3 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For 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. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. 4 Or 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. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.
How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! 6 And
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. 7 For every species of beast and bird,
of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human
species, 8 but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of
deadly poison. 9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it
we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same
mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be
so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and
brackish water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield
olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.
Year B
September 11-17
September 13, 2015
Cross~Wind UMC
Title: Good Words
Going deeper:
James 3:1-12 has the theme of controlling the tongue.
To put it another way, before we
share anything with anyone we have to listen to the inner voice. Before we use
our audible voice, we should ask ourselves, “Is what I’m about to share here
coming from a desire to build up the body of Christ and share God’s wisdom, or
am I simply speaking to feed my own selfish ambition or to gain favor with the
curious and caustic folks around me?”
James urges
Christians to evidence their conversion in all aspects of their lives — not
with their faith only, but with their actions (James 2:26) and words as well
(3:1-12). For James, this forms a type of “identification through negation” of
Christianity’s two main rivals — Judaism and Hellenistic religion. Christians are
not to be mere philosophers with good answers to life’s questions like the
adherents of Hellenistic religion, nor are they to be simply the possessors of
a venerated faith such as Judaism. It is obvious from the content and style of
the epistle, that its author knows both of these communities well.
Unlike our modern notion that words
have no actual power, James insists that the tongue can do more real damage
than a playground full of sticks and stones. Truly “hearing” the word, for
James, means becoming one who turns those words into action (2:14-17). In this self-contained argument about speech ethics, James
portrays reverence and fear before the power of the tongue. Although James
exhorts teachers toward the proper use of speech throughout his epistle — implying
that he believes the tongue can be somewhat controlled — this passage laments
that the human tongue is ultimately too powerful to be tamed.
Not many of you should become teachers, my
brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with
greater strictness. 2 For all of us [he includes himself in the class of
imperfect teachers] make many mistakes. [Pannenberg
stresses the readiness to forgive.[1]
The office of teacher carries great responsibility, with possible punishment
severe. They are in jeopardy. No one is faultless in this offence, and
concedes that he is included. The thesis of the
argument is stated at the outset: Not many of you should become teachers
because you will be judged more strictly. Preachers are especially cognizant of
this observation about the power of speech. Some live by the sword and die by
the sword, but teachers and preachers live by their words and die by their
words. The authority of public teaching comes with the responsibility of
speaking rightly. One major mistake can lead to a loss of authority.] Anyone
who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect [(teleioV) not
flawless, but maturity through completion of training], able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. [The
thoughtless exercise of the gift of speech can bring a person to
destruction. Control of speech is the
only way to perfection or maturity. The
body here might refer to the church. If so, it refers to demagogic speech. For others, the tongue is not just one among many things to
master in life. The tongue is pre-eminent, able to keep the whole body (the
whole self) in check. Regardless of what field of knowledge a teacher has
mastered, the spoken word will be the necessary conduit for its transmission.]3
If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide
their whole bodies. 4 Or 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. 5 So also the tongue
is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. [Is silence better than speech?
When we read James’ epistle, we
certainly get the impression that all forms of idle or venomous speech are strictly
out of bounds for the Christian community. Chapter 3 is his famous treatise on
the tongue, and there is some serious wisdom here for us to think about before
we open our mouths to share some “interesting information” about someone else.
To understand James’ viewpoint
here, we first need to look at how the cultures of the first-century world
viewed speech in general. Today, words and idle speech bombard us every day in
the form of gossip. In the Greek and Roman world, words contained an almost
magical power. Ancient sages represented in the wisdom literature of Egypt,
Plutarch, Seneca, and wisdom literature in the Bible, believed that silence was
better than speech and that listening was the pathway to wisdom. One should
guard human speech. A verse from the Apocrypha sums up this view nicely: “Honor
and dishonor come from speaking, and the tongues of mortals may be their
downfall” (Sirach 5:15). The biblical book of Proverbs is full of similar
sentiments.
Moreover, as Ken Frantz reminds us,
the ancient world depended on a strong oral tradition for the transference of
cultural identity and mores from one generation to another. “Who, after all,
would be more aware of the harmful nature of gossip than those steeped in an
oral culture?” he says. No written texts exist that are attributable to Jesus.
