WISDOM TO BUILD
ON
When
it comes to wisdom there is a phrase I like to quote: “Knowledge comes by
taking things apart; but wisdom comes by putting things together.”[i]
I can take anything apart with my 14
volt DeWalt drill and a few bits; a hammer helps too. I would learn a great
deal about a refrigerator if I dismantled it. But without experience and an
expertise in assembling appliances I cannot put it back together again so that
it works.
Knowledge comes by taking things
apart…wisdom builds, puts together, reconciles scattered parts; wisdom uses
knowledge to do something useful.
As I pondered this quote I wondered
where it came from and so I went to the fount of all knowledge: Google. I
entered the phrase and checked the results. Taking the top result I found it
embedded in a sermon. That’s cool, I thought. Then I checked to see who wrote
the sermon. It was me.
Oh how wise I am! Not. This
illustrates two things about our world today. One is how ridiculously easy it
is to attain knowledge with today’s technology. And two, how wise we all look
when we are able to publish, post and share our ideas in a public forum for all
to see. It used to be incredibly difficult to write and book and get it
published. Now you can you just blog or facebook your ideas, no matter how
inane they are.
The average person can now
communicate faster, with more people – without thinking – than ever before.
Information has become disposable. We have more knowledge and information than
we know what to do with.
So what are we doing with this
information, this knowledge? Is it doing us any good? Are we happier? Are we
any wiser? Does our wisdom benefit anyone else? Do we even recognize what wisdom
looks like?
James “blogged” on this issue in the
first century: True wisdom that comes from heaven alone is seen exclusively in
how you live your life. If the knowledge of Jesus is in you, it will be seen in
your behavior. And that is wisdom.
1.
Let me see how wise you are
James
challenged the churches in his care: “Who
is wise and understanding among you?” (3:13a). That’s a good question.
Obviously some thought themselves teachers, thus having something to impart to
others. Others used their tongues indiscriminately, spouting “wisdom” and
poison together.
Who is really wise among you? The
teachers? The preachers? The long-in-the-tooth, as they say?
James says, “don’t tell me you are
wise; show me.” This sounds like his earlier challenge, “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what
I do,” (2:18). And here again he demands evidence in action, “Let them show it by their good life, by
deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom,” (3:13b).
The term “good life” can be
translated “lovely life” or “beautiful life.” However, as a persistent
commercial tells us, the good life is a solid RRSP and regular trips to Mexican
beaches. The good life that James speaks of is marked by humility though. Deeds
done in humility are done not because we are the best people for the job, but
because as servants of Jesus Christ we aim to serve others and be available.
Here is the difference between
knowledge and wisdom: Walter Lippman observed that “a boy can take you into the
open at night and show you the stars; he might tell you no end of things about
them, conceivably all that an astronomer could teach. But until and unless he
feels the vast indifference of the universe to his own fate, and has placed
himself in the perspective of cold and illimitable space, he has not looked
maturely at the heavens. Until he has felt this, and unless he can endure this,
he remains a child, and in his childishness, he will resent the heavens when
they are not accommodating. He will demand sunshine when he wishes to play, and
rain when the ground is dry, and he will look upon storms as anger directed at
him, and the thunder as a personal threat.” He may know knowledge but he
doesn’t have wisdom. Wisdom places us in our proper roles in relationship to
everything else around us and in so doing helps us to develop emotional
maturity.
Wisdom requires humility. We must be
teachable. We must realize that what we know is but a drop in a sea of
knowledge. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the
Holy One is understanding,” (Prov. 9:10).
2.
“Wisdom” that tears down
James
tells us that there are two kinds of wisdom. There is wisdom from below and
wisdom from above. These two types of wisdom are contrasted in their origins,
operations and outcomes.[ii]
First, let’s look at the wisdom from below.
Origins – Jumping down
to v. 15 we see James describing this kind of wisdom “does not come down from
heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, and of the devil (or demonic).” The Bible
also calls this trio the world, the flesh and the devil.”
·
Earthly. This type of wisdom is measured in
worldly terms. It is temporary, weak and imperfect. This wisdom will not be
able to provide eternal solutions.
·
Unspiritual. In Greek this word refers to the base
instinct of an animal to survive. Feelings are what guide this wisdom – doing
what “feels right.”
·
Of the devil; demonic. This language
is similar to what James said about the tongue, how it is set on fire by hell
and destroys. Can you imagine anyone saying this of our world leaders? Harsh.
Yet without Christ in them, our leaders are guided by this kind of wisdom.
Operations – What does
this wisdom look like? Twice, James uses this phrase to describe the motivation
of this wisdom, “bitter envy and selfish
ambition,” (14, 16).
Think of King Saul in the OT who
grew increasingly bitter over David’s successes. The women of that day sang a
song of celebration, “Saul has slain his
thousands, and David his tens of thousands,” (1 Sam 18:7). It drove Saul
crazy to think that this dirt-farmer outshone him.
