Have you ever been a refugee? The Christian church started as a large group of Jews in Jerusalem. Life in the ancient world was tough: early on, opponents of Christianity chased almost the entire church from the city, slaughtering many who didn’t escape or leave.
The first-century Middle East was a grueling place to be poor. Writes Douglas Moo, “Wealthy landholders were constantly increasing their land holdings at the expense of the poor...
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat
its fruits.” Proverbs 18:21 It is here, in chapter 3, that James takes up a primary topic of Jewish Wisdom Literature: speech.
While chapter 3 of the book of James ended with peacekeepers making peace, chapter 4 of James begins with violence.
This chapter contains the heart of James, a call to whole-hearted commitment to God above every other thing in our lives.
James concludes his letter by wrapping it in Jewish thought. Without any literary context, chapter 5 includes useful advice to Christian believers and compelling persuasion to look ahead to the return of Christ. With literary context from the Old Testament, the text comes alive.
