James 2:14-26

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all.

Dear congregation,

When Lutherans hear the name ‘Epistle of James,’ one word often comes to the mind: the straw epistle. That is what Martin Luther called this epistle. He did not remove it from the Bible – he could not have done so – but he placed it at the end.

Since then, the Epistle of James has had a hard time.

It is difficult when you are labelled.

It is difficult when once a judgement has been made – and then no one looks at it closely anymore.

How often do we humans do this: we adopt someone else's quick judgement and refer to it instead of looking at it ourselves.

To be honest, this does not do justice to Luther – because he also said other things about the Epistle of James – nor do we do justice to James himself.

So why was this passage so difficult for Luther?

Because James speaks positively about the works of faith. And Luther saw this as a contradiction to Paul.

At the time of Luther, only one of them could be right.

This is one way of dealing with the Bible:

you declare the one who contradicts the greater, more important theologian to be less significant.

This has a long tradition – especially in a theology where one must be right and the other mistaken.

But could it not be that both Paul and James have something important to say?

That they simply shed light on different aspects.

Perhaps we should ask them both: How did you each come to this conclusion? Why do you emphasise this aspect in particular?  And then we would realise that it has to do with their own experiences and biographies.

Before we get to the ‘works of faith,’ it is worth having a look at the two examples James mentions: Abraham and Rahab.

Two very different people – and both carry a label:

Abraham, the ‘father of faith’ – positively labelled.

And Rahab – ‘the prostitute’ – whom hardly anyone knows because her label screams so loudly.

In our world, people are quickly labelled. Once you are pigeonholed, it is difficult to get out again.

This is certainly the case for prostitutes – they are hardly ever talked about, and yet it is a reality that many men use their services. It is a taboo. And the women who offer these services are socially ostracised. They are not recognised with their whole life, their history, their families.

But: The prostitute Rahab is mentioned in Jesus' family tree. And James mentions her in the same breath as Abraham.

How ironic that James himself was later included in the catalogue of the stigmatised – because he speaks of the deeds of faith.

So let us listen anew and openly – as if we were hearing these words for the first time, without Luther having already told us how to understand them.

Reading from James 2:14–17, 24–26

14 My brothers and sisters, what good is it for people to say that they have faith if their actions do not prove it? Can that faith save them? 

15 Suppose there are brothers and sisters who need clothes and don’t have enough to eat.

16 What good is there in your saying to them, “God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!” – if you don’t give them the necessities of life? 

17 So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead.

24 You see, then, that it is by people’s actions that they are put right with God, and not by their faith alone.

25 It was the same with the prostitute Rahab. She was put right with God through her actions, by welcoming the Israelite spies and helping them to escape by a different road. 

26 So then, as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without actions is dead.

Dear congregation,

What James writes here is, in my opinion, entirely in line with the parable of the entrusted gifts.

It is the encouragement: Do something with your life! And it is the command: Let there be harmony in words and deeds!

Since what good is it if our faith remains only theory – if we or others do not sense any of it?

James is basically taking up the thought of resurrection here:

Faith brings life.

We humans are gifted with body, mind and emotions.

Our vitality is shown in the fact that we can feel, act and move.

Move is a beautiful word for body, mind and soul. Everything can be moved and keep us moving – keep us alive.

And yet there are many people who feel paralysed inside:

‘What should I do?’

Some are so afraid of doing something wrong that they prefer to stop feeling or acting.

Depression is on the rise – people are losing the strength to move.

How refreshing it is to encounter people who are full of life:

people who don't know everything, but who act. People who are guided by compassion. People who don't constantly revolve around themselves.

People who help where there is need, in whatever way seems most appropriate at the time: 

in Winterveld, where food is distributed,

at the Baby Therapy Centre with sick children,

in the neighbourhood when someone is in hospital,

in Salvokop, where children need help with their homework,

or at the Paul Junickel House, which gives hope to many.

These are just a few examples that you can add to.

How alive can a person become when they give – and receive!

Of course, not everything always works out. Not every act of help is politically correct. Not every action is free from doubt or ulterior motives.

But James also shows us this: Abraham is interrupted in his actions – he must rethink. Rahab acts in a morally questionable way – she lies to save lives and help her family.

Both are imperfect. And yet they have their place in God's story. God works through people who don't do everything right. Because it is impossible to do everything right – we lose our vitality. 

James is not concerned with moral perfection, but with a heart that allows itself to be touched. At no point does he say that we will be saved by our deeds.

That was not his point at all. His focus is on the need around us – and on the fact that our faith does not make us aloof heavenly beings,

but compassionate fellow human beings with both feet firmly on the ground in the world.

Those who believe they must do as much as possible to get to heaven – or who are even afraid that they are not doing enough – might find Paul more helpful than James.

There are different problems with different solutions. 

James calls people who are overwhelmed by hardship and plagued by fear to life – now, he encourages them to be vibrant.

Today, we experience both in this service:

A child baptism – a sign of God's unconditional, free love and goodness.

We receive this love undeservedly. And we hear the call to show our faith and to shape our lives with our faith. Actions!

When this undeserved love of God becomes our life force, then there is no question: we become alive – with mistakes, with good intentions, with the courage to shape our lives.

Like Abraham, we are constantly interrupted in our actions by new insights, by experiences, by God.

Like Rahab, we can hope that God will use us despite our flaws and that good can come through us flawed beings. This is not an encouragement to live immorally, but an encouragement that God can work in and through everyone. 

Our life remains an experiment – and in these trials and temptations we cannot escape evil – that is why we pray daily to be guided through these temptations and delivered from evil.

That is why, amid a doubtful world, we can meet people with an open mind and a sensitive soul, listen to them and act courageously.

Once again: we will not always do the right thing – but we learn along the way.

And so, we become more merciful, more humble, more loving, more faithful.

For, as James says:

‘As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead.’

Amen.