Friday of Easter 5

Firstfruits of the Implanted Word

James 1:16–21 (ESV) Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

When Martin Luther assessed the contents of the Epistle of James and concluded that it was mostly Law and little Gospel, he (in)famously described it as "an epistle of straw" (my seminary classmate Jason Lane wrote his PhD dissertation on this topic and revised it into a book of the same name). This statement has been grossly misunderstood over the centuries and has led some Lutherans to take a rather negative view of James, which is a shame.

Even if we were to grant that it is "an epistle of straw," this would not diminish its value for the Church. Straw is useful for many things. True, you couldn't live off of it, but it does help to sustain and improve life for animals (along with many other uses), which improves our lives. So while James has a healthy dose of Law and relatively little Gospel in its five short chapters, the Epistle wasn't written to be foundational for the life of the Church. St. James, the brother of our Lord Jesus, penned this work in order to point us to the "Father of lights" who brought us forth by "the Word of truth" and wants us to "receive with meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save your souls" and make us "a kind of firstfruits of His creatures."

On closer inspection, there really is a lot of Gospel in there! The language of James is strongly baptismal and points us to the Word made flesh, who is revealed to us more fully in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and in the Sacrament of the Altar celebrated in the Church. In fact, all of the Epistles in the New Testament are intended to urge the Church to gather for worship and meditate on the Words and works of Jesus, which show us the love and forgiveness from the Father and the Son to us.

The Epistles, particularly James, also give us a necessary dose of God's Law, which is His will for our lives. "The Law of God is good and wise" we sing in the hymn. "The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). This passage also is no slight to the Law, which served wonderful purposes for God's chosen people as they awaited the Messiah. It's not that the Law is bad, but that only the grace and truth shown in Jesus can give us relief for our guilty consciences, plagued by our sins and fear of God's wrath.

But God's Law remains the most salutary doctrine for daily life, about which the "apostle of grace," Paul, fully agrees with the author of "the epistle of straw," James: "Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,' and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law" (Romans 13:8-10).

Prayer:

Lord, help us ever to retain

The Catechism’s doctrine plain

As Luther taught the Word of truth

In simple style to tender youth.

Help us Your holy Law to learn,

To mourn our sin and from it turn

In faith to You and to Your Son

And Holy Spirit, Three in One. Amen. (LSB 865:1-2)

Prayer request: For the family of Anne Walker (mother of Jonathan Walker), who was called from this vale of tears early on May 14.