There are a lot of different issues dealt with in this incredible, pointed, book of James. As I was reading today, there were three that stood out to me: Impartiality, Endurance, and Wisdom. I will briefly address impartiality and wisdom, and then focus more on endurance, as it is something that God has really been speaking to me.
Impartiality
James 2:1-9 is a powerful passage about our regard for the poor. James basically calls out his audience, saying “Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? but you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?” It is as if those that James was writing to had forgotten the Gospel of Jesus, the life that Jesus had lived of equality and care for the poor and outcast as a way of life (not as an outreach on Friday nights).
Somehow in the midst of this community of “love” and of “acceptance” had grown this attitude of partiality – an attitude that gave honor based on appearance. James is reminding the people that although men may judge by the outward appearance, the Lord looks strictly at the heart. James reminds them of the call to show no favoritism by saying, ”You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scriptures, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”
I must confess that this community almost 2000 years ago is not alone in falling into partiality. I know that I, myself am guilty of the same thing. I am ashamed by how often I discount the advice/thoughts/relationship of individuals based solely on their appearance, education, or job status. Shame on me.
Praise be to God that I have a savior that forgives all my sin, and who will guide me into righteousness, toward a life that reflects and brings honor to my Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.
Wisdom
James 3:17 “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.” This verse comes on the heals of a description of worldly wisdom that is full of “bitter envy and selfish ambition” and is boastful and “false to the truth.” The description of heavenly wisdom is amazing to me: pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield are the first four characteristics, and none of the four push wisdom on anyone. On the contrary, all four characteristics are based in a willingness for that wisdom not to be taken by others. If my purpose is for others to hear, receive, and value or validate my wisdom, then it is immediately not pure. Furthermore it loses its peacebility, because it is focused on my being right; it will then rarely be gentle because the purpose is no longer pure and therefore often turns into me trying to use my wisdom to change others – even “for God”.
This idea that wisdom is, “willing to yield,” is a really interesting concept to me. I look at many of the Desert Fathers and Mothers (ancient fathers of the faith who removed themselves from the world to be completely with God – this may or may not have been the right choice), and see this characteristic in wisdom. Many people would travel great distances to the Desert Fathers and Mothers to hear what they might say, for they were full of incredible wisdom. But these men and women did not push themselves on others, they simply said their peace when invited and let the rest be up to God.
I saw a pin recently that said, “the wise speak little.” I think there is much truth in that, and much truth that I need to learn. The wisdom of God is not about being announced and herolded, it is not about having attention or acclaim drawn to it, but it is about gentleness, it is about caring more about others than about what does or doesn’t need to be said.
I have much to learn about wisdom.
Endurance
The Master of the Universe (a very Jewish way to describe God), has been showing me lately just how much I have to learn, how much I must learn, about endurance. I am very aware of the traits of the generation that I am apart of. I am very aware that I carry many of them. One of the traits that influences me through in through is my dislike for discomfort. This makes endurance a very difficult thing. Endurance is all about being uncomfortable for an extended period of time. If there was no discomfort there would be no endurance because it would be called “enjoyment” instead of “endurance.” But this theme is found weaved throughout this letter that James wrote – in fact he bookends this letter with thoughts on endurance.
Right at the beginning, in chapter 1, he makes a plea for his brothers and sisters in the faith to find joy in suffering. The entire reason he gave for them to find joy in suffering was because they were to understand that, “the testing of your faith produces endurance,” and that the “full effect” of endurance would be that they, “may be mature and complete, lacking nothing” (verses 2-4) So the whole reason why Christians should rejoice in suffering is so that they can have a place to practice endurance which will lead to being completely mature.
The next place James mentions endurance is just a few verses later, when, in verse 12 he says, “blessed is anyone who endures temptation.” Why? Well this ties into what Jesus said on the sermon on the mount (matthew 5:10), “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This continues the first theme of endurance in the face of suffering for the name of Jesus.
In James 1:25 he addresses a different form of endurance, the kind of endurance that is persistence in doing the right thing. ”But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act – they will be blessed in their doing.” I have chosen to join “persevere” and “endure” together, because the concept is the same.
These two concepts of endurance through suffering and persecution and endurance in doing what is right are brought together into a final encouragement toward endurance in general. James 5:7,10-11 says, “Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord… As an example of suffering a patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Indeed, we call blessed those who show endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.”
Here James gives us two examples to model our endurance after: the prophets (many of whom were killed for the sake of the message of God, and all of whom experienced persecution and hardship), and Job (the story found in the book of Job – if you’re not sure what he endured, just read the first 2 chapters!). The point is very clear: endurance is something that God calls his children to. We are to endure “until the coming of the Lord,” for God blesses those who endure (Mt.5, James 5:11).
All of this does not change my reality that I suck at enduring. I am just really bad at it. I don’t think I have a negative perception of myself, I just think that I am part of a generation that has had fairly comfortable lives (comfort does not mean easy, for very few of our lives have been easy). When something uncomfortable happens, there is almost always some way of escape, or something we can turn to to either block out the pain or to bring pleasure. We are a people that pursues pleasure and I think we often pursue it, not simply because we want it, but because we are so aware of the pain in the world and want to avoid it as much as we can.
So what do I do, now that I clearly see my deficiency in “enduring”? I turn to God and ask for help. Will he give me endurance straight up? Probably not. But he might bless me with small opportunities in which I can succeed in enduring. There are big things in my life that I desire to endure, but every time I face them I fail. I must believe that God is bigger than my discomfort. I must run to him instead of pleasure. I must being to recognize and rejoice in the small endurances, because when I recognize and rejoice in the little, I will begin to believe that I can endure the big.
Savior Jesus, Holy Spirit, God my King,
Give me grace to endure,
Give me strength to stand on your word and in your presence.
Give me truth to speak against the deceit that seeks to destroy.
Give me hope that you are bigger.
Give me joy the endurance you bring me through.
And give me comfort in my failures.
You are my God, my Savior, my King.
Thank you.