Two neighbors stand beside a stone boundary wall in first-century Judea, their disagreement giving way to reconciliation. A gentle, older believer helps them reach understanding, while one neighbor extends his hand to the other. Behind them, golden grain stretches across the hills—a natural connection to the harvest of righteousness. Image generated with ChatGPT by OpenAI.
“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”
James 3:17-18 NIV
When I have God select the Bible verses I should study for Heaven On Wheels, He sometimes points me to a single verse that has a lot more impact and makes more sense when it is included with another verse. That’s the case with today’s verses; I think God wanted me to look at both verses 17 and 18 from Chapter 3 of the Epistle of James.
James is a short epistle; just five chapters. As I’ve mentioned previously, it is commonly accepted that James is James the Just, the half-brother of Jesus (see Matthew 13:55 for the genealogy) who led the church in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13) and the brother of Jude, who wrote the very short (one chapter!) Epistle of Jude.
Chapter 3 discusses two things that all Christians need to learn — how to tame our tongues, and how to demonstrate our faith to others through living wisely; a wisdom that comes from heaven, not from earth.
In verse 17, James lists eight attributes of the wisdom that comes from heaven. Let’s take a short look at each of these:
1 - It is pure. The Greek word used here is ἁγνός (hagnos), an adjective that means more than just “pure,” but pure from every fault, immaculate. Pure from carnality. Chaste and modest. 20th-Century theologian William Barclay, in his commentary on James cited on Precept Austin, said this about the pure wisdom from heaven:
The true wisdom is so cleansed of all ulterior motives and of self that it has become pure enough to see God. Worldly wisdom might well wish to escape God's sight; the true wisdom is able to bear his very scrutiny.
2 - It is peace-loving. εἰρηνικός (eirēnikos) is the original Greek, translated as “peaceable, pacific, loving peace.” Once again from Barclay:
Eirenikos is derived from eirene which "means peace, and when it is used in a human context its basic meaning is right relationships between individuals, and between individuals and God. The true wisdom produces right relationships. There is a kind of clever and arrogant wisdom which separates people from one another, and which makes them look with superior contempt on others. There is a kind of cruel wisdom which takes a delight in hurting others with clever but cutting words. There is a kind of depraved wisdom which seduces men and women away from their loyalty to God. But the true wisdom at all times brings people closer to one another and to God.
3 - It is considerate. The Greek is εὐπειθής (eupeithēs), which has the meaning “easily obeying, compliant.” In our time, those attributes have been twisted to mean “pushover,” but when you think of a God-fearing Christian person, they obey God’s commands and comply with His commandments, and they follow those human laws and regulations that uphold those commandments. Call me old-fashioned, but I think those are attributes that should be given a place of honor and respect in our society.
4 - It is submissive. Another word that is disliked in this day and age. From the Greek ἐπιεικής (epieikēs), meaning “equitable, fair, mild, gentle.” Barclay once again offers a definition of epieikēs that makes perfect sense:
The person who is epieikēs is someone who knows when it is actually wrong to apply the strict letter of the law. Such a person knows how to forgive when strict justice dictates that there is a perfect right to condemn. Such a person knows how to make allowances, when not to stand upon individual rights, and how to soften justice with mercy, and always remembers that there are greater things in the world than rules and regulations. It is impossible to find an English word to translate this quality. The poet Matthew Arnold called it 'sweet reasonableness', and it is the ability to extend to others the kindly consideration we would wish to receive ourselves.
5 - It is full of mercy. This comes from two Greek words; μεστός (mestos), which means “full” but is defined as “in reference to persons, whose minds are as it were filled with thoughts and emotions, either good or bad”, and ἔλεος (eleos), best defined as “mercy: kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them.” In other words, having a mind filled with kindness or good will and the desire to help others.
From Precept Austin’s Bruce Hurt:
Mercy (1656) (eleos) is the outward manifestation of pity and assumes need on the part of those who are recipients of the mercy and sufficient resources to meet the need on the part of those who show it. In short not just feelings but actions! The idea of mercy is to show kindness or concern for someone in serious need or to give help to the wretched, to relieve the miserable. Here the essential thought is that mercy gives attention to those in misery. Leniency and compassion toward offenders by a person.
6 - It is full of good fruit. Another two words from the Greek; ἀγαθός (agathos), defined as “upright, honourable” among other things, and καρπός (karpos), meaning “fruit”, but the definition “praises, which are presented to God as a thank offering” seems to fit better.
Precept Austin quotes D. Edmond Hiebert: “The many acts of practical mercy mature in a rich harvest of variegated fruit." Think also of the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
7 - It is impartial. Often translated as “unwavering,” from the Greek ἀδιάκριτος (adiakritos), “without dubiousness, ambiguity or uncertainty”. Barclay provides us with even more commentary cited on Precept Austin:
Barclay says adiakritos "means that it is not wavering and swaying; it knows its own mind, chooses its course and abides by it. There are those who think that it is clever never to make one's mind up about anything. They speak about having an open mind and about suspending judgment. But Christian wisdom is based on Christian certainties which come to us from God through Jesus Christ."
8 - It is sincere. This word is in some translations as “without hypocrisy,” which is closer to the Greek ἀνυπόκριτος (anypokritos). Barclay has done such a good job with the other attributes of the wisdom that comes from heaven that I’ll use his commentary for this final word:
Barclay says that "The true wisdom is anupokritos, without hypocrisy. That is to say, it is not a pose and does not deal in deception. It is honest; it never pretends to be what it is not; and it never acts a part to gain its own ends."
That is heavenly wisdom. John MacArthur, also quoted from Precept Austin, said this about hypocrisy:
John MacArthur: Hypocrisy is one of the sins Jesus condemned most, four times just in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:2, 5, 16; 7:5). He repeatedly excoriated the scribes, Pharisees, and other Jewish leaders for their gross hypocrisy and insincerity. He warned His disciples, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1).
James has just described all of the attributes of Jesus in one verse! These attributes are goals for Christians to aspire to in our lifelong transformation to reflect the nature of Jesus Christ.
After that lengthy dissection of verse 17, let’s move on to verse 18: “Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” Precept Austin thought that the NIV translation (which I use for my HOW devotionals) was an “excellent, straightforward rendering” of the verse.
It is straightforward! Those who live according to heavenly wisdom, making peace with others and with the Lord, are planting the seeds that produce a bountiful crop of righteousness. The reward of that righteousness? Eternal life.
Donald Burdick, quoted in Enduring Word’s commentary, sums up these two verses nicely:
ii. “Far from being theoretical and speculative, James’s concept of wisdom is thoroughly practical. It is the understanding and attitude that result in true piety and godliness.” (Burdick)
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Father in Heaven, please help me to embody the heavenly wisdom described by James in this epistle. Through Your wisdom, I pray that I may sow seeds of righteousness and peace in my life and the lives of others. AMEN.