“Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!” James 5:9 NLT
James drops a serious message to the Church about the
“parousia,” the coming of the Lord in vs 7. Folks like to make a big deal about the word “rapture” not being in the Bible, and it’s not, but the word “parousia” is very real. FYI, Paul uses the Greek word, “harpazó” which means to seize or snatch when writing to the young Thessalonica church in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. James admonishes (encouraging truth) to be patient “makrothumós” in our waiting. This Greek word for patient is interesting because its two words combined, “makros,”- long and “thumos,” – anger. Here it is the exercise of delaying our anger in the midst of suffering! But James immediately follows it up with this other very strong emotion – GRUMBLING! James uses this word, “stenazó,” to groan, which is only used once in the New Testament. It’s a pressure being exerted forward (like the forward pressure of childbirth); to feel real pressure from what is coming on. But this kind of pressure, James says, causes us to turn outward on each other. And anyone that’s lived life for more than a minute knows, grumbling seems to feel better when we share it with those we love!
James warns us – DON’T DO IT! Each moment we unleash our stenazó because of overextended thumos, James says, right then Jesus the judge is ringing at our doorbell, causing the whole house to freeze and ask – “did Jesus hear me?” Do you remember the reference John made about Jesus standing at the door knocking? (Rev 3:20). Here Jesus isn’t knocking HE’S LISTENING and judging our unchecked, un-submitted, real, raw anger we spew on the family of God. We do it. God knows it and James calls us on it. We have got to stop taking grumbling to a dark art-form! Be patient, be long-suffering, give it to God because He is safe enough to receive our honest moments of struggle. But we’ve got to quit spreading our manure-mouth around to others. QUIT GRUMBLING towards and with one another.
Prayer
Dad,
You know how much I wrestle with this! I feel like it is an appropriate release and response to complain out loud for all to hear about what someone has done to me. I feel JUSTIFIED in spouting my nonsense, because I am able to push it out of me and onto someone else that I believe needs to hear it and agree with me! Awful right? I hear James admonishing me in the Holy Spirit. And, I completely agree with him (and You). It’s just that HABITS DIE HARD. And, habits have a way of resurrecting after being put down. Help me Oh Lord, hear my confession and my repentance. Please give me strength to listen and obey before you catch me at the door. Thank you.