The Tongue

James 3:1–12 | Caleb Suko

If you’ve ever had the experience of shooting a gun then you are probably familiar with some of the rules of shooting. I grew up in the US where many people shoot guns as a hobby, I have shot guns myself. That is why I know the cardinal rule of shooting. There is one rule that is always the first and last rule of gun safety. Before shooting all good gun instructors will start with this one simple rule.

“Never point the barrel of the gun at anything you don’t want to kill”

This rule is the same whether or not the gun is loaded. This is called “muzzle control.” It seems like a simple rule and one that would be easy to follow but in reality, this is a rule that is often broken, especially by novice shooters.

Example: I remember our father teaching us kids to shoot when we were young. Once he took us out to a field, placed some empty cans about 20 meters down the field then showed us how to hold the gun, aim, and fire it. At one point it was one of my siblings’ turn. He took the gun, carefully aimed, squeezed the trigger, and nothing happened. With the finger still on the trigger he then began looking puzzled at the gun thinking “why didn’t it fire?” He was so deep in thought trying to figure out why the gun didn’t fire that he completely forgot about the gun safety rules. As he stared at the gun he slowly brought the barrel around towards the direction of his own head.

Of course, when he did this we all gasped and my father quickly moved to stop the barrel from completely pointing at his face. What had happened? In his bewilderment about why the gun didn’t go off, he had nearly pointed the muzzle of the gun directly at his own forehead. You see, he had forgotten what a dangerous instrument he held in his hands and as a result put himself and others in great danger. The reason the gun didn’t go off was that he had left the safety on!

The problem many beginners have when handling guns is that they don’t really fathom the destruction that a gun can do. A handgun is relatively small, it’s not much bigger than a remote for a TV, yet it can easily kill and wound from a distance and some guns only take the slightest pull of the trigger.

Today we are going to be talking about a weapon more dangerous than a gun and yet you and I use it daily. Unfortunately, many of us are careless in the use of this weapon, we don’t pay attention to where the barrel is pointed and our finger is always resting on the trigger. If we are not careful we can easily destroy the lives of others and even our own life.

Let’s talk about our tongues!

James 3:1–12

1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

I. Your tongue can bring judgment

James 3:1

1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

James begins this section with a warning to teachers. At first, it seems that this doesn’t fit with what he is about to say until we think about it a bit. Teachers make a living with their tongues. Their business is to speak, to talk, to communicate truths to others. Thus, James begins with this serious warning to all who want to be teachers.

Let me ask you, “Do you want to be a teacher?” James isn’t saying you shouldn’t be a teacher, rather he’s saying that you’d better not make that decision lightly! Too many people want to be teachers in the church because they see some kind of authority, some kind of elevated status, or some kind of money connected with the position. As a result, they pursue the position of teacher without regard for their qualifications and without the true heart of a teacher. We know this was a problem in the early church.

1 Timothy 1:5–7

5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. 7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

What is meaningless talk? It is either bad teaching which results in bad actions or in this case it might be righteous teaching that’s not backed up by a righteous lifestyle. God always holds teachers to higher standards, both for their teaching and for their lifestyle! If someone teaches lies and as a result his disciples live unrighteously then he will be held responsible for all those that he misdirected and lured away from the path of righteousness.

Acts 20:29–30

29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.

The other danger is this, to teach righteousness but to not live it! How many times have we been disappointed by the fall of prominent teachers, pastors, and leaders in the church? Men who taught well but didn’t live well. We look at them and we wag our fingers and shake our heads in dismay. “How could they?! What hypocrites!” Yet, we ought to be careful! They didn’t fall into that trap immediately, it was a gradual fall. There may have been a time when they had all the best intentions and motivations. Yet, somewhere, someplace they let sin in, they allowed themselves to think, to do, and to say things out of the pulpit that they taught others not to do. Hypocrisy never comes through the front door of our hearts. It sneaks quietly through a back window, it hides in the basement, it stays away from public view until we are so used to its presence that it fails to shock us or cause feelings of guilt.

If you want to be a teacher you must be careful with your words and with your ways! How many have been led astray by these teachers! How terrible it will be for those who were not careful with their words and ways when God brings his judgment!

If you have been disappointed by a teacher just remember that the truth of God’s Word never changes and doesn’t depend upon one man’s ability to obey it.

II. Your tongue exposes imperfection

James 3:2

2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

James now brings us an unpleasant truth, “we all stumble in many ways.” This reminds us of what he told us earlier,

James 2:10

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

Just in case someone reads this and thinks, “well, I’m good because I never say anything I shouldn’t say.” James reminds us that we are all guilty of sins of the tongue. It may be a belittling word to a sibling, a demeaning phrase about a classmate, or gossip about a coworker. None of us can say that our speech is always pure. We might try as hard as we can to keep those negative words in but in the end, they will come out one way or another. It’s like squeezing a balloon. As soon as you squeeze one area, another area pops out. So also with our tongue, you might be able to watch your language and be polite around a few people but eventually, you will need to find an outlet for those words. Those words you’ve been hiding in your heart will come out one way or another. They may come out when you don’t expect it, they may come out when you are around certain people you think won’t judge you.

In the end, none of us can say we are perfect in this regard. How often it is our own tongue that betrays us, that shows us and others that we are certainly not perfect, that we should never pretend that we are! This truth could discourage us but rather than feel bad for ourselves or feel like there’s no hope, I think James wants us to be honest with ourselves and to be humble. Here we need to remember what James told us in 2:13, “mercy triumphs over judgment”

When we realize that we have made some big mistakes with our tongues, we must cry out for God’s mercy. Have you received God’s mercy for the sins of your tongue, have you ever asked him? How it changes our speech when we ask for mercy and receive it!