The dissemination of the good news depended for some time on the veracity of
oral accounts. Gossip, therefore, was considered to be oral conduct that was
especially egregious.
James employs a series of metaphors
to indicate just how dangerous even a little bit of indiscreet speech can be.
The tongue is a small part of the body, says James, but like the rudder on a
ship or a bridle on a horse, the tongue can steer us either to the path of
wisdom or toward destruction (3:1-5). It takes only a spark — a misplaced,
unkind or untrue word — to burn down a community that has been nurtured and
established like an old-growth forest (vv. 5-6). The tongue’s “deadly poison”
is always just a word or two away from infecting a whole group (v. 8). The
power of words to both bless and curse is a power not to be taken lightly,
particularly when our words are directed at God and, more precisely, at people
who are created in God’s image (v. 9).
However, James also recognized that
there was a positive use for the tongue, and that is as a conduit for God’s own
wisdom. “Who is wise and understanding among you?” he asked. “Show by your good
life that your good works are done with gentleness born of wisdom” (v. 13). Our
speech is merely the product of what is inside us. If we are filled with the
wisdom and Spirit of God “from above,” then our speech will reflect that. That
wisdom is “pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and
good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy” (v. 17). If, however,
our speech is peppered with “envy and selfish ambition,” then that is evidence
that our deeper motivation is “earthly, unspiritual, devilish” (v. 15). To put
it another way, before we share anything with anyone we have to listen to the
inner voice. Before we use our audible voice, we should ask ourselves, “Is what
I’m about to share here coming from a desire to build up the body of Christ and
share God’s wisdom, or am I simply speaking to feed my own selfish ambition or
to gain favor with the curious and caustic folks around me?” When wielded by an authoritative teacher, the spoken word
can guide a community as does a small tap on a ship’s rudder; however, it can
also destroy a community as does an errant spark on a forest bed. “Which type
of teacher are you?” James asks. “Are you the sure-handed equestrian,
skillfully steering a beast more powerful than yourself? Or are you the
duplicitous spring, pouring forth brackish water that irritates those whom you
once nourished?” In Platonic and Stoic philosophy and in a typical Greek
educational curriculum, the metaphors of the horseman and helmsman represented
the power of human rationality over the human body. Just as a big object can be
controlled by a small device, so can the whole body be controlled by the power
of the mind. James applies these metaphors to the tongue, which is an extension
of the human mind or reason. Indeed, the same Greek word (logoV)
was used to mean a word, a story, an account and rationality itself. The logoV (reasoning
process) of the human mind was expressed by the logoV (spoken words) of
the tongue. Therefore, the tongue connected the mind and the body, thus
offering a chance to bring the body under control.]
How great a forest is
set ablaze by a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire. [We
might think of the Pentecost narrative, where tongues as of fire rested over
the heads of those gathered at the prayer meeting. The fires of Pentecost came
from the Spirit and led to the conversion of many.] 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. [Leahy notes that while the odd phrase, “setting on fire the
wheel of birth” (3:6, NRSV: “sets on fire the cycle of nature”), has baffled
many exegetes, phrases similar to this appear in the Orphic rites of
Hellenistic religion (319). If this is the allusion we are meant to make, then
the following phrase, “and is itself set on fire by Gehenna” (NRSV, “hell”),
may be an allusion to the rituals of human sacrifice practiced in the original
Valley of ben Hinnom from which the image of Gehenna is derived (Jeremiah
7:30-31). Such allusions would emphasize the point that the same tongue that
the Holy Spirit may inspire to speak holy words, can also pronounce pagan
rituals of the most appalling kind. For James, the words of the gospel are
meant to inspire action as well as faith. Therefore, those who would teach must
be able to control their own emotions so they can control the shape their words
will take in the real world.] 7 For
every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and
has been tamed by the human species, 8 but no one can tame the
tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. [One
wonders what social situation inspired James toward such a hyperbolic
assessment. In early Christian communities, were there too many people trying
to be teachers, thus fracturing the communities through their quarrelsome
words? Alternatively, does he offer this critique generally to everyone, not
just the teachers? One must assume the pessimistic conclusion focuses on
unredeemed humanity. Christ is the
unspoken guide of the ship and the one who helps a person control the tongue.
