James: Two Rebukes and a Reminder
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Introduction
How many of you have ever had to call someone out because of something they said?
friend? family member? Co-worker?
I remember when I was in seminary and there was some inappropriate words spoken to my daughter from a fellow student.
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Letter of James A. The Readers and Their Situation
The displaced status of these Jewish Christians has brought to the surface some basic spiritual issues; and it is to these spiritual issues that the author directs his exhortations.
The words spoken were either ignorant or malicious
But either way he needed to be confronted.
I needed to speak to him about his words. He needed to be rebuked.
However, before I did so I needed to seek some wisdom from friends family. I still remember sitting down with Pastor Zach seeking wisdom from him on how to handle this situation.
James is about to lay out some harsh rebukes on people within the church (both believers and unbelievers)
Come now you who say
Come now, you rich...
Yet, before he goes into the rebukes he explains how not to judge one another.
11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
James makes it clear that you are not to judge one another. However, James is about to go ahead and rebuke or even judge some within the church.
How does this work?
He says in verse 12 that there is only one lawgiver and judge...
And it is by his authority that we are to judge and rebuke one another.
For if we judge by our own authority the law testifies against us because we are ourselves worthy of judgement.
So when I spoke to this individual who spoke inappropriately to my daughter, I had to rebuke or judge him according to the judgements of God.
In other words, we call sin out in one another not because we are holy and righteous ourselves, but because God has revealed himself and it is by God’s authority we call sin sin.
And this is what we see James doing, he brings forth his judgements and rebukes not because he is righteous, and they have fallen short of his standard, but because God is righteous and as their spiritual leader he is speaking for God.
So with this in mind, let see how James rebukes the arrogant in verses 13-17
The Rebuke of the Arrogant
The Rebuke of the Arrogant
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Verses 13-17 James rebukes the arrogant who think they have autonomy to live their lives apart from the sovereign will of God.
James - Exegetical Commentary of the New Testament Literary Context
about the temptations of autonomous planning more generally and thus a failure to take God’s will into account
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—
13-
At first glance it may seem that James is rebuking those who have the ability to travel, to invest, and make money.
Is there something inherently wrong with travel? Trade? Making a profit?
Does God prefer his people to be confined to one place?
No, we are to take the gospel the the nations
Does God prefer his people to not trade or invest?
No, the virtuous women of is known for trading and investing and she is praised for this.
Does God prefer his people to not make a profit?
No, Jesus rebukes the unwise servant in the parable of the talents who does not invest the talent for profit but rather buries it in the ground.
If its not evil to travel, trade or make a profit, why does James rebuke those who do such things in this passage?
What causes James so much consternation with these people is not their vocation but their attitude.
He is not bothered by traveling, or spending or staying or making a profit.
But rather, he is speaking to a heart that is arrogant, prideful, and selfish.
He is rebuking an attitude that believes that oneself is the greatest authority in ones life.
The consistent use of the future tense indicative verbs
The consistent use of the future tense indicative verbs—“we will go” (πορευσόμεθα), “we will spend” (ποιήσομεν), “we will do business” (ἐμπορευσόμεθα), and “we will profit” (κερδήσομεν)—shows a confidence that these plans will be carried out.
James - Exegetical Commentary of the New Testament Explanation of Text
The consistent use of the future tense indicative verbs—“we will go” (πορευσόμεθα), “we will spend” (ποιήσομεν), “we will do business” (ἐμπορευσόμεθα), and “we will profit” (κερδήσομεν)—shows a confidence that these plans will be carried out.
“we will go” (πορευσόμεθα)
“we will spend” (ποιήσομεν)
“we will do business” (ἐμπορευσόμεθα)
“we will profit” (κερδήσομεν)—shows a self absorbed confidence that these plans will be carried out.
And James has, as we should, a very high view of God’s sovereignty.
James knows that each breath we take is a breath provided of by God
James knows that our health, finances, comfort, jobs, families, are all in the hands of God.
So to assert that we will go and spend and trade and profit without any regard to the sovereignty of God is painfully arrogant.
So James says,
14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
How dare you be so arrogant to claim you will do this thing or that when you don’t even know, nor can you control, what tomorrow will bring.
How can you, being the kind of creatures that you are, presume to dictate the course of future events?
The fragility of human life is one that should lead us to to the creator and sustainer with the meekness of wisdom.
