James 1:1-4. Part 2

[Hidden In Him]

Mastering Endurance, Like An Athlete Training For Glory, Part 2



To recap, the Christians James was writing to would soon be suffering persecution at the hands of the Jewish authorities, and already they were having to deal with all sorts of trials and sufferings: Financial exploitation, judicial oppression, and the belittlement that came along with being considered spiritual "inferiors" in Jewish society. Religious favoritism was ingrained in Jewish culture, so deeply in fact that it was now rearing its ugly head within the churches as well. Some were treating the poor like lowlifes and sinners who deserved only the lowest places of honor in the church.

My brothers, do not uphold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, while practicing respect of persons. For if there comes into your synagogue a man wearing gold rings and fine apparel, but there may have also come in a poor man in dirty apparel, and you looked upon the one wearing the fine apparel and said to him, "You sit here comfortably," yet to the poor man you said, "You stand there," or "Sit under my footstool," have you not made distinctions amongst yourselves and become judges engaging in evil estimations? (James 2:1-4)

The rich were also using the courts to enslave them and take their children from them, while cheating them out of their wages. And all this was being done by those whom society touted as the most "righteous" members of society. It's why James would eventually warn the rich that they were heading for judgment if they continued to sin against the poor.

Go weep now, rich men, howling over the miseries coming upon you... Behold, the wage of the workmen who harvested your fields is crying out, having been kept back by you, and the cries of those who have reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Hosts. You lived in luxury and self-indulgence on the earth. You fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You condemned, you murdered the just, who does not oppose you. (James 5:1, 4-6)

Throughout this letter, James kept inverting the typical Jewish assumptions about who was "righteous" and who was not by teaching the exact opposite. It was actually the ones who endured the greatest trials in life who would be the most blessed in eternity, for they would receive "the crown of life, which the Lord promised to those who loved Him." (v.12) By this, James used the analogy of the marathon runner to drive home the following point: In the spiritual life, the enemy uses many things to discourage us, so we must build up endurance in the face of social injustices so that we not become discouraged and lash out in retaliation, or possibly even depart from the faith together. The exhortation in this passage was to "count it all joy" when they encountered various trials and sufferings, knowing that if they perfected endurance like an athlete, they would be awarded greater honor and glory in eternity for mastering endurance, long-suffering and obedience unto God.


Finishing The Race

The ancient Olympic events were tests of endurance. The Greeks invented the Pentathlon, which was a combination of discus, javelin, jumping, running, and wrestling. The boxing events had fewer rules than today. There were no such thing as rounds, so boxers just kept wailing at each other until one of them was knocked out or admitted defeat, and there was no rule against hitting your opponent when he was down either. Possibly the most grueling event was the Pankration, which consisted of both boxing and wrestling. The hands were not wrapped with leather so it was bare-fisted, and the only limitations on the physical brutality were rules against biting, or gouging your opponent’s eyes, nose, or mouth with your fingers. There was also the Warriors Race, which was 2 to 4 stades long (roughly 600 yards) and had to be run in full armor. Standard armor of that time weighed around 50-60 pounds, including the helmet and shield, so running that distance fully equipped got exhausting in a hurry. The Olympic Marathon, then, was just more of the same. It was primarily a test of endurance, though the Marathon in particular would go on to become the most famous of the Olympian events, and has survived till this day.

Because they were tests of endurance, the Greek games were called "the Agon," from which we get our English word "agony" today, and it's no coincidence that the apostle Paul used this term several times in his letters. His encouragement to Timothy to "fight the good fight of faith" was one such instance. If translated strictly, the Greek there was actually saying "agonize the good agonizing of faith," or to put it a little more clearly, ""exert the good exertion of faith." In other words, the meaning of the verse was "Give it absolutely everything you have." Athletes today use a similar expression when they say "he left it all in the field."

Thus, the New Testament writers understood the spiritual life to be a test of endurance, and a marathon not a sprint. So anyone who desired glory in eternity would have to embrace the agonies involved. And they would have to prepare to endure until the end, for even Jesus Himself taught this when He warned them about what would be coming, telling them:

They will deliver you to Sanhedrins, and scourge you in their synagogues… brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father the child, and children will rise up against their parents and put them to death. And you will be hated by everyone on account of My name, but the one who endures until the end, this one shall be saved. (Matthew 10:17, 21-22)

The apostle Paul's life was a prime example of this. At one point he listed the sufferings he was enduring for the sake of the gospel, and yet none of it stopped him from fulfilling the calling on his life, or running his race until the end:

Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned... I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea, and in danger from false believers, [and all this] amid labor and toil, often amid sleeplessness, amid hunger and thirst, amid fastings often, amid cold and nakedness. (2 Corinthians 11:24-27)

