“Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.” James 5:7-8 NLT
After James roasts the rich, he quickly shifts to Jesus’ return. Asking the church to be patient. He, along with the other New Testament writers absolutely believed Jesus would return in that first century. Why? Because the world, the culture surrounding them at that time, was in total chaos! So much was shifting, and it was all happening so fast. Every “sign of the times,” was signaling that Christ’s return was imminent. But Jesus did not return then!
James makes such an interesting comparison to why we must be patient. He uses a common agricultural illustration to help us understand why patience is necessary. Because the farmer is, thus we are, eager to see the valuable harvest to ripen. The NLT translation really had me thinking that James was referring to the salvation of human souls when it says, “valuable harvest.” But, looking at the direct Greek translation, James isn’t writing about souls that need saving, he’s writing about our own spiritual growth and maturity!
James is saying that Eschatology (studying end times) should drive our ethics – our moral behaviors, not our escape plans. Life here isn’t disposable, even though it’s brief, it should be intentional to our formation of Christ’s character. The act of waiting patiently is active, not at all passive about our growth. Christian hope has never been escapism, it’s faithfulness! And suffering doesn’t become meaningless. Suffering becomes the milieu, the soil where we grow. Jesus’ coming is God keeping His promises of justice and completion. It’s not the abandonment of this world, it’s the fulfillment!
Here’s a great thought not of my own, “James doesn’t say, ‘Hang on until you get out of here.’ He says, ‘Because Jesus is coming, let God grow something in you here; something worth harvesting.’” Our own soul’s development is the valuable harvest. We feel like the “parousia,” the coming of the Lord, should be seen as a rescue operation, but it’s really culmination of a celebration, like the bridegroom arriving for the wedding of his beloved. In James’ mind, we are the farmer and our character, our maturity, is the valuable harvest ripening.
Prayer
Dad,
You are serious about both the redemption of the wayward, broken soul, but you are also purposeful about our soul’s development, growth and maturity. And the waiting is not a punishment, nor a lesson in pain, it is for our own good! When we cry, “maranatha,” come quickly Lord Jesus, it should be out of an eagerness of seeing things wrap up well, like a great scene of a movie, where there is celebration – because it all comes together and makes sense. I want to be a good farmer who is patient, watching my own character grow to that perfect ripeness, so I can bring my best to you at your coming.