The sad fact of the matter, says James, is that while all manner of creatures
can be tamed by humans who stand above the animal kingdom in their ability to
use speech, the one animal that human beings can never seem to tame is their
own impulsive nature. This is why not many should try to master the art of
using words to educate others.] 9 With it we bless the Lord and
Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. [The likeness of God has its root in Genesis 1:26-7 is a feature
of all of us by creation. Christian theology had to work out the connections
between them if it was to cling to the interrelation of our creation and
redemption.[2]] 10 From
the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought
not to be so. [Deceit characterizes an untamed
tongue. The duplicity of the tongue is inextricable from the duplicity of the
inner mind.] 11 Does a
spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? [He
compares preaching to bitter or sweet water.] 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or
a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh. [In our passage, he offers the two images of a spring and
a fig tree to balance the horse and ship images at the beginning of the
argument. The untamed tongue emits fire that stains, but the bridled tongue
should offer fresh water that nourishes. Just as a freshwater spring does not
emit brackish salty water — which is literally “poison” to those who drink it
(v. 8) — so also should the tongue of a teacher avoid duplicity.
Although the argument of 3:1-12
can stand on its own, it relates to other issues of speech ethics throughout
the epistle. Luke Timothy Johnson has shown that the proper use of speech runs
through James as a theme.[3]
Do not make self-justifying claims of being tempted by God (1:13); do not
flatter the rich (2:3-6); do not make empty promises (2:16) or superficial
claims (2:18); do not judge or slander another member of the community (4:11);
do not boast of future plans without regard for God’s will (4:13); and do not
grumble against one another (5:9). Finally, the concluding exhortations
(5:12-18) delineate various human conditions and their proper responses through
speech, whether prayer, singing or confession. Though too powerful to be tamed,
the tongue can be harnessed and put to proper use for the health of the
community.]
Introduction
“Sticks and Stones can break my
bones … but words can never hurt me.” Is that little bit of proverbial wisdom
true? I get the point, in that it tries to put words into a larger context. Yet,
taken as it is, it is not true. Words have a way of coming back to us, casting
a shadow over our lives.
If you think of my name, you might
imagine a little song I heard often as a child. Georgie Porgie…” and you know
the rest. You might have also guessed “George of the Jungle.” It is not like I have
the greatest last name either! I grew up embarrassed by my name.
All of us have experienced the
power of words. What we say can embarrass us, hurt us or others and devastate
relationships.
At a local restaurant, you have
been chatting with a close friend about your relationship with an annoying
coworker. Suddenly you notice one of that coworker's closest friends is seated
at a nearby table. How much of your gossip did she hear?
During a text conversation with
your best friend, you vent about your spouse's recent detachment and other
shortcomings. A few minutes later, in a sudden moment of panic, you grab your
phone to confirm that text indeed was sent to your friend and not your spouse!
While chatting after worship about
a recent decision by the church board with which you disagree, you notice
another church member who appears to have been listening intently. Immediately
you begin reviewing the conversation in your mind, hoping you did not say anything
they might find insulting.
Once leaving our lips, our words
are out of our control. You cannot get toothpaste back in the tube. The bell
cannot be un-rung. The train has left the station. Our words may not "go
viral," but they may "go virus," infecting more people than we
would care to know.
We know this all too well. Despite
all our accomplishments in adulthood, a parent's careless words spoken 30 years
ago still sting. The uninformed opinion of a teacher still affects your
decisions even though you have a successful career. Although others have told
you how gifted you are, a bad performance review -- formal or informal -- still
echoes years later. Those words are amplified in our hearts without the aid of
a microphone.
Application
Our culture is becoming
increasingly harsh. We see in social media, where I am confident that people
would not write much of what they do if the person were right there in front of
them.
Sadly, this means that the church
can overlap with the culture. It can become increasingly mean in the way it
handles differences.
The Three-Filter Test
Right now, in the 2016 Presidential
race, I can think of at least one person whom I wish would use this text! (I
did not say it, but the name is Donald Trump).