For the life we live is like mist, it appears for a little time and then vanishes.
James knows that arrogance moves us not toward, but away from friendship with God.
The poet William Ernest Henley famously wrote in his poem “Invictus” — “I am the master of my fate / I am the Captain of my soul.”
This is the attitude James is rebuking.
you are the master of nothing.
You are the captain of nothing.
Your life is a mist.
You are here now, but in a moment you will be gone.
When the greatness of God’s glory is realized, when we see him for who he is, the great sovereign king, it effects everything!
***Its like having kids
There is nothing in your life that is left unaffected when you have kids
your marriage changes
your friendships change
travel plans, meal planning, bed time, everything changes when you have kids.
And this is the way its supposed to be.
in the same way when we submit ourselves to the sovereign will of God everything changes.
So in light of God’s infinite sovereignty and our limited finiteness how should we think about the future?
15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
15-
Everything we do should be in submission to Christ’s Lordship.
everything!
Kurios speaks of dominion and kingship - being master.
We far to often think of Jesus as our savior, but not as our king.
We think of him as our moral guide, but not as one who is our master.
James wants us to think of Jesus not just as our savior, but also as our master.
And who are we to do anything without first consulting with your master.
As followers of Christ we are men and women who are under authority. Not just in the spiritual realm, but we are under the authority of Christ in everything we do.
But we boast in arrogance when we think we are our own masters or our own captains.
And James says that such boasting is sin.
So these young Christians have just received some strong words from James.
Do not be arrogant
do not boast
Recognize that you are men and women under the rule and reign of king Jesus. Therefore, seek the kings will when making plans.
This submission to the sovereign kingship of Christ applies to all men everywhere.
Here is the reality. Jesus has been given rule and authority over all people.
Perhaps James is seeing the affect of what happens when the church seeks to be friends with the world rather than friends with God.
Those who have not placed their faith in Christ are not excused as if they serve a different king, they are without excuse because they live in rebellion to king Jesus.
The antagonist in James Letter are the Rich among them who are oppressive, wicked and evil. Yet their lives are lives of ease, and
And in James letter the greatest rebels against the throne of God are the rich oppressors.
And it is these men that James now turns to offer his second rebuke.
And these rich men were not followers of Christ, they were not using their wealth for the glory of God, but rather they boasted in their wealth.
James has already addressed the churches about not showing favoritism toward these rich men who have come and joined their churches.
He warns the churches that these men are the ones who oppress you, and take you to court, and blaspheme the name of Christ.
James continues his prophetic tone from chapter 4 here,
James now turns his attention to these rich men and puts them in the right perspective before God.
The Rebuke of the Rich (Wicked)
The Rebuke of the Rich (Wicked)
In James warns the rich of the judgement that is coming upon them because of their wicked hearts.
We have already been introduced to these wicked oppressors
The probl
Whats happened in the church is the people have become impressed with the wealth of some wicked people.
And the believers have longed to live the life of these wealthy people.
So James rebukes the rich in such a way that those who desire to be identified with these influential yet wicked people will see clearly their end.
1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.
2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.
3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.
4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.
These are the same men from chapter two who:
oppress the people of God
drag them into court
And who blaspheme the name of God.
These were some really evil men.
James strong rebuke toward the rich was not because of their wealth; they were condemned for their evil use of wealth and power.
1-
James begins this rebuke by announcing the futility of their riches
he then rebukes them for their, fraud, self-indulgence and murder
fraud - self-indulgence - Murder
look at 5:1-3 and see how James speaks of the futility of riches.
1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.
2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.
3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.
Though you boast of great wealth, they will not keep you from the miseries that are coming
Our hearts are twisted in such a way that when we see people who have that which we do not have we become jealous and long for what others have.
though you boast of nice clothing and gold rings (chapter 2) your riches have rotted and your garments are moth eaten.
Whats happened in the church is the people have become impressed with the wealth of some wicked people.
The confidence placed in riches is an arrogance that leads toward condemnation.
We then see in verse 4 James Rebukes the rich for fraud
And the believers have longed to live the life of these wealthy people.
Rebuked for Fraud
4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
James 5.4-
The OT emphatically condemns those who fraud workers by not paying them their wages.
15 You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets (for he is poor and counts on it), lest he cry against you to the Lord, and you be guilty of sin.
