Although often neglected by both scholars and Christians alike, James’ letter has much to offer as practical lessons about the grace of God and our faithful correspondence as the body of Christ. However, to listen to its message and live its wisdom, the epistle must be accorded the audience to voice out its message than its purported muting of Paul’s voice (Kruschwitz, et. al. p. 8). James concludes the letter with several exhortations on truthfulness, confession, prayer, healing and most importantly on patience.
The exhortations appeal to two principles first being that works done out of faith must profit others and secondly they must be done in total reliance on God. The author makes direct applications on practical living using figures of speech to explain his message. Figures of Speech The epistle of James comprises questions and answers, figurative contrasting speakers, illustrations and dialogues and difficult statements as was common in the discourse. James uses figurative languages throughout his epistle to help him explain his teaching about the Christian life.
For instance, in James 1:6, the waves of the sea are used to illustrate instability and the wind is employed to illustrate uncertainty. The briefness of life is illustrated perfectly by the employment of mist in James 4:14. He uses the mirror in James1:23 as a symbolic of God’s living Word. Fine clothing and gold ring are symbolic of the rich people in the society during his days in James 2:2. A ship’s rudder is employed to illustrate how tiny devices are used to control larger objects, and the farmer as a symbolic of a Christian (Hartley, p. 5-6). Not only does James use figurative language in the early hapter of the letter but also towards the concluding chapters. In chapter five, he uses words to paint pictures of the countryside to emphasize the patience a farmer exercises while waiting for harvest time (Hartley, p. 5-6). The author commences with a practical example to illustrate the frightening return of Jesus Christ. Practical patience is form of Christian reliance on God. Patience is as hard in the place of work as it is in the farm (Waiting for the Harvest, n. p). The author draws words from fishing and agriculture and employs them throughout the epistle.
Owing to this reason, the epistle especially in chapter five is suggested by scholars to be read in the eve of harvest time in the open field. Most likely, figurative speeches was commonly used as a form of expression n that culture (Hartley, p. 5-6). While the church eagerly anticipates the second coming of the risen King of kings and the Lord of Lords, James reminds them of the need to endure the hardships marking the patient journey of the Christian life. The farmer is here used figuratively as a symbol of a believer waiting for Christ after he has done all that is needed to be done.
The farmer is also figurative embodiment of the patience that must be exhibited by the believer. As the farmer depends totally on the weather of which is has no any control, he plows and in faith and sow faithfully hoping for the rains. The same is symbolic of the believer who also has to sow and plow in faith and hope. Patiently exercising his faith while hoping for the unexpected coming of the Lord, the believer must not lose sight of the big picture, the harvest which is bound to come (Utley, 64-65).
The eagerness with which the farmers waiting for the rains are figuratively used to explain the eagerness believer waits for the second coming of Christ. New Testament believers anticipated the consummation Christ second coming to happen sooner. The nearness of Christ’s second coming is basically meant to hearten every generation of Christians amidst worldly challenges and pressures. Although the timing is uncertain, the event is sure to come. Believers daily live in expectation the glorious return of the Lord.
As the farmer is always ready and actively waiting for the harvest, so every believer should be always be ready and actively wait for Jesus’ return (Utley, 64-65). The vocabulary selection in James 5:7-8 is done keenly to ascertain that what is in the authors mind is exactly what the reader should carry home. Although James use the word patient similarly used in other books and in his previous chapters of the same book, the meaning differ significantly. In this final chapter, James employs a special word for patient contrary to the ordinary word used in the previous chapter (Fream, p. 00).
In James 1:3 the Greek word for patient used is hupomone which when translated means to abide under trials. Here it usually imply patient in reference to circumstances or things as Copeland (p. 54) states. However, in the final chapter, the Greek word for patient is makrothumia which translates to suffer long. Here, it means patience with respect to people such as oppressors (Copeland, p. 54). Keith Sharp adds that makrothumeo emphasizes on the Christian’s patient perseverance in brevity to endure troubles and misfortunes (Sharp, p. 30).
Believers are reminded of Christ’s words not to expect an easy life and get comfortable in their present life. Believers must patiently endure every form of hardship as well as heartaches until the return of Christ. The author uses the words long-tempered, patient, and endurance interchangeable in the final chapter. Patience and endurance literally implies to remain firm under great stress or distressing situations. The significant vocabulary here is to remain patient. Patience is to stay put and stand long fast when all you would want to do is run away.
Most Greek scholars suggest that longsuffering is staying patient with respect to persons while enduring is patience with reference to situations and conditions James, p. 1). If believers are deeply convinced of God’s gracious care for them constantly and that He exercise authority both in heaven and on earth, they should all the more be carefully willing to submit to the trying situations God allows them to go through. The secret to living contented here on earth is not in avoiding all trials but rather in submitting to Christ’s will that will provide contentedness in every situation.
Impatient leaves many believers short-tempered; however, James exhorts his audience to be long-tempered. Since the Lord will soon return, believers must stay ready and hold on through all trials (Fream, p. 200). James uses the farmer symbolically to encourage patient endurance. He pictures the Christian as a spiritual farmer seeking for spiritual harvest. Suppose the believer is impatient, he better not become a farmer. Crops do not appear overnight and that the farmer has not any control of the weather.
As plant need more time to grow, the farmer needs to exercise patient endurance regarding the seed as well as the crop. The physical harvest just as the spiritual harvest is worth the wait. Figuratively, believers’ hearts are the soil upon which the seed, which is God’s word, is planted. There exists seasons for spiritual life even as there are seasons for plants. At times, believers’ hearts become wintry and cold and God responsibly plows them up before he can plant His Word, seed (James, p. 1). Significant Vocabulary Words