One time-honored way of dealing
with gossip is called the “three-filter test.” Some say it dates all the way
back to Socrates.
• The first filter is Truth: Are you absolutely sure the
statement is true?
• The second filter is Goodness: Does the statement say
something good about another person?
• The third filter is Usefulness: Is the statement useful in
some way?
It is not necessary for the
conditions of all three filters to be fulfilled. For example, a statement may
be true and useful but may still say something bad about another person. While
it could hurt the other person, there may still be some value in saying it.
The three-filter test is most
useful when none of the three conditions is fulfilled. Then it is easy to
discard the statement as mere gossip.
The importance of our inner
lives
James shifts metaphors to
illustrate that our words tell the world something about our hearts. Like the
fruit tells us about the tree, and the water downstream tells us about the
source, our words say something about us. When we have assumed a teaching role,
our words not only represent us, but our whole group, which sometimes is all of
Christianity. Before posting, sharing, tweeting or chatting, we need to measure
our words to be sure we are representing Christ well.
The truth is that if we want to
have any control over the tongue, we need to pay attention to our inner lives
from which either blessing or cursing can come forth. Does the inner spring in
our lives gush with both fresh and brackish water? (v. 11). Can a fig tree
yield olives? Does salt water spontaneously turn fresh? (v. 12). No, what is
inside a person determines the kind of fruit that comes out in the form of
words and deeds.
If we are going to be the kind of
people who use words wisely, then we have to first cultivate an inner life that
sees everyone as a friend created in God's image. We need a vision of life that
does not put us at the center of the universe, but rather centers on God and
God's purposes. The God who spoke the word of creation and sent the Word to
become flesh in his own Son, urges us to choose the kind of words that reflect
his character, life and love.
Speaking the truth in love
Back to our original question: Is
there such a thing as good gossip, particularly in the Christian community?
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in Life Together, wrote about the
importance that Christians practice restraint in the use of their tongues:
“It must be a decisive
rule of every Christian fellowship that each individual is prohibited from
saying much that occurs to him. [I am thinking of a clergy colleague who, in
his last Administrative Council meeting at the church, compared himself to
Moses and the church to the complaining and rebellious Israelites. Here is
something that might have occurred to him, but probably best left unsaid.] This
prohibition does not include the personal word of advice and guidance. … But to
speak about a brother covertly is forbidden, even under the cloak of help and
good will; for it is precisely in the guise that the spirit of hatred among
brothers always creeps in when it is seeking to
create mischief.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
The proper use of the tongue will result in beneficial
fruits:
“Where the discipline of the tongue is
practiced right from the beginning, each individual will make a matchless
discovery. He will be able to cease from constantly scrutinizing the other
person, judging him, condemning him, putting him in his particular place where
he can gain ascendency over him and thus doing violence to him as a person. Now
he can allow the brother to exist as a completely free person, as God made him
to be. His view expands and, to his amazement, for the first time he sees,
shining above his brethren, the richness of God’s creative glory. God did not
make this person as I would have made him. He did not give him to me as a
brother for me to dominate and control, but in order that I might find above
him the Creator.”
Conclusion
The words of a parent who reminded
us we were still loved after getting dumped by our first boyfriend or
girlfriend are remembered. The words of a mentor encouraging us to take that
next step because they see our talent and ability, still prod us along. The
words "I love you" from the lips of our spouse still have the ability
to make our day.
As the people of God, we are called to be
those people for someone else.
When we come together on a Sunday
morning to praise God, unite our voices in prayer and together confess our
faith through creeds and affirmations, we are using our tongues in service to
God.
After worship, when we encourage
one another over a cup of coffee in the fellowship hall, tell our story to
someone in our small group who can learn from our mistakes, or pause to pray
with a friend who is struggling we are sharing a blessing. Nevertheless, it
does not stop there.
When we compliment the work of
someone we supervise at the office, when we offer a word of encouragement to
someone who is supervising us, when we leave a note of appreciation for our
waiter at the restaurant, when we compliment the youth in our church or
neighborhood -- when we do this, we are living our calling.
Our tongues are powerful tools. We
must use our words wisely.
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