Welcome to this week’s episode, a special rerun from our Speaking of Life archive. We hope you find its timeless message as meaningful today as it was when it was first shared.
Watch video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_4WYavNLkw
Program Transcript
Speaking Of Life 3042 | Who do You Say I Am?
Jeff Broadnax
What comes to mind when you imagine God? Perhaps you think about his nature: his love, mercy, and grace. You may see God in creation—in the beautiful harmony of the universe. Maybe you see God in the ways he works through other people. We see God in a smile, an act of kindness, and in tearful forgiveness. All of these are faithful ways to imagine God. However, at one time or another, we all have ideas about God that are motivated by our own desires. It is often tempting to imagine God in ways that are self-serving.
The Bible reveals that God made humanity in his own image, however, since the Fall, humanity has been trying to recreate God into our image. Sometimes, we put our values, opinions, and beliefs on him so that we can do and think the things that seem right to us. Unfortunately, this never works because we were created to follow him, not the other way around. This is why one of the most important questions for any person to answer is, “Who is God?” The answer to this question affects everything else in our lives.
During the incarnation, Jesus declared an understanding of who God is beyond the disciples’ human expectations: a full and Spirit-filled revelation. In Mark 8:27-38, we read:
Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Mark 8:27-33
By asking his disciples, “Who do you say I am,” Jesus was teaching them the importance of identifying the Son of God accurately. Peter accurately confessed that Jesus was the Messiah, but then he wanted to define the kind of Messiah Jesus was. In the verses that follow, Christ used the opportunity to discuss self-denial, which includes the denial of our own self-serving ideas about God. We have to look to Jesus to define God for us and resist the temptation to view God through the lens of our own biases. In our relationship with God, we do not change God to fit our preferences. Rather, as we devote ourselves to God, we change and become who he has created us to be.
Jesus refused to be defined on our terms. However, when we accept God as our God, he shows himself to be more glorious than we could possibly imagine.
I’m Jeff Broadnax, Speaking of Life.
Program Transcript
Speaking Of Life 3042 | Who do You Say I Am?
Jeff Broadnax
What comes to mind when you imagine God? Perhaps you think about his nature: his love, mercy, and grace. You may see God in creation—in the beautiful harmony of the universe. Maybe you see God in the ways he works through other people. We see God in a smile, an act of kindness, and in tearful forgiveness. All of these are faithful ways to imagine God. However, at one time or another, we all have ideas about God that are motivated by our own desires. It is often tempting to imagine God in ways that are self-serving.
The Bible reveals that God made humanity in his own image, however, since the Fall, humanity has been trying to recreate God into our image. Sometimes, we put our values, opinions, and beliefs on him so that we can do and think the things that seem right to us. Unfortunately, this never works because we were created to follow him, not the other way around. This is why one of the most important questions for any person to answer is, “Who is God?” The answer to this question affects everything else in our lives.
During the incarnation, Jesus declared an understanding of who God is beyond the disciples’ human expectations: a full and Spirit-filled revelation. In Mark 8:27-38, we read:
Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Mark 8:27-33
By asking his disciples, “Who do you say I am,” Jesus was teaching them the importance of identifying the Son of God accurately. Peter accurately confessed that Jesus was the Messiah, but then he wanted to define the kind of Messiah Jesus was. In the verses that follow, Christ used the opportunity to discuss self-denial, which includes the denial of our own self-serving ideas about God. We have to look to Jesus to define God for us and resist the temptation to view God through the lens of our own biases. In our relationship with God, we do not change God to fit our preferences. Rather, as we devote ourselves to God, we change and become who he has created us to be.
Jesus refused to be defined on our terms. However, when we accept God as our God, he shows himself to be more glorious than we could possibly imagine.
I’m Jeff Broadnax, Speaking of Life.
Psalm 19:1-14 · Proverbs 1:20-33 · James 3:1-12 · Mark 8:27-38
This week’s theme is words have consequences. In our call to worship psalm, David desires that the words of his mouth would be acceptable to God. In Proverbs, the writer speaks about the importance of listening to the words of wisdom. In James, the apostle writes about the importance of taming the tongue. And in Mark, Jesus warns us about being ashamed of him or his words.
Who Can Tame the Tongue?
James 3:1-12 NRSVUE
Growing up, most of us heard something along the lines of “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all?” We might not have realized it at the time that we were receiving sage, biblical advice. Perhaps you were also told something like “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” You don’t have to live very long to discern that this is not biblical. Words misspoken can crush a soul. Haven’t we all been victims of someone else’s words?
