James 3:13-18
James 3:13-18
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. 14But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. 15Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. 16For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. 17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.
“What does it mean to be wise?” asks James. Images of wisdom come to mind in rapid succession. A tweedy professor smoking a pipe while legions of adoring students stream by the office to talk, soaking in his wisdom. A pastor’s office provides a respite for the lonely in her congregation. A daughter making pies with her mom, transmitting the silent wisdom of the ages with each crust. Children gardening with their father, hard-won lessons on sweat equity and how to lovingly coax the soil being shared.
Is this what it is to be wise? Sometimes. And sometimes it is the palest imitation of wisdom.
There are two kinds of wisdom in the world. Some people think they are book wisdom and life wisdom; that one of these is true wisdom and the other is false wisdom. Some people believe in book smarts and some people believe in street smarts.
James believes in two kinds of wisdom too; but he divides it differently. Rather than divide it between book wisdom and life wisdom, James divides it between “envious, selfish wisdom” and “pure, peaceable, gentle, yielding, merciful” wisdom. For James, there is a certain kind of wisdom that sees the people of the world as obstacles to our personal happiness. Envious, selfish wisdom knows how to manipulate such a world to get oneself ahead. Envious, selfish wisdom knows just whose neck to step on and just how hard to step on it to get what you want.
This other sort of wisdom does not see the world this way at all. People are not obstacles to be avoided or overrun; rather, people are cared for and loved unconditionally simply because they bear the image of God. Rather than seeking one’s own good at the expense of others, this type of wisdom seeks the good of others--even when it means yielding when one could press ahead, even when it means showing mercy when punishment is justified.
What of the pastors and professors and mothers and fathers of this world? Are they wise? Some are and some aren’t. We all can be thankful for some of the wisdom we’ve learned from folks like this. Pastors, professors and parents at their best teach us how to see the world as God sees it, full of people to love. But some of the “wisdom” we wish we could throw back and forget. At times, even these good people fail, falling victim to the wisdom of this world which seeks our own gain at the expense of others.
What kind of wisdom is on display in your life?
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. 14But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. 15Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. 16For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. 17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.
“What does it mean to be wise?” asks James. Images of wisdom come to mind in rapid succession. A tweedy professor smoking a pipe while legions of adoring students stream by the office to talk, soaking in his wisdom. A pastor’s office provides a respite for the lonely in her congregation. A daughter making pies with her mom, transmitting the silent wisdom of the ages with each crust. Children gardening with their father, hard-won lessons on sweat equity and how to lovingly coax the soil being shared.
Is this what it is to be wise? Sometimes. And sometimes it is the palest imitation of wisdom.
There are two kinds of wisdom in the world. Some people think they are book wisdom and life wisdom; that one of these is true wisdom and the other is false wisdom. Some people believe in book smarts and some people believe in street smarts.
James believes in two kinds of wisdom too; but he divides it differently. Rather than divide it between book wisdom and life wisdom, James divides it between “envious, selfish wisdom” and “pure, peaceable, gentle, yielding, merciful” wisdom. For James, there is a certain kind of wisdom that sees the people of the world as obstacles to our personal happiness. Envious, selfish wisdom knows how to manipulate such a world to get oneself ahead. Envious, selfish wisdom knows just whose neck to step on and just how hard to step on it to get what you want.
This other sort of wisdom does not see the world this way at all. People are not obstacles to be avoided or overrun; rather, people are cared for and loved unconditionally simply because they bear the image of God. Rather than seeking one’s own good at the expense of others, this type of wisdom seeks the good of others--even when it means yielding when one could press ahead, even when it means showing mercy when punishment is justified.
What of the pastors and professors and mothers and fathers of this world? Are they wise? Some are and some aren’t. We all can be thankful for some of the wisdom we’ve learned from folks like this. Pastors, professors and parents at their best teach us how to see the world as God sees it, full of people to love. But some of the “wisdom” we wish we could throw back and forget. At times, even these good people fail, falling victim to the wisdom of this world which seeks our own gain at the expense of others.
What kind of wisdom is on display in your life?
posted by Rev. Michael Jordan at 1:28 PM
1 Comments:
Your blogs are a blessing.
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