Be Patient and Stand Firm (James 5:1-20)

Be Patient and Stand Firm

 

James 5:1-20

 

Today’s text is the last chapter of James, and the content is prophetic, showing visions that we Christians should have for the coming Kingdom of God while living in this world. The author is addressing to two groups of listeners. One is “rich people” (1-6), and the other is “brothers.” I am not sure if “you rich people” mentioned by the author were part of the church members, but what the author is saying to them is quite “condemning” with no reservation. So even if they were church members, we may assume that they were just “rich people,” not “rich people in the church.”  According to today’s text, people living in the world are largely divided into these two groups, “the rich” and “brothers.” The rich are the priests of Mammon, and the brothers are the priests of Christ Jesus, our Lord. The rich belong to this world, and the brothers belong to God’s kingdom while living in the world. So we can say that the brothers have two citizenships, heaven and earth. But the rich have one citizenship, earth. So they seek heaven on earth.

 

In verses 1-6, we can see how the rich people seek heaven on earth. It is simply by gathering gold and silver, and hoarding wealth. With this wealth, they enjoy a luxurious and self-indulgent life, and fatten their heart. But their wealth is not just. They accumulated it by exploiting their workmen. They didn’t pay the fair amount of wage to the workers mowing in the field. They made the harvesters crying. This is true even today. Many people work day and night to support themselves and their families, but they get just a minimum pay, and then have to give up a chunk of their income to pay the rent or mortgage. So the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. With all these unjust practices, however, rich people are “more righteous” because they can buy expensive lawyers and they have many rich and powerful friends. Verse 6 says, “You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.” In this world, wealth itself justifies and covers many sins. And it has the power to silence the voices of justice. Even we can say that the rich own not only wealth but also “justice.” So they freely exploit honest hard-working people, and persecute innocent people. It is because they are priests of Mammon, the Lord of this world.

 

The believers’ heaven is not on earth but in God’s kingdom. Their hope is not in gold and silver, but in the coming of Jesus, their Lord. And this is a true living hope. Verse 8 says, “You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.” The rich people’s luxury and happiness is built on their wealth. But the author says, “Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded.” This is a universal truth. James 1:10-11 also says, “But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wildflower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.” Human wealth is like a dust that is blown away in the wind. What is worse, rich people’s wealth cannot be their glory and happiness. It’s merely their shame and their pain. The author says, “Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire.” So, although they seek heaven through their wealth, it is an impossible way from the beginning. But believers seek eternity, which is in heaven. They give up present short-lived corroding glitters for future everlasting heavenly glories, which is kept in and will be brought by Jesus Christ. Their luxury and happiness is built on this hope, and this hope is a living hope, glorious hope, and eternal hope.

 

The believers pray to God and praise God. The author encourages, “Is anyone of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” Rich people get what they want by exploiting others. But the believers get it by praying to God. Last week, we learned from Erik’s sermon: Praying selfish prayers is not wrong; what is wrong is “not praying at all.” This is true. God is the source of every good thing. If God does not give it to me, it must be something not good for me. So prayer is the best and safest way of getting whatever I need while finding and avoiding what I don’t need. God gave his people Israel the land of Canaan instead of Egypt. And God said, “The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end” (Deuteronomy 11:10-12). Not like the land of Egypt with the big Nile River, Canaan is a land of mountains and valleys that cannot store water, so is not good for farming. But God said, “You may gather new wine and olive oil,” and “you will eat and be satisfied.” How? It is because God cares for the land and God’s eyes are on it continually. So the Israelites didn’t need to store water on earth. God sent rain in season from the heavenly reservoir. In the same way, the believers don’t need to accumulate wealth on earth. We just pray to God for whatever we want.

 

The author also says, “Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” Rich people fatten their heart through their luxurious and self-indulgent life. Their happiness comes from their wealth. But the believers’ happiness and satisfaction come from God. So they praise God instead of boasting what they have or what they did. In Jeremiah 9:23-24, God says, “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight.” Our wealth is not proportional to what we have. Our wealth is proportional to our knowledge of God. God is our treasure. So, if we feel happy with God, it is our true happiness, and if we feel rich with God, it is our true wealth. Praise is the throne of God in us, inviting Him deep into our soul, and again, God dwelling deep in our heart is the fountain of praises. In this way, we are getting wealthier and happier. While rich people’s wealth testifies against them and eat their flesh, God in us is our peace, righteousness, and glory. A true rich man is one full of the knowledge of God in his heart and full of praise in his mouth.

