I will wrap up the articles on the book of James with chapter 5. A simple outline:

1 WARNING TO THE RICH AND A CALL TO PATIENCE VS 1-12 James continues to rebuke the sins of the scattered Jewish Christians that he is writing to. He condemns the rich for hoarding up their riches and expensive garments, for withholding the pay of their laborers (the Old Testament required that you pay workers their wages at the end of the day Leviticus 19:13 and Deuteronomy 24:14-15), for luxurious living to appease their desire for pleasure, and for putting to death the righteous poor who don’t have the money to resist them in court. Vs 1 Come now, you rich people, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Those miseries coming on them would no doubt be at the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD in just a few years after the letter was written around 60 AD. AI: “James, the Lord’s brother, was martyred around A.D. 62 in Jerusalem, according to early historians like Josephus and Hegesippus, after being stoned and clubbed for refusing to renounce his faith in Jesus.” He is condemning Jewish Christians in this case.

He adds a word of encouragement for those whom they were oppressing. ⁷ Therefore be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord.” He said that “the coming of the Lord is near (i.e. near in time). That “coming of the Lord that was near in their time frame ” has to be Jesus coming in judgement on the Jews in 70 AD. Matthew 24 is Jesus’ prediction of that coming. Matthew 24:²⁹ “But immediately after the tribulation of those days (i.e. the terrible tribulation the Jews suffered at the hands of the Romans during the wars of the Jews in 66-70 AD) the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken (figurative language typical of judgements against nations as used often in the Old Testament, not literal stars falling from the sky). ³⁰ And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.” Jesus then added, Matthew 24:³⁴ Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” The Greek word for “generation” always means a 40 year period or the people living in a 40 year period (like our x or z generations) in the New Testament.

The Greek word for “patience” is makrothumeó: To be patient, to endure, to be long-suffering. It refers to patiently enduring suffering but also long-tempered (to defer anger), refusing to retaliate with anger. Some who suffer for their faith might react in anger or “complaining against one another” (Vs 9). James encourages them to have patience like a farmer who waits for the early and late rains. The farmer can’t control the circumstances and must simply endure any suffering with a good attitude. James gives the prophets who suffered as an example to follow. For example: Jeremiah: Known as the “weeping prophet,” he faced imprisonment, beatings, and threats for warning Jerusalem about its impending judgment. Elijah: Fled from Queen Jezebel’s wrath, was fed by ravens, and experienced deep despair, yet remained faithful. Isaiah: Tradition suggests he was sawn in half by his own people. Daniel: Thrown into the lions’ den for refusing to stop praying to God. But the greatest example of enduring suffering was Job. James says that the outcome of Job’s patient suffering was good and that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful. Job had all his lost possessions restored double at the end of his suffering, a very good outcome. Not all suffering is rewarded in this life, but Job’s was. If you suffer, go read the book of Job as you example to follow! He lost all his children, all his possessions, and was covered with boils from his head to his feet. But he said “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21) He said “Shall we accept good things from the Lord and not accept adversity” (Job 2:10). He did complain a lot in the book, but he never lost his faith in God. James then tells them not to take oaths but to let their yes be yes and their no be no (5:12). Why does he bring oaths into his discussion? It’s likely that the taking of oaths had become a way of manipulating people or allowing wiggle room to get out of some kinds of contracts. Perhaps suffering Christians might be tempted to take evasive oaths (like swearing an oath by earth but then later revoking that oath by saying that the person swore by earth and not by heaven) in order to try to get out of some of their legal issues with the rich.

2 Prayer Vs 13-18 James closes with the need for pray. 3 special case needs that call for prayer or some other specific action: 1) If you are suffering, pray. Churches need to pray more and preach less 2) If you are cheerful, sing praises. Hopefully, those who are cheerful can encourage those who are suffering and struggling with being joyful. 3) If you are sick, call for the elders to pray for you and to anoint you with healing oil (probably miraculous gift of healing that elders might have). That must be a miraculous thing b/c it says the elders’ prayer will restore the sick, and the miraculous gifts did that without failures. I personally don’t believe that elders have that kind of miraculous power today, but they can still pray for the flock for physical and spiritual healing. 4) if you need to confess sins, confess them to one another and pray for one another for physical and spiritual healing. James then gives a statement about the power of prayer. Not just the power of prayer, but the power of the prayer of a righteous man. That would be intercessory prayer on behalf of one another. I don’t know how intercessory prayer works but I believe that it does. Abraham’s intercessory prayer for Lot saved Lot from being destroyed in Sodom and Gomorrah. James gives the example of the pryers of Elijah, who prayed for a drought and then prayed for rain, with both prayers being answered. It takes a lot of humility to confess your sins to someone else. You have to trust them that they won’t tell others about some of the things you confess. Kinda like the priests’ seal of confession. But it makes us accountable for our actions if we do that with someone we trust. That person can hold us accountable for things we do. Big churches make it difficult to practice all these prayer and confession things. They are better done in small groups.

James concludes this chapter and the book with James 5:¹⁹ My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you strays from the truth and someone turns him back, ²⁰ let him know that the one who has turned a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” I suppose that would be a natural follow up of confessing sins to one another and to the elders. When a brother or sister has really gone astray from the faith and is living in sin, and then they confess their sins, then you have saved a soul from eternal death or separation from God. Paul spoke of this also in Galatians 6:1 Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you are not tempted as well.”

The book of James has many topics. Most of the topics are preaching against specific sins that apparently the Jewish Christians were committing. I don’t know where James got his info from about sins in the scattered Jewish church. James doesn’t spend a lot of time on salvation by grace through faith, which is Paul’s theme. He is more like the old time negative preaching that many of us were raised with. So much of the preaching today doesn’t preach against the sins that the flock is committing. Maybe we need more of the old school preaching, but many would prefer the Joel Osteen positivity (and there is a place for that positivity also!).

I hope this study of James has been beneficial to you. God bless till next time.