The Nature and Source of Community Wisdom

•      The main body of James is introduced by a vision of life amid tribulation and difficulties.

•      Central to this vision is the routine experience of “trials of any kind” (1:2).

•      These experiences test our faith in God (1:3).

•      Joy is still possible when considered against the horizon of the coming age when human existence will be mature and complete (1:4).

•      But hardship will often test the maturity of other believers who are unstable in every way (1:8).

•      The community of believers enjoy heavenly support through the provision of wisdom.

•      God is to be petitioned for the necessary wisdom to pass through the trials and temptations of life (1:5)

•      Rather than doubting God’s goodness (1:6-8) or being deceived by believing God is responsible for one’s misfortune (1:16), the community is to petition God who will invariably respond with every perfect gift (1:17).

•      The perfect gift is the word of truth (1:18) as the needed wisdom necessary for a complete life.

•      By having the proper attitude and asking God for wisdom, we are able to endure the trials of life, which are designed to bring us to maturity.

The Text in Context

•      Given that a primary goal is to help the readers to be mature, it is not surprising that James begins by discussing endurance through trials.

•      The idea of becoming mature through suffering is a common theme in the New Testament:

•      Romans 5:3-4; 8:17-18;

•      2 Corinthians 4:7-18

•      Philippians 3:7-11

•      1 Peter 1:3-9

•      James also introduces in this section other themes he will return to:

•      True faith (ch. 2)

•      Wisdom (ch. 3)

•      Poverty and wealth (ch. 5)

James 1:2-12

•      This section is seen through the lens of five major imperatives (commands)

•      Consider it pure joy when you face trials (1:2)

•      Let perseverance finish its work (1:4)

•      Ask God for wisdom (1:5-6)

•      Do not expect to receive if you doubt (1:7)

•      Take pride in your high position (1:10)

Consider it pure joy

•      The word “consider” has the notion of making a deliberate, conscious, and rational choice (see 2 Cor. 9:5; Phil. 2:6; 3:7-8; Heb. 11:26).

•      It is not intuitive that trials should cause joy, so James asks the readers to make a deliberate effort to set aside their natural inclinations of fear, discouragement, and anger and choose to include joy.

•      The word for trials can include trials, tribulation, trouble, or temptation.

•      Trials and tribulations come from without.

•      Trouble and temptations come from within.

•      Perspective comes from perceiving the outcome of the trials.

•      There is something of inestimable value now

•      There are benefits in the future too

Let perseverance finish its work

•      The word for “mature” can also be translated “without defect.”

•      This is not the idea of sinlessness or perfection.

•      Many people assume that maturity is having no doubts because of what comes in the next few verses.

•      The theme is faith and how it reaches perfection (maturity) through deeds of faith like those of Abraham and Rahab (2:20-25), through the endurance of faith like Job (5:10-11) and through prayer like Elijah (5:17-18).

•      In the Greco-Roman world it was something of a commonplace that testing of virtue strengthens character.

•      James, however, speaks not of the virtue of an individual but a community’s faith.

•      Endurance is not placed solely on an individual but by grace given in the community.

Ask God for wisdom

•      The word “lacks” picks up the mention of “lacking” in 1:4, and so in this context 1:5 instructs the reader to ask God for wisdom for dealing with the trials of life, something that even the most mature still need.

•      What kind of wisdom does James have in mind?

•      James is writing to those he calls the diaspora. He uses examples from the Old Testament.

•      The first place to look for God’s wisdom is in the stories of people in the Old Testament.

•      Many OT characters inquire of God’s guidance:

•      Rebekah asking God why her pregnancy is so difficult (Gen. 25:22)

•      David wanting to know what caused the famine (2 Samuel 21:1)

•      Jeroboam needing wisdom about whether or not his son will live (1 Kings 14:2-3)

•      Perhaps James is thinking of his brother in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36-46).

•      Perhaps he is thinking of the healing needed between the Jews and Gentiles in the early church.

•      God loves to give wisdom without finding fault

The wisdom of James

•      James is describing wisdom as embodied within a community.

•      The theme of wisdom emerged from the sages of ancient Israel who sought to educate the public about the rules to follow for a well lived life.

•      The Hebrew word for wisdom, hokma, reflects a God given gift to pursue the insight and know how needed to negotiate life in the public square (think of Solomon’s request for wisdom to govern well).

•      The prologue of Proverbs (1:2-7) supplies a description of wisdom.

•      James picks up on the core themes of wisdom (righteousness, faithfulness, knowledge, and devotion to God).

•      If God is trusted as a generous and impartial benefactor (1:5), believers will petition God for the know-how they lack in order to deal with their trials in a wise manner.

Do not expect to receive if you doubt

•      Is James demanding certainty-seeking faith?

•      Is James talking about faith or the request for wisdom?

•      Is doubt here being portrayed as the antithesis of believing?

•      Must believers be fully persuaded that God will answer every request for wisdom?

•      Are believers supposed to squelch all doubt?

•      Does this make faith primarily about intellectual assent?

•      Is faith primarily about something between the ears?

•      If faith is primarily a psychological concept, is faith only as strong as you are certain?

•      How certain do you have to be? 100%, 80%, 50%?

Twisted Scripture?

•      This passage can be used to convince others that the more faith (certainty), the more prosperity.

•      Levels of faith determine levels of blessing in this theological construct.

•      Is this an accurate portrait of God and the way he arranges the world?

•      Is God in heaven holding out an answer to prayer until we have enough certainty?

•      If so, are people like dogs that owners demand to “shake” before they get a treat.

•      If so, why is psychological certainty such a virtue? Why would God leverage everything?

•      Why is the deck stacked against rationale and logic?

