James: On the Rich “it will eat your flesh like fire”
“let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger”
James 5:1-6 James 1:9-10: Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, 10and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field.
Introduction
Do the rich oppress you?
Banker CEOs?
Big Oil, i.e., British Petroleum?
And Politicians?
But who are the rich?
Get Woolman phrase. Now what is James saying about the rich?
1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. 2My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, 3because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; 4and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. 5If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. 6But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; 7for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 9Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, 10and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field.11For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same way with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away. 12Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 13No one, when tempted, should say, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. 14But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; 15then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. 16Do not be deceived, my beloved. 17Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures. 19You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. 21Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls. 22But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 23For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 24for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. 25But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing. 26If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. 27Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. 2My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? 2For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, 3and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” 4have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? 7Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you? 8You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 9But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. 11For the one who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.12So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment. 14What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. 18But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. 19You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. 20Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith apart from works is barren? 21Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?22You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works. 23Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. 24You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? 26For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead. 3Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2For 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. 3If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. 4Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! 6And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, 8but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison.9With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. 10From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. 11Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water?12Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh. 13Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. 14But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. 15Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. 16For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. 17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace. 4Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you?2You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. 4Adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5Or do you suppose that it is for nothing that the scripture says, “God yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Lament and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. 11Do not speak evil against one another, brothers and sisters. Whoever speaks evil against another or judges another, speaks evil against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. So who, then, are you to judge your neighbor?13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money.” 14Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.” 16As it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin. 5Come now, you rich people, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming to you. 2Your riches have rotted, and your clothes are moth-eaten. 3Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you, and it will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure for the last days. 4Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6You have condemned and murdered the righteous one, who does not resist you. 7Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! 10As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. 12Above all, my beloved, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “Yes” be yes and your “No” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. 13Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. 14Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. 17Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest. 19My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, 20you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. Warning to the Corrupt Rich (5:1-6) This eighth section of the exposition begins as the previous one, with Come now (age nun). But here, those addressed are rich people. Commentators debate whether or not these rich ones were members of the Christian community. James strongly denounces the rich and their oppression of the rest of society. It resembles passages the OT prophets descriptions of the corrupt rich. The section concludes with an apparent allusion to the murder crucifixion of Jesus characterized as a murder orchestrated by the rich. Behind the Text James, perhaps, echoes warning to the corrupt rich, a frequent theme in the OT prophets (see Amos 2:6-8, 4:1-3, 5:7,10-12, 8:5,6; Micah 2:1,2,8,9; 3:1-3,11; 6:10-12). Micah 6:8 summarized the message of the eighth century B.C. prophets: “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Isaiah 1:15-16 accused the rich of haveing “hands are full of blood” and needing to “wash and make [them]selves clean.” Verse 17 advised: “Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 10:1-2 warns against depriving the poor. During the so-called intertestamental period, “the rich” came to be identified with those who compromised with Israel’s pagan overlords. And the righteous people honored for not compromising with them were called “the poor” (see 1 and 2 Maccabees on the Maccabean revolt). Jesus identified earthly riches as treasures moth and rust would destroy (Matt 6:19-20, Luke 12:33). In the Text ■ 1 The opening command, Now listen, literally, Come now (age nun), was an informal way of addressing one’s associates (see on 4:13). Come now not “as a summons to see the foolishness” of the rich, It is a ”cry to bewail the punishment coming upon them” (Davids 1982, 175), like the prophetic “Woe”-oracle. In the prophets (see Isa 1:8),such language warned the listeners “to prepare for strong words” (Brosend 2004, 131). That James directly addressed the rich would seem to indicate that they were among the intended recipients of the letter. In antiguity riches consisted in “clothing, gold and silver, and land” (Brosend 2004, 132 ; but see Moo 2000, 212-213). Evidence suggesting that the rich were members of the community James addressed includes the following: 1) The rhetorical device, Come now is used in both 4:13 and 5:1. This makes the merchants and the rich Synonymously parallel. If merchants were in the community (not debated), then if seems likely that there were rich people as well. 2) The advice to the rich in the community is found after James addresses them as brothers and sisters (see 5:7-8, 10-11). 3) The reference in 5:11 to the endurance of Job, a rich man who stayed true to God even after everything was taken from him, suggests that rich believers were conceivable (James 5:2 also alludes to Job 13:28). 4) The word miseries echoes Isa 59:7, the context of which suggests that Israelites who have lied and peverted justice may confess and be redeemed, even those who were conniving and had shed innocent blood. 5) The illustrative example in 2:2-3 implied that both rich and poor entered the Christian synagogue James addressed. But some evidence argues gainst the possibility that there were rich people in the community: 1) James has only words of warning for the rich, no words of advice comparable to that he offered the merchants. This is persuasive only if 5:7-11 addresses a different group). 2) The prophecies alluded to by the use of the word howling in Isa 13:6, 15:3 and 16:7 are against the enemies of Israel. Thus the rich could be enemies of the community. James 2:6 indicates that the rich were oppressing James’ community. The author commands the rich: Weep, while howling over your miseries which are coming upon [you]. James parallels two words for expressing sorrow. The first one, weep (klausate), is the common word used to describe the external expressions of sorrow and is a symbol for repentance. It is used in the Gospels to describe actions by Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Peter. Also it is used in the Luke 6:21 beatitude. It is found in Acts twice; once each in Rom, 1 Cor and Phil; and in Rev six times. James uses the word once in this verse and once in 4:9 where he is urging the double-souled readers to repent. The second word, howling (olouzontes), which occurs only here in the NT, is an onomatopoeia word (BDAG 2000, 704). That is, it attempts to represent the sound of one who is crying aloud. By the first century its common meaning was cry out “shriek,” whether in joy or in pain. It appears in pagan Greek literature as well as in the LXX (Isa (13:6, 15:3, and 16:7). James seems to use the word under the influence of Isaiah. There it occurs in oracles against Babylon and Moab. These enemies of Israel would howl because of the destruction the day of the Lord was about to reek upon their lands. The word miseries confirms this. What the rich y are to weep and howl over are miseries. If James alludes to Isaiah, these miseries are coming as judgment from God. Romans 3:16 quotes Isa 59:7, which uses the singular noun, misery. James uses the verbal form of this word in 4:9 (Be miserable!). Both contexts indicate that those addressed are part of the religious community. The word “wretched” in Rom 7:24 and Rev 3:17 is a cognate of this noun (talaipōros). These rich people are about to experience misery upon misery. The verb coming in the present tense may indicate that the miseries are already on their way and will continue to plague them.
