18th Sunday after Pentecost (Prop 20 – B)
James 3:13-4:10
September 22, 2024
Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The text that I have chosen for this morning’s sermon is the Epistle from our Lord’s brother, Saint James.
In the 1300’s the Italian author Dante wrote Inferno, a fictional journey through the nine circles of Hell. The lesser sins, in Dante’s opinion, like lust and gluttony are the upper levels of hell, while violence and treachery are at the lowest levels, with Satan being in the deepest part. While Dante doesn’t explicitly mention the seventh deadly sin of pride, it’s the root of all sins, so its influence is found at every hellish level. The devil’s pride led to his rebellion and punishment. C.S. Lewis wrote, “it was through Pride that the devil became the devil.” Adam and Eve let their pride led them to believe that they would be like God. Saint Peter’s pride was shattered when he realized that he had denied Jesus three times just as Jesus had predicted. Since the devil’s downfall was the result of his pride, many see pride as being at the lowest level of hell, right near the devil.
But is this characterization of pride accurate? While gluttony, greed, and fraud are always sinful, can’t pride be a good thing? We should be proud Americans, and we should have pride in our children and a job well done. We can have pride over an athletic or scholarly success. Pride becomes sinful when it says, “Look at me!” or when it taunts, “I’m better than you!” Sinful pride tears others down to build the self up. Pride serves itself, not others. We can even be sinfully proud in our piety. “I’m a better Christian than he is. I pray more, I worship more. I’m not like some of those people.” The desire to be better, to be first, leads to conflict and dissention. It happens in the business world and it happens in the Church. In the Epistle, James says, “If you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.” Selfish ambition is promoting yourself over others. It’s all about the self and it’s a lie because we’re not better than those next to us in the pew. Is this proper behavior in the Church? Of course not, but it’s nothing new. Coveting is pride because you think you deserve what your neighbor has. James adds, “Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” He’s right! When we’re focused on ourselves, when we’re determined to be considered the greatest, it only leads to conflict. James says, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.” James here isn’t talking to just anybody, he’s talking to Christians.
We see selfish ambition clearly illustrated for us in the Gospel. In the Gospel, Jesus is preparing His disciples for His death and resurrection, and what are they doing? They’re arguing about who is the best! They’re walking with Jesus, the Son of God, the one they call the Savior, and they’re arguing about which of them is the best disciple. Who gave up more? Who is Jesus’ favorite? Who is smarter? Who believed in Jesus first? What gall! Can you believe they were doing this? Of course you can, because you do it too.
When they got home, Jesus asked the disciples what they were talking about, but He knew. He was putting them on the spot to teach them. When they didn’t respond, He says, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” They thought they were the greatest, when the greatest is standing right there with them. Yes, Jesus is the greatest because He is the Son of God. He’s also the greatest because He was the servant of all mankind. He wasn’t too proud to do what His Father sent Him to do.
Jesus set everything aside to serve you. He turned His back on the glories of Heaven and embraced the troubles of earth. He gave up adoring angels and saints for hateful men. He traded the crown of glory for a crown of thorns. He put aside being first to be last, and that makes Him the greatest. All He cared about was saving you. All He cared about was what is best for you. And He gave it to you! In His humility, He died in service to you so that your sinful pride and all other levels of your sin are forgiven. He put Himself last, so that you would be first in the kingdom of Heaven! That’s what it means to serve others.
His life of service and His death of service are the motivating factor for us to live humbly and it’s His life that enables us to live humbly and serve others. Humility is considering everyone else better than ourselves. Humility is putting ourselves last. Humility is solely focused on others, it puts the needs and desires of others over our own. This is the exact opposite of how we act much of the time but that doesn’t mean we can’t do it. We can do it, when we do so through the power that God gives us. James says, “But God gives more grace. ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” The forgiveness and grace earned by Jesus’ humble service enables us to serve others in humility, recognizing that our neighbors need our good works and our service. They need us to put ourselves last.
The Russian author Solzhenitsyn said, “Pride grows in the human heart like lard on a pig.” That’s a little picture for you, huh? He’s graphic and he’s right. We are sinners, through and through, and pride makes us believe we’re better than others and our ways are better than God’s. James makes it clear that pride and all the other sins are “earthly, unspiritual, demonic.” Pride was the sin of our first ancestors, and it will be the sin of those who are born long after we are and it’s the root of our sins. Instead, we should be living the humility that is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. It’s not easy to put ourselves last, but by God’s grace we can. Let us confess our sins of pride, and all other sins, and receive the forgiveness and peace that comes to those who are humble. As James says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.”
Amen
Now the peace which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen