The Opposite of Wise

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God, our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who loved you with his very life. Amen.

What do you think of when you think of someone who is wise? Take a moment, think of someone who is wise, and who comes to mind? Your grandmother perhaps? She always had an answer to your problem, she knew how to fix any ouchie, make the best food, and always had advice to offer a glass of lemonade.

Maybe you’re thinking of your dad. As he worked out on the farm and you carried around tools to him as he worked on the old tractor. He always had some important life lesson to teach you. And as you got older, his lessons didn’t’ stop, and now you find yourself thinking about what he said, and how he was right.

Now think of someone who is foolish. What images come to mind. Take a moment and think of someone who is foolish? Maybe it’s you. Maybe you think of that one embarrassing thing you did back in 7th grade. That was pretty foolish, I can’t believe you did it. But seriously, what, when you think of a foolish person, what do you think of?

James today talks about wisdom and foolishness, but he does it a little differently than we expect. While he paints a similar picture of what we would expect for wisdom, he paints a very different picture, I would say an insightful picture, into what foolishness means, and it’s not just that thing you did when you were 13.

Last week I talked in brief about how the book of James makes me squirm. How reading it makes me uncomfortable because it confronts me with such strong, direct law that hits me square between the eyes. I encouraged you to read James, it’s not a long book, to read James, and if you haven’t yet, I will encourage you to read it this week. And when you do, really wrestle with what he has to say. James preaches the strongest,t he harshest words in the New Testament calling us sinners quote, “earthly, unspiritual, demonic” because we don’t listen to God’s wisdom and rather pursue our own worlds foolishness.

This is how James starts this section out, you can follow along on your service folder. James says, “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.” What does that mean? I mean really, what does it mean? What does it mean to be wise, to have understanding, to show works in the meekness of wisdom?

With these words, James shows us the first part of wisdom, humility and meekness. People who act with biblical wisdom do so with humility not arrogance. Thinking back to those wise people in your life, that most likely is a trait they share. They have wise things to say, good advice, but they offer it quietly, humbly, a “I learned this the hard way, so let me share it so you don’t have to learn it the hard way. I’ve been in your shoes, I know how it goes, let me help you” And they do it sincerely, genuinely without harsh judgment.

So James says, If you want to be wise, you have to be humble. And he’s right. Then he tells us what the opposite of that wisdom is. And the opposite of wisdom, which would be foolishness, isn’t what we would expect him to say. Right? When I asked you to think about someone foolish, you probably took a book of proverbs approach, as someone who doesn't listen to advice, as someone who acts against common sense. But James gives us a different definition of foolishness: verse 14, “bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.” That is truly foolish, that is the exact opposite of biblical wisdom. He calls these things demonic, he calls it wordliness.

He is right. Jealousy and selfish ambition are pretty foolish when you think about it, and very opposite of Christ like.

James goes on to point out that so much of our sin is cause by jealousy. And it is. Think about it for a moment. Covetousness really is a simple one to think about because it is just jealousy, wanting something that isn't yours, that belongs to your neighbor. “I really like your car, I want it”or whatever, it doesn’t have to be a car. And this can lead to, “Hey, I work just as hard as that guy, if not harder, why shouldn’t I have one. He doesn't deserve it, but I do.” Which then goes a step further and it leads us to fights, to resentment.

It leads us to anger and bitterness with another bother or sister in Christ and we have these angry feelings that were born of jealousy, and before you know it, you see someone else receive a blessing and you hate them for it, “how dare they get that. I know who they are, why did they get it and I don’t”

And we would like to think that we don’t operate this way, but we do. We want to be friendly with the world. Our sinful desires push us to adopt the world’s definition of happiness and contentment, which is luxury. We desire to have more luxury in our life. So when we don’t have the same luxuries as someone else we resent them, we resent our situation, we resent our lives, and we even grow to resent God. And we cry out, “Why God don’t you give me this thing! Why don’t I get what he has? You say if I ask for it in prayer i will get it, so why don’t I?”

My brothers and sisters in Christ, this jealousy is foolishness! It more foolish than that thing you did when you were 13. Because this foolishness causes us to loose sight on the reality of what God has done for us. This sin of foolish jealousy takes our focus away from God, and puts it on a new idol, our own selfish ambition, our own worldliness, our own fleshly passions, as James says.

James wants us to read this passage to reevaluate our life choices and ask the question, am I being wise with my life or am I, and I don’t like to consider myself as foolish, am I being foolish with how I live?

Then James goes on to say this, 4 verse 6, “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”  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. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

Or if I can paraphrase James, “repent and believe the Gospel.” Show humility before God. Admit to God your mistakes. Say to God, “I am a poor miserable sinner. I want things that you have not given to me. I foolishly focus my life predominately on worldly luxuries. I repent of my sins. For the sake of Jesus, forgive me.”

When we humble ourselves, God exalts us, that is, when we repent, God forgives us because of Christ. Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. God exults us, he forgives and restores us. He teaches us the way of wisdom. He teaches us of the one who humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. Jesus forgives our sins, for even when we are foolish, he is always wise, or as James says in verse 17, But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”

Jesus is full of mercy, full of good fruits, gentle with us. And he forgives you all your sins, because he loves you.

James is calling us to examine our lives to ask if we are foolish or are we wise. Do you live your life based on luxury, based on jealous ambition and friendliness with the world? How are you going to live your life, manage your resources in a way that is wise, according to God’s purpose? In a way that is humble, peaceable, quiet?

To do that starts by being connected to the source of wisdom. Being connected to Christ. The same Jesus who shifts our focus from the temporal to the enteral, from the here and now to the yet to come.

Jesus does this by causing us to see that eternity matters! He gave up his life for that reason. Over and over again, Jesus teaches us that what is now is only temporary. Usually, we talk about the bad things, like the pain, suffering, injustice, what have you, but blessings too are only temporary. This is why he encourages us to store up treasure where thieves cannot steal and moths cannot destroy.

Jesus wants us to focus on the blessings he gives us which endure for all time: Forgiveness and love. His Love. Jesus died on the cross to do something merciful, something pure, something to create peace, between you and God, so you would have an eternal future at his side, in stead of away from him. That when you believe in Christ, your life would shift from the here and now, to the yet to come. Praise be to God that he sent Jesus to make that possible, to show us the way of wisdom, the way of forgiveness, the way of gifts that do not end. The way of eternal love, of God’s love for you.

The book of James does indeed cause some discomfort. But it’s good for us! It is always, always good for us to be refocused on to Jesus because of how easily we can loose that focus. Today God invites you to change your focus, to look at the present reality, not of your stuff, but of your blessings that last. To shift your focus to Jesus and the forgiveness, life and salvation he offers you this day. And when we do that, we begin to understand wisdom. Amen.