Year 3, Day 125: James 3

The Tongue is THE Most Essential Tool for the Teacher

I love James’ opening piece of advice here: “Not many of you should become teachers, because we who are teachers will be judged more strictly than the others.”  Way to scare everyone off, James!  See how many of us get more volunteers to be teachers after that little piece of advice!

Of course, he’s right.  When we teach, we are more responsible.  Nothing speaks hypocrisy more than a person who does not practice what they teach.  Nothing breaks trust more than a person who says one thing yet does something else.

I agree with James that those of us who are teachers must be especially aware of our tongues.  We must bridle our tongues.  We must make sure that when our tongues are active they are speaking truth.  There can be little leeway on this point.  The tongue of a teacher is always our greatest asset and our most dangerous tool.

The Danger of the Tongue

James uses some great analogies here.  Can a spring give both fresh and salt water?  Can a fig tree bear both figs and olives?  {No fair any of you science geeks who know how to graft trees together.}  Things cannot produce something that is not in its nature.

Yet, our tongues do double duty.  With one breath we give praise and glory to God.  With another breath we curse the people around us.  With a simple flick of our tongue we lift someone up.  With another flick of the tongue we make an enemy.  Our tongue is a true double edged sword.

So how is it that our tongue can produce two results when things in nature can only produce what is within their nature?  The tongue is proof of the war within us. 

Our nature is sin.  Our flesh is corrupt.  When our tongue speaks out words of destruction and violence to the people around us, our tongue is acting as a tool of the human nature from which it is composed.

However, the nature of the Holy Spirit is God.  God is righteousness.  When our tongue speaks words of truth and wisdom, our tongue is acting as a tool of the spiritual nature that God has placed within us.

Since a war is being waged within us between our sinful nature and God’s righteousness, it makes sense that our tongue is an instrument of this war.  The resulting question is actually fairly simple.  What side shall be victorious?  Which side has greater control of the tongue?  Are the words of my mouth and the meditations of my soul pleasing to the Lord our God?

Wisdom from Above

James then moves on to the topic of wisdom.  Again notice the connection to works for James.  The identification of wisdom in others is directly related to their behavior.  It is by our conduct that we demonstrate our wisdom.

Of course, it is by our works that we demonstrate our immaturity, too.  Where there is no wisdom there is selfish ambition.  {After all, is it wise to pursue that which glorifies ourselves and not God?}  Where there is no wisdom there jealousy.  Where there is no wisdom there is boasting.  Where there is no wisdom there is falsehood.  These things do not come from God.  These things come from the fallen nature of creation – or perhaps worse.

Fruit of True Wisdom

So what is the product of true wisdom?  This question is actually fairly easy to answer.  Is there peace among people who genuinely submit to a suggestion?  Then there was wisdom involved.  Does a suggestion bring out the purity in others?  Then it was wise.  Is a suggestion open to genuine scrutiny?  Then it was probably wise.  Is it producing good fruit, impartial, and sincere?  Then it probably was wise.  Wisdom doesn’t need to hide in the shadows or be the fruit of closed conversation.  Wisdom is discernible and capable of withstanding the scrutiny of this world.

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