James 3 1Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers
and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater
strictness. 2For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in
speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. 3If we
put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole
bodies. 4Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds
to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of
the pilot directs. 5So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great
exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! 6And the
tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity;
it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on
fire by hell. 7For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature,
can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, 8but no one can tame the
tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9With it we bless the Lord and
Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. 10From
the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought
not to be so. 11Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and
brackish water? 12Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a
grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh. 13 Who is wise
and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done
with gentleness born of wisdom. 14But if you have bitter envy and selfish
ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. 15Such
wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish.
16For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and
wickedness of every kind. 17But 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. 18And a harvest of righteousness is sown in
peace for those who make peace.
This is quit the chapter, I read it and then had to reread it and then finally walked away to think about it. The start says to me that teachers need to teach with responsibility, be mindful of what you are saying and teaching, and not everyone can teach. Can you imagine getting up in front of class and teaching algebra? Or what about theatre and its usefulness? I fully admit I’m not a teacher, I hate speaking in front of people – it’s just not in me. But I also think this speaks to how we live daily, each of “teaches” in some way; maybe someone just asked you how to use the copier or where such-in-such restaurant is…that’s teaching, too. So as we speak we must speak with responsibility, like verse 5 implies with one match thrown away a forest fire can start. You know like the game “telephone” where you whisper in someone’s ear “I love my Mom” and it gets passed, by whisper, around the group and in the end it comes out “I have a monkey”. One slip of the tongue can turn into a disaster situation. Like verses 7 & 8 point out your tongue can be your worst enemy. Have you ever said something and instantly regretted it? Or has some ever come up to you and ask “why you say that” and you think “Uh did I say that”. Unfortunately this is human nature, we speak first and think later. Throughout these verses to me it says true wisdom is a divine gift, a gift from God, if we stop…think…then speak…we are speaking with wisdom and not just our temper or without justification. In verses 14-16 we see James tells us “self centeredness is of human nature NOT from God. Thinking only of yourself is the devil working in your life. Thinking “I am better than others” is pressure from the world around us not, not us acting as God would want us to. God’s wisdom is gently, peaceful, makes you and everyone around feel good, it doesn’t look at one person as “better” than another or think well they have money or are well educated so they deserve a higher status level then someone else. Let us all try to think and speak with God’s wisdom.
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