James chapter 3

After reading chapter 3:

*The first section of this chapter is about the destructive power of the tongue. In other words, words can hurt ourselves and others. You don't have to be religious to recognize this is a universal truism. James advocates self control when speaking, to keep ourselves out of trouble, earthly and eternal. Earthly trouble can be quite enough.

*James says that no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. (Like a serpent) That is just one of the many metaphors he uses to describe how destructive words can be. The three things he faults the tongue for are: teaching wrong things, great boasts, and cursing other people. James says this is wrong because people are made in the image of the same God whom they praise.

*Suppose we are not made in the image of a god. For what reasons would we wish to refrain from using our words unwisely or hurtfully? One reason is consequences. People don't like liars, braggarts, and insulting people.  They often retaliate in kind or terminate the relationship. If you truly value relationships, you refrain from using your words in this way. If you value your job or your place in society, you learn to curb your tongue to continue recieving  the benefits you derive from them. It is in your  self interest. Another reason might be because you are truly interested in the welfare of all humanity because you are a human too. You want to be the kind of person who is thoughtful and empathetic. You wish others to treat you as you treat them, so you treat them well. In spite of what James says, the tongue can  be tamed but it takes desire and conscious effort.

*The second section, starting in verse 13 compares and contrasts "earthly wisdom" with "heavenly wisdom." James says earthly wisdom is comprised of envy and selfish ambition. It is unspiritual, evil, from the devil, and brings about disorder. He says heavenly wisdom is comprised of the qualities of a peacemaker: pureness, consideration, submissiveness, mercy, and sincerity. What is James trying to say? Don't rock the boat? Sit down and shut up? It seems to me that these descriptions could be looked at from different perspectives. A jealous person could see someone  who is a go-getter and financially successful as fundamentally selfish, when it might not necessarily be so. Likewise, a person who appears considerate and submissive could be harboring the vilest thoughts. It's hard to see past a façade.

*James's descriptions of wisdom appear to be based on actions and visible qualities, which is not surprising. He is very focussed on deeds. Actions speak louder than words for him and he judges people by what they do and say. If what people do and say doesn't fit James's idea of what is right, then it must be wrong. He's also not too keen on people who have achieved financial prominence in society.

*We all know that the stereotype of the greedy rich person still persists today. How many people pay attention when a poor person is greedy and selfish? Likewise how many people celebrate the kindness and generosity of a rich person? I'm not saying stereotypes are never remotely true, but motives are very hard to accurately judge. "People are people wherever you go." Isn't it better to assume everyone has good intentions until proven otherwise? Wouldn't you want that done for you?

Remember, all generalizations are false.