St.John's Church - An ecumenical partnership serving the needs of the Grove Green and Weavering communities

First, let’s have a look at passage today.
Verse 5: The Greek says “Micro” tongue, “mega” boasts!
Verse 6: Hell = “Ghenna”, a municipal tip and incinerator, the valley where Jerusalem’s rubbish was burned. Smoking and smouldering, smelly and dirty, Ghenna came to be used as the name for hell, where rubbish will be eternally burned.
Verses 7 & 9 recall the creation story in Genesis. God made us in his image to govern animals and yet we can’t even master our own tongues!
Verse 9: God is described as “our Lord and Father” – the only place in the whole of the Bible where that title is used: the two words are used separately but only here are they used together (see song no. 79 “Dear Lord and Father of mankind”)
Have you heard this saying: “It’s easy to talk the talk but it’s harder to walk the walk.” Christianity is both a talk and a walk – it is a talk because it is what we say to and about God; it is walk because it is also about practicing what we preach and acting upon what we believe. So much of this little book is about walking the talk, putting the faith we profess with our mouths into practical action. E.g. . . . .

1:26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
2:12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment! 14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

All about walking the talk. But today’s reading is not about walking the talk, it is about talking the walk. I’m going to repeat that because it’s the most important summary of James 3:1-12. James 3:1-12 is not about walking the talk, it is about talking the walk.
Do our words – our conversations and comments and questions, our letters and emails, our phone calls – do our words talk the Christian walk? James has already warned us not to be critical and judgmental, and has already said “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.” (1:26) James has also already said “be slow to speak, quick to listen, and slow to become angry” (1:19). What we say is of great importance to God, and James has his eye on two other texts. The first is the wisdom literature of the Old Testament: the books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs(Find this section.), and Proverbs in particular.
James is a very Jewish book and all the way through our author assumes that his readers also know the Old Testament. James is full of indirect references and allusions to the Old Testament in general and to the Wisdom books in particular.
Let’s read seven passages from Proverbs (and these are just a sample)
1. Proverbs 10:18 He who conceals his hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool. 19 When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. 20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value.
2.Proverbs 10:31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out. 32 The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.
3.Proverbs 11:11 Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed. 12 A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue. 13 A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.
4.Proverbs12: 18 Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. 19 Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment
5.Proverbs 18:21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
6.Proverbs 21:23 He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.
7.Proverbs 28:23 He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue.

I hope this reinforces the point that what we say is of great importance to God. This isn’t something James has invented, or some obsession or bee in his bonnet – this is from God. Nor is this just for the people James was writing to -- this is God’s message to us, here and now, and to everyone. What we say matters. So that was Proverbs, from the Wisdom teaching in the O.T. and there’s one more source that James is referring to. James, our author, has traditionally been regarded as the brother of Jesus (half-brother: a child of Mary and Joseph), and if this little book is full of indirect references and allusions to the Old Testament Jewish scriptures it’s equally full of indirect references and allusions to Jesus’ words in the Gospels.
At the time that James is writing – in about AD 50 – not John’s gospel has not yet been written. But the other three are in circulation, although maybe not in the final form in which we have them, and the book of James is full of echoes of Jesus words, esp as found in Mathew’s version of the gospel, which is the most Jewish of the gospels have been written by a Jew for other Jews and assuming a working knowledge of the Jewish religion and scriptures.
In fact one academic calls the book of James a commentary on the Old Testament book of Proverbs and a commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, I was amazed when I read Matthew chapter 5 – there are so many parallels between that and the book of James. Jesus talks about responding to persecution with grace; he says Christians should be different to those around them; he says we should keep God’s laws; he says that there should be good relations between believers; he speaks about hell and judgment; he talks of guarding our tongues, and legal actions in the courts on and on and on.
Three examples
1. Matthew 5:21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. James 1:19 “Be slow to speak, quick to listen and slow to become angry” James 3:6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
2. Matthew5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “ Matthew5:25 "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. Matthew 5:40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. James 2:5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?
3. Matthew 5:33 "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' 34But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. James5:12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned.

And I could go on. The point is not that James was a good scholar or that the Bible refers back to itself but that what we say with our mouths is very important to God. Words matter. Our words matter to God. And that should matter to us.
One last thing to end on. Another quote from Matthew’s gospel. Not chapter 5 this time but chapter 12:

Matthew 12: 36 “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

This week, think about what you say. Do we gossip? Swear? Boast? Lie? Are inappropriate or hasty I what we say? Do praise God on Sunday and then curse his children on Monday with the same mouth? Does our mouth run away with us? Do we control our tongue or does it control us?
This week have another look at James 3:1-12 and ask God for help.

Amen