Scripture Reference: James 3:3-6

In Part 1 of this lesson, we looked at the idea of how not many people should strive to become masters or teachers of the Christian faith.  James tells us teachers will be held responsible for everything they say.  He then goes into some examples of how the tongue, our speech, seems like such a small thing, but has the ability to control items many times larger than itself.  He uses a horse bridle bit, a rudder and a spark.

A bit weighs about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds.  A horse weighs 850 to 2,200 pounds, depending on the size and breed.  A ship’s rudder encompasses a very small square footage in comparison to the total area of a ship.  A spark, say the size of a lightening bug, can ignite dry combustible matter like pine straw or leaves and create a blaze that can consume entire forests.

The people of James’ day were quite familiar with all three of these analogies.  They understood that he was telling them that, even though the tongue is a very small part of our physical body, it is capable of controlling a life, even to the point of creating complete destruction in that life.  This is why he tells the reader they need to understand how powerful their words are.

The tongue, our words, can be used to make what James calls grand speeches, but he then says the tongue is not just a spark—it’s a flame of fire.  He even goes so far as to say it is full of wickedness.  Although a teacher can use speech to be eloquent in presenting their ideas to students or disciples, that same speech can bring evil into existence.  That same speech can destroy, as well as instruct or direct.

Keep in mind James’ audience for this letter.  He is writing to the Jewish believers who were scattered from Jerusalem when the persecution against the church began.  He is writing to disciples of Jesus who are no longer in a tightly knit group in the main city of their religious heritage and newly established Christian faith.  He is writing to people who were having to live out their new faith as scattered groups that probably did not have a leader who was one of the original twelve disciples.

And in this part of his letter, if you will allow me to repeat myself, he is giving them a warning about trying to become a master, a teacher, a leader, if you will, of the faith.  The teachers of the faith were going to be judged more strictly than others.  They were going to be held accountable for what they taught because their grand speeches could bring evil into what their fellow disciples heard.  This part of his letter is not simply about watching what we say.  As was pointed out in Part 1 of this lesson, these verses are about a warning to those who think they know enough to be considered a master of the faith.

Let us pray that those who become leaders, masters, or teachers remember James’ warning.