We are going to be focusing on a passage that talks about the importance of our words as there is great power in our tongues. Our words can set the course of our lives for good or for evil. Although James’ words may seem daunting, we will also see where our hope lies in taming the tongue.
Read, or have someone read, James 3:1-12.
Those of Jewish background who were now converted, had previously held their former rabbis in high regard. To fulfill this cultural norm they naturally looked for teachers for their new Christian community. Apparently more than enough men were aspiring to serve in that role. These unofficial teachers may have been taking certain latitudes in their teachings. Thus, James admonishes his readers to “not have many masters.” James warns those who teach that they are held to a higher standard. I think this is partly because teachers and preachers are afforded a captive audience, therefore their words can affect more people. Also, those who preach and teach generally have more training than the average churchgoing person. You would assume as well that these people have a certain amount of maturity.
Those who teach are to lead by example. This would be in line with the overall message of James’ epistle. Our faith is to be made evident by our works. So, if you are teaching others, make sure you are growing in the areas that you are teaching about. For instance, a fitness instructor who is poorly out of shape by neglecting his own workouts loses all credibility. Likewise, those who teach should live out what they are asking of others. This is good advice for any believer, not just those who teach.
If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. Or look at ships: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. (James 3:3-4 NRSVUE)
James uses a couple of analogies here to show how small things can be quite powerful. In the first century A.D., horses and ships were the primary means of transportation. The horse held a bit in its mouth and with it, the rider could control where she wanted this powerful animal to go. Ships have rudders that enable the captain to steer it wherever he chooses.
Modern travel now consists of automobiles and airplanes. A mere steering wheel can turn an entire bus. Small ailerons cause the wings of an airplane to respond to the pilot’s steering. Human beings are also equipped with something very small that can steer the course of our lives. Our tongues are to be used to bless and to encourage, to speak to what is true and right and good, to utter the praises of God.
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! 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 life, and is itself set on fire by hell. (James 3:5-6 NRSVUE)
Just as our tongues can be used for blessing and praise, they can also just as easily be used for cursing. A careless word can tragically alter the course of a friend or loved one’s life.
This is a good place to share a personal story about when the words of someone hurt you, or how your words hurt another person.
So, what James does now is turn from the analogies that show the usefulness of the tongue to analogies of how destructive it can be. The analogy that is being employed here is that of a forest fire. In many cases, it is a small spark that causes great damage.
The state of California is known for its wildfire season, which occurs nearly every summer. In July 2018, the largest wildfire in their history, the Ranch fire combined with the River fire, burned more than four hundred thousand acres of land. After a thorough investigation, it was determined that the cause of the Ranch fire was started by a spark from a hammer striking a nail. The spark landed on some flammable materials nearby.2
The tongue then, can set fire to every good thing in your life. It can consume your friendships, your family, and even your congregation. Wars have been waged over words, costing millions of lives. So, when James says that the tongue is a “world of iniquity,” and “is itself set on fire by hell,” he’s insistent about making his point.
It’s easy to pick out the overt sins. Any believer is likely to abhor murder, theft, drunkenness, and sexual immorality. But what about sins of the tongue? We probably know those who are prone to gossip, or those who speak harshly to others. We may not appreciate these things when we witness them, but at the same time, do we understand how deadly this can be for a congregation that desires to be healthy?
For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:7,8 NRSVUE)
Think about how amazing it is that we can train animals, whether it is for laborious tasks or mere tricks. Parrots can be taught to speak. Whales and dolphins can be taught to jump out of the water on command. Certain dog breeds learn to herd sheep. Cats? Well, they seem to be able to train us better than we can train them. Despite how well we can tame and train non-human creatures to perform human-like tasks and tricks, we still are not able to tame our own tongues.
James repeats himself here with the idea of how evil the tongue is, while also giving us a different analogy. He now describes the tongue as a deadly poison. Now that is something to consider! What if every time we were tempted to say something negative about someone, we saw an image of our tongues as a bottle of poison. What if the image of a skull and cross bones on the bottle came to mind?
When James says that “no human can tame the tongue,” he is not leaving his statement open for human hope. After all, what would be the point of James telling us all of these difficult things to hear without giving us any hope? He is reminding us that we know the one who can tame it. The Father has sent the Holy Spirit to us. The Spirit is here to guide us as he lives through us. The Holy Spirit helps to train our speech in ways we could never perform by our own strength and will. Our trust is placed in God’s abilities and not on ours.