While some believe Paul was not the author of Hebrews, I believe he was, and in this letter he went on to describe what he believed to be the secret: Looking unto Jesus, who had already run His own race and had now ascended to Heaven and sat down at the right and of the Father, having attained unto glory and honor forever. The "cloud of witnesses" Paul described as viewing us running our own race were the faithful in Heaven, who were now like spectators in an ancient stadium, watching to see how much we would give our all for the Lord Jesus Christ while it was still our chance to shine in this life.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you grow weary and faint in your souls. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

This is why Paul told Timothy near the end of his life that he had finish the race, and because he endured until the end, great reward was now awaiting him in eternity:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award me in that Day. (2 Timothy 4:7-8a)

 

[Hidden In Him]

Crowns Of Glory

The olive wreath, also known as kotinos (Greek: κότινος), was the prize for the winner at the ancient Olympic Games. They were made from the branches of the wild olive tree Kallistefanos Elea which grew at Olympia, and although they had no intrinsic value, they brought great glory to whoever had the honor of wearing one after the games.

While not true to the original, versions have been made in more recent times with gold plating to serve as modern facsimiles.

Paul also used the analogy of winning a crown frequently, and in one place taught that no believer was going to be "crowned" unless he completed "lawfully." By that, he meant there was no way around having to endure the sufferings of the spiritual race which we all had to run. If you tried to take a short cut and then rejoin the race two hours later like you were still fresh as a daisy, you would be found out and disqualified:

Suffer hardship, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one recruited as a soldier entangles himself with the affairs of life, in order that he may please the one having enlisted him. And also, if anyone competes, he is not crowned unless he has competed lawfully. More than anyone, the laboring farmer ought to partake of the fruits. (2 Timothy 2:3-6)

The common theme here was that rewards, honor, and glory went only to those who deserved them, i.e. those had endured the necessary hardships and deprivations involved. Likewise, by the end of his letter, James would be citing the prophets as prime examples of the kind of endurance believers could look to that would bring us glory in the spiritual race of life:

Therefore, brethren, be long-suffering until the coming of the Lord... Take as an example of enduring hardships and long-suffering the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we call those blessed who have endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and observed the end of the Lord, that He is filled with great mercy and compassion. (James 5:7, 10-11)

Job endured the loss of his family while remaining faithful to God, but what made it even worse was having to weather his friends telling him he was a "sinner" who basically deserved it. Jeremiah also had to endure being turned on by his friends, and complained to God about it at one point, telling Him:

I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak, I cry out, proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long. But if I say, “I will not mention His word or speak anymore in His name,” His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side! Denounce him! Let’s denounce him!” All my friends are waiting for me to slip, saying, “Perhaps he will be deceived, then we will prevail over him and take our revenge on him.” (Jeremiah 20:7-10)

Jeremiah was eventually thrown in a cistern, which was an ancient pit used to collect water. Joseph was also thrown in a pit. Elijah was vilified and threatened, Elisha was mocked in public, the list goes on and on, and some of the prophets eventually even had to pay for serving the Lord with their lives.

But how have these men been remembered in eternity? They are all being honored forever now, having lived their lives in faithfulness to God. Their time of suffering is over, and all that remains now is the glory of having lived lives in obedience to their calling. Those who have been taken to Heaven in spirit have also reported that the homes of the prophets are beautiful beyond description, and this too is part of the "glory" they will enjoy forever.

Thus, what James was trying to build into his readers was a mentality that trials and sufferings must be expected, and that we should therefore embrace them rather than run from them. As stated in Part 1, athletes actually wanted to be pushed to their limits, because it was the only way they could perfect endurance and be able to withstand a 28 mile run. By contrast, believers who understand what truly running the race of Faith is all about will desire to be pushed to the limits of what they can withstand emotionality and spiritually, until they are fully prepared to endure anything and everything the Devil might throw at them.


Questions And Applications

1. What stood out to you in reading through this study? Do you recall thinking anything in particular?

2. Give instances of some things you have had to endure in life, and yet you came through victorious and better able to withstand similar things happening in the future.

3. Scripture says in Acts that after calling the apostles in, the Sanhedrin flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and then released them. "So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and preaching the good news of Jesus as the Christ." (Acts 5:41-42). Have you reached the place yet where you rejoice when you encounter various trials and hardships? If no then why not?

4. Scripture also implies that we should actually be praying to the Lord that we be made spiritually rich by enduring hardships and sufferings for Christ, for He told the Laodiceans, "Because you say, 'I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have no need of anything,' and you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to apply to your eyes so that you may see." (Revelation 3:17-18). "Buying" these things implies praying for them. Do you pray to experience hardships and trials for the sake of Christ, that you might be spiritually rich entering the next life?

5. Do you think you will enter Heaven spiritually rich or poor if you died today? Try to give an honest assessment of yourself.