 

The believers, while themselves seeking heaven on earth, work for the world as the priests of Christ. The rich people exploit their brothers who are working for them. They deceive and are deceived by one another. But the believers, who are the priests of Christ, serve people in the world under the rule of Mammon. And their main ministries are healing, forgiving, blessing, and saving. The author says, “Is anyone of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.” Jesus’ ministry can be summarized into healing and forgiving. In Matthew 9, when a paralytic was brought to Jesus for healing, Jesus first declared the forgiveness of his sins, saying, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven” (Matthew 9:2), and Jesus also said to him, “Get up, take your mat, and go home.” Jesus forgave the paralytic of his sins and healed him of his sickness. Forgiving and healing are the deepest services that renew people’s body and soul. And this is how Jesus served people, and is also how the believers serve the world.

 

The believers also bless the world through prayers. Elijah prayed that it would not rain, and it didn’t rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. As we know well, of course, Elijah didn’t pray in order to trouble the people. He prayed for the people’s welfare so that they might know it is God, not Baal, who sends rains. The believers, although they are mistreated and persecuted, bless the world in God’s name. People may think that rain is just a natural happening, nothing special. But they admire SpaceX rockets as unprecedented achievements of human technology. God’s blessing comes down so quietly and unknowingly. Numbers 11:9 says, “When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down.” When the people were sleeping in peace, God sent the dew and the manna quietly without disturbing their sweet sleep. And this is how believers’ prayers and God’s blessings are for the world. Our prayers look like nothing. But our prayers carry God’s blessings down upon the world. People may think that the world is ruled by rich men like Trump and Elon Musk spotlighted on the stage. But it is not true. The world is sustained and blessed by God through the believers’ prayers behind the curtain.

 

Verses 19-20 says, “My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” While rich people persecute innocent men, the believers turn a sinner from his wrong way. They do this even until they invite sufferings. Actually, this is the very reason why they stay in this world while they have their home in heaven. Jesus said, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). Jesus also sent his disciples for the same job, finding and saving the lost. In verse 7 of today’s text, the author compared the brothers to farmers waiting for the land to yield its valuable crop. What else can be valuable crop other than the lost souls? In 1Thessalonians 2:19-20, St. Paul says, “For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy.” St. Paul planted the seed of Jesus’ gospel, and reaped the Gentiles, the lost souls, in Thessalonica. Paul loved them, cared for them, and was glad to share with them not only the gospel of God but also his own life as well (1Thessalonians 2:8). Here we can see for what St. Paul lived and how. And we are also here to save souls in the world.

 

Believers live both God’s kingdom and this world. And they play the role of a bridge between the two worlds. They bring down God’s blessings from heaven to earth. And they lead souls from earth to heaven. They keep doing this through their life. They are a bridge between heaven and earth. What is required for being a good bridge? First of all, it should be strong enough to endure the troubled waters and storms smashing its piers and decks. Moreover, it should be firm and reliable so that people and cars can cross it with no fear. This is the believers’ patience and their firmness. If we live just one world, the life will be much easier. We just let ourselves drift along the stream of the world. Quite easy. But we live two worlds, and God wants us to live as the priests of Christ in the world ruled by Mammon. So, our everyday life is striving against the stream of the world. Still, we should not be noisy, anxious or shaking. Like a strong and firm bridge, we should keep our position, keep our peace, and keep our smiling kind face. Patience is truly Christians’ power and strength. And without patience, all the other Christian virtues are not protected. Jesus also said about himself, “I tell you the truth; you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (John 1:51). Jesus is the ladder bridging between heaven and earth. And this ladder is so strong and firm that it bears the heavy burden of the whole world and every stroke of God’s commandments. When we have this Jesus in us, our patience is reinforced dramatically, and we, having this divine strength, also become a member of the ladder to the heaven. May the Lord bless each of us to be patient and stand firm so that, through us, He may also bless the world!