This is the question posed by James in his letter to Christian Jews outside of Israel, perhaps in Syria. James is thought to be the brother of Jesus, and the letter was likely the first New Testament book written.
If so, this letter was written shortly after the resurrection of Jesus, by someone who knew Jesus well…it might be worth a read!
He asks the question in James 4:1, and he goes on to warn about worldliness. In this warning he talks about desire and prayer, about loyalty to God, and about grace and humility:
2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people![c] Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
But then, almost suddenly, he ends the warning with these verses:
11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
These verses remind me what Jesus says about judging your neighbor:
Matthew 7:1-5 ESV
[1] “Judge not, that you be not judged. [2] For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. [3] Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? [4] Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? [5] You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
When I fight with someone, it is usually because I want my own way…my way is superior to their way…judgement.
Jesus tells me that there is a better way. There are so many reasons and ways to fight, but only one right way to love your neighbour as yourself...the Jesus Way.
I’m looking forward to hearing what Rev. Paul Beckingham has to say about this passage on Sunday…James sure has a lot of different (and challenging) things to say about why we fight. Paul will also gather us at the Lord’s Table.
Image: Jevgēnijs Šlihto on Flickr.com
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