This is not only wrong due to fraud and cheating, but it also relates to chapter three where the tongue is seen as restless evil.
James explains the nature of the tongue as being something that can destroy the entire course of life.
The evil oppressors lie to the poor by promising them wages for work then don’t pay.
James address this sort hypocrisy in verse 12
12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
These evil men have indeed fallen under condemnation because they promised one thing then did another.
They did not let their “yes” be yes and their “no” be no.
In verse 12 James makes it abundantly clear that followers of Christ must never do this. To follow Christ is to be one who is trustworthy in speech.
So after rebuking the rich for fraud he then rebukes them for self indulgence.
Rebuked for Self-indulgence
Though the rich would be able to get away with such evil actions in James day, he warns them that they have not escaped the judgement of God.
The OT repeatedly warns against defrauding workers
14 “You shall not oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns.
Deut
15 You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets (for he is poor and counts on it), lest he cry against you to the Lord, and you be guilty of sin.
They think they have saved themselves some money by not paying their workers.
Though the rich would be able to get away with such evil actions in James day, he warns them that they have not escaped the judgement of God.
says both the withheld money and the laborers are crying out, and both the cries have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.
4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
Rebuked for Self-indulgence
However, those funds are now testifying against them.
5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
Though you have been given much, rather than taking care of the poor, rather than investing in the church, you have lived indulging only yourself.
And the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts - which is to say the cries have reached the king with his armies.
Self-indulgence stands opposed to the character of God.
We serve a generous God, and as those created in his image we should likewise seek to be generous.
However the self indulgent person does not image God well, rather than thinking of
Rebuked for Murder
6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.
5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.
The oppression of the rich had gotten so bad that one of the men they drag into jail was then executed.
5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.
They used their influence and power to murder a righteous man.
This passage is the harshest rebuke in the book of James.
He wants everyone to hear this. He does not want believers to be impressed with the rich and the powerful.
no matter what kind of cars they drive
no matter how big their houses are
no matter how important they might think themselves to be
Do not desire the life of the wicked.
For the life of the wicked stands opposed to the kingship of Christ.
So James likewise address this in his rebuke.
Do not think the wicked will get away with fraud, self-indulgence or murder. Though it may seem they go without punishment in this life, They will be judged on the last day.
So how are these young Christians to deal with the oppression of those who cheat, fraud and murder?
Perhaps some of the young Christians despise the wicked people and want to bring justice to them
Maybe some of the believers wanted to be the instrument of God’s justice on the rich evil oppressors .
At this time there was was a rise of Jewish Zealots who embarked upon a campaign of violence and even murder against the rich oppressors.
Or on the flip side...
Perhaps some of the young Christians in the church were jealous of the rich because they get away with so much and they live a life of ease.
We are often attracted to the life of those who live with ease who go about living their lives without worry or stress. No matter how deceitful, or cruel, or wicked these people are, we often find ourselves envying them.
Remember this is the struggle Asaph had in
Asaph was envious of the arrogant when he saw the prosperity of the wicked
They had no pain until death
Their bodies were fat and sleek
They were not troubled
They wore pride like a necklace
their hearts overflow with folly
the scoff and speak with malice and threaten oppression
Yet what brought Asaph back into right thinking?
16 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, 17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.
16-17
When Asaph came into the sanctuary of God he was able to discern their end.
It wasn’t until Asaph was reminded of who God is that he was able to see that the end of the wicked is not glory but judgement.
So James likewise, wants to remind these Christians of who Jesus is. That he is the great judge, he is the lawgiver that he is the one who is coming back, and he is the one who will make all things right.
Do don’t take up your swords, and don’t become jealous. Rather, with patience wait for the coming of Christ.
Should they, like the zealots pick up arms and fight back against the rich who oppress them?
Should they retreat and not engage?
What are they to do?
This brings us to our last point. Where James offers this reminder to the saints.
Reminder for the Saints
Reminder for the Saints
James wants to remind the followers of Chris to:
Remain Patient
7
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. 12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
Remain steadfast
Remain Patient
Remain Patient
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.
8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.
10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
Now when James says to be patient he is not talking about some sort of lazy patience where he is telling the believer to just sit back and relax and do not get involved in injustice until Jesus returns,
rather he is telling them to persevere, or to be long-suffering.
