The Double Tongue

For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell." (James 3:2-6)

Every now and then a movie will come across my screen on the television that causes me to pause and watch. Some people refer to this phenomenon as a "remote drop." I simply call it a "pause and watch" moment where I debate internally about the need to watch this movie for the 532nd time. One such moment occurred recently when GRIT was showing "The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)." 

I came into the movie where Wales comes to confront Ten Bears in an effort to free some men he's captured and buried in the ground leaving only their heads above ground. The two men from different worlds are warriors together in this world which both find is leaving them behind. Wales speaks to Ten Bears, making him an offer for peace, true and real peace between warriors he calls "words of life and death." After Wales speaks, Ten Bears says, "It is true what you say. The words of governments are cheapened by the 'double tongue'" (or something along those lines).*

"Cheapened by the double tongue." What a great line.

James, the brother of Christ, is writing to the Jews during a very serious time in the fragile beginnings of the people of "The Way" (later called Christians). Rome is bearing down on them and about to disperse them to the four corners of the earth. James is logically reminding them of the faith they profess, how it should look, sound and be. It's a call to faith and that the faith they are called to should bear some tangible evidence that separates them from others.

Luther, a critic of James and its use during his time to rebut his points on works and grace, said this: “Those who are truly righteous not only sigh and plead for the grace of God because they see that they have an evil inclination and thus are sinful before God, but also because they see that they can never understand fully how deep is the evil of their will and how far it extends, they believe that they are always sinners, as if the depth of their evil will were infinite." (Study Bible study notes, James 3)

What we say matters, and what we say is tainted from our iniquity and sin. The tongue is a small rudder, but like a small rudder guides the entire ship, the tongue can move entire civilizations to do bad things. Use the tongue as a gift from God and remember the evil that lurks within. As Luther notes, when you realize that evil lurking within, sigh and plead for grace.

Pray with me: Gracious Father, Help me as I deal with the enemy within, the evil that lurks within me. Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me. Send your Spirit to me today to guide my thoughts and words. Help me use my tongue to provide words that heal through prayer and conversation, and not as a device for my own gain. In your Son's name, Amen.

*(This brief reference assumes you know this movie and have seen it. If you haven't, what are you waiting on?)