With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth comes a blessing and a curse. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh. (James 3:9-12 NRSVUE)
I don’t know if you have been keeping track of the analogies, but James offers up some more here. He mentions that trees can only produce certain fruit. Springs of water can only contain that which is common to them, salt or fresh water. The analogy is that we have been made in the image of our loving Father. We have been accepted in the life of Christ Jesus, and through the Holy Spirit, there is a quality of life that is consistent with whom we flow from and are rooted into. This life of ours is not consistent with the foul things that the tongue wants to say.
When James asks the rhetorical questions regarding trees and springs producing that which flows from their proper source, we are to see ourselves as God’s newly designed people who resemble the life of his son, Jesus. We are not merely left to our own devices. The Holy Spirit with us assures us of our relationship with the triune God. As the body of Christ, we share that same relationship with one another, where we speak the truth in love, and where our tongues are used for blessing and not cursing.
Note what the psalmist said:
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14 NRSVUE)
We won’t always agree with one another. We don’t all have the same temperaments or personalities. But how we speak to one another in the body of Christ is of vital importance. We are to remind one another of who we are in Christ. We are to speak God’s praises. We are to build up, encourage, and edify one another. Our tongues are to be offered up to our loving God who wants to set the course of our lives through speech filled with grace and love.
This week, ask God to help you use your tongue for good. Ask him to give you the words that encourage and bless others. Watch what happens.
Hammer spark caused California’s largest wildfire | CNN
David Kowalick—Year B Proper 19
Listen to audio: https://cloud.gci.org/dl/GReverb/GR052-Kowalick-YearB-Propers19.mp3
September 15, 2024 — Proper 19 in Ordinary Time
James 3:1-12
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Program Transcript
Anthony: Let’s, for the sake of time, transition to our next passage of the month. It’s James 3:1-12. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 19 in Ordinary Time, which is on September 15.
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will face stricter judgment. 2 For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is mature, 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 and are driven by strong winds, 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 such 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 life, 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 people, made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth comes a blessing and a curse. 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.
David, you’re a teacher who uses your tongue as an attempt to communicate divine truth. No pressure, but this text is holding you and the rest of us to account. So what would you like to share with the pastors, teachers, and church leaders listening to this conversation?
David: Oh, I think we might just skip over that one if that’s all right with you.
Anthony: No, you’re not getting off that easy.
David: Yeah, sure. Yeah, it did frighten me once when I was reading about the spiritual gifts that all of the spiritual gifts actually involve the use of the tongue. Even if you say the gift of healing, you speak something.
There’s a very profound passage, this. Because I think sometimes, we think it’s just the things we do, but everything we do is preceded by things we say. And it is an extraordinary thing that the things that have hurt me the most are not the things that happened to me physically, but the things that have been said to me.
And I’ve broken bones, I’ve had a broken back, I’ve done all those things and I count them as not significant compared to the things that have been said to me. And I got to say, to much shame, the things that I have said have done more damage than anything else I’ve ever done.
I can’t look at this passage and say, you got that one sorted. It’s a constant struggle. And again, we’re not meant to condemn ourselves over this, but at the same time, it does hold us to account. And so, whenever we read a passage like this, it is really easy to take this and then feel all despondent because we’ve failed or whatever.
But again, I go back to the fact that every single person, every major character in the Bible has failed at this point as well, says things they wish they hadn’t done, things they wish they hadn’t done. And the more you read the Bible, the more that becomes apparent too.
I’ve just been reading the book of Samuel lately (sorry, 1 and 2 Samuel) and just looking at the life of David and of Saul and all of it — it was a hot mess that was going on there.
And I look at that and yet I see the transformation that takes place of someone like David, or Paul or Peter or any of the characters. And there is a transforming work that takes place. And the outworking of that is our words.
So yeah, that’s a tough passage to preach. And I do take that very seriously when I say I realized that I’m going to be judged more harshly than someone who’s not a preacher. And yeah, that’s a concern. And again, I know that people will be perhaps even listening to this and saying how’s this got anything to do with the grace of God? Where’s this coming from?
And I guess I’d be saying, again, the grace of God has a long-term effect. It changes your life. But again, it’s a slow-motion miracle. And one of the ways you can see that some of the miracles take place is the way you speak. I was reading the Didache some time ago and it struck me that the Didache is very much like the book of James.