He illustrates this by giving them an example of a famer
"see how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.”
In Palestine and Syria, seventy-five percent of the rainfall occurs between December and February. Yet it is the early rains of October/November and the late rains of April/May which are the most crucial;
the former, since they coincide with the sowing period, and the latter, since they come at a vital stage in the crop’s development.
Farmers, however, hardly sat idle in between, but rather worked hard in weeding, hoeing, fertilizing, and doing whatever they could to bring their crops to full fruition.
James’s analogy would have resonated deeply with his audience, many of whom were farmers.
Like the farmer, we are called to wait. Yet we don’t wait with our hands in our pockets, no, we wait with a restlessness to work to see the gospel advance.
We wait with patience for the coming of the Lord,
yet as we wait, we seek justice, we share the gospel, and by the power of the Spirit we bring all things in subjection to Christ.
James then tells them to establish your hearts
Establish Your Hearts
II. Establish Your Hearts
8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
The term “establish your hearts” is a simile that can also be understood as standing firm.
The Septuagint uses this term for the holding up of Moses’ hands (). And here it refers to being firm in the faith and hope of Jesus’ return.
James does not want these Christians to lose heart, to become impatient as they wait for the Lord’s return.
Rather he wants them to stand firm in the truth of the gospel no matter the circumstances.
When temptations come, when we find ourselves lacking patience, when we feel the need to react to injustice – we restlessly wait.
Don’t become discouraged when you look around and see evil in the world.
Do not think that God has forgotten you nor think that evil is winning.
Stand firm in the gospel! Stand firm knowing that Jesus is on his throne.
Stand firm believing the promises of God.
Church, the gospel will continue to advance and the gates of hell will not be able to withstand its onslaught!
Lets remember that we are serving the God who allowed Israel to undergo sever injustice for 400 years as they waited for the exodus out of Egypt. God is a God of patience, so we ought to be people of patience.
But when we become impatient who tend not to stand firm. And when this happens we often begin to grumble at one another.
In light of the Lord’s imminent return, and James’ desire fore these people live with a restless patience, he seeks to correct his congregants’ behavior. He says in verse 9…
9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.
Do not grumble against one another
To grumble “against one another.” It is best understood in the sense of “Do not blame each other”
If we are to stand firm in the faith, with patience, grumbling will distract us from our mission, from our goal.
Man, its so easy to grumble and blame one another when things are not doing well.
Much like the Israelites in the wilderness who were complaining,
they lost focus on the mission God gave them and brought upon themselves the judgment of God. This is what James is warning against… look at what he says…
Do not grumble against one another… so that you may not be judged..
Friends
spouse
boss
James is warning them so that they don’t share the fate of the rich of verses 1-6.
James has comforted the believers saying that God will judge those who are oppressing them… but if they grumble, they are in danger of sharing the same fate.
This is a stark warning – Christians are to be a people of faith, of patience, of steadfastness, who wait for the coming of the Lord. We are not to be a people who grumble against one another.
Now this is easier said than done.
When you are suffering, we always want to find a scapegoat - we want to blame someone for our struggles
So James reminds them of the prophets who likewise suffered...
10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
The prophets are examples to us as to what it looks like to faithfully serve God while suffering with patience.
When we look at the lives of Elijah and Elisha, Jeremiah and Ezekiel and Daniel we will see examples of what it looks like to walk faithfully before God while suffering.
James then reminds them of the blessing that comes when you remain steadfast.
Remain Steadfast
11-
11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
Though Job suffered in ways that we cannot even fathom, he remained steadfast.
He never cursed God, he did not blame his wife, he trusted in the sovereign hand of God.
And the result was that he was blessed with far more than he lost.
Church, there is nothing that happens outside the sovereign control of God.
Everything that happens in our lives happens for a purpose, a purpose that will lead us to a deeper understanding and love for Christ.
And though times come that will be challenging, perhaps dangerous, or even oppressive, we must never forget that God is sovereign, full of compassion and mercy.
So as you go,
Go with full confidence in God’s sovereign hand on your life
Go with a heart and mind set on the hope of Christ’s return,
And as you go remember to be patient, for God is doing a work through us to bring all things in subjection to Christ
And remain steadfast in the truth of the gospel.
Lets pray
Remain Consistent
12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.