Sins of the tongue
1My brothers and sisters, don’t all be teachers! You know that, as teachers, we will be judged most strictly; 2in fact, we make mistakes, like everybody else. A person who commits no offense in speech is perfect and capable of ruling the whole self. 3We put a bit into the horse’s mouth to master it and, with this, we control its whole body. 4The same is true of ships: however big they are and driven by strong winds, they are guided by a tiny rudder. 5In the same way, the tongue is a tiny part of the body but it is capable of great things.
A small flame is enough to set a huge forest on fire. 6The tongue is a similar flame; it is in itself a whole world of evil. It infects the whole being and sets fire to our world with the very fire of hell. 7Wild animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures of every kind are and have been ruled by the human species. 8Nobody, however, can control the tongue; it is an untiring whip, full of deadly poison. 9We use it to bless God, our Father, and also to curse those made in God’s likeness. 10From the same mouth come both blessing and curse.
Brothers and sisters, this should not be the case. 11Can both fresh and salt water gush from the same source? 12Can a fig tree produce olives or a grapevine give figs? Neither is the sea able to give fresh water.
True wisdom
13 ① If you consider yourself wise and learned, show it by your good life and let your actions, in all humility, be an example for others. 14But if your heart is full of bitter jealousy and ambition, do not try to show off; that would be covering up the truth; 15this kind of wisdom does not come from above but from the world and it is earthly and devilish. 16Wherever there is jealousy and ambition, you will also find discord and all that is evil.
17Instead, the wisdom that comes from above is pure and peace-loving. Persons with this wisdom show understanding and listen to advice; they are full of compassion and good works; they are impartial and sincere. 18Peace makers who sow peace reap a harvest of justice.
- Jas 3,13 What is wisdom? Let us read the Wisdom books of the Bible if we wish to know something of wisdom. They put us on the trail of a wisdom which is a gift of God (1 Cor 1:5; Eph 1:9), which is acquired by prayer (Wis 9; Sir 51:13; Col 1:9), perseverance in meditation on the word of God (2 Tim 3:17), the purification of the heart through ordinary living. James does not speak of a theoretical wisdom, but of practical wisdom.
