James 3:13-18
Mark 9:30-37
Worldly Wisdom and Spiritual Wisdom
The main point here is that spiritual wisdom is the thing that matters, and while worldly wisdom may seem so important, yet, when we arrive at the moment of our death, spiritual wisdom is what will matter to us, and all other concerns for this life will be seen clearly for what they are, namely, nothing but passing fancies, vapid lies and transitory delusions.
The Letter of James is a wonderful instructive text, a general letter to churches in the 1st century. By most accounts, it was written by James the brother of Jesus, not the other New Testament James, that is, James the son of Zebedee.
So, this James, James the brother of Jesus, was the first influential leader of the church in Jerusalem, the first bishop of the Jerusalem church, in the early years of the church following Christ’s death and resurrection. James was martyred in Jerusalem in the year 62, and the Letter of James is dated to this time.
In the New Testament, James is only five chapters long and yet these five chapters contain a wealth of encouraging and beloved verses on the faith life. For example:
“My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4)
James concludes his letter with words on prayer and spiritual healing:
“Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. (James 5:13-16)
Our reading this morning from James chapter three has to do with two kinds of wisdom: worldly wisdom on the one hand, and spiritual wisdom on the other. Here, the writer cautions against envy and selfish ambition. Envy and selfish ambition stem from worldly wisdom. This worldly wisdom is the opposite of spiritual wisdom.
What the writer suggests here is that the followers of Christ in the early church must re-educate themselves. Whereas their usual way of operating, their usual way of thinking and acting, was based on selfish ambition and competition with others, enviously looking at others to see who was ahead and who was behind, as followers of Christ, they must be formed in a new way, formed in the way of Christ, to be conformed to the mind of Christ, and not the mind of the world. So, this is an early reference to “spiritual formation.”
Spiritual formation is the lifelong process of developing character along spiritual guidelines, becoming more and more Christlike, taking on more and more the mind of Christ, the attitude of Christ, and the activities exemplified by Christ.
This is relevant to us, today. You see, so much of the information that we are fed, the information that comes to us via the media, the information that we are bombarded with, unless we turn off our phones and televisions, is what we need to recognize as “worldly information.” It comes from a worldly perspective. And what I mean by this is a perspective of precisely what James is talking about: a perspective of selfishness, competitiveness, envy, and ambition.
Now, all of that is fine. If that is what you want, then by all means, immerse yourself in it. I am not judging anyone here. Most people are steeped in this perspective, the worldly perspective. And that is ok. That is what they want to do. So be it.
But here is the thing: at a certain point, a person begins to ask questions. “Is this really what life is all about? You know? This question comes up. What’s it all about? “What’s it all about, Alfie?” Dionne Warwick recorded the song in 1967. The film was released the previous year. And it’s a film about confusion. In other words, it’s a film about worldly wisdom.
You see, the problem with worldly wisdom is that ultimately it is a lie. It’s not wisdom at all. The things of this world, the things we think are so important because we are deluded by selfish ambition and envy: reputation, status, public image, wealth and honor, these things are simply nothing. They are like clouds of smoke, they are illusions, they do not exist, they have no meaning, they do not last.
The church, at its best, offers people a refuge, a sanctuary, the opportunity to step outside of the usual worldly perspective and to realize the truth, realize what is actually true and right and good, to realize spiritual wisdom and to wake up to spiritual wisdom.
As James points out, the so-called “worldly wisdom” leads to disorder and wickedness of every kind. Worldly wisdom is not wisdom. It is a viewpoint, a perspective, that creates unhappiness, confusion, and suffering. Worldly wisdom only ends in one thing, and that is sorrow.
On the other hand, spiritual wisdom bears fruit, even in this lifetime. Spiritual wisdom is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.” A life lived in spiritual wisdom results in “a harvest of righteousness.”  This righteousness is “sown in peace for those who make peace.” To live in spiritual wisdom is to live a truly happy life, a good life, a blessed life.
Next, in our reading from Mark’s Gospel, we have an example of this teaching on two wisdoms: worldly wisdom and spiritual wisdom. Jesus confronts the disciples about their competitiveness, their envy and selfish ambition. “What were you arguing about along the way?” he asks them. They were arguing, like badly behaved children, about who was the greatest among them. You know, kind of a sibling rivalry. “I’m better than you.” “No, I’m better than you are.” Ever heard that before? “I’m the most important. I’m entitled. I should be first in line. Me, me, me. The whole world exists to serve me.” But this is complete silliness, an enormous mistake that only leads to suffering and sorrow.
Jesus simply says to the disciples: “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”
This is the basic shift, the basic change in perspective that leads from worldly wisdom to spiritual wisdom. It is an awakening, and it is the beginning of formation, forming a new character, a new person, a new way of being. “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20). This is precisely where that change begins.
So, in conclusion, spiritual formation is what happens after we have entered the Jesus way, after we decide to follow Jesus. Then, we embark on this developmental process called formation, the formation of our character and of our perspective according to spiritual wisdom. And so, we move from worldly wisdom to spiritual wisdom.
I’d like to offer, in closing, a quote from Thomas Merton. Here he is writing on love. Devotional love, our love for God. He says it is not worldly wisdom, not the things of this world, but our Love for God that is our measure. Merton wrote this in his journal in 1941:
Love IS Our Measure
The measure of our identity, of our being, is the amount of our Love for God. The more we Love earthly things, reputation, importance, pleasures, ease, and success, the less we Love God. Our identity is dissipated among things that have no value, and we are drowned and die in trying to live in the material things we would like to possess, or in the projects we would like to complete to objectify the work of our own wills. Then, when we come to die, we find we have squandered all our Love (that is, our being) on things of nothingness, and that we are nothing, we are death. But then, most of all, in the terrifying Light of Pure Being and Perfect Love, we see the hatefulness of nothingness, of death. But if we have Loved God, and lost ourselves in God, we find ourselves in God and live forever in Joy.
~ Father Thomas Merton
from “9/3/1941 Journal”
May we live forever in this joy.
Amen? Amen.