Verse 7
Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.
James is desiring to encourage those who are asking the question: how do you live in a world of injustice? How do you live in a world of wickedness. How do you live in a world full of suffering.
And his first words of encouragement are this: Christ is coming back. The ungodly, the evil of this world will not have the final say. Be encouraged that the outcome has already been secured. And so while you wait for his return, be patient!
Have you ever said those words to someone? I know I say them often as a dad. Be patient. Be patient with that person. Be patient as you wait.
It is not easy to be patient. In fact, I think sometimes it is one of the hardest things to do. When there is something that is making us anxious, when there is something we want now, when there is something we want to begin or when there is something we want to over with, it can be hard to wait.
The patience that James is calling his readers to is not simply waiting.
This word patience used in verse 7 literally means: to not retaliate. It is the idea of not seeking revenge when wronged.
James has just been talking about people who oppress, people who persecute. And now James writes: don’t retaliate, be patient.
When people hurt us, there is something in our sin nature that wants to strike back. We see this often in kids. You hit me, I am going to hit you. You stole my toy, I am going to steal your toy.
When James was writing these words, Christians were being oppressed, defrauded even killed and James knew that the natural response in our human nature is to attack back. And yet James says, “do not retaliate.” While you wait for the Lord to return, as we wait for his final judgment, be patient, don’t seek revenge in this wicked world.
James then gives an illustration of a famer waiting for the crop that he planted to bear fruit. And how does James describe this fruit? As precious fruit. Why is it precious? It is this fruit that will allow the farmer to feed and provide for himself and his family. It is this precious fruit that sustains their life.
Since the farmer knows how valuable and important the crop is for their life, the farmer has learned to wait. The farmer has also learned that there may be some lean days while they wait. They might have to endure some days of hunger. The farmer has lived this cycle before. And so he waits patiently. He prepares himself for the season of waiting for the rains to come and for the crop to grow.
Verse 8
You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
He says, just like the farmer patiently waits for the precious fruit, you wait for the previous return of Christ—the one who gives you life, the one you will live with for eternity.
James says when you think about life in light of the return of Christ, you have something to look forward to and wait for.
And just like the farmer must have an intentional mindset as he waits, you too must have an intentional mindset, you must as James writes in verse 8 “establish your hearts.” We must establish within our heart a right attitude and a right focus that allows us to be patient as you wait.
This word establish means to make a firm resolution.
When we establish our hearts we are recognizing that in this world we are going to have trials and suffering and injustice and so we are determining now, we are establishing in our hearts that we are going to trust God in the midst of that suffering because we know that life is brief but eternity is forever.
And so if the command here in these two verses by James is to be patient in the midst of suffering and if we know that one of the hardest things to do is to wait and be patient then the question is: how do we do that? And so I want to look at three ways we can live out the characteristic of patients as we wait for the Lord to return.
The first way we live out patience is we do not take on the role of judge when confronted by evil or injustice.
Romans 12:19-21 says these challenging words, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Too often we want to fight fire with fire. We want to retaliate. We want to say, “you hurt me, now I am going to hurt you.” And we get caught up in the battle. A battle that will tear us down.
But Romans 12 says that we get to think about our enemies differently and we get to think about vengeance differently. In light of eternity, in light of reality that Jesus is coming to back to judge both the righteous and the wicked that we don’t have to be overcome by evil by rather we can overcome evil with good.
We don’t have to carry the burden of vengeance. It is not ours to carry. We get to carry the responsibility of forgiveness and grace and mercy.
That can be very difficult to. And yet this is what Jesus modeled for us when he was persecuted and suffered at the hands of the Jewish leaders and Romans soldiers. 1 Peter 2:23 says, “(Jesus) did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.
To not seek revenge requires trust. It requires believing that God is who He says He is. It requires believing that God is the ultimate judge and that He will judge the righteous and the wicked. No one escapes judgment. And no gets away with it.
Sometimes we get overwhelmed by the thought that evil is winning. And that there is no accountability for injustice.
But Galatians 6 says, ‘Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
We don’t have to be overwhelmed by evil but rather we can have the privilege of overcoming evil with good.
It could be through our patience with evil, it could be through our mercy and our grace and our kindness that the evil person comes to know the truth and love of Christ. But even if they don’t. Even if they respond to our goodness with more evil, we get to recognize that God is the ultimate God judge of evil. And he will judge.