■ 2 James begins to describe the current condition of the rich: Your riches have become corrupted and your clothes have become moth-eaten. He alludes to Matt 6:19-20 in the Sermon on the Mount. There Jesus advises his disciples not to “store up for [them]selves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy.” They are instead to store up “treasures in heaven.” Since one’s heart will be where one’s treasure is, his followers are to accumulate treasure that will last forever. Job 13:28 compares the physical wasting away of a sick person to “a moth-eaten garment” (LXX). Isaiah prophecies that those who condemn him “will all become old like a garment; and a moth will eat you all up”(LXX). The term wealth for (riches, ploutos) is common in the NT. This particular term is used negatively, as a burden and false hope, in the Synoptic Gospels (see Matt 13:22). Paul uses the word positively, as in the riches of Christ in Eph 3:8, He uses it negatively only in 1 Tim 6:17. There he tells Timothy to “command those who are rich...not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain.” Revelation echoes this same evaluation of riches as fleeting in 18:17. Hebrews 11:26 uses the term paradoxically, identifying as great riches “disgrace for the sake of Christ”. For James, riches are temporary and earthly. The verb rotted, which describes what has happened to their riches, is in the perfect tense. This might imply that their riches have already become corrupted and the effects of that corruption continue to be felt. Davids takes the perfect tense here as anticipating the demise of the rich to emphasize the temporality of their wealth as (1982, 175). Thus, the rich were not already suffering the loss of their possessions and imagined security (Davids 1989, 114). The word rotted (corrupted, decayed) appear only here in the NT (BDAG, 921). Although metaphorical usage is possible, there is an organic feel to the word. Since the first century culture was agriculturally based, it is possible that their wealth consisted in agricultural products, which would be subject to literal decay and rot. Sinch clothing was made of natural fibers, these were subject to decomposition. The word for clothes (himatia) is the common NT word for “clothing” or “apparel” (BDAG, 475). It is used for any piece of clothing, but also for the outer cloak, robe, or coat. In Matt 26:65, the high priest tears his clothing (himatia). The plural form indicates that they wore more than one piece of clothing. This would be consistent with their economic status. The adjective James uses to describe what happens to the clothing, sētobrōta (moth-eaten), appears only here in the NT. The same word in Job 13:28 LXX) describes Job’s aging as comparable to what happens when moths eat a woolen garment. The holey clothes were not worn out from use, but destroyed from being hoarded. ■ 3 James continues with the decay of riches that are hoarded rather than used for good purposes. He tells the rich, Your gold and silver have become rusted over and their rust [poison] will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. James uses both the verb, katioō (“to rust”), only here in the NT, and the noun ios (rust) in this sentence. Apart from James 3:8 and here, ios appears only in Rom 3:13 (“poison of vipers”). James described the tongue in 3:8 as “a restless evil, full of deadly poison (iou). The Greeks used the same word for both rust and poison. The listener or reader determined its meaning by its context. Since rust corrodes metal (not normally gold or silver!) and some poisons corrode the inside of a person, their actions are similar. Here James employs the similarity to indicate that the rust of hoarded gold and silver will become a poison and eat their flesh like fire. Matt 6:19-20 uses the metaphor of “eating” (brōsis) twice for corrosion or “rust.” Jesus emphasizes the hoarding of “treasures in heaven” where they will not corrode. Jesus knows that where our treasure is, is where our hearts will be v 21). Rust (ios) is found in Ezek 24:6, 11-12 (LXX) in the cooking pot parable which Ezekiel was to tell the “provoking house” (author’s translation). In the parable, the rust (“impurity”) was so thick on their pot (i.e., “lives”) that God was not able to remove it, even by intense fire. In Ezekiel and in James 5:3, rust indicts the owner who will be subject to imminent judgment by God. Here rust is apocalyptic in nature: “In the apocalyptic image rust is almost a living avenging force” (Michel 1965, 335). God’s judgment falls on the corrupt rich because they would let their gold and silver rust rather than use it to aid the poor. James tells the rich that the corrosion of their rusty hoarded gold and silver will be a testimony against them (you, hymin) in God’s court of justice (see 2:6). This hymin (you)is a dative of disadvantage indicating that the testimony is not just to them, but is against them—a witness for the prosecution (Davids 1982, 176). Fire (pyr) often appears in apocalyptic and judgment contexts. Fire was used to purify metals; it became a metaphor for purifying the hearts and minds of people. As part of the description of hell, fire is a metaphor for judgment. It appears frequently in Revelation and all four gospels use it metaphorically for judgment (Matt 18:8-9, 25:41; Mark 9:43-49; Luke 3:9-17, 17:28-35; John 15:5-8). Paul uses fire as a metaphor less frequently. It appears in Hebrews (10:27; 12:18:29) and in Peter’s letters and Jude in judgment contexts. James uses fire three times in a metaphorical sense. The first two appear in James 3:5-6 in relation to the destructive power of the human tongue. Here in 5:3, the effect of the rust is to eat up their flesh like fire. The apocalyptic and judgmental contexts of fire indicate that the rich will be severely judged for hoarding their wealth rather than using it to meet the needs of others. The word translated flesh (sarkas) is in the plural and refers specifically to the meaty part of the body. In the first century context the body is made up of flesh (sarx) and bones. Occasionally sarx is translated “body,” but when it is, it emphasizes their earthly, perishable bodies as here (see on 2:26). As if to clarify that James is talking about hoarding wealth (added by the NIV), he makes it plain. You hoarded in the last days. The verb translated hoarded (thēsaurizō) appears in Matt 6:19-20. When used positively, it is usually translated, “store up” (BDAG, 456). In James, it is definitely a negative action. In the last days could refer to the rich saving up for a secure retirement (see Luke 12:19-21). But it is best taken here as another apocalyptic reference. For Jewish Christians in the first century, the time beginning with the coming of the Messiah was considered the last days. ■ 4 Behold (idou) both indicates a new topic in James’ indictment of the corrupt rich and heightens the drama of the charge (Johnson 1995, 301). The rich not only hoarded their wealth, but also failed to pay their employees. Behold the pay of the workers who have mowed your estates, which you have kept back, is screaming, and the loud cries of the ones who have harvested [your lands] have entered into the ears of the Lord of the Armies. The parallelism is typical of Jewish wisdom literature. In the first part, the personification of the pay or wages of the workers as screaming indicates that the injustice is inescapably obvious (see Luke 10:7). In Hab 2:9-11, “the stones of the wall” cry out against the one “who builds his realm by unjust gain.” In Luke 19:40, Jesus told the Pharisees that if his disciples did not praise him then “the stones will cry out” (see Gen 4:10). “In important times and unjust situations even inanimate objects call to God” (Brosend 2004, 134. Most Greek manuscripts have the verb apostereō which means to “rob, steal, despoil, defraud” (BDAG, 121) or withhold unjustly. Two of the better manuscripts read ho aphysteremēnos, “which has been withheld” (NASB). But aphystereō does not occur in the NT, appearing only in the LXX of Neh. 9:20 and Sir. 14:14 (Moo 2000, 216). The OT literature on this topic and the context here make it clear that James refers to the unjust withholding of wages as both unjust and deliberate fraud (Johnson 1995, 302). In the second part, the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. The screams and loud cries have been heard by God (see Exod 2:23-2; 3:7). In Mal 3:5 God threatens judgment and warns “those who defraud laborers of their wages.” These screams and loud cries are not just metaphorical;, in the first century day laborers lived at the subsistence level. If they were not paid that day, they and their families did not eat. The term for God, Lord Almighty, is kyriou sabaōth (Yahweh Lord of the Armies, Lord of Hosts, BDAG, 909), which emphasizes God’s omnipotence. The description sabaōth (Armies) occurs only here and in Rom 9:29 in the NT. In Rom chs 9-11 Paul explains how non-Christian Jews fit into the plan of God. Rom 9:29 quotes Isa 1:9(LXX): “Unless the Lord Almighty had left us some survivers, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah”—totally destroyed (see also Isa 2:12).. Isaiah’s vision of the Lord on his throne describes the seraphs’ song as “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Amighty; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isa 6:3). This ties the God’s holiness to his omnipotence. If James alludes to Isaiah with this term, both justice and power are part of his understanding of God. The corrupt rich have great reason to fear, repent, and return to the good graces of such a powerful and holy God. The themes of social justice, holiness and power appear in this verse. The perfect tense of the phrase, have entered into the ears of the Lord of the Armies, means that the workers’ cries in the past are still ringing in his ears. It “is especially powerful here: God has already heard of these things. Once more, James is clearly evoking the experience of Israel in Egypt” (Johnson 1995, 302). James uses the aorist participles tōn amsantōn (who have mowed) and tōn therisantōn (the ones who have harvested) to indicate that the people’s work is completed. By all rights they should receive their pay immediately. There is no question about whether they have fulfilled the agreement. James uses the term your estates (tas chōras hymōn) to indicate that the work these laborers did involved not just a little plot of land, but extensive estates (Ropes 1973, 288). ■ 5 James reminds us of the OT prophets who accused the rich of living in luxury and self-indulgence while the poor were suffering; for them the end of their society was near (see Amos 2:6-7, 4:1, 5:11-12, 6:4-6, 8:4-7; Ezek 16:49, Jer 5:26-38). You lived luxuriously upon the earth and you lived riotously, you nourished your hearts in a day of slaughter. Two different words describe the self-indulgent lifestyle of these corrupt rich in another parallel statement. The verb lived luxuriously (etryphsate) appears only here in the NT. The noun form (tryphē) occurs in Luke 7:25 where Jesus contrasts John the Baptist’s lifestyle with those who lived luxuriously in the palaces. In 2 Pet 2:13, a related verb (entryphōntes, “reveling”),_ describes the false teachers. In the NT, this type of living is never a positive Christian quality, especially when it is associated with epi ts gs (upon the earth). The corrupt rich live in luxury on earth in contrast to their torment in Hades (see Luke 16:19-31). This luxurious lifestyle means to live so self-indulgently that the integrity of spirit, body and mind are compromised. Ropes believes on earth is used as a contrast to the afterlife (1973, 290). Johnson suggests that epi ts gs “has a straightforward literal sense: they have lived well ‘off the land’” (1995, 303). The second verb is a synonym, lived riotously (espatalsate). It also means “to indulge onseself beyond the bounds of propriety” (BDAG, 936), perhaps eating and drinking to excess. It means to live in order to satisfy all the senses. In 1 Tim 5:6 Paul uses the verb to declare that “the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.” The irony of self-indulgence is that it proceeds the day of