12 Oct. 2010 - James 3:1-12

James 3:1-12

"taming the tongue"

James starts off saying that those who are in positions of instruction, who have great influence, will be judged more strictly, or rather held more accountable. especially in what James is about to mention in the next passage. 

He introduces the idea by saying that "if anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check." well, i know i'm nowhere near perfect. but what does James' statement say about our tongue?

He goes on to compare the tongue to a horse's bit or a ship's rudder, both of which controls the direction of the object. (also note the placement of the bit - in the mouth - and the relative size of the rudder in comparison to a ship - very small). the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it has such an impact on the individual, the way others perceive the individual and the direction in which the individual thinks and, thus, acts... is a forest fire not started by a spark? in the same way the tongue is compared to a fire of evil, which can consume the individual and set the course of his life on fire (obviously not literally, but think about the progression of words, thought, action. if one begins to speak evil, one begins to think evil and eventually, one will end up doing evil.) (it works, too - i memorize songs by singing them, my study notes by reciting them, things i need to do by saying them. what we say becomes ingrained and habitual). unlike animals, says james, we cannot tame the tongue.

James then begins to highlight the dichotomy of our tongues - we praise God with them and we curse/insult/gossip about others. with the same tongue! one of Aesop's fables ended with the line "i will not share my house with a man who blows hot and cold with the same breath." unfortunately, we often associate with the man being rejected. on sunday we go to church, sing our songs and use our tongues to praise God. once we leave church, however, we begin to comment on how someone was dressed or sang off key or we begin to fling insults at the madman who just cut us off on the road. this should not be happening. James asks if salt and fresh water can come from the same spring? it cannot, yet we do this with our tongues. our tongues should reflect our god, not our home. this is but one of many battles that we must face daily as we proceed to live "in the world but not of it."