Sermon for 14 Pent Yr B, 14/09/2003
Based on James 3:1-12
Grace Lutheran Church, Medicine Hat, Alberta
By Pastor Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson
One day a woman went to Francis of Assisi and confessed that she had been guilty of malicious gossip. She asked him what she could do to be forgiven. Francis told her to pluck a goose and lay one feather on the doorstep of each person about whom she had said malicious things.
The woman went away hurriedly and did as she was instructed. She returned to Francis to ask the next step. He sent her back to gather each feather she had placed on the doorsteps. But she discovered that the feathers had blown all over town.
When she returned the second time, Francis said, "you may wish to repent, and that is good. But you can never recall the words that you have spoken. They have gone on their way doing harm. 1
Today in our second lesson from James, we learn of the power of one of the smallest muscles of the human body, the tongue. James begins by addressing the teachers of the church--warning them that they "will be judged with greater strictness." This is the case because they have a great influence over so many people who are their students. They are very public people and therefore their words need to match their actions if they are to influence others in a healthy, uplifting way. They are given positions of tremendous trust, and along with their work, they have many opportunities to teach their students many good things that will prepare them for life and make a difference in their lives. On the other hand, they can also abuse their trust, by teaching or doing very terrible things, which have the potential to ruin students lives or prejudice them and poison them with hatred, which can lead to abuse, evil and destruction.
Then James goes on to give us a couple of very graphic comparisons of the tongue with a horse’s bridle and a very small rudder of a ship. He says bridles with their bits in the mouths of horses have a lot of power--they can turn the whole body of the horse in the proper direction. The same is true of a ship’s rudder. This small part of the ship’s equipment is able to turn the huge ship in whatever direction the pilot steers it. James says that the tongue also has the same power over our whole life as humans. It is only a small muscle, but it can do a tremendous amount of evil or good.
The tongue helps us to taste, chew our food and direct it down into our throats. If we didn’t have our tongues we’d have to eat lying on our backs to get the food into the throat, and think of all those wonderful tastes we would miss out on! The tongue also makes some of the most beautiful sounds in the world--think of all the music we would not be able to enjoy if we didn’t have a tongue. The tongue also is capable of speaking some of the most wonderful words that inspire us and are indeed life-giving. However, the same tongue is also capable of much evil and destruction.
James goes on to give us more warnings about the power of the tongue. He compares it with a forest fire. A forest fire is often started as we know today by a very small fire from things like: a match, a few hot coals of an unattended camp fire, a cigarette butt, a spark or two from a vehicle, or a strike of lightening. Such a small thing can grow into uncontrollable fires and destroy huge forests, as we see from the news coverage on the fires especially in B.C. this summer; which are still burning and continue to threaten the property and lives of thousands of people.
James goes on to then compare the tongue with every species of beast, bird, reptile and sea creature--all of which can be tamed by humans--but unlike these, says James, the human tongue cannot be tamed. Because it cannot be tamed, James describes it as "a restless evil, full of deadly poison. Unfortunately, James’ wisdom is very true to real life, is it not?
For in real life, most of us realise that there are at least three different kinds of people who abuse speech. First of all, there are some who are always "putting people in their place" as if they were ordained by some high power or constitution to "tell off" everybody for what they call "their own good." It seems that this is done to display THEIR superiority and authority over others. It also seems to assume that THEY are never “out of place,” THEY never need to be “told off.”
The second kind of people are made up of those who detract from the merit of others by criticizing, finding fault or putting a wrong interpretation on all they say or do. They witness an employer giving a Native Indian a pay-cheque and comment “next stop the beer parlour.” They go to an art museum and criticize every picture for not being hung properly, but they can never see that the pictures in their own homes are all topsy-turvy. A critical spirit is born of wrong behaviour in that person’s own life. There is not a critical person in the world who is not in need of criticism. Criticism of others is an escape mechanism from necessary self-criticism.