slaughter (see Acts 8:32 quoting Isa 53:7; Rom 8:36 quopting Ps 44:23). But this specific setting, a or the day of slaughter, appears in Jer 12:3 and the Jewish apocryphal book of 1 En. 16:1. Jeremiah 12:3 is part of his prayer of accusation against the prospering ungodly people, that God would “Set them apart for the day of slaughter.” Obviously, the reference was to a deserved judgment. First En 16:1 reads: “From the days of the slaughter and destruction and death of the giants...” (Charles 1973, V. 2, 198), referring to the destruction of the offspring of the Watchers of Heaven and human beings. These giants became evil spirits on the earth and brought oppression and destruction to humanity. Their judgment was deserved as well. Even though day of slaughter lacks the definite article, most commentators read it eschatologically as The Day of Judgment or as the day of judgment for the corrupt rich (Ropes 1973, 290-291). Brosend writes that the image of fattening one’s own heart to be slaughtered highlights a double-heedlessness. At a time when James has called for voluntary misery as a sign of repentance (4:9), the rich have chosen the opposite, a self-indulging luxury that renders them like fatted calves ready for slaughter (2004, 135). Johnson comments: Now ‘feeding the hearts’ becomes, by implication, equivalent to ‘stuffing’ or force-feeding an animal to fatten it for the slaughter. The rich oppressors’ self-indulgence is perceived ironically as preparation for self-destruction ‘in the last days’ (1995, 304). However, some translations read a day of slaughter (NASB, NRSV). A day of slaughter could refer to the fact that the rich are gorging themselves when the poor are dying for lack of sustenance unjustly denied them by the rich. The slaughter applies to the condition of the poor. There are many OT and Jewish intertestamental references to sheep for the slaughter and even the day of slaughter (Isa 34:2, 6; Jer 25:34, Ezek 21:15; Ps 44:22, Sib. Or. v, 377-380,1 En 94:9, 98:10, 99:6). Even so, the application of slaughter to the poor fits this context better because James lists in v 4 the atrocities of the rich and continues in v 6 with their heinous acts. John Wesley uniquely interpreted a day of slaughter as “in a day of sacrifice—Which were solemn feast-days among the Jews” (2003, 822). In other words, the rich were ignoring God’s commands to do justly and take care of the poor even while they were celebrating the Jewish religious festivals! ■ 6 James continues to accuse the rich. You have condemned, you murdered the righteous one, [and this one] does not resist you. The first verb, condemned (katadikasate; Matt 12:7, 37; Luke 6:37) evokes the violent court room image of James 2:26. It means to “condemn,” to “find or “pronounce guilty” (BDAG, 516). The second verb, murdered (phoneusate) is frequent in the NT (Matt 5:21, 19:18, 23:31& 35, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Rom 13:9) as well as four times in James (2:11 [twice], 4:2; 5:6). The LXX of Exod 20:15 uses it as one of the ten commandments: “You shall not murder.” It means It connotes killing a person unjustly. Whereas condemning may be done lawfully when the evidence requires it, murder is never lawful. Innocent men is literally the righteous one (ton dikaion). The term is singular and discuss whether it refers to those the rich were taking advantage of, to Jesus, or even to James himself. The latter view would have the letter written after his death by one of his disciples. The grammar seems to point to Jesus since the definite article is used and the early commentators, Oecumenius, Bede and Cassiodorus, as well as Wesley suggest this. If Jesus then James is adding the condemnation and execution of Jesus to the sins of the rich. This echoes Jesus’ words when he called the teachers of the law and Pharisees descendants of “those who murdered the prophets” (Matt 23:29-32) and includes the chief priests and elders (Matt 27:1) among those in the Jewish Christian community James is writing to. The adjective righteous (dikaios) is used extensively in the Synoptic Gospels, John and Acts. Pilate calls Jesus “that righteous Man” (Matt 27:19 NASB). Peter identifies Jesus as “the Holy and Righteous One” in his address to the “Men of Israel” in Acts 3:12-16. Paul uses the word often, particularly in his famous statement: “The righteous will live by faith” (Gal. 3:11, see Hab 2:4). Most modern commentators, however, think that James’ reference to the righteous one means the poor righteous believer who is being unjustly treated by the rich. They see “nothing in the context” that “has prepared us for the introduction of Jesus at this point” (Moo 2000, 218), There is even less reason to identify him with James (Johnson 1995, 304). James’ use of the word condemned may refer to a kind of judicial verdict that is bought by the rich (see 2:6). “This reflects OT and intertestamental teaching directed to situations in which rich people use their wealth and influence to deprive the righteous poor of their rights and their living” (Moo 2000, 129, Ropes 1916, 291). Sirach, for example, connectis murder and the depriving of someone’s means of making a living: “to take away a neighbor’s living is to murder him; to deprive an employee of his wages is to shed blood” (Sir 34:22, as quoted in Moo 2000, 219). Their sin of murder is made even worse in that the righteous one did not resist them. Not only was he innocent, but he was also defenseless and unwilling to fight back. Currently the righteous one is not resisting (present tense) his murderers. This verb (antitassetai) means to oppose or resist (BDAG, 90). It appears four more times in the NT (4:6; Acts 18:6; Rom 13:2; 1 Pet 5:5). Some suggest that the clause should be read as a question: “Does [God] not not oppose you? (Johnson, 1995, 291; see Davids 1982, 180).
