Wise Person or Wise Guy?

James 3. 13-18 (JMT)

Who in your group is wise? Who has the sense God gave a goose or is smarter than a 6th-grader? Let that person prove it with their good behavior every day, by their good deeds without needing to toot their own horn.

But if you are jealous of another person, and you brood about how to get the attention they get or the friends or things they have, how to get your own way, don’t brag about it or act like you are the one being mistreated. That kind of “wisdom” is not from where God lives. It is of man, according to his sinful nature, demon-driven. For where you have jealousy and sinful ego, you have people trying to get others to take sides to cause trouble which leads to every kind of evil you can imagine.

But the wisdom that comes from where God lives is most importantly unalloyed, then free from inner turmoil, tolerant, easily persuaded to accept the truth, running over with not just good thoughts but good works, not prejudiced, doesn’t need a mask. When peace-lovers sow the seed of righteousness in peace (among other peace-lovers), they will harvest the fruit that is being right before God.

Background

This is a church torn by internal strife because its members felt like some people were better than others.

This belief has been fed by unscrupulous teachers.

James has identified the primary issue: poverty and wealth.

He has identified the culprit: bad speech.

Now he bears down.

First, James gave a test.

Who in your group counts himself/herself wise/intelligent?

Who knows stuff and can use it rightly?

The very fact of the question indicates there were those who thought were intelligent and wise.

“Prove it!” James dared them.

Wisdom is proven in right behavior every day.

Wisdom is proven by good deeds that don’t call attention to themselves. (Echoes of big brother here.)

What makes for a failing score?

James mentioned two specifically.

Jealousy that makes you resent another person for the attention they get, the friends they have, the things they possess.

Selfish ambition in their hearts was a picture of the person who brooded, was consumed by the wanting and plotting to get one’s own way.

And once one has failed the test?

Don’t brag about the bad mark.

Don’t blame others for your bad mark; don’t act like you are the one who is being mistreated when by definition your actions mean you are mistreating others.

Who has been tutoring this person?

This “wisdom” doesn’t come from where God lives.

It comes from a perverse culture.

In Greek philosophy, the soul (not the spirit) was that part of humankind they shared with the animals.

This wisdom comes from our animal nature: eat or be eaten.

The worst thing is it is taught by demons.

All this makes for an unruly classroom.

You have people trying to get people to take sides in order to cause trouble and make themselves feel better.

The next part is kind of scary: The door is opened to EVERY kind of evil you can imagine.

What makes for a passing score?

James said much more about the wisdom that comes from where God lives.

It is unalloyed, like pure gold unmixed with other metals.

It is free from worry and anxiety, comes from being right with God AND others.

It is tolerant: Knows when to follow the letter of the law and when not to.

It is hungry to be persuaded by the truth.

It runs over with mercy and good works.

The church re-defined mercy to mean compassion for people whose trouble was their own fault.

And James has already made it quite clear that compassion without compassionate deeds is useless.

It isn’t controlled by its prejudices.

It doesn’t need a mask.

Such wisdom made and makes for a much better classroom.

Peace-lovers sow the seed of righteousness together.

Together, the peace-lovers harvest the fruit of righteousness: being right with God AND each other.

Notice the need for non-toxic togetherness to achieve this blessing.