; for every F.D.R., a Joseph Stalin. What is even more unfortunate is that there have been more Hitlers and Stalins then there have been Churchills and F.D.R.'s. Because the tongue has been vastly more abused than used, James harps on the destructive nature of the tongue, rather than its ability to inspire: "The tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity. The tongue is set among our members so that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of life, and is set on fire by hell." These literally are scorching descriptions of the tongue. Is James warranted in what he is saying about the tongue, or is it overkill?
James' own personal experience shows you how destructive the tongue can be. Twice James figures prominently in the Book of Acts (15 and 21). In Acts 15 the Jerusalem church is enraged over Paul's TEACHING (which requires the tongue) about NT faith alone being necessary for salvation. Paul's opponents are stark raving mad at him because they are CLAIMING (which needs the tongue) that works apart from faith (especially the Jewish work of circumcision) are necessary for salvation. Later in Acts 21 James fears for Paul's life because Paul's opponents are claiming he is teaching false doctrine among the Jews who lives outside of Palestine. In both instances the misuse of the tongue was the root of the problem.
The tongue has done more damage to the church of Jesus Christ than probably any other moral issue. By the way many preachers talk, you would think that homosexuality was tearing the churches apart. That issue may be doing damage to the Episcopalian denomination, but it is not even making a ripple in the many other churches. On the other hand, tongues have divided churches, aroused more out-of-control passions which have harmed the church. Nearly every church split has come about because of vicious tongues. With a single pamphlet Martin Luther unleashed the forces of hate, resulting in the death of 100,000 peasants, all because of a very small but extremely powerful member of the body.
To illustrate how damaging something small can be, James points to a very small fire. A cigarette thrown carelessly outside the window of a car can set an entire forest on flames. I have a friend in the auto industry who was sued by the federal government because one of the vehicles he made accidentally set off a spark on a road in a national forest. Thousands of acres of trees were burned to the ground because of an accidental spark. That fire though pales in comparison to the fire which has destroyed so many Christians and has ruptured the Church for the past 500 years, a fire caused by the tongue.
THE TONGUE IS SO POWERFUL IT CAN DO THE IMPOSSIBLE (3:8-12)
James is unrelenting in his attack on the tongue. Just how powerful is the tongue? It can do things that nothing else in nature can do. If a fountain springs forth water, that water will be either fresh or salt, it won't and CAN'T be both. If a tree produces fruit, it will produce only one kind of fruit, not 2. A fig tree can only produce figs, not olives; the vine can produce only grapes and nothing else. The tongue, on the other hand, can one moment praise God and then curse God by cursing His image--other people; it can produce olives and figs at the same time.
The last statement is probably the CRUX of the issue. When we use our tongues viciously, we are directing them against other people. We don't curse or malign animals, or plants, or other parts of nature. We direct our venom against other people, people who have been created in the image of God. Whereas it is true that the image of God has been marred in each and every person, it is also true that that image is still present in each and every person. By cursing the image of God, by viciously attacking another person verbally, we are actually cursing God, according to James. (C.S. Lewis says the same thing when he writes that each and every person we meet is either God's son or daughter, or somebody He wants to be His son or daughter. You may attack me and I will get over it. Don't attack my son or daughter though. God who is a far better Father than I will ever be defends His sons and daughters far better than I ever will. When you attack or slander a person with your tongue, you are violating somebody so very precious to God. Your problem ultimately is with God.)
TRUE WISDOM (3:13-18)
James now climaxes the discussion by contrasting true wisdom with false wisdom. According to James the wise person is not simply somebody who has a lot of head knowledge about philosophical issues: the ultimate nature of reality, how ultimate reality communicates to you and me, etc. The truly wise person is the one who actually lives out wisdom: "Let him show by his GOOD BEHAVIOR his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom." According to Christian wisdom talk is cheap unless backed up by the good life.
What is one of the major characteristics of good behavior? James claims that "gentleness" is a key component of Christian good behavior. He uses the exact same word here his step Brother used in the Beatitudes: "Blessed are the gentle for they shall inherit the earth." By "gentle" both Jesus and James mean power which is so under control that it is expressed in kindness. The prime example of this is naturally Jesus. This Jesus is so powerful that He created the physical and spiritual universe (John 1:3); yet He has His power so under control that He is able to show great kindness to little children (Matt. 19:13-15). (We value unfortunately the man who is constantly exerting his power. That man actually is not powerful. He is really out of control, the very opposite of power.)
On the other hand James characterizes false wisdom as being full of bitter jealousy and selfish ambition. The image behind this is the strife we see among political parties. What is going on in our nation today is nothing unique. We may have not seen anything like it in our day; however, political strife and turmoil have ravaged whole societies since time memorial. Just look at some of the cartoons drawn up against President Andrew Jackson. Lincoln became a beloved figure only after he was assassinated. The father of our nation, George Washington, warned against the dangers of political parties because he knew of the strife they would produce. Well, the same can occur in the church. If somebody is a party to strife, no matter what position they hold or don't hold in the church, then their wisdom is false.
What is the source of this false wisdom? James claims that it has three sources: earth, human nature, and the demonic, that is, the world, the flesh, and the devil. By the word "flesh" James is not referring to the physical body. Rather he is referring that spiritual part of man which has not been touched by the Spirit of God, the natural man who bucks against any direction from God (see Rom. 8:7).
How can you tell if a person's wisdom is false, especially if he or she acts like they are kind and gentle? Look at the results their actions produce. If their wisdom is not from God, it will produce disorder and chaos (James writes: "disorder and every evil thing"). Look at the results of a person's advice or counsel. Those results will show the true source of that wisdom: God or Satan.
James concludes this passage by describing in more detail the characteristics of God's wisdom: "pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy."