Is there a difference between being wise and being a disciple?
James 1:2-11
Once a Christian begins to live as a disciple of Jesus, a new pattern of life should begin emerging. The disciple no longer lives strictly by rules or even best practices but rather by wisdom. Wisdom becomes the new pattern of life. Practically speaking, wisdom is not about just doing what is “right” or “best” but a balancing act between a variety of self-interests, the interests of others, and the context in which a person lives. Wisdom also includes creativity in how knowledge, the situation and our understanding may be combined to come to a “wise” solution. Often wisdom may appear to be contradictory depending upon how these factors come together. Change a circumstance and what was otherwise wisdom could become folly.
However, Godly wisdom is not just any type of wisdom. It is based on prayer, the bible, and a faith that holds onto Christ regardless of any struggles in life. With God our wisdom begins to take a very different shape. In James 1:2-4, we see trials having a very different purpose and benefit. We are called to count it as joy (v. 2) because it tests our faith and produces steadfastness or perseverance (v. 3). Think of perseverance as a weightlifter lifting ridiculously heavy weights. It is hard, sweaty and not always fun, but it is something to behold. If we allow ourselves to struggle in order to gain and grow in perseverance, we become more mature (v. 4). James calls this end result perfect, complete, and lacking in nothing. As the disciple follows God through the struggles of life they begin to mature in Christ and gain wisdom.
Yet wisdom does not simply come as time goes on. Rather wisdom comes from God, who gives generously to those who ask (v. 5) in faith (v. 6). Proverbs, the Old Testament book of wisdom, talks of the fear of the Lord being the beginning of knowledge and wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). Where fear of the Lord can best be understood of as humility before and reverence for God. It takes a level of reverence for God to desire his wisdom and a level of humility to be willing to ask in faith for it. As we grow in His wisdom, we become increasingly rooted and strong (Psalm 1:3-4) like a tree firmly planted by streams of water that yields fruit. This strength becomes perseverance (v. 3) and keeps on the disciple from being unstable (vv. 6-8).
If we think back to the rich young man in Matthew 19: 16-30. He lacked the both the humility and reverence to leave his wealth and follow Jesus. He loved Jesus too little to give up everything to be a disciple, not enough reverence. He also lacked the humility to be a poor disciple. Yet take the story of Jesus at the temple in Mark 12:41-44. Here he commended a poor widow who put all that she had to the Temple, a paltry 2 mites—think a single penny, into the offering, which Jesus said was more than what everyone else gave. Unlike the rich young man, she gave her last penny to God and to Jesus it was accounted as immeasurably more than what we could imagine. The uplifting of the poor and the humiliation of the rich is a theme throughout scripture.
We see this reversal theme discussed in James 1:9-11. Here James tells the lowly brother, or poor, to boast in their exaltation (v. 9) but the rich need to boast in their humiliation (v. 10). For those of faith, there is a connection between being poor in wealth or status and being humble in spirit, who are blessed as they receive the kingdom of God (Matthew 5:3 and Luke 6:20). The poor have an analogy with the disciple or heir to the kingdom of God as they are helpless without Christ and have a total dependence on Jesus for salvation. This inability of the poor to better their financial or social status is similar to how followers of Christ must find their identity solely in Him. Similarly, the rich must humble themselves to a life of reliance on Christ an act that may come unnatural to many. The rich must still only find their identity in Christ and in a sense give up their identity that is easily found in wealth and social status. The rich disciple now knows their true state that they are not as privileged as they thought but as a sinner in need of Christ. The reversal works inversely to one’s status. The poor are lifted up as heirs of the kingdom, while the rich find themselves humbled giving up their independence and status to acknowledge their dependence on Christ. This great reversal equalizes the church and allows us to be unified by whom we follow—Jesus.
From a practical standpoint, this humiliation of the rich allows one to be more generous with their wealth but also their time, social status, and influence. However, an unexpected blessing also happens for the rich. They are able now to receive the generosity of others, connecting with others in deeply personal ways. For many of the poor, the generosity of others is a life-blood to their basic needs so personal connections are essential for a support system. For those who are able to provide for many of your own needs, a level of disconnection or isolation can easily occur. It may be difficult to ask for prayer or to acknowledge that you have needs that you are incapable of providing. This follows not just for “the rich” but all disciples to give whatever according to their ability (Acts 2:45), however seemingly small or insignificant.
Wisdom of the disciple of Christ focuses on something very differently than common or worldly wisdom. While the main focus of common wisdom might be self-interest and our relationships with other people, Godly wisdom shifts the focus to our relationship with Jesus as his disciple. It focuses on what God is doing in my life and in the lives of those around me. This is why the rich disciple can boast in their humbled status, because the focus is on Christ. It is also how the disciple can withstand trials and troubles in life because they understand that Christ is working in their life, removing the things that compete with our identity as followers of Christs (John 15:1-11). As our focus in life shifts, we become more like him and we get closer to being complete and lacking in nothing (v. 4). Let us then work toward that goal encouraging and supporting each other as we walk this path of discipleship.
-Aaron Miner