The third kind of people is made up of just plain liars. Conscious of their own littleness and insignificance, they try to give weight to their importance by exaggeration, or by creating a world that is built according to their own specifications. They often get into this practice of telling lies because it has worked for them and they have gotten away with it. Then what can happen is that one lie grows into another, then another, then another, and so on, until eventually this practice of telling lies becomes “normal” and the liar loses their ability to distinguish the truth from the lie. Eventually, their lies catch up to them and they end up alienating a lot of people, losing their job, or their spouse, or their reputation or all of these together.
Turning back to James again, in verses nine to twelve, he goes on to describe how inconsistent our tongue can be: “With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God.” He says this sort of speaking should not come out of the mouths of Christians, and explains that spring water is not both fresh and brackish, nor does a fig tree produce olives nor a grapevine figs, nor can salt water produce fresh water. This wisdom of James reminds me of the following Vietnamese folktale.
A woman called her cook aside early one morning and said, “Tonight, when my beloved visits, I want you to cook the food that has the most pleasant taste in the whole world.”
The cook quickly went to the market where he made his purchase. That night, after serving many appetizers, he announced, “The main dish tonight is tongue of pig.”
The woman was most surprised at the cook’s choice and asked, “Why have you determined this to be the most pleasant taste in the world?”
“When people love each other,” the cook replied, “their tongues say pleasant and loving things to each other. So is the tongue not the most pleasant thing in the whole world?”
“You are not only a fine cook,” the woman said, “you are also a philosopher.”
The next day the woman again approached the cook, “Last night my beloved and I found your choice most interesting. This evening we would like you to prepare the most unpleasant thing in the whole world.”
Once again the cook made his way to the market to make a purchase. That evening he again served a variety of small dishes before announcing, “The main course this evening is tongue of pig.” When both the woman and her beloved expressed surprise at the choice the cook explained, “When people hate each other their tongues say the most unpleasant things to each other. Is the tongue not the most unpleasant thing in the whole world?” 2
The Greek philosopher, Socrates said: “Speak that I may see thee.” Speech is the index of the mind and the summary of the soul, all that a person has been, is, and shall be. All we have to do is hear a word or two and we can say: “he is an ignorant person,” “she is a kind person,” “he is a proud person,” or “that is a cruel person.” The whirlwind on the tongue is the sign of the storm within the spirit. If there is envy in the heart, it will show in the tone of the voice; if there is love in the heart, even the words share the glow.
It is a physical and psychological impossibility to develop the art of conversation without first developing the art of a good and humble heart; out of which come our words, as Jesus teaches us. The power of edifying speech increases with the improvement of life.
Our words may be judged in at least two ways: by their transparency and by their purpose. Words should be like windows—we should be able to see through them. They should not be like curtains, which veil the inside of the mind from the outside of the lips. An equal sign should always be between what is in the mind and on the lips; if we cannot make that equation, then, the words should not be spoken. There is hardly a human who has not at some moment of life come face to face with people who never said what they meant, or never meant what they said. Many others, on the other hand, so spoke that the words were like open doors to their hearts. You knew that they really meant what they said.
Speech also has a moral and spiritual quality. It is a vehicle for the transportation of ideas, as an automobile is a vehicle for the transportation of persons or things. We judge the morality and ethics and the spirituality of anything by the purpose for which it was made. An automobile used to rob a bank is the wrong use of a vehicle; words used to deceive, to malign, to destroy character have moral, ethical and spiritual implications for the speaker, the hearer, and the one being spoken about.
So the horse has a bit, the ship a rudder, and human beings have a mind and heart made to control their speech. With the mind and heart we can guide and direct our whole orientation with good, edifying speech.
In summary of the essence of what James is teaching today, and complimenting it; we are given some excellent practical instruction in Martin Luther’s explanation to the eighth commandment in his Small Catechism, where he says: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. What does this mean for us? We are to fear and love God so that we do not betray, slander, or lie about our neighbour, but defend her/him, speak well of her/him, and explain her/his actions in the kindest way.”
May the LORD grant us the grace, wisdom, courage and love to do just that! Amen.
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1 Cited from: Affirm: The Ten Commandments (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1984), p. 38.
2 Cited from: Wm. R. White, Stories For the Journey (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1988), pp. 101-102.
