James.3.1-12; The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost; September 12, 2021;

James.3.1-12; The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost; September 12, 2001;
Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.” (James 3:1–12, ESV)
Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I have a confession to make. I don’t like this text. First of all, James puts me in the category of “being judged with greater strictness.” I am a teacher in the church, after all. And then he puts the nail in my coffin by telling one of the ways I will be judged… by my tongue.
Well, this is the book of James, after all. Luther called James a “straw epistle.” So that means, I can just ignore it, right? You don’t know how tempting it was to do something about that. There’s a little mark in the Lectionary where I could start reading. Right there after the judgement for me stuff. I could have just started with,
For we all stumble in many ways…
I doubt many of you would have even noticed. And that way the text would have applied just to you. As I thought about it, I was very grateful there aren’t bibles out there. I really don’t like the idea of standing before God to be judged for my idle, evil, blood-stained tongue. In Matthew, Jesus himself agrees.
“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,” (Matthew 12:36, ESV)
Jesus himself said,
But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” (Matthew 5:22, ESV)
Yikes, “every carless word” and “whoever says ‘You Fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” So much for being a pastor and being “closer to God.” He won’t give me a break. Harsher judgment is mine. That’s what the text says… harsher. You do know what I say my three most important rules of bible interpretation are: “Context, context, context.” Well, I just can’t get around the fact that James puts the context right here on my lips. Maybe I should have stuck with my six-figure job, making computers behave. But instead, I make my living with my tongue (ugh!), and mine is tainted. You know what Jesus says to do with a part of the body that causes you to sin. “Cut it out!”
If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.” (Matthew 5:29, ESV) Now, how am I supposed to put food on the table?
I could try to excuse myself.
• “Everybody does it”
• “At least I don’t curse and swear (much)”
• “I live alone, so I don’t speak to many people”
• “I really only tongue lash people who deserve it”
• “It’s a law and gospel thing. I speak the law only when necessary.”
But God’s Word isn’t going to let me off the hook. Paul says I know better.
They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 2:15–16, ESV)
Well Jesus being the standard, I’m in trouble.
James uses those two examples, the horse, and the ship. I had this absurd image run through my head. I was out on Lake Superior floating face down steering myself around with my tongue, like a ship. Lord, grant me a bridle to tame my tongue.
So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. (James 3:5, ESV)
Oops. Ok, I wasn’t making six-figures. That was a probably just a boast, to impress you. May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts, those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?”” (Psalm 12:3–4, ESV) Yikes. I’m sunk. I’m a dead man. Please forgive me if I’ve hurt you with my tongue.

Ah but now, it’s your turn. James is speaking particularly to “teachers in the church” but he doesn’t leave you out. Ever had a carless word? Said something you wish you hadn’t? Regretted a tongue lashing? Got over harsh with your kids? Have you ever spoken a word that cost a friendship, that you wish you could take back? Have you not spoken up with a neighbor/friend who used God’s name in vain? Were you silent on the topic of abortion, couples living together, or (God forbid!) Homosexual marriage?
Think about those things as you think about Jesus. Sure, he got angry and drove the buyers and sellers out of the temple. But that was righteous anger. Don’t think that you can judge the heart of others like he did. Jesus knows the true motivation. He spoke harshly to the scribes and pharisees. Again, he judges them against God’s perfect righteousness, calling them “tombs full of dead bones” (Matthew 23:27) and “snakes.” (Matthew 23:33) Only God himself, can judge the heart and declare a hypocrite. At the same time, he spoke kind words to those who needed it. (John 8:11) And his word brought healing.
So often your words (and mine) are harsh and cause unintended (or not) pain. So often, we are silent when we should speak up. So often we find ourselves saying “Raca.” The word Jesus uses when he says, “whoever says, ‘You fool!’” Oh, how hard it is, especially when it comes to politics! So, when you and I are stacked up against Jesus, we all fail miserably. You are bound for hell right there beside me. “Well, it’s a fine mess you gotten us into. (Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy) Oh, tongue of yours and mine.”

It is surely a mess. But… Jesus came to clean up messes, just like this one. It’s not that God just sweeps our sins under the carpet and ignores them. He can’t do that. He is perfectly holy and just. All the messes we find ourselves in because of our sin, demand justice. And there is only one punishment for breaking the holy law of God, death. Ours, and it’s an eternal one.
Lutheran Theologian Francis Pieper said,
Our guilt was imputed to Christ (He was made a curse for us. Gal 3), He also assumed our obligation to keep the law. F Pieper
Jesus was perfectly holy and just. He kept all of God’s law perfectly. Not a jot or tittle was broken (Matthew 5:18). He was God’s answer to fallen humanity. Someone had to do it right. His tongue was in perfect check, no unnecessary tongue lashings. He always spoke when the law required speaking. He never spoke when it caused unnecessary harm. But instead of being our condemnation, our impossible example, Jesus is our substitute. He became the curse we are required to bear. The word imputed in Pieper’s quote means accounted to. Perfect Jesus was made a sinner, our sins were accounted to him. Our foul tongue, his. Just as the reference to Galatians three says there.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—” (Galatians 3:13, ESV)
Perfect Jesus, hanging on a tree, cursed because of you and me.
And don’t forget those two all important words “for us.” These two simple words may be the most
important in all of the Bible. In Greek, ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. Jesus is a curse, for us! Jesus is a curse “for us”! He redeems us from the “curse of the law.” That is punishment in hell. He snatched us back from the gates of hell, just as we are ready to go through. He says, “These are mine; I have saved them from this fate.”
And there’s more. He also assumed our obligation to keep the law. It sounds backwards. This is how we naturally think:
• “Now that Jesus has canceled our debt, we are obligated to keep the record clean.”
• “We are now obligated to keep the law, so as to not accumulate more on cursed Jesus.”
• “Jesus fulfilled his obligation, now you have to fulfill yours.”
Jesus takes the whole obligation, or it would be worthless. You and I can never live up to the law. We can never keep our tongues in complete check. So, if Jesus leaves anything for us to do, we will instantly flip around and be headed right back through the gates of Hell again. We want to be in charge of our salvation, or at least one little part. But Jesus will have none of it. “I have redeemed you totally. You are mine, not by anything you have done, but simply because I chose you. That lying, cheating, boasting, blood-soaked tongue can’t take any credit.”
Dr. Martin Luther in the Heidelberg Disputation:
The law says, "Do this" and it is never done. Grace says, "Believe in this" and all is already done.
The law can never be our motivation for doing things right because we can’t do it right. It is only the Gospel, Jesus on the cross “for you.” The Holy Spirit that the Father and Son pushes into our hearts, as a gift of faith, is what gives us the ability to do any part of it right. But not for the credit of it, not for the boasting. True motivation is found in the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. So, when the temptation comes to speak when we shouldn’t, He gently rebukes us. When the temptation comes to keep silent, he urges us to speak. When we don’t listen, we do suffer consequences. But those are only earthly, temporary, consequences. We then, prompted again by the Holy Spirt, attempt to set things right pronouncing forgiveness offered to all only in Jesus. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.
The Gospel turns it on its head. The same tongue that curses, becomes the blessing. Amen.
The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.