FAITH AND THE TONGUE St. James is addressing the subject of “faith and tongue,” to correct some misunderstanding caused by the pharisaic Jews, like the love of teaching and chatter unwisely. 1. Love of teaching 1, 2 2. Danger of tongue 2-6 3. How to control the tongue 7-12 4. The tongue and true wisdom 13-18 1. LOVE OF TEACHING “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.” (1) Dead faith without works drives one to appear in the form of a teacher, so one increases his talk and rebukes others without any inner contrition. That is why the Church obliges even all the clergy to have fathers of confession, so they would not forget their spiritual growth during their ministry. The apostle is advising his disciple Timothy, “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.” (1 Tim. 4: 16) During the Divine Liturgy of the Eucharist, the Church teaches us that the priest prays for his sins before being concerned with the sins of the people1. As stewards of God, we guard you, but we also would like God to guard us. Since we are your shepherds, yet we are still under God’s care, for we are meanwhile sheep and your companions. Regarding God, He is the One Master, and we are students of His school. If we want God, who humbled Himself, to guard us, then let us humble ourselves so no one thinks that he is something. Every good thing in us is from God, who is full of goodness. St. Augustine Pride has driven some clergymen to think that they are good and sin no more and have been saved. That is why the apostle adds: “For we all stumble in many things.” (2) This heresy has its roots since the apostolic era, as well as in the days of St. Augustine where he wrote rebuking the Pelagians for these claims. St. Ambrose wrote rebuking them too. The teachings of the Holy Bible and the sayings of the Fathers confirm the severity of the spiritual war which the shepherds face more than others, for when Satan makes them fall, all the flock is scattered. St. John Chrysostom said that even the archbishop is susceptible to weakness, so that he may be compassionate toward the weak, his sons and brothers. Who are nobler than the apostles themselves who are not free from weakness? One may say, “For in many things we stumble.” However, when we repent, we receive 1 Preparation Prayer and prayer after the fraction 4 forgiveness of our sins, especially if they are involuntary or through ignorance or weakness1 Pope Peter of Alexandria. 2. THE DANGER OF THE TONGUE “If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.” (2) The apostle moved from talking about the love of teaching without learning to idle abundant talks. For the one who cannot bridle the tongue cannot control the body, that is, all his life. But whoever bridles the tongue is a perfect man, that is, has spiritual maturity. Abundant talk is the throne of bragging. From this throne, the love of the ego and pride appears. Abundant talk is a sign of ignorance, which leads to foolish laugh, coarse jesting, lying and hypocrisy. It leads to sleep and lack of concentration in memory. It cools the heat of spirituality and makes our prayers lukewarm and not fervent2. St. John Climacus St. James gave examples about the danger of the tongue. He said: A. “Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.” (3) The bits do not turn only the head but the whole body, that is, the whole behavior. Let us then say to the Lord, “I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, while the wicked are before me,” (Ps. 39: 1) so that our bodies may not fall like the horses and the human soul is destroyed. B. “Look also at ships; although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.” (4, 5) The captain of the ship drives the ship by a small rudder. When the captain abuses that rudder, he loses the whole ship. Nebuchadnezzar abused the rudder, that is, his tongue, and glorified himself, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my own mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” (Dan. 4: 30) Then he suffered bitterly. Also, Herod, because of the small rudder, the people shouting, “The voice of a god and not a man!” Immediately, the angel of the Lord struck him and he was eaten by worms and died. (Acts 12: 22,23) Also, Peter, because of one word, wept bitterly. c. “Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.” (5,6) A small spark can burn a whole forest. Therefore, “Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin…” (Ecc. 5: 6) The tongue is the spark which is ignited from hell, so it may set on fire the whole body, then one loses his ability to pray, 1 The Genuine Acts of Peter. 2 The ladder, 11: 2. 5 causes division, stirs hatred, and cause one to lose his inner and outer peace. All that is due to the tongue when it is set on fire from the devil. It is said that “hell” here means a place where the Jews used to throw all the dead animals in to burn them and the fire was never put off, neither day nor night. 3. How to control our tongue? “For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” (7, 8) St. James did not say that the tongue cannot be tamed, but that no man can tame the tongue, so when it is tamed, we give God the credit, and this is due to His compassion and help1. Man can tame the wild animals but he cannot tame his tongue! Man can discipline everything except himself! He can discipline everything he is afraid of, but himself, whom he is not afraid of, cannot discipline her! Let us seek God who can tame the tongue. You cannot subdue your tongues because you are humans, so let us seek God to train us saying, “O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation.” (Ps. 140: 7) Can man, who is the image of God, tame the wild lion, while God cannot tame His image? Our hope lies in the One who tames us; so let us submit to Him seeking His mercy. Let us endure Him until He tames us so we may become perfect. Often, God permits that we go through chastisement. If you use a whip to tame wild animals, so what about God, using a whip to change us from being beasts to become His children?2 St. Augustine Macrobias mentioned that some used to tame the ravens until they were able to utter, “Hail to you, O Caesar, the Conquering King.” They used to sell them to Caesar, after coming victorious from a war; so can’t He train our tongue to utter praises to the Victorious King? “It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” (8) When St. Paul wanted to reveal the evil of man, he said, “There is none righteous, no, not one. They have all gone out of the way. Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit, the poison of asps is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” (Rom. 3: 10-13) This shows how much man has deviated and fallen into evil. The secret of his evil is not in his nature but in his deviation from his work, for one time he blesses God, while the other he curses people. St. James said: “With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a 1 De Nat. et Grat 2 Selected Lessons on the New Testament. 