And so the first way we wait patiently is by not carrying the burden of vengeance but resting in the goodness of God.
Second way we live out patience is by have reflecting the character of God in the face of injustice.
When we are patient in the midst of suffering. It is not simply that we are NOT retaliating against evil but that we get to have an attitude of love in the midst of evil and when we have that attitude of love we are demonstrating the divine character of God.
The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Old Testament. The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew. And in our Bibles, the Hebrew text has been translated into English. But for many Christians living in the first century they lived in a Roman culture in which the common language was Greek. And so the Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Old Testament. One of the things that is intriguing about the Septuagint is to see the similar Greek words that are used in both the Old and New testament.
In the Old Testament God is described several times as one who is slow to anger. And do you know what Greek word is used to describe him as slow to anger—there is often one word. And it is same word that James uses here for patience.
And when God is described as patient or slow to anger, there are other characteristics that are often used of God.
And so in the Septuagint, the Greek translation
Exodus 34:6 it says, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger (makrothumos) and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; (Ex 34:6)
Psalm 86:15 says: But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.
Psalm 103:8 says: The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger (makrothumos) and abounding in lovingkindness.
Psalm 145:8 says: The LORD is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger (makrothumos) and great in lovingkindness.
When James calls us to be patient, he is not just saying, “relax” and “wait” but he is calling us to reflect the divine character of God. Not only are we people who are to be patient and slow to anger in the face of suffering but are also called to be people who are compassionate and gracious and full of love in the facing of suffering.
You see, it is not enough to say, “I won’t retaliate” but in that patience we are called to love, to forgive, to be kind, to be gracious.
I find it interesting that the first definition of love that the apostle Paul gives us is that love is patient. When we are patient, even in the midst of suffering we are demonstrating the fruit of biblical love. We are reflecting the character of a God who IS love.
And so being patient isn’t just waiting but rather it is persevering with purpose as we demonstrate the divine character of God.
You may be in the midst of suffering, in the middle of a trial, you may be experiencing the cruel hand of injustice. If you are, first, give yourself the freedom to acknowledge that it is hard. Second, recognize that it is an opportunity to demonstrate the divine character of God as one who is patient, slow to anger, compassionate and full of grace and mercy.
The third way we live out patience is by living with the hope that Christ is coming back.
Being patient is not just enduring your current circumstances but rather living in your present sufferings recognizing that God has plans that he is unfolding. It is recognizing that we are a people of living hope – a living hope that takes us from the present into eternity.
Too often we get stuck in life because we view our identity through our present circumstances. Too often we allow our emotions to swing from one end to the other because we are reacting to things in our present circumstances.
James is saying that we are to be patient in light of something. The Lord is coming back.
As Christians we have the privilege and the hope of viewing our suffering through the lens of eternity. This physical world is not our home. This physical world is not the final destination or the ultimate goal. This life is temporary as James mentioned at the end of chapter 4.
1 Peter chapter 1, Peter talks about this tension between our eternal hope and our present-day sufferings.
Peter tells us in chapter 1 of 1 Peter that we have an eternal inheritance through Christ “that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading and kept in heaven for you.” This is the reason for our joy. We have a hope that is not rooted in the temporary things of this world. There is nothing in this physical world that can take our hope. Our hope does not reside down here but is being guarded for us by God in heaven.
But then Peter goes on to say in verse 6 “but for right now in this present world” (for a little while) we are going to experience suffering and trials until Christ returns. By saying for a little while he is acknowledging the reality of suffering in this world, he is not hiding from that reality. But also, by saying for a little while, he wants us to not let the brief reality of pain to determine our eternal identity.
If you knew there was going to be a little rain in the early morning maybe even a thunderstorm in the early morning but clear skies and sunshine for the rest of the day. Would you spend time preparing for the rain or the sunshine? Would you view the day as a rainy day or a clear skies day?
What Peter says is that yes, for a little while you are going to experience some suffering but the precious fruit is coming, your Savior is coming. The hope of and joy of your life is coming. Don’t allow your life to be defined by temporary suffering but allow your life to be defined by the eternal glory of Christ.
And so my brother and sisters, James writes in chapter 5, be patient until the coming of the Lord. Don’t fight fire with fire. But in the midst of that fire, demonstrate the divine character of God. As God has modeled for us so you also be patient, be kind, be merciful, be loving. And live with an eternal hope that we are people who serve a Savior who is coming back.