The Tongue

James 3
Taming the Tongue

1Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt[a] water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

In the early Church the teachers were vitally important. Whenever they are mentioned it is with honour. The Apostles and Prophets were always on the move. They did not stay long in any one congregation. But the teachers worked within the congregation and it was to them that the converts to Christianity were handed over for instruction in the facts of Christian teaching and Christian living. What an awesome responsibility for ordinary sinful, fallible human beings! 

In the New Testament we see glimpses of teachers who failed in their responsibility and who became false teachers. There were teachers who tried to turn Christianity into another kind of Judaism by introducing circumcision and others keeping of the law (Acts 15:24). There were teachers who taught others buy lived out nothing of what they taught. Their lives were a contradiction of their own teaching and it brought nothing but dishonour on the faith they represented.

Then there were some who tried to teach before they themselves knew anything (1 Timothy 1:6,7). But James is saying here that teaching is a dangerous occupation for any person. The instrument is the tongue and the tongue is a dangerous organ.

Here James lays down two ideas which were quite common in Jewish thought and literature. First, the idea that there is no-one in the world who does not sin in something. The word which James uses is to "slip up". Barclay quotes Lord Fisher, the great sailor, who said, "Life is strewn with orange peel". Sometimes, as we both know,sin is not deliberate but the result of a slip up when we are off guard.

The tongue is so powerful. We even speak of a "slip of the tongue". Which reminds me of this joke.

Three vicars are at a ministers’ fraternal. They decide they need to be more open and vulnerable with each other, so they decide to share their weaknesses.

The first one says,

'Well, I have a problem with drink. I often slip and drink a whole bottle of port".

The second one says,

'Well, I have a problem with pornography. I often spend hours looking at it on the Internet".

One of the others asks the third one,

'Well, what is something that you have a problem with?'

The third preacher replies,

'Gossip, and I can't wait to tell everyone about you guys!'

The tongue can cause all sorts of problems! We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. James’s emphasis on being mature – this time mature in what we say. We are what we eat, if a certain TV doctor is to be believed – but biblically we are what we say. Our words reveal who we are. It is from our heart that our words come – (Matthew 15:18)

James then goes on to give two illustrations:

3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.

Why horses? Why ships? Remember, James is speaking to Christians dispersed around the Empire, many of them would have travelled by horse and by boat, so they were examples they were familiar with. What do bits and rudders have in common? Small, direction, who is controlling it directs the horse or the ship. 5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it boasts about great things.

The effects of our words can be devastating – life and death are in the power of the tongue. Do we want to spread life or death?All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

How can we control, develop and transform culture if we can’t control our tongue? With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people, who have been made in God's likeness. It looks like James had been reading Genesis 1 just before writing this bit. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be, says James. James is emphasising that this situation shouldn’t occur – our hearts should have been changed.

Why then do we use double-speak? James then uses two more illustration in verse 11.

Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Of course it doesn’t happen – then why speak with a forked tongue? Let’s resolve, with God's help, not to. Lets’ speak about life and not death. The book of James also gives us some positive advice about how we should use words: How can we bring life rather than death? James gives lots of suggestions.

To ask God for wisdom (1:5).

To be quick to listen and slow to speak (1:19).

To speak without discriminating between rich and poor (2:1-4).

To speak as those going to be judged (2:12).

To speak as one whose words are as good as their deeds (2:16).

To speak without boasting (3:14).

To speak without quarrelling and fighting (4:1).

To speak without slandering anyone or speaking against anyone (4:11).

To speak without presumption (4:13).

To speak without grumbling (5:9).

To speak as though you mean what you say (5:12).

To speak to God in prayer and praise whatever the circumstances (5:13).

To ask for prayer when sick (5:14).

To confess sins to one another (5:15).

Mark