Time for a Bit of Heavenly Wisdom - A Word to a Difficult Moment from James 3-4

        

   “Who is wise and understanding among you?” (James 3:13). Is there anyone out there who possesses some degree of wisdom and understanding, anyone? At times, I wonder. We have millions of Americans who refuse to accept the most recent election results. It happens, every election cycle, but not on this scale, and not with the incumbent President, who has clearly lost the election, leading the charge. Then there is the anti-vaxxer movement, which has merged with the anti-mask movement, which if it has its way will prolong an already deadly pandemic.

            My Bible study group is working through the letter of James, which is itself a form of wisdom literature. The letter of James is very practical. It often speaks in timeless ways, seemingly writing to our contemporary situation. That serves as a reminder that in many ways, while technology has advanced, human nature hasn’t progressed all that much. So, as we live in this challenging moment, when here in the United States the very foundations of our democracy are at stake, we hear this word from James who speaks to the “conflicts and disputes” among us, suggesting that they might come from the cravings that are at war within us.” We have certain desires that lead to murder, covetousness, and adultery (James 4:1-4). In our desire to be friends with the world (the system) we have become enemies of God. So, remember that “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Jms 4:6; Prov. 3:34).

            So who among us is wise and has understanding? The answer to that question will be determined by the form of wisdom we embrace. Is it the heavenly wisdom or the wisdom that is “earthly, unspiritual, devilish?” The former expresses itself in good works and gentleness. The other is reflected in envy and selfish ambition, which leads to disorder and wickedness. So, which form of wisdom will you/we choose?

            As I read and prepared for this session, which covers James 3:13 to 4:10, I found that it spoke very directly to this moment in time. We see envy and selfish ambition on display at the highest levels of the American government and in the religious world as well. So, James writes this prescient word:  “If you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, then stop bragging and living in ways that deny the truth. ¹⁵ This is not the wisdom that comes down from above” (Jms 3:14-15a CEB). I share this word from James using the translation found in the Common English Bible because it uses the phrase “deny the truth.”

            The denial of truth stands at the heart of so many of our problems today. We have succumbed to a “post-truth” era. Facts no longer matter. Conspiracy theories reign. Science and expertise are considered “elitist.” This is dangerous. It is dangerous for our nation and our world. It is also dangerous for the church, because when religious leaders take the lead in spreading rumor and innuendo, embracing this “post-truth” dogma, then they have given in to a wisdom that is demonic.

            So how should we respond to this warning from James? This is James’ directive:   “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (Jms. 4:7-8). There is a touch of dualism here. The process might not be as simple as it seems here. To embrace James’ message here does not mean that God has not taken the initiative in this. As Martha Moore-Keish notes “the bare imperative for us to act does not keep the Spirit from acting in and through us. James’s insistence that we need to ‘draw near to God’ should be held together with the equally strong insistence that ‘every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above’ (1:17)—so our act of turning to God is itself empowered by God’s gift working within us” [James: Belief, p. 149]. If we hear James correctly, then, what we hear in this passage is a call to repentance and a change of behavior that comes as a response to God’s gracious initiative that is revealed in the wisdom that is from above. But, that also means we have choices to make. We can choose a path that leads to destruction, or, we can choose a path that leads to peace and justice.

            So may we choose the path that is revealed to us in the wisdom from above, which is expressed, as James notes, in this way: “First, it is pure, and then peaceful, gentle, obedient, filled with mercy and good actions, fair, and genuine. ¹⁸ Those who make peace sow the seeds of justice by their peaceful acts.” (Jms 3:17-18 CEB). The message here is one of peace that sows seeds of justice. Let us remember that peace always partners with justice.