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James 4: 13-14 — Stage Fright

A stage microphone stands out against a blurred background.

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Note: Somehow I skipped over verses 13-17 in chapter 4. I’m not sure why, but as I started preparing for James 5: 12 I was reminded of the passage I had skipped over. So, let’s rewind for a few days and visit these words of James.

As I write this the world is embroiled in a war against an unseen enemy. A virus known as “Covid-19” has been unleashed and is running rampant. Wherever it goes, it lashes out at everyone around it. What sets it apart from other viruses is its speed and the potential nastiness of its effect on a person’s lungs. Within a matter of weeks beginning last December, the virus has infected most of the rest of the world. Slowly (it seemed) more information has become available. Suddenly, it seems, the country was shut down and we are all sitting at home.

Today we wonder how this happened. How did we become virtual prisoners in our own homes?

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James 5: 11 — Summer Storm

Dark clouds and rain sweep across fields and farm.

As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

James began his letter with encouragement to his readers who are facing trials “of many kinds.” He then mentions Job, a man who’s suffering and trials are almost legendary.

As an aside, I used to dread reading the Book of Job in my annual trek through the Bible. But somewhere on my journey, I came to appreciate Job and even look forward to him. The text is Shakespearian in form. Each of the main people in the story is prone to make long speeches and Job is no exception. Yet, the speeches have a purpose and meaning.

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James 5: 10 — A History of Pain

A picture of an hourglass sitting on a log.

Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

James, remember, is talking to fellow Jews. Jews, by nature, are innately historical. I know of no other race or tribe that has such an extensive, detailed and authentic written history of their existence. They also seem to have a perverse inclination to record their most embarrassing moments and worst impulses.

God has impressed on them a need to know who they are, and so even Jews who do not believe in a judgment or an afterlife still know their history. It is a long history of failure. Failure to listen to God.

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James 5:9 — Reflections

Image shows reflections of trees in the water of a still lake.

Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

In yesterday’s post, “Job or Joy?,” we posed the question, “How do we apply this truth in our fellowship with other Christians?” The “truth” we were discussing had to do with what James said about faith and deeds. He wrote:

“…faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2: 17b)

So how do we apply this truth to others in the fellowship of believers?

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James 5: 7b-8 — Job or Joy?

A farmer harvest wheat with a combine and truck.

See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.

I want to continue the thought that we started yesterday in, “Two Sides.” In short, we contrasted what Paul writes in Ephesians 2: 8-9 with what James writes in James 2: 24. Paul tells us that we are saved by faith, not by works. James writes, “…a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.” Are these two statements contradictory?

The key here is in Paul’s use of the word, “works.” The word “work” comes from the Greek, ergon. It describes the kind of work one does for pay. In other words, a job. At the end of the day, one who works at a job is paid in coin or currency. Both parties have what they bargained for. But salvation is not something any of us can afford. The price for our salvation is so far out of reach that we might as well believe that we could jump over the moon by using our own two legs.

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James 5: 7a — Two Sides

Pennies, both front and back shown.

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming.

At the beginning of his letter, James encourages his readers to face trials with joy. The goal, he says, is to produce perseverance. Now he says to be patient. I wonder, aren’t perseverance and patience two sides of the same coin?

James’ letter is sometimes disparaged because he ties what we do to what we believe. Martin Luther, in particular, was critical of James’ letter. Luther had broken free of the legalism imposed by the Catholic Church. His means of breaking free was Paul’s assertion that we are saved by faith alone. Paul writes:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2: 8-9)

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James 5: 1-6 — I Warned You

A cartoon of a person yelling wildly as if in warning.

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.

Well, here it is. I warned you! James’ tirade against the greedy rich. Those who live for money, who hoard wealth, who cheat their workers and live to indulge their own desires. Then he says, “You have condemned and murdered the innocent one…”

James starts his letter by announcing that he is writing to “the twelve tribes.” The people he is writing to are Jews. (James 1:1) It seems safe to assume that James is convinced things are not going well in the early church. Jewish believers are falling into old habits. It is as if he is shouting through pen and ink, “SNAP OUT OF IT!”

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James 4: 11c-12 – Courtroom of Life

Picture of an empty courtroom.

When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

In today’s passage, James provides three important points about the law and judging. Please remember that the “law” is what Jesus summarized in Matthew 22: 37-40:

Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

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James 4: 11b — Strange Words

Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it.

Once again I am puzzled by James’ words. Maybe it is because it is late and I am having trouble focusing. Maybe in the daylight, it will make more sense. Maybe…

Maybe it is just a complex thought.

Which “law” is James talking about? As a leader of the Christian church, James was involved in the decision to avoid making Gentiles live under Old Testament rules or law.

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