Picking Fights with the Parts That are NOT the Head

James, the brother of Yeshua, was not one to mess around. If you have not read this letter to the Diasporan Judeans across Rome (Europe) with fresh eyes and a soul that is seeking a refreshened look at one’s own spiritual status, I encourage you to do that before you read this.

NO KIDDING… He was not messing around. If you consider today’s times, and how they were to be taking the Word of GOD to the Nations, it was not a good situation in the body back then.

NOTE: We have not changed!  We are still just as volatile and spiritually vile as back then.

If we are looking at James 4:1-5, he is saying they are not only infighting and being problematic, but those early followers were also “waging war” on one another. It was akin to “taking a saw, hammer and butcher’s knife and using them on your own body parts.”

We are doing the same today in our own communities, congregations, Knessets and church environments. To what end? …and for what purpose? Even worse, to whose glory?

We are talking about the spiritual body of the One Who died so we could get to represent Him, His father and the Ruach HaChodesh to the rest of the world.

Say it is not so! …talk about being unworthy!

The first 3 “chapters” of the letter of James, the brother of the Messiah, are rather rough, but THIS is getting further into the core of the mess called, “a family.” This is the community of Christ devotees who have essentially lost their spiritual minds and had reverted to the worldly roots from whence they came.

NOTE: We are the same today!

Here is the question of the year, decade and millennia, “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is the source not your pleasures that wage war in your body’s parts?” Are you talking to ME?

QUARRELS would be (disagreements, disputes and clashes) and conflicts among YOU.” Stop looking around!

In contextual Hebrew thought, “wars” aren’t just soldierly—they’re Covenant fractures. Here is a good word – “riv.” This is defined as a “lawsuit, or a formal accusation.” These things have turned into an all-out wrestling “cage match.”

Need I remind you (us) all, the ELOHIM (Righteous Judge) is the One Who deals with Covenant breakers. What brother James is relaying, and I am attempting to share is, our busted community lives look like a courtroom and a battlefield, not a Covenant family.

NOTE: To that, some would say, “so what” and “whoopty-do.” We want what we want and how we want it. The Bible does not fit here. It is too old.”

NOTE: He or she that is spiritually “mature” had better fix this, or the Righteous Judge will. 

Here is another layer of our UNRIGHTEOUS BEHAVIOR…. He says, “Your pleasures are what is causing the issues <sins> in your body’s parts”

Once more, in contextual Hebrew thought, language and culture, there is a term called the “yetzer hara.” This would be the inner bent toward selfishness and idolatrous desire. This is some cool and alarming stuff I learned, and am reluctant to share, buuuttt…

This word, “pleasure” is not neutral enjoyment. It has to get others involved. Does that sound like us. …maybe YOU. This is the troublesome part. Like a “commander”, the selfish pleasure will get someone else on his or her side to gain an edge. When this happens, the other members of the body of Messiah work to manipulate and turn how the hands, eyes, tongue, etc., function and the Covenant body is now an internal civil war.

It’s not “you sometimes slip”; it’s “your desires are running a campaign.”

NOTE: …and we wonder why GOD’s Power (Gifts) is not moving as much as He used to allow Them to. It is US!

”You LUST (covet) and do not have, so you commit MURDER, and you are ENVIOUS and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.”

I am not going to linger here too long. Honestly, it is because there is a lot in there!  Soo…. I will pull out some heavy-hitters concerning coveting, murder and envy.

NOTE: When any of the “10” Commandments is listed among the body and a main source of the struggle, there is a problem in more places than in Houston.

The word ta’avah is the major player right here, because it is not just wanting; it’s yearning in a way that twists reality. It is in these moments that we are willing to sacrifice righteousness to get what we want. The phrase, “There is no limit of one capability or what one can do” comes to mind.

NOTE: When “I” plan to sin, I will move the car with a pinky to MAKE IT SO. My desire is THAT strong. …just sayin. I am not boasting or excited about it. I want you to KNOW that I am a mess!

Wait, there is another one. MURDER is one word that can’t be twisted very easily. It is what it is. This can be literal, but in Bible wisdom, murder also stretches into the metaphoric. I’ve told you all that, “Scripture employs lots of metaphors and idioms.”

The word ratsach is to murder, but it is ALSO akin to hatred, character assassination, and YEP, also “community-destroying” actions. All of those are treated as it was a murder of a brother’s life, name, and future.

NOTE: If you check out Matthew 5 (I think this is fitting), Yeshua talks about this manner of living. Check it! 

JEALOUSY / ENVY can be tricky IF & WHEN we MIS-apply and MIS-appropriate its meaning. …and once more, the proper CONTEXT! The Holy and Honorable Creator has zeal for what is already His. He will not be destructive concerning it like Cain’s envy. Are you able to see and understand the difference? Here is a little more information on it.

NOTE: I like the Bible. When people employ and live accurately, It (Bible) is Truth in our lives (tongue and actions).

Scripturally, the Mighty and Holy One is described as “jealous” not because He is envious of something He lacks, but because He is rightfully possessive of the worship, honor, and devotion that belong to Him ALONE. 

The Hebrew word qanna (used in Exodus) means both “jealous” and “zealous” This is defined and employed as a passionate, protective concern. In this, GOD demands exclusive loyalty from His people.

It is NOT petty envy, but a righteous claim to what is His by RIGHT!  This IS NOT the position we take of jealously or envy. 

Here is another word. This one is a bit corrosive. It is quite messy and I see this among the brethren more that I would care to. It is called qin’ah. This is the kind that sees another’s good as a personal injury. 

I am using Cain again, because it fits him perrrrfectly. In the Hebrew language, imagery and thought, you and I can actually see… 

You are possibly imagining Cain staring at Abel’s offering, what about Saul staring at David’s victories and Joseph’s brothers staring at his outer garment (coat). 

Imagine James standing before a scattered synagogue-community with not only Judeans in the diaspora, but also them surrounded by Greco-Roman vigorous differences, and he asks, “Where is all that those hateful and loveless actions starting? …and why start those wars?”

Do you suppose he really wants to know the answer? Maybe he wants them to search and ask themselves the SAME question. When we know Truth about ourselves, we can THEN make changes and take steps to get our SELVES “right” with the Head (Jesus) of the body that He calls “His.” 

• Hello, Christian.

• Hello, Messianic.

• Hello, Catholic.

• Hello, Muslim.

Whatever name you are wearing, NONE of that matters, if you are destroying the people you need the most. …the members of the body that you too are part of.

Think about that!