The drive to succeed or come out on
top is driven by this kind of feeling. It is destructive to relationships and
to oneself. Like Saul we can be destroyed by this attitude. Early on in my
ministry I had a David who was being praised all the time in our church. My own
desire to be the better man caused me a lot of grief. Humility is the only
answer to this problem.
Outcomes – The result of
this earthly wisdom is described as “disorder
and every evil practice,” (16). The word “chaos” comes to mind. One of my
favorite shows growing up was “Get Smart,” a kind of spoof on spy shows. The
bad guys were called “Chaos” while the good guys’ organization was called
“Control.” Good contrast, eh? When envy and selfish ambition are present
everything is unsettled and agitated.
The outcome of bitter envy is
unpleasant. In 1930, the Chicago Examiner told a strange story about Harry
Havens. Harry went to bed and stayed there for seven years, with a blindfold
over his eyes, because he was angry at his wife. He had been helping out around
the house, but his wife didn’t like the way he did the dishes. So he got angry
and declared that he would go to bed for the rest of his life and never see her
again. After seven years, he got up because the bed started to feel
uncomfortable.
You do not want to lie in a bed of
bitterness. When we allow bitterness to grow it becomes antagonism that hurts
those around us while destroying ourselves in the process. Actually, it is like
swallowing poison and waiting for the other person to die.
3.
Wisdom that builds up
James
contrasts the wisdom of the world with heavenly wisdom in dramatic fashion.
Let’s follow again the order of origins, operations and outcomes.
Origins – The contrast
is obvious here, “But the wisdom that
comes from heaven…” (17). You might remember what James said earlier, “Every good and perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights…” (1:17).
I like what Brian Bill said about
the difference between wisdom from below and wisdom from above. Wisdom from
below comes from reason. Wisdom from above comes from revelation.
Reason and logic are good things in
their place, but without revelation they are limited. Revelation is God
revealing himself to us so that we may know his heart. Only through revelation
can we understand the cross of Christ. “For
the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us
who are being saved it is the power of God,” (1 Cor 1:18). (see 26ff).
Operations – The wisdom
from heaven operates on a totally different level than the wisdom from below. “…the wisdom that comes from heaven is first
of all pure…” (17). All of wisdom’s attributes follow from and are related
to purity. The root of this word speaks of ethical blamelessness or that one is
free of the moral and spiritual defects that mark the double-minded. Remember,
James said when we ask for wisdom we should believe and not doubt because the
doubter is double-minded (1:6-8). Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God,” (Mt 5:8).
After purity, James says that the
heavenly wise are:
·
Peace-loving. Wisdom that is peace loving seeks to
get along with others.
·
Considerate. Are you gentle and reasonable with
others?
·
Submissive. Are you compliant, approachable and
willing to let others to have the spotlight or have their way?
·
Full of mercy and good fruit. Do you show
compassion to those who are hurting, sick or broke? James told us that to wish
a brother or sister well but not provide for their physical needs is
inconsistent with our profession of faith (2:16-17).
·
Impartial. James also spoke about showing
favoritism and how judging by appearances was an offense to the royal law of
Scripture, to love your neighbor as yourself (2:8-9).
·
Sincere. Heavenly wisdom is consistent.
Outcomes – The result of
heavenly wisdom is an attractive fruit. “Peacemakers
who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness,” (18). Wise people who
love God will plant seeds of peace in other people. As God grows his purity and
peace in us we can plant it in others.
Ken Sande says there are three ways
people deal with conflict. Some try to escape it (peace-faking); others go into
attack mode (peace-breaking); while a few try to implement true reconciliation
(peace-making). Since Jesus blesses the peacemakers we want to work towards
peace in our relationships and approach conflict biblically. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will
be called sons of God,” (Mt 5:9).
Show
me your faith
In
this case, James might say, show me your wisdom.
Show
your family what heavenly wisdom looks like in your behavior. Show your friends
and co-workers what it means to be truly wise. Show the world your faith in
Jesus by how you deal with conflict.
A philosopher, by definition, is a
lover of wisdom. We should all be philosophers. Jesus is the wisdom of God
personified. We can talk about the beautiful truths of Jesus, but if we don’t
put them into action, it is as if we don’t really know him. Ask yourself in
light of this, what did I learn today? How would I do it differently? How do I
transfer this lesson to my own life? Then, apply it. You then begin to live
intelligently. To live with understanding. To live with meaning. To live with
wisdom.
You and I will be singing a
different song than the world is familiar with if we sing Christ’s tune. The
song of wisdom does not sing about “my” ambitions or “my” plans; the song of
wisdom is bigger than one life, it encompasses all of life. Jesus did not die for
you, he died for us. So this is our song. This is wisdom to build on.
AMEN
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