James 5:7-10 (NRSV)
7 Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! 10 As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
James 5:7-10, a segment that extends to verse 11, has the theme of a patient waiting for the return of the Lord. He offers some quick suggestions to help Christians as they wait for the Lord’s return and prepare for hard times ahead. Nothing can rush the progress of the seasons; they come and go according to divine designation. As the farmer waits patiently for rain to nurture crops, so leaders of the congregation ought to wait patiently for the implanted word to mature at the coming of the Lord. The triumph of God will come without human intervention. Thus, they should not grumble in suffering against each other, for then God will judge them.
The delay in the Lord's return caused problems. They were not insurmountable, as the persistence and growth of the early show. The dramatic turning point that Jesus Christ was and is for the dealings of God with humanity was not also the end of that history in the sense of bringing the final redemption of all creation. Rather, there will be an ongoing time of living the Christian life with faith, love, and hope. One will offer one’s life in gratitude for what God has done in Christ and become witnesses in the world. Yet, given the proximity of the early church chronologically to the turning point in the history of salvation, it was easy to be impatient. I am thinking now of Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett. Waiting can have a joyful dimension, but this play shows how waiting can be depressing and discouraging. In these early decades, it was also easy for zealots to take over and seek revolution amid oppression. James offers the counsel of patience, especially in the face of suffering. James sets his counsel for patience in the context of the belief that the coming of the Lord is near; indeed, he is at the door!
Thus, throughout the letter, James emphasizes the importance of works to demonstrate faith. One way he nuances this is the importance of the wealthy not trusting the wealthy in a distinct way and not feeling they are somehow better than others are. The wealthy run the risk of their wealth judging them, especially for their mistreatment of others. On the other hand, another way James nuances the importance of works is by coming down harshly on judging others, which can even take the form of grumbling. Patience that is an active belief in the Lord’s Parousia is a key deed.
7 Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming (παρουσίας) of the Lord. In the face of this turmoil, urging patience on the faithful is not calling for quietist passivity. Patience under these circumstances takes active strength, fortitude, courage, and a certain fearlessness. Patience in the face of persecution means a persistent trust in God’s plan and a willingness to allow God to bring that future into being — no matter what the personal cost may be.
Patience would seem to be a rather minor virtue to urge upon a congregation. Literary critic Wolfgang Iser has noted that, during times of social dislocation and chaos, simple, straightforward, confirming, moralistic stories and sayings appear. William Bennett's The Book of Virtues contains simple, straightforward moral stories which edify us by reaffirming and asserting traditional moral truths. “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” is another. “A Small Treatise on the Great Virtues” is a wonderful and thoughtful book. They affirm a world of clarity, permanence, and order. There are virtues in these virtuous stories. They affirm the way the world is, or at least ought to be. They keep us in touch with basic truth. In an age when there is much confusion and chaos, we are ready to hear proverbial, modest truth again with fresh ears. Yet, what good has impatience ever brought? It has only served as the mother of mistakes and the father of irritation. Our impatience with others is a form of torturing ourselves. We engage in the useless frenzy of trying to squirm out of the present and into the future. Patience is a boring virtue. It suggests self-control, restraint, and delayed gratification. Impulsive, intense, and drama seem more exciting. Yet, patience may well be the medicine we need for the sickness that often invades our souls. Patience may well be the path we need to take to move from frustration to peace. Most of us need to learn patience as a skill that we apply at the right time in our lives. It will lead to relaxation, freedom, and even spaciousness.
The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. In the Palestinian regions, rains tend to come both at the beginning of October and then again in mid-November. Farmers arranged planting and harvesting based on this dual cycle of rain. James takes this metaphor and applies it to the Christian life. Just as a farmer must wait patiently for crops to come, so, too, must we be patient until the Parousia of the Lord. His meaning is unclear, and much debate has gone into the spiritual understanding of these words. While some argue for two crops of fruit, most others leave the metaphor as a simple representation of the duration of the wait. However, James believes God will come, and God’s coming will justify those who have cried out against the rich. Verse 4 speaks of the Lord of the Sabbath. The Lord is the one who comes to bring a Sabbath rest to the laborers of the fields. Theophylact, reading these verses as a spiritual allegory, attributes the rains to the tears of repentance one sheds in both youth and then old age. 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming (παρουσία) of the Lord is near (ἤγγικεν) . God's triumph will come without human intervention. James takes the metaphor of the waiting farmer and applies it to the Christian life. James again bases patience on the coming of the Lord. 9 Beloved, do not grumble [στενάζετε or groan, for which see Chapter 4] against one another, so that you may not be judged. While an unrelated independent saying, it is relevant to verses 7-8. The writer warns that improper behavior should be avoided now that a time of judgment is near. No one escapes this moment of judgment. And since complaining against others’ behavior does nothing to improve one’s own status, it is a worthless activity. The verse reiterates instructions from 4:11-12. One must not speak evil against others (or, in the case of chapter 5, the specific instruction is that one must not “groan” against one another). Rather than obeying the law, one places oneself in the role of the judge of the neighbor. Yet, we have only one judge. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! Jesus himself appears to have had the same expectation. In Mark 9:1 Jesus said there are some standing before him who will see the kingdom of God come with power. In Mark 14:62 Jesus says that the members of the Sanhedrin would see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven. James offers the counsel of patience on the basis that the Lord is coming soon. This reference to a Judge parallels chapter 4, in which God’s status of Judge is unique. In that case, as well as in this one, the warning is against overstepping our own bounds as finite and fallible creatures. However, in this case the reference to the Judge’s position “at the doors” also reminds one of the “drawing near” coming of the Lord. In both cases, God’s appearance is nigh, but it evokes different emotions: In verse 8, the emotion is one of joy and anticipation, whereas in verse 9, the sense is more of trepidation. It is not only the rich but also the poor who have something to fear in the Lord’s coming. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Returning to the theme of patience, but now specifically naming suffering as an expected part of faithful patience. Indeed, the closer the day of the Lord’s return comes, the more likely it is that patience will be tested, and suffering will be endured. The prophets become an example of those who bear up with patience without grumbling. Jesus offered a beatitude upon those who are on the receiving end of people speaking all kinds of evil against them, for people persecuted the prophets as well (Matthew 5:11-12). Jesus accused his contemporaries of building monuments to prophets, but they will persecute the prophets among them now (Matthew 23:29-36). He offered a lament over the city of Jerusalem, for it kills the prophets and stones those whom God sends to it (Matthew 23:37-39). People tortured, mocked, flogged, imprisoned, stoned to death, sawed in two, killed by sword, persecuted, and tormented prophets throughout the history of Israel (Hebrews 11:32-38). Such prophets of the past are an example of silent patience, even as people did not listen to them and as people mistreated them.
Liked the way you handle patience and judgement. Seems lie, for you, this can be played out in the UM. When the EPC split from the PCUSA, some pastors, mine included, called the PCUSA apostate and therefore, we could sue them and speak badly of them. It was very sad.
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