James 3:9-12
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 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.
The other day I was looking for a bottle of water in the extra refrigerator/freezer we keep in the garage. As I opened the frig I noticed what looked like a pitcher of grape-flavored Kool-Aid sitting on the top shelf. I figured it was probably left over from some event my wife had hosted and it looked like a tasty alternative to plain water, so I poured myself a glass full and took a big gulp. AAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGHHHHH! It wasn’t grape Kool-Aid, it was cold, bitter, unsweetened coffee! Turns out my wife was saving some old coffee for one of our boys who happens to like iced coffee. Needless to say I was both surprised and disappointed!
James uses a similar image to describe the speech he hears coming from the mouths of people in the early church.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 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.
The image is both clear and intuitive. We see illustrations of this truth all around us. Apples grow on apple trees; oranges grow on orange trees; and you’ve never seen a banana sprouting from a pumpkin patch!
In the same way, the water that Hurricane Sandy drove into New York City last week was salty because it came from the Atlantic Ocean. It is the nature of the ocean to produce salt water so no one tries to make coffee with ocean water.
The point James is trying to make is that the words we speak are not accidental, superficial or inconsequential; but rather, our words are intentional and powerful, flowing from that place deep inside us that Jesus referred to as the “heart.”
In Luke 6, Jesus said,
The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45)
So what do our words say about the condition of our hearts? Do our words say our hearts are cluttered with garbage and refuse? Do our words reveal that our hearts have been hardened by anger and bitterness? Or do our words flow from hearts inhabited by the Holy Spirit of Jesus himself, who cleanses us from sin, fills us with his grace, joy and love, and who said,
…whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (John 4:14)
Brian Coffey
Brian Coffey
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1 comment:
Too often my words reflect impatience, both to strangers and to those I love. I'm prayerfully asking for patience with others before I speak, including those trying to serve me over the phone or at a store. And not an "eye roll" type of patience but rather a joyful sort of thankfulness for there effort, mainly because I know a loving Savior that has been extremely patient with me.
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