And when you see what was taking place in the church, and the church was really persecuted there in those early days, and it was under a lot of pressure. The way that the early church spoke, the words they said, the way they conducted themselves in the world, really did challenge the world. In fact, part of the reason they got persecuted was because of the way they acted and blessing those who curse you. That’s one of the hardest things in the world to do.
And again, I’ve found this difficult in my own life, but I cannot tell you how many pastoral conversations I’ve had with people saying, this person did this bad thing to me. What am I meant to do? And then you go back to the scriptures and say, what did Jesus say to do with those who curse you? You bless them, forgive those who sin against you. And it’s very straightforward, basic teaching, yet it’s nearly the hardest thing in the world to do to forgive someone who’s genuinely and powerfully hurt you.
And yet, there it is! It comes from the mouth, it’s the words you say, it starts with that. Bless those who curse you. And there’s something very powerful that gets released, I think, when a person does actually put this into action with their words, because those words produce other actions, but with an ongoing and rolling effect.
Anthony: Go ahead.
David: Yeah, go on. Go on.
Anthony: I was going to say earlier, you had talked about, okay, where’s the grace in this pericope because it seems like it’s a difficult teaching. But as we think Christologically, James is telling us to bless those who curse you. And all we have to do is look at Jesus on the cross.
He was being ridiculed, being mocked, being killed, being murdered, unrighteously. And yet, his words are, Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.
And yet in the face of these words that we’re doing anything but bringing life, we can look at our Lord and see, like a good teacher or a good coach, he’s not asking us to do something that he himself, in his own person, hasn’t already done, right?
And so, all we have to do is look at the life and words of Jesus to see it lived out.
David: Exactly. The picture here of a rudder and of a small spark that can set a whole forest on fire, they’re good ways of looking at it because not only is that true in a negative sense, but it’s also true in a positive sense. If you reverse the order of that and you bring blessing where there’s been cursing, it can produce huge amount of good at the same time.
I think there’s a place for talking on both sides of that, talking about the blessing that comes from speaking well and of the curse that comes from speaking poorly. Both of those are relevant. But yeah, it’s a very confronting passage, the whole of James. I’ve got to say, you read it and you go, yeah, I’ve got work to do.
Anthony: Yes, there’s no other way to walk away from it.
So, speaking of that work, let’s get practical. Especially in a divided world here in the U.S., we have a national election coming up later this year. And, as I skim through social media and talk to people, I know there’s a lot of cursing going on as we project our pain onto other people who are made in the image and likeness of God.
Do you have anything to say — you’ve already touched on it, but any practical words of wisdom based on this text and how we can bridle the tongue and speak words of life versus words of curse?
David: Yeah, it’s definitely since social media has become a thing that the level of cursing going on just seems to have gone completely off the charts.
I heard somebody quip that the source of all evil is the comments in YouTube rather than the love of money. But we have a YouTube channel, and it’s amazing, even from Christians, some of the words that you get. It can be very disheartening.
So, I guess, practically just taking the straight teaching of James here and then contrasting what evil words can do. Again, I would reiterate, evil words can be more damaging than what can be done with a fist or with violence, even though that’s evil. That’s got its own thing going but there’s something extraordinarily powerful in words.
People talk about toxic masculinity, for instance, and how men can be violent and so on. I’ve seen the other side of that; I’ve seen toxic femininity, which can be all just done with words and doing character assassinations and so on. Yeah, none of us are above this. This is something that if we are under the grace of God, and we realize that we’ve been blessed, it changes your heart. It changes your perception of people, your perception of the world, and most cursing comes out of defensiveness or tribalism. And when you’re in the kingdom of God, that defensiveness disappears and evaporates, and your tribalism, it’s no longer necessary.
And yes, I am aware of this division that’s not only taking place in the United States, it seems to be happening right across the West. There’s this polarization between the left and the right. And yet, when I look at Jesus, he was neither on the left or the right. People would say, who would Jesus vote for? And you can’t answer that question because you can’t describe Jesus on the political spectrum. He’s coming from a completely different place. And if we are in the kingdom of God, we ought to be coming from a completely different place as well and representing that kingdom.
That kingdom is not of this earth. It is for this earth, and it is on this earth, but it hasn’t emerged from the earth. It has come from above, from the Father of heavenly lights, and it’s a different kingdom. It cannot be rated on the left or the right, or it’s not centrist, it’s not right, it’s not left. It’s completely other, it’s another kingdom. And the people of God ought to be from that other kingdom, and not just be considered left or right or centrist or whatever it is.
