Controlling the Tongue
1 Not many should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment. s 2 For we all stumble in many ways. t If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is mature, able also to control the whole body. u 3 Now if we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, v we direct their whole bodies. 4 And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. w Consider how a small fire sets ablaze a large forest. 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among our members. It stains the whole body, x sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 Every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and fish is tamed and has been tamed by humankind, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. y 9 With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God’s likeness. z 10 Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way. 11 Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.
The Wisdom from Above
13 Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom. a 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth. b 15 Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. c 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense. d 18 And the fruit of righteousness e is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.
A. The taming of the tongue (3:1–12). 3:1–2. The concern James has already shown about sins of speech (1:19, 26) is given full exposure in this paragraph. He introduces his topic by first warning people not to be too eager to become teachers (3:1). A particularly honored position among the Jews was occupied by the rabbi, and some of this prestige undoubtedly rubbed off on the teacher in the church. James does not want to discourage those who have the calling and the gift for teaching, but he does want to warn people about the heavy responsibility involved in teaching others about spiritual matters (see also Mt 5:19; Ac 20:26–27). One of the reasons the teaching ministry is very difficult is that it makes use of the most dangerous, untamable member of the body: the tongue. So difficult is the tongue to control and subordinate to godly purposes that James calls the person “mature” who is able to subdue it (3:2).
3:3–6. The power of the tongue may seem to be out of proportion to its size. But James reminds us with two pointed illustrations that small objects can have great power. The skillful rider uses a small piece of metal or leather to direct the motions of a powerful horse (3:3); the pilot controls the direction and speed of a huge sailing vessel with the touch of a hand on the rudder (3:4). So also the tongue, though a relatively small member of the body, possesses great potential for good or for evil (3:5a). It can be used to encourage, evangelize, and endear; it can also be used to criticize, mock, and curse.
3:7–12. James now reminds us how difficult it is to tame the tongue and how inconsistent is its nature. God gave to humankind dominion over the animal world at creation (Gn 1:26), but dominion over the tongue has been much more difficult to attain (3:7–8). With a further allusion to Genesis, James highlights the doubleness of the tongue: we bless God with it, but we also curse people “made in God’s likeness” (3:9). This inconsistency in the tongue should not be (3:10)—any more than a single spring should pour forth good, sweet, drinkable water one day and foul, brackish water the next (3:11).
3:13–18. The first paragraph approaches the problem by contrasting two kinds of wisdom. There is, on the one hand, the “wisdom” that is “earthly, unspiritual, demonic” (3:15). It is characterized by “bitter envy” and “selfish ambition” (3:14). The word “envy” probably connotes here the prideful spirit of competition for favor and honor that so often disturbs churches. “Selfish ambition” can best be defined by noting its usage by Aristotle to describe and condemn the selfishly motivated “party politics” in the Athens of his day (cf. Rm 2:8; 2 Co 12:20; Gl 5:20; Php 1:17; 2:3). Where these attitudes exist, “disorder” and all kinds of evil will be the result (3:16).