Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle.
A quick reminder ... James wrote to believers ... to the church. And in his writing, you can sense his passion for the purity of her. He issues several warnings so that his readers will be on the alert to some very damaging, even deadly, things that have potential to harm Christ's body on earth. He shines a spotlight on the desire for riches above all, on the temptation to speak about faith and never do a thing. He spotlights the damage done by favoritism and showing preferential treatment.
His next topic of warning deals with our tongues - our speech. And he begins the discourse by issuing a warning to teachers.
First, we need to understand the position of teacher in early church days. The first churches were born out of Jewish heritage and tradition. The Rabbi in the Jewish culture held a position of utmost importance. Listen to William Barclay:
Christian teachers entered into a perilous heritage. In the Church, they took the place of the Rabbis in Judaism. There were many great and saintly Rabbis, but the Rabbi was treated in a way that was liable to ruin the character of any man. His very name means, 'My great one'.Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:28 (when writing about spiritual gifts) "And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers ..."
"Teacher" is an important role.
"Teacher is a dangerous role. Why so dangerous? Well ... the potential for spiritual and/or intellectual pride is ripe. It's also dangerous because of the tool that has to be used. And the tool is our tongue. J. H. Robes states it this way: "James is concerned to point out the responsibility of teachers and the dangerous character of the instrument they have to use." I am reminded of movies about World War II and the soldiers throwing hand grenades. It was a dangerous weapon because if not handled carefully and well, it could cause damage to the wrong things and places!
Teaching has the potential to bring great blessing ... and great harm to the 'student'. Two dangers seem most prominent. First, teachers in our churches must be very careful that they are teaching truth, and not their own opinions and prejudices. They must be careful to not pander to popular thought and culture. That requires continual communication with God and prayer over motives and thoughts. Second, teachers in our churches must be careful that they do not contradict their teaching by their own lives. There can be none of the "do as I say, not as I do" mentality.
As James begins to talk about the power of the tongue, the first thing in his mind is 'teachers'. He was one. He used the first person plural pronoun. He felt the responsibility. He knew from his own Jewish heritage the damage done by false teachers. He is not recruiting teachers! His desire is that anyone choosing that role must soberly remember the responsibility that goes with it.
Are you a teacher? Don't run! Don't hear James as trying to steer you away from that calling on your life. Do hear him warning you ... and me ... as we navigate down a dangerous road. Walk in faith. Walk in prayer. Be aware of the dangers. Continually be aware of the power of ego. Remember ... the only REAL teacher is our Lord. We but walk in His footsteps.
Lord, give us wisdom as we teach others. Give us your mind and heart. We lay at Your feet and at Your cross our egos, any desire for recognition or power. Purify our motives. Purify our minds. Give us ears to truly "hear" You. We know that we cannot do it perfectly ... so forgive our missteps ... and protect our 'students' from any damage caused by words carelessly or thoughtlessly spoken. You alone are our teacher and Rabbi. And we sit at Your feet ...
No comments:
Post a Comment