Text - James 3:1-12, RSV
1. Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
2. For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the
whole body in check with a bridle.
3. If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies.
4. Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.
5. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire!
6. And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the
human species,
8. but no one can tame the tongue--a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God.
10. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.
11. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water?
12. Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.
I am sure that at some point in your lives, you might have had the opportunity to see a sculptured image of three monkeys; one with hands over the eyes, the other with hands over the ears and the third with hands covering the mouth. The monkeys tell us that we are to see no evil, hear no evil or speak no evil. Even though this is a moral message that is not linked to any particular religion, these values find a place in the bible. This morning’s reading from the book of James focuses on the use of our tongue and how we are to be careful about speaking evil. As James puts it “The tongue is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body, it corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of a man or woman’s life on fire and is itself set on fire by hell”. With the same mouth we are capable of blessing and cursing. Wonder which of these we do more often!
Most of you I am sure are familiar with the story of Job. Job was a very rich man but at the same time, one who feared God. But there came a time when the Devil challenged God about Job’s integrity and when that happened, Job began to see bad days. He lost everything including his family and not only that, he was afflicted with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. And then, his wife who I believe at sometime vowed to be with him for better or for worse, in sickness and health said “Are you still holding on to your integrity Job? Why don’t you just curse God and die!” We know from the story, that job never allowed himself to speak evil with his tongue or curse God. In the end, Job was blessed twice as much as he ever had. Job’s destiny was determined by the words that came out of his mouth.
So is the case with you and me. You and I can ruin wonderful relationships with a bad or unruly tongue. A person is measured as being good or bad not by they way they dress or how beautiful they look but rather by the words that come out of their mouths. A golden rule us when you are unsure of what to say, “turn the sound off” because one’s character is revealed by one’s speech. We relate to one another through conversation. We are capable of speaking kind and loving words as well as words of slander, lies and hatred. Pious and edifying language is the produce or fruit of a sanctified heart; and no one who understands Christianity expects to hear curses, lies, boastings or evil words from a true believer’s mouth.
A lot of what we become is a consequence of how we have been raised and the kind of values we subscribe to. It also depends on the kind of friends you keep and the kind of fellowship you are in. All of you are wonderful people,and God loves you immensely - no question about that, but you will agree with me that once in a while your tongue lets loose and betrays you. You say something you should not have said and now you can’t take those words back. For some people the mouth works faster than the mind and by doing so, we can cause much hurt and pain. If you can’t control what you speak, you will definitely end up answering for it.
We have a 6 year old Spanish boy in our School for whom English is a 2nd language. I noticed that whenever we speak to him, his answers come very slowly. A week into School his mother inquired about how he was doing. I said he was fine except that we aren’t sure if he really understands us because he responds very slowly, with one word at a time. “Oh”, she said, “that’s no problem I know what it is. He hears in English and has a ready and quick Spanish answer in his head but the delay is because he has to translate the Spanish answer into English before he speaks!” I figure a lot of thinking must be going on in that Child’s mind before he speaks each time and in a that sense, I wish all of us could think a little before we utter hurtful words.
James tells us that we have been able to tame the fiercest of wild animals but no one has been able to tame the tongue! The apostle doesn’t say that it as impossible, but rather that it is extremely difficult. There are many sins that are tamed and subdued as we decay with age. Some of the things we did as teenagers we will not do now; not because of progressing towards holiness but because as the days come on, we have no pleasure in them. But in the case of the tongue, it gets worse with age even to a point where older people begin talking to themselves if there is no one else around to gossip with! We start off with the innocence of childhood but as we journey towards adolescence and adulthood, the tongue gets more vicious. Words become more hurtful even though our body might be slowly getting weaker. Children might yell and fight but very quickly they get together again and start playing as if nothing happened. This cannot be said about you or me and the culprit is often the unruly tongue. That is why James says “the tongue corrupts the whole person and sets the whole course of our life on fire”.
But as difficult as this situation might seem, there is hope and the hope comes from a different kind of fire, not the fire of hell that defiles the tongue but the fire of the Holy Spirit that can cleanse and sanctify every unruly and evil tongue. No man or woman can tame the tongue but with divine grace and assistance, all things are possible. Every word of our mouth is preceded by a thought and what comes out is a product of what is already within. When Christ is in your life and mine, our tongue will no longer be controlled by us but by Him who is within us. Consequently, God’s Spirit within us will prompt us to speak the things of which Paul in speaking to Galatian Church referred to as the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, peace, joy, patience, long suffering gentleness, goodness, meekness and restraint. When someone treats you shabbily, the instant response can be harsh and hurtful words which might be difficult to control. But when God controls your life, the response would be one of forgiveness and love. Through the abundance of He who is within, your sanctified mouth will then only bless and console. An Encouraging word to someone who is down and out can lift them up and help them make it through the day. Friends, speak life and hope to those who cross your path. Bring comfort and healing to those in need and always be mindful that you are a reflection of the one who is within you. I am reminded of the prayer of Saint Francis who said:
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy
These are some of the things that can be done with a sanctified tongue. The highest use of human speech is the praise of God. I pray that you will do that with integrity and honesty, not pretending to be someone who you are not,but rather by surrendering yourself, even your unpredictable tongue to the control of a holy and Almighty God. And, may God in his grace bridle our tongues with the fire of His Holy and sanctifying Spirit so that when we open our lips, our mouths shall only show forth His praise. Amen.