6 spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring can yield both salt water and fresh.” (9-12) When we use the tongue, by which we bless God in prayer, in cursing people who are made after God’s image, then we direct the insult to God their Creator and we demean His great love, in which He loved the whole world that He gave His Only Begotten Son to die for them. It is good for the fig tree to produce figs and the olive tree bears olives. But it is not appropriate for the fig tree to bear olives. In the same manner, let the tongue utter what is appropriate for each man’s function; that is, the son does not rebuke his father, nor a youth rebuke an elder, nor to judge a sinner. Hence, we should have the true wisdom to know how and when to talk 4. The tongue and true wisdom “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.” (13) True wisdom is not revealed by the abundance of mental knowledge, but through: 1. Work: “Let him show by good conduct.” Abbot Nestor1 said: [If you desire to see the light of the spiritual knowledge, which is without pride and not false, then you should yearn for this blessing, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” (Matt. 5: 8) Then you will receive what the angel told Daniel, “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.” (Dan. 12: 3) Thus, it is essential that we be persistent in struggling to read and seek to obtain the practical knowledge, that is, the knowledge in conduct. After they exert great effort, then they can obtain the spiritual knowledge as their reward. Once they obtain the knowledge, not only from meditating on the Law but as a fruit of their labor, then they sing, “Through Your precepts I get understanding.” (Ps. 119: 104)] 2. Meekness: St. James said, “in the meekness of wisdom,” for the wise knowledge is full of meekness, humility, without any pride or haughtiness. St. James explained the signs of wisdom saying: “But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing will be there.” (14-16) Where bitter envy and self-seeking exist, wisdom becomes false. It is good for one to have jealousy (2 Cor. 11: 2), but it should not be bitter, that is, evil2, for then it is not built on the truth but on blind bias and impulsiveness, like when St. Peter took the sword and cut the ear of the servant of the high priest. This jealousy makes one lose the truth and leads to self-seeking, For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing will be there, 1 John Cassian: Conferences, 7 on “Spiritual Knowledge.” 2 Acts 5:17, 13:45, Rom. 13:13, Gal. 5:20. 7 that is one loses his inner peace. (1 Cor. 14: 33) When this bitter envy and selfseeking are inside the heart (14), then they will defile the heart, and one will lie against truth. The sources of false wisdom are: 1. Earthly: that is stemming from love of the world. Whoever has it; his heart is not elevated to heavenly matters but to earthly. Although he is zealous for the truth, but his zeal and incentive to preaching is the love of materialism, love of honor and love of the praise of men. 2. Sensual: that is stemming from love of the ego. One’s ministry is centered on the ego and does not want to hide for the Lord Jesus to appear. One wants to appear, so one cares for the body and not for the spirit. 3. Demonic: That is stemming from the devil. Falling in pride, he stirs pride in people, under the cover of wisdom or being eloquent, even through worship and teaching others and seeking the lost souls. Sources of true wisdom and its advantages: “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (17,18) The source of heavenly wisdom is from above, from the throne of the Holy God, which God grants.(wisdom9: 4,9) to His children abiding in Him. Its characteristics are: A) Pure: that is, straight forward and bestows on its owner a pure heart and a chaste life. As God is pure (1 John 3: 3), and His words are pure (psalm12: 6), therefore, whoever obtains God’s wisdom cannot tolerate evil but is drawn to the pure life resembling God. B) Peaceable: that is, full of peace, for it is written that all its ways are peaceable. By wisdom, one is drawn toward God, and his heart is filled with peace and he pours outer peace on others, for he cannot tolerate to see fights or loud voices. He obeys the commandment, “Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.” (Rom 14: 19) C) Gentle: When the heart is filled with peace toward others and does for the edification of others, he is gentle toward the shortcomings and weaknesses of others, and he focuses on how to win many to Christ. This gentleness is not an outer appearance but an inner life, whether one talks or is silent, one is chastened or criticized. In all that, he is gentle and compassionate, but in strictness. D) Willing to yield: that is obedient. This is the work of God’s wisdom to grant us submission to Him and to His word, so we may not work by our own will but by the will of God. E) Full of mercy and good fruits: Where there is obedience, there has to be good fruits. As false wisdom drives us to pride then to evil works (16), so true wisdom is practical for it drives us to obedience, submission, mercy and good fruits. As faith without works is dead, so wisdom without fruits is fake. The 8 book of Wisdom described it that it is ready for every good deed and the love of humanity. The wisdom of God Incarnate declares this to us when “He went about doing good…” (Acts 10: 38) So let us put on the Lord Jesus, the true Wisdom, so we may bring forth many fruits, (John 15: 5), and go with Him doing well. F) Without Partiality: that is, steadfast and not shaken nor divided. It has one clear goal, which is to clearly reveal the heavenly road, in spite of all the difficulties and hardships. True wisdom makes one unable to tolerate having a divided heart between the love of God and the love of the world, nor to falter between the eternal and the temporal matters, nor to mix between trusting God and trusting the human nature. The heart is steadfast in his love, hope, and direction. It also means not to favor the rich over the poor. G) Without hypocrisy: that is, it does not carry what is on the outside things different than what is on the inside. The apostle said, “we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.” (2 Cor 1: 12) The Lord Jesus warned His disciples from the leaven of the Pharisees, which is their hypocrisy. H) “The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace”: for through wisdom, one reaps the fruits of righteousness. This harvest full of security is the fruit of sowing peace, meaning that through wisdom, one makes peace and reaps the fruits of righteousness. He sows peace by his submission to the Spirit of God and not resisting Him. He reaps righteousness, and this is the fruit of the Spirit to whom he submitted and obeyed and responded to His work persistently.
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