But we’ve got something better to say. We’ve got a different kingdom, a kingdom which is above socialism and above capitalism and above democracy and above all, any -ism you can think of. The kingdom of God’s above it and the people of God speak in a different kind of a language. And I believe that’s the kind of thing that James is saying.
Yet keeping in mind that the warning is there. And when we do fail, which we do, we stumble — anyone who can control their tongue is of course, perfect and we’re less than perfect. But we continue to get up, receive the gift of grace, the forgiveness of God and move on. But in that space, we have the power and the capacity to experience that grace and it gets inside of you.
Again, the slow-motion miracle takes place, and it changes the way we speak.
Anthony: Yeah. Yeah. Amen. Those are good words and I think timely words that you’ve just spoken. And given the text, that’s what we’re looking for: words that are fitly spoken.
Program Transcript
Anthony: Let’s, for the sake of time, transition to our next passage of the month. It’s James 3:1-12. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 19 in Ordinary Time, which is on September 15.
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will face stricter judgment. 2 For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is mature, 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 and are driven by strong winds, 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 such 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 life, 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 people, made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth comes a blessing and a curse. 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.
David, you’re a teacher who uses your tongue as an attempt to communicate divine truth. No pressure, but this text is holding you and the rest of us to account. So what would you like to share with the pastors, teachers, and church leaders listening to this conversation?
David: Oh, I think we might just skip over that one if that’s all right with you.
Anthony: No, you’re not getting off that easy.
David: Yeah, sure. Yeah, it did frighten me once when I was reading about the spiritual gifts that all of the spiritual gifts actually involve the use of the tongue. Even if you say the gift of healing, you speak something.
There’s a very profound passage, this. Because I think sometimes, we think it’s just the things we do, but everything we do is preceded by things we say. And it is an extraordinary thing that the things that have hurt me the most are not the things that happened to me physically, but the things that have been said to me.
And I’ve broken bones, I’ve had a broken back, I’ve done all those things and I count them as not significant compared to the things that have been said to me. And I got to say, to much shame, the things that I have said have done more damage than anything else I’ve ever done.
I can’t look at this passage and say, you got that one sorted. It’s a constant struggle. And again, we’re not meant to condemn ourselves over this, but at the same time, it does hold us to account. And so, whenever we read a passage like this, it is really easy to take this and then feel all despondent because we’ve failed or whatever.
But again, I go back to the fact that every single person, every major character in the Bible has failed at this point as well, says things they wish they hadn’t done, things they wish they hadn’t done. And the more you read the Bible, the more that becomes apparent too.
I’ve just been reading the book of Samuel lately (sorry, 1 and 2 Samuel) and just looking at the life of David and of Saul and all of it — it was a hot mess that was going on there.
And I look at that and yet I see the transformation that takes place of someone like David, or Paul or Peter or any of the characters. And there is a transforming work that takes place. And the outworking of that is our words.
So yeah, that’s a tough passage to preach. And I do take that very seriously when I say I realized that I’m going to be judged more harshly than someone who’s not a preacher. And yeah, that’s a concern. And again, I know that people will be perhaps even listening to this and saying how’s this got anything to do with the grace of God? Where’s this coming from?
And I guess I’d be saying, again, the grace of God has a long-term effect. It changes your life. But again, it’s a slow-motion miracle. And one of the ways you can see that some of the miracles take place is the way you speak. I was reading the Didache some time ago and it struck me that the Didache is very much like the book of James.
And when you see what was taking place in the church, and the church was really persecuted there in those early days, and it was under a lot of pressure. The way that the early church spoke, the words they said, the way they conducted themselves in the world, really did challenge the world. In fact, part of the reason they got persecuted was because of the way they acted and blessing those who curse you. That’s one of the hardest things in the world to do.
And again, I’ve found this difficult in my own life, but I cannot tell you how many pastoral conversations I’ve had with people saying, this person did this bad thing to me. What am I meant to do? And then you go back to the scriptures and say, what did Jesus say to do with those who curse you? You bless them, forgive those who sin against you. And it’s very straightforward, basic teaching, yet it’s nearly the hardest thing in the world to do to forgive someone who’s genuinely and powerfully hurt you.
And yet, there it is! It comes from the mouth, it’s the words you say, it starts with that. Bless those who curse you. And there’s something very powerful that gets released, I think, when a person does actually put this into action with their words, because those words produce other actions, but with an ongoing and rolling effect.
Anthony: Go ahead.
David: Yeah, go on. Go on.
