DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
James 1:19-27
(01/12 or 01/25)
Thursday of the Thirty-first Week after Pentecost
Self-Deception: James 1:19-27, especially vs. 25: “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and
continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one
will be blessed in what he does.”
What standard should we use to
measure ourselves honestly, to assess who we are accurately? The Apostle teaches us to look
“...into the perfect law of liberty...” (vs. 25),
the Lord Jesus, for Christ embodies the perfect law of liberty for mankind. Therefore, by looking steadily at His
Person and measuring ourselves in turn, we may see ourselves with no distortion
- without glossing, inflation, or flattery. He neither enlarges our moral and
spiritual height nor diminishes it, nor does He pass over any of the desires of
our hearts. To speak musically, we
can say He is that constant, pure note or pitch against which the slightest
tonal variation, either sharp or flat, sets up an immediate and cautionary
discord.
Christ our God is the reliable standard to use for
authentic assessment of every man and woman from every race and tongue. Being Himself pure and undistorted, He
accurately reflects all our filthiness and overflowing wickedness (vs. 21), as
well as our potential for “...pure and undefiled religion before God and
the Father” (vs. 27). The
Elder Joseph the Hesychast states how it is that the
Lord is able to mirror every element of our lives to us so well: “We know
that once someone has tasted wine, he can tell if they give him vinegar
instead.” The Lord Jesus is
the wine; to know Him is to know both the bad and the good within ourselves.
First, the Lord Jesus manifests how ‘slow’ we
are to hear (vs. 19). When asked
why He spoke so often in parables, Jesus said, “...whoever does not have,
even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore, I speak to them in parables,
because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they
understand” (Mt. 13:12,13). Still, He does open ears that we may be
swift to hear: “...God renders judgment and will render it. He will come and assess us. Then the eyes of the blind shall be
opened, and the ears of the deaf shall hear” (Is. 35:4,5).
Foolish as we are, too often, we are swift to give way to
wrath rather than to offer a kind or healing word (Jam. 1:19). Invariably our wrath “...does not
produce the righteousness of God” (vs. 20). As Solomon wisely said, “A stone
is heavy, and sand is cumbersome; but the wrath of a man without discernment is
heavier than both” (Pr. 27:3).
Thankfully, Jesus Christ our Savior turns us from wrath. Remember, how ready His first disciples
were to destroy a community of Samaritans who would not receive the Lord; yet
Jesus rebuked them, explaining that “...the Son of Man did not come to
destroy men’s lives but to save them...” (Lk.
9:56).
Who implants His words in our hearts and enables us to
receive His gifts and spirit of meekness (Jam. 1:21)? Is it not the Lamb of God Himself Who
“...was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb [was] silent
before his shearers...” (Is. 53:7)? He reveals the beauty of a meek and
quiet spirit in the face of violence.
Yes, Christ Jesus exemplifies His own beatitude: “Blessed are the
meek...,” for, at the end, He “...shall inherit the earth”
(Mt. 5:5).
Jesus our Lord blesses us to care for the widow and orphan
(Jam. 1:27) instead of exploiting or ignoring the poor and defenseless:
“...Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least
of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Mt.
25:40).
The Apostle teaches us to look steadily “...into the
perfect law of liberty,” our Lord Jesus Christ, not to be forgetful
hearers but doers of the work Christ gives to us (Jam. 1:25). Only He can keep us unspotted from the
world and undeceived in our hearts (vs. 26).
Illumine our hearts, O Master Who loveth mankind, with the pure light of Thy divine
knowledge; and implant in us also the fear of Thy blessed commandments!
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