Warning to the Rich
James has warned against worldliness and showing favoritism toward the rich. Now he directly warns the corrupt and greedy rich.
It’s possible to have wealth and it not corrupt you. Look at Abraham and David.
The people James is warning at the opening of chapter 5 are the ones like Ebenezer Scrooge – tight fisted, greedy, uncaring.
James seems to be building off of Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount:
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:19-21 ESV
The Imminent Return
You may have noticed that James talks about the “coming of the Lord” as if it’s about to happen any minute. “The Judge is standing at the door,” (v9). He’s not the only NT writer who will make these kinds of statements.
Ever since the beginning, the Church has lived (like the virgins with their lamps), anticipating the arrival of the Bridegroom at any moment. It’s what theologians and preachers mean when they speak of Christ’s return as “imminent.” It could happen at any moment.
Recall that the original recipients were enduring hardship and persecution. In that way, these closing verses are applicable to so many of our brothers around the world today; persecuted as we await the return of Christ.
- Be patient (v7-8)
- Do not grumble (v9)
- Remain steadfast (v10-11)
And then there’s this one that feels kinda odd to me. And he says it’s the most important.
“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.”
James 5:12 ESV
Let’s see if we can figure out why James would think this is the most important thing you can do while waiting and suffering persecution.
James is clearly referring again to the Sermon on the Mount.
“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”
Matthew 5:33-37 ESV
I think James is using Jesus’ teaching to build on what he advised earlier in the letter:
“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”— 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. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”
James 4:13-16 ESV
Swearing an oath was about certainty of doing a thing.
Swearing an oath implies that you have the power and time to do what you’ve sworn to do and can guarantee that it will be done.
Uh… no ya can’t. None of us can absolutely guarantee we will take our next breath. And that’s on a good day. If you’re also being persecuted? You can’t guarantee anything. Probably not a good idea to make grand plans and promises of opening a new business, investing a bunch of money and counting on a big return on investment. That’s a rather arrogant worldview.
So yeah, I can see why James would tell the early Jewish Christians to not be swearing oaths. And it’s a good reminder for us too. We’re waiting for the Lord to return. He could come next week. So, “if the Lord wills” I will finish blogging my way through the Bible in 2 and a half months.
The Prayer of Faith in the Church
The suffering are to pray.
The cheerful should sing praise songs.
The sick? It’s more complicated…
- Call together the elders of the church
- The elders anoint the sick person with oil in the name of the Lord
- And they pray “the prayer of faith”
What is the prayer of faith?
It’s not a particular set of words but a prayer made in faith.
James 5:14-15 is a much-debated text. Is it talking about physical healing or spiritual healing from the sins confessed in verse 16?If you’d like to read an explanation of seven different interpretations of this text, click here.
Verse 16 may be a clue as to the meaning.
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
James 5:16 ESV
James makes a clear connection between confession of sins, prayer, and healing (perhaps spiritual, perhaps physical, perhaps both).
Many of our physical ailments begin in the soul. Bitterness and unforgiveness, anxiety, shame, and unresolved anger (among others) become literal toxic chemicals created by our body’s chemical factory, the brain. A doctor could potentially collect a person’s negative emotions in a test tube. Those chemicals can lodge in joints and organs and they can very literally poison the body and cause illness.
When we release others, and forgive them, and confess our sins and receive forgiveness it has a POWERFUL physical effect. I’m not suggesting that you can forgive enough people to reset a dislocated bone, but perhaps a vital part of healing is confession.
Protestants tend to associate “Confession” with the Catholic Church, but confession of sin is for every believer.
It’s also a test of our love for one another.
If someone confesses a sin to you, or opens up in a small group, what will you do? Will your love cover a multitude of sins? Will you encourage them to receive the forgiveness and grace of Christ and then promptly forget you know anything? Or will you go tell your best friend about it?
If I may, out of my love for the Church of the Lord Jesus, let me issue a clear and direct warning. ⚠️
Don’t you EVER turn a legitimate confession into gossip fodder. Do you hear me? NEVER. I don’t care how “juicy” or shocking it is. If you need more excitement in your life, try bungee jumping. Keep your mouth shut and hand it over to Jesus. You don’t text it to someone. You don’t hint about it. You don’t say stupid 4th grade nonsense to your bestie like “I know something but I can’t tell.” You don’t act differently around the person who has confessed. You don’t make faces at them or so much as raise an eyebrow. You don’t even write about it in your private journal. You treat it like it’s above top-secret classified information and you will be drug out in front of a firing squad if you talk.
I think that a lot of us are reluctant to practice James 5:16 because we have reason to suspect that what we confess would be turned into “tea” to be spilled and misconstrued by everyone in town. And that is sad. It’s hurting us and might even be keeping us sick.
When we confess our sins to Jesus, He forgives and FORGETS. We should do the same for one another.
We cannot create a trusting environment where we can all be truly open with one another if there is reason to suspect that our faults will be aired like dirty laundry rather than forgiven and forgotten.
When gossip gets around town and I – in the words of REO Speedwagon:
Heard it from a friend who,
Heard it from a friend who…
…that actively destroys the foundation of trust required for authentic openness.
If I hear gossip about other people, why should I trust that others aren’t going to gossip about me? When we talk about other people’s lives, we are undermining the shared trust needed in our community of believers. Shutting down gossip about others is also good for me. I should protect and respect others as I would want to be protected and respected.
I find that most of us modern Evangelicals are not very experienced in confession. So, here is A General Confession from The Book of Common Prayer so we can all begin practicing.
It’s a prayer, so don’t just read it. Pray it.
Almighty and most merciful Father; We have erred, and strayed from Thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against Thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and there is no health in us. But Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare Thou those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore Thou those who are penitent; according to Thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for His sake; that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of Thy holy Name. Amen.
The response to confession by the Lord’s servant:
The Almighty and merciful Lord grant you absolution and remission of all your sins, true repentance, amendment of life, and the grace and consolation of His Holy Spirit. Amen.