III. Your tongue can destroy others

James 3:3–6

3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.

4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.

5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.

6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

Now that James has settled the point that none of us are perfect when it comes to our words, wouldn’t it be nice if James would just drop this whole issue about the tongue? He’s starting to make us feel uncomfortable, but he’s only just starting. I think James realizes that we often overlook our own sins when it comes to our words. We think we are justified in saying everything we say and it’s only others who don’t know how to control their tongues. Lest we think any more this way James gives us three powerful illustrations to help us understand the power and destruction that our tongues can do if we don’t carefully keep them in line with God’s Word.

First, he gives the illustration of a bit in the mouth of a horse. The bit is a small metal not much bigger than a large nail and weighing only a hundred grams or so. Yet, that bit can control an animal that may weigh more than 800 kilos! That’s pretty amazing! I remember riding horses in Montana and thinking, “this is so different than driving a car where I know if I turn the steering wheel one way or another the car will always respond exactly to the input that I give it. What I found out was that a horse actually needed less input than a car in order to turn one way or another. A well-taught horse will actually turn just by feeling the slight movements of the rider as he subtly shifts his weight.

The point is that a very small thing controls a very large thing. For horses this good, but not for humans. You shouldn’t be controlled by your tongue but instead, you should have control over your tongue!

In order to drive home his point even further James continues with the illustration of a ship. The rudder is very small in comparison with the whole ship, somehow manages to turn the entire ship.

Now both the previous illustrations seem pretty positive, a bit in a horse’s mouth gives the entire horse direction and a rudder in a ship also gives some sort of thoughtful direction. Yet, when we look at what James is going to say next we realize that in context this is not a positive thing. Jame’s final comparison is that of a spark that starts a forest fire. This is certainly the most powerful as an image and concerning the truth that it conveys.

Forest fires can cause unimaginable damage. Just three years ago we watched in the news as the fires in California raged through the state.

“The Camp Fire was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California’s history,[11] and the most expensive natural disaster in the world in 2018 in terms of insured losses.[12][13][3]

Named after Camp Creek Road, its place of origin,[14] the fire started on Thursday, November 8, 2018, in Northern California’s Butte County. Ignited by a faulty electric transmission line, the fire originated above several communities and an east wind drove the fire downhill through developed areas. After exhibiting extreme fire spread, fireline intensity, and spotting behaviors through the rural community of Concow, an urban firestorm formed in the foothill town of Paradise.

The fire caused at least 85 civilian fatalities, with one person still missing as of August 2, 2019,[8] and injured 12 civilians and five firefighters. It covered an area of 153,336 acres (620.5 km2; 239.6 sq mi), and destroyed more than 18,000 structures, with most of the destruction occurring within the first four hours.[6] The towns of Paradise and Concow were almost completely destroyed, each losing about 95% of their structures. The towns of Magalia and Butte Creek Canyon were also largely destroyed.[22] By January 2019, the total damage was estimated at $16.5 billion; one-quarter of the damage, $4 billion, was not insured.[a][3][23] The Camp Fire also cost over $150 million in fire suppression costs,[5] bringing the total cost of the fire to $16.65 billion.”

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Fire_(2018)

One spark, without thought, without intention, without care caused it all! Imagine the unseen damage one word can do?

• Imagine the pain that is hidden and slowly destroying a friend, a child, a spouse because of one word.
• Imagine the relationships that have never been repaired.
• Imagine the destruction of families, friends, and loved ones.
• Imagine how much pain is still burning away all because of words!

IV. Your tongue is untamable

James 3:70–10

7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.

James now begins to bring us closer to his point. He brings another illustration, this time about animals, birds, and creatures that have been tamed. If you’ve never been to the dolphinarium here in Odessa, I suggest you go sometime, it’s really amazing what they train these dolphins to do. They have trainers that ride on them and then they flip their trainers high up into the air. I have no idea how they can teach these animals so well!

Of course, we all love to see shows with dangerous animals. It amazes us how these trainers who are smaller, and weaker, and could easily be harmed by these dangerous animals seem to have control over the animals. How is it that we humans can tame nearly any animal but we can’t control that one little creature in our mouth!

Look carefully, at verse 8! He says, “no human being can tame the tongue!” Have you ever worshiped God on Sunday and spread gossip on Monday? Have you ever praised God in prayer in the morning and in the evening chewed out someone because they didn’t meet your standard? Have you ever blessed someone in public and then cursed them in private? If you’ve done these things then you have a wild tongue that needs to be tamed!

So what’s the solution? If we can’t tame it who can?

V. Your tongue has a source

James 3:11–12

11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

The solution is to go to the source and make changes at the source. Too often we are as Christians do something called “behavior modification.” There’s nothing wrong with trying to change our behavior unless we are doing it while ignoring the heart. You see the heart is ultimately the source of all our behavior. Just as a good spring will always give good water and a fig tree will always bear fig fruits, so a human heart will always produce words that correspond to its condition!

Jesus put it this way:

Luke 6:43–45

43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

So where are you and I? James tells us that none of us are perfect, none of us really have a good heart. This is our real problem. We need a change from within, we need a good heart that will bear good things. Only Jesus can offer us this whole heart solution, only he can give us a heart that will produce good words and good works, but because we are forced, or guilt tripped, or we are trying to make a good impression but because we really want to and because we can. How does this happen?

John 15:4–5

4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Conclusion

As we meditate on Jame’s words here, let us think about our own words.

• Have I said hurtful words?
• Have I said destructive words?
• Have I said untrue words?
• Have I said prideful words?

Repent, and admit your lack of perfection, ask Jesus to change you and trust that he will!

How can you remain in Jesus? Learn to trust him, learn to love him, and learn to obey him!