Scripture Sunday: Season of Creation James 3:1-12

James 3:1-12
​
1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will face stricter judgment. 2 For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is mature, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. 4 Or look at ships: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And 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 life, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7 For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, 8 but no one can tame the tongue--a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people made in the likeness of God.
 10 From the same mouth comes a blessing and a cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.

This text is overflowing with creation imagery. James has one central message: "As humans, we need to be careful with what we say, because our words can cause great destruction—that’s why not everyone should be teachers." Instead of simply stating this point and moving on, James uses vivid metaphors to drive it home.

I encourage you to use your imagination as you read this passage. Look again at verses 3-4: "If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. Or look at ships: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs." By picturing the horse and the ship (and perhaps even googling them if you’re unfamiliar), you can better grasp the lesson James is teaching. Imagine the powerful energy of a horse—its strength and speed all controlled by something as small as a bit in its mouth. Or think of a ship, large and imposing, able to face strong winds and rough seas, yet directed by a tiny rudder. These images help us understand the disproportionate power of small things, like the tongue. The words we speak, though small in comparison to the body, can steer the course of our lives and the lives of others. Just as the bit and rudder control great forces, so too our speech has the power to direct the flow of relationships, justice, and even our connection to creation. The tongue, though small, can either foster life and goodness, or it can create harm and destruction.

In the first chapter, James tells us to be "quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, because human anger does not produce God's righteousness" (1:19b-20). Now, he builds on this, explaining that the same mouth cannot produce both blessings and curses—just as a spring cannot yield both fresh and brackish water, or a fig tree olives.

I was once given advice, “to be a good preacher, writer, or teacher- live life, observe how the world works, get outside, love people.” This will shape your message. We see that James is someone who has done just that. This approach makes sense. Since we encounter different aspects of God's wisdom and image in creation, we are better equipped to explain the truth about God. Human experience alone is limited, but creation helps us understand both the complex and the simple aspects of God’s nature.
​
Let us take James' advice in two ways: first, to guard our words so we can serve God and love others, and second, to engage with creation so we can know God more fully, love God and creation better, and become more effective teachers, pastors, writers and witnesses of the Gospel. This passage invites us to reflect on the relationship between our words and their consequences. Just as a fig tree cannot yield olives, nor a spring pour forth both fresh and brackish water, we cannot bless God while cursing God's creation. To pursue creation justice, our words and actions must flow from the same source—a source rooted in love, respect, and stewardship for the earth and all living beings created in the likeness of God. 

​Caroline Hiler is a Seminary Intern at Creation Justice Ministries.