•      Is this the kind of portrait of the character of God as found in Jesus?

Consequences of this interpretation

•      It can cause people to have a learning phobia.

•      If everything hangs on psychological certainty, you want to avoid everything that could cause doubt.

•      Reading and learning from other perspectives than the one you already hold is seen as dangerous.

•      This interpretation sets people up for a fall.

•      It does not prepare a person for life in the real world.

•      The real world has a mix of simplicity, complexity, perplexity, and humility.

•      This interpretation causes people to be locked into simplicity.

•      Certainty seeking can become idolatrous.

•      God no longer becomes the source of life but being right does.

•      People will try to protect their idol at all costs.

Keep in mind the context

•      James is talking about wisdom, not about faith asking for a new house or a Mercedes.

•      The word for doubt here is diakrino which can mean to separate, distinguish, or judge.

•      You have a duplicity of ideas, and you are wavering.

•      In James, there is a concern for where you go to get wisdom.

•      He distinguishes in chapter 3, between wisdom that comes from above, that is pure, peace-loving, and considerate and there is a wisdom that is not spiritual that leads to division and destruction.

•      James says to go to the source of wisdom that comes from above. Don’t mismatch human and divine wisdom.

Introduction to James (1:1)

•      The Letter of James presents a multifaceted picture of the way wisdom walks.

•      Those who follow the path of wisdom is one who demonstrates their faith through actions.

•      James is widely prized because its teachings is so practical.

•      James has some affinities to the Wisdom literature in the Old Testament, like Proverbs.

•      Despite the emphasis on practical matters (or maybe because of it), James makes significant theological contributions that sometimes puts him in contrast to the writings of Paul.

•      This contrast is so sharp that Martin Luther wanted the letter banned from the NT.

•      Most readers though reached a position that Paul and James complement each other.

Author (1:1)

•      The author identifies himself as James.

•      Four men in the New Testament have this name.

•      The author of this letter could not have been the apostle James (see Matt. 4:21), who died too early (AD 44) to have written it.

•      The other two men named James had neither the stature not the influence of this writer.

•      Most probably is James the brother of Jesus.

•      Here are a few reasons:

•              James was one of the select individuals who saw the resurrect Christ (1 Cor. 15:7)

•              Paul called him a “pillar” of the church (Gal. 2:9)

•              Paul, on his first post conversion visit to Jerusalem, saw James (Gal. 1:19)

•              Paul did the same on his last visit (Acts 21:18)

•              When Peter was released from prison, he told his friends to tell James (Acts 12:17)

•              James was a leader in the Jerusalem council (Acts 15:13)

•              Jude could identify himself simply as the brother of James (Jude 1:1), so well-known was James.

•              James was martyred in AD 62, an event recorded by the Jewish historian Josephus (Antiquities 20.9.1)

Date

•      It seems as if it is written before 50 AD

•      Its distinctively Jewish nature suggests that it was composed when the church was still predominantly Jewish.

•      It reflects a simple church order – officers of the church were called elders (5:14) and teachers (3:1).

•      No reference is made to the controversy over Gentile circumcision.

•      The Greek term synagoge (“synagogue” or “meeting”) is used to designate the meeting or meeting place of the church (2:2)

James as Wisdom Writing

•      James is a form of moral exhortation.

•      James seeks to persuade the readers to live up to the profession they have made in Jesus Christ.

•      As a moral exhortation (there are 59 imperatives in its 108 verses), James can be compared to other ancient writers whose concern is the practical wisdom of right behavior.

•      As a kind of wisdom literature, James naturally bears a certain resemblance to the wide range of wisdom writings that were produced in the Ancient Near East.

•      James most resembles certain Jewish writings that shared its commitment to the world of Torah.

•      The structure of James’s moral discourse is difficult to determine with precision (like Proverbs).

Where did James get his wisdom?

•      James and Jude grew up with Jesus (Matt. 13:54-57; Mark 6:2-3).

•      The Jewishness of these brothers suggest they learned and upheld the teaching of their Jewish heritage.

•      Jesus was a part of a sizable family (four brothers and two sisters).

•      The boys were given names rooted in the Jewish tradition (James is a form of Jacob).

•      In the ministry of Jesus, the brothers learn that kinship is defined in terms of a shared commitment to the rule of God *Mark 3:31-35; Matt. 12:46-50; Luke 8:19-21).

•      The ethical undertone of the letter resonates with Jesus’ teaching especially in the Sermon on the Mount.

•      Genuine faith demonstrates itself in good deeds.

James in the Emerging Movement

•      Following the death and resurrection of Jesus, James, Mary, and others are found in the company of the eleven disciples (Acts 1:14).

•      Within a short span, James emerges as the leader of the Jerusalem Church (Acts 1:14).

•      This is not based on biological kinship but seeing the risen Lord (1 Cor. 15:7).

•      The resurrection changed everything. Jesus appeared to James before he ascended, and James received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost along with the others.

•      Now he saw Jesus in a new light. Not just the elder brother but the one sent by God.

•      The leadership position James held in the Jerusalem Church could account for his authoritative manner in writing and demands upon Gentile converts (Acts 15:13-17).

Circumstances of Composition

•      The circumstances of the letter are difficult to determine.

•      James is writing to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations (1:1).

•      Though many see this as a literal reference to Jewish Christians, it may refer to Jewish and Gentle Christians following the emerging movement throughout the Roman Empire.

•      It would be unlikely that James would dingle out Jewish believers in light of the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15).

•      This address is symbolic of a religious location in which “twelve tribes” are believers whose spiritual “dispersion” (diaspora) within a hostile world unsettles their faith and tests their allegiance to God.

•      James proffers wisdom that will help secure this community’s embattled faith.