From the Text The accusations are typical of the prophetic voices in the OT. The rich are corrupt and oppress the poor. But 1900 years after James, Elsa Tamez in Scandalous Message of James writes, “In our day the oppression has intensified. Salaries are very low and often withheld. Racial and sexual discrimination is common. Who can deny that the ptōchos, the poor, are many in Latin America?” (Tamez 1990, 78). This teaches us that God expects the rich and powerful to deal justly with those they have power over. First of all, the rich are not to hoard their wealth, but to give to those in need. What good are the treasures in one’s house, if they are just sitting there and rusting or getting destroyed by moths? A practical response to this passage is to go through unused clothing and give away those clothes that have not been worn for a year. Chances are one doesn’t need them and there are others who do. John Wesley had three rules of Christian prudence: “Gain all you can... save all you can... give all you can” (Wesley 1955, 326). The second principle is to pay the workers a fair wage. The object is not to see how little one can get someone to work for, but to provide them with a fair wage so they can feed and clothe their families. When employers cheat their employees, God is angry and will do something about it. The third principle is good stewardship. When God gives the ability to make money, he expects the gifted to use that money to glorify him. And his command is to love your neighbor as yourself. When luxuries are lavished on one’s self and one’s family, just because one can, that person is mis-using the God-given gift for making money. Finally, the powerful are to use their power to help others, not to keep their status or retaliate against someone they perceive as challenging them. The powerful of James’ time struck out against Jesus who was innocent of the charges they brought against him, and they ended up murdering an innocent person. The powerful can get so caught up in their need for power that they assassinate the character of innocent people whom they presume to be a threat to them. Another aspect to the condition of the rich needs to be brought out. They need to expect loss and still trust in God. Later James will allude to Job who is a hero in the Bible because he lost everything that he had but still trusted in God (v 11). It is difficult for the rich to trust in God when they have their riches to depend on. Wesley tends to see this verse as addressing the emotional and sense of justice needs of the poor who are being oppressed. “The apostle does not speak this so much for the sake of the rich themselves, as of the poor children of God, who were then groaning under their cruel oppression.” The fact that the “miseries of the rich will come ‘Quickly and unexpectedly’” indicates that God will not let the oppression go on without eventual justice: “The wrath which was to fall around the world . . . refer[s] to the final vengeance which will then be executed on the impenitent.” Wesley sees the rich in this passage as unbelievers who are oppressing the poor believers (Wesley 2003, 822). Ropes gives perhaps the most balanced thought: ”The purpose of the verses is partly to dissuade the Christians from setting a high value on wealth, partly to give them a certain grim comfort in the hardships of poverty” (Ropes 1973, 282). The rich and the poor can learn from James’ strong warning to the rich. Great literature speaks to several different audiences, and James is an example of this. As Scrooge says in the Dicken’s Christmas Carol after he had been visited by the last spirit, “Men’s courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead. But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you show me!” (http://www.dickenschristmascarol.com/).
NRSV. Again our main commentary source is C. Jeanne Orjala Serrão, James: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, New Beacon Bible Commentary (Kansas City, Missouri: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City), unpublished manuscript. Her outline of James is, Greeting 1:1 Introduction 1:2-27: James’ Opening Statement on the Christian Life Exposition: 2:1-5:20 A, Partiality and the law of love: 2:1-13 Faith and Actions: 2:14-26 The Tongue Reveals One’s True Nature: 3:1-12 Earthly and Heavenly Wisdom: 3:13-18 The Double-minded must Humble Themselves: 4:1-10 Do not Judge your Neighbor: 4:11-12 Do not Boast about Tomorrow: 4:13-17 Warning to the Corrupt Rich: 5:1-6 Patience in Suffering: 5:7-11 The Simple “Yes” and “No”: 5:12 Prayer Offered in Faith: 5:13-18 L. Turning back the Wanderer: 5:19-20 James 5:3 NRSV. James 1:19, NRSV. According to Robert Wall the main body of James consists of three essays (chs 2, 3, 4) on “wisdom from above” which the James summarizes in 1:19.
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