James begins a famous discussion
of the use of the tongue in an unusual way: he warns us against becoming
teachers.
(James 3:1 NIV) Not many of you should presume to be
teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more
strictly.
Not many
The passage can be
misinterpreted, because of an idiom in the Greek. One who was "apt to
teach" (as the King James had it) was one who had mastered a subject, not
necessarily one who was an instructor. But this does not relieve others of the
responsibility of maturity.
·
The writer of Hebrews tells us that we should all be teachers!
This is in a context in which he is urging us to become mature Christians.
·
There are many functions to the body of Christ - many parts - but
all those parts are supposed to become mature. So this passage then refers not
to Christian maturity but to those who actually teach or preach.
·
It is in accordance with our own ideas of fairness that those who
stand before us to teach should be judged more strictly. We expect those who
instruct others to be practicing what they teach. God does too!
·
All this adds up to a requirement for Christian maturity in a
teacher. Many teachers in the church have been ruined by being asked to teach
before they had become mature in Christ.
Pitfalls
The teacher is subject to a
number of pitfalls not necessarily held in common with other Christians. There
are three in my own experience which the teacher must beware of; I suspect
there are many others which could be mentioned.
·
The teacher as "Oracle." Because it is given to
the teacher to handle the word of God, there is the temptation for others to
see the teacher as one whom God has given a special message. Worse, there is
the temptation for the teacher to see himself that way. This is pride at work,
and must be resisted greatly.
·
"I think I read." There is the temptation to
confuse "what I read" with "what I believe." There is also
the temptation to confuse "I believe God's Holy Word is true" with
"Whatever I believe is true." God is not the author of confusion.
The teacher must strictly distinguish between what God said and what a scholar
(no matter how brilliant) said. Likewise, he must distinguish between what he
believes as a matter of revelation from God and what he believes otherwise.
·
Hypocrisy. "Do what I say, not what I do." It
doesn't work with your kids; it doesn't work with your students, unless they
are complete fools. Mine are not fools of any kind.
The teacher's teacher
Is this anyone but Jesus? I am
not the oracle, nor the brilliant scholar - I am one who is passing along what
was handed to me. It's like a relay race; there are four steps to being a
teacher:
·
Take that which was handed to you. You did not create the
baton; you did not create the Word. Take it as you found it and neither add
nor subtract.
·
Grasp it firmly. Study it carefully; do not drop that
which was entrusted to your care. Make sure you have a firm grip on what you
teach. Study more than you need to. Hold tightly to the faith.
·
Run steadily. Be consistent. A relay race requires a
pace suited to the distance. Runners will tell you that burning up all your
speed in the first few steps is a good way to lose the race. So it is with
us. The teacher must run steadily, devoting a consistent amount of time to the
work.
·
Pass it on. It is not sufficient to run; the baton must
be passed. So a teacher must always look for the next runner, one younger who
will take what was handed to him and grasp it firmly - so that he too can run
steadily.
James now proceeds to give us a
specific example of why not many should be teachers: the tongue.
(James 3:2-12 NIV) We all stumble in many ways. If anyone
is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole
body in check. {3} When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey
us, we can turn the whole animal. {4} 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. {5} 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. {6} The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil
among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole
course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. {7} All kinds of
animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been
tamed by man, {8} but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full
of deadly poison. {9} With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with
it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. {10} Out of the same
mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. {11} Can both
fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? {12} My brothers, can a
fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring
produce fresh water.
Warnings
James now gives three major
problems with our mouths:
Small tongue - big mess.
For such a small thing the tongue
can get us into such trouble:
·
Most of us understand what it is to "open mouth and insert
foot." But there is a worse case: sometimes we open the mouth and commit
ourselves to living a lie. It is Shakespeare's "tangled web."
·
But this passage is written in the context of a teacher. Have
you ever noticed that a teacher's attitude has such a great effect on his
class? This works for preachers as well; if they are positive from the
pulpit, the congregation is positive throughout the week.
The small fire
It takes so little in the way of
words to create a large problem. This is because words have a way of
spreading:
·
The most common problem is that of slander or gossip. Slander is
false; gossip is true - but neither should be spoken. Both are condemned.
·
Sometimes we walk away before the damage is known. This is
particularly true of the teacher, who usually gets at least the majority of the
words, and often ends the session thinking all is well - when the student is
going home fuming.
Salt and fresh water
The illustration might seem
unusual to us, since we get our water from a tap. But it's not quite as
bizarre as it sounds:
·
Have you ever told someone polite lies to their face - and turned
around as soon as they left to tell others just what you really thought of
them?
·
If you think that is not serious, consider this: have you ever
gone to church and praised God - and then gone out and cursed someone who is a
beloved creation of God?
Christian Speech
It interests me greatly that our
President these days is being condemned - and defended - for his actions with
regard not so much to his adultery but as to his honesty. The legal questions
are beyond me, of course. But if I had to frame the ethical challenge to his
conduct, I could do no better than to put to him these four characteristics of
Christian speech:
·
Truthfulness. We are all members of one body, said Paul,
and therefore we should not deceive one another.
In short, we're in this together, and we need to get along - therefore, speak
the truth in love.
·
Simplicity. Much debate today focuses on just what did he
mean by "sexual relationship?" The Christian has a simpler
directive: let yes be yes, let no be no.
·
Purity. If the heart is pure, then the mouth will render
up what the heart has. We need to practice this.
·
Gentleness. Gentle speech is not much in favor these
days; a word snarled in pride seems more our style. We need to remember that
gentleness is not weakness; it more often is strength. We have much need of
the gentle answer that turns away anger.
How? The Devotional Life.
The Christian may well ask: how
do I control this thing, the tongue? Christ, speaking to the Pharisees, gives
us the answer simply:
(Mat 12:34-37 NIV) You brood of vipers, how can you who
are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth
speaks. {35} The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him,
and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. {36} But
I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every
careless word they have spoken. {37} For by your words you will be acquitted,
and by your words you will be condemned."
I submit to you two things:
·
Prayer. So often in our lives we use prayer to ask God for
things for others. These are good things. Do we also go to him and ask him
for good things for ourselves - like a clean heart?
·
Study. With what does your heart and mind occupy itself? Pay
attention to the important things; let his word be a lamp to your feet, a
light to your path.
You and I are the ambassadors of
Christ. By our speech He is judged. Let us be true and indeed royal
ambassadors of the King of Kings.