Anthony: I was going to say earlier, you had talked about, okay, where’s the grace in this pericope because it seems like it’s a difficult teaching. But as we think Christologically, James is telling us to bless those who curse you. And all we have to do is look at Jesus on the cross.
He was being ridiculed, being mocked, being killed, being murdered, unrighteously. And yet, his words are, Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.
And yet in the face of these words that we’re doing anything but bringing life, we can look at our Lord and see, like a good teacher or a good coach, he’s not asking us to do something that he himself, in his own person, hasn’t already done, right?
And so, all we have to do is look at the life and words of Jesus to see it lived out.
David: Exactly. The picture here of a rudder and of a small spark that can set a whole forest on fire, they’re good ways of looking at it because not only is that true in a negative sense, but it’s also true in a positive sense. If you reverse the order of that and you bring blessing where there’s been cursing, it can produce huge amount of good at the same time.
I think there’s a place for talking on both sides of that, talking about the blessing that comes from speaking well and of the curse that comes from speaking poorly. Both of those are relevant. But yeah, it’s a very confronting passage, the whole of James. I’ve got to say, you read it and you go, yeah, I’ve got work to do.
Anthony: Yes, there’s no other way to walk away from it.
So, speaking of that work, let’s get practical. Especially in a divided world here in the U.S., we have a national election coming up later this year. And, as I skim through social media and talk to people, I know there’s a lot of cursing going on as we project our pain onto other people who are made in the image and likeness of God.
Do you have anything to say — you’ve already touched on it, but any practical words of wisdom based on this text and how we can bridle the tongue and speak words of life versus words of curse?
David: Yeah, it’s definitely since social media has become a thing that the level of cursing going on just seems to have gone completely off the charts.
I heard somebody quip that the source of all evil is the comments in YouTube rather than the love of money. But we have a YouTube channel, and it’s amazing, even from Christians, some of the words that you get. It can be very disheartening.
So, I guess, practically just taking the straight teaching of James here and then contrasting what evil words can do. Again, I would reiterate, evil words can be more damaging than what can be done with a fist or with violence, even though that’s evil. That’s got its own thing going but there’s something extraordinarily powerful in words.
People talk about toxic masculinity, for instance, and how men can be violent and so on. I’ve seen the other side of that; I’ve seen toxic femininity, which can be all just done with words and doing character assassinations and so on. Yeah, none of us are above this. This is something that if we are under the grace of God, and we realize that we’ve been blessed, it changes your heart. It changes your perception of people, your perception of the world, and most cursing comes out of defensiveness or tribalism. And when you’re in the kingdom of God, that defensiveness disappears and evaporates, and your tribalism, it’s no longer necessary.
And yes, I am aware of this division that’s not only taking place in the United States, it seems to be happening right across the West. There’s this polarization between the left and the right. And yet, when I look at Jesus, he was neither on the left or the right. People would say, who would Jesus vote for? And you can’t answer that question because you can’t describe Jesus on the political spectrum. He’s coming from a completely different place. And if we are in the kingdom of God, we ought to be coming from a completely different place as well and representing that kingdom.
That kingdom is not of this earth. It is for this earth, and it is on this earth, but it hasn’t emerged from the earth. It has come from above, from the Father of heavenly lights, and it’s a different kingdom. It cannot be rated on the left or the right, or it’s not centrist, it’s not right, it’s not left. It’s completely other, it’s another kingdom. And the people of God ought to be from that other kingdom, and not just be considered left or right or centrist or whatever it is.
But we’ve got something better to say. We’ve got a different kingdom, a kingdom which is above socialism and above capitalism and above democracy and above all, any -ism you can think of. The kingdom of God’s above it and the people of God speak in a different kind of a language. And I believe that’s the kind of thing that James is saying.
Yet keeping in mind that the warning is there. And when we do fail, which we do, we stumble — anyone who can control their tongue is of course, perfect and we’re less than perfect. But we continue to get up, receive the gift of grace, the forgiveness of God and move on. But in that space, we have the power and the capacity to experience that grace and it gets inside of you.
Again, the slow-motion miracle takes place, and it changes the way we speak.
Anthony: Yeah. Yeah. Amen. Those are good words and I think timely words that you’ve just spoken. And given the text, that’s what we’re looking for: words that are fitly spoken.
Small Group Discussion Questions
- What advice have you received about the importance of what you say?
- Share a time when you experienced the Holy Spirit aiding you in holding your tongue.
- James used several analogies to describe the tongue. Name one that you can relate to.
- Share why recognizing our identity in Christ is vital to taming the tongue.
