Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.
James seldom wastes words. I wish he had taught rhetoric to Paul.
Never at fault in what they say. I wish I had always said something wise when sounds came from my mouth. Or, like when I was a kid, I seldom talked. People thought I was intelligent. Then I opened my mouth. Proved them wrong. Even in my old age with years of accumulated wisdom I still have trouble saying the right thing.
I’m betting that each of you feel the same. Or, maybe one or more of you really is perfect.
What does he mean about keeping the whole body in check?
When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
You feel an emotion. You say something. One thing leads to another. One word dredges up another thought and more words spew forth. From a small spark a forest fire explodes.
All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
James leaves us feeling helpless.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
On one hand, James tells us no one is perfect. This is a common New Testament theme. However, he also tell us that our words come from what is inside. What sort of person are we? Not perfect, but still, if we are living in the spirit of God, then perhaps we have more fresh water than salt water. Perhaps over time even if we cannot tame the tongue, we can find the spirit within helping us say the right things and quiet the restless evil of what we say.
We read about certain types of people complaining about lack of freedom of speech. They complain that they cannot say whatever they want without being criticized and even censored. Most I’ve read about want to spread hatred and divisiveness. Early American conservative (for his day) leader John Adams talked about the need to couple responsible speech with free speech. We all need to listen also to James. He discussed same thing. We must remember that speech that sows hatred and discord only leads to evil. We must all watch what we say and tame the tongue (and fingers on the keyboard).
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Gary Mintchell
Faith Venture 