"Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" It's not just children of a certain age who ask that question, although they certainly do. I've been on a number of trips in the past few years with delayed flights, missed connections, and lost luggage, where I've been the one asking the question. Leading up to Christmas (or a birthday or wedding or trip to Disney World) the question becomes one of time rather than distance: "Is it here yet?" On such occasions, we give advice that sounds very much like that in James 5: "Be patient, therefore, beloved ..." or as my mother used to tell us "Patience is a virtue." But we need to remember that — as with so many other attributes — everything that passes as patience is not necessarily Christian patience.
Margaret Thatcher, the "Iron Lady" of late twentieth-century British politics, is supposed to have said that she was a very patient lady, "As long as I get my own way in the end." You may have heard the story of the soft-spoken trucker who was having a meal at a roadside diner when three belligerent bikers came in and began harassing him. He just kept eating in spite of their taunts, paid the check, and left. "Well that guy sure ain't much of a man, is he?" one of the bikers asked the waitress. "He's not much of a driver, either," she responded, "He just ran over three Harleys." The trucker's patience is the same brand as Thatcher's: He had the last word. This is certainly not what James had in mind but is something Augustine, the great fourth-century North African bishop, warned against. He called it the "false patience of the proud," which is the strength of will to hold out until I can get my own way. While we may find such perseverance admirable in some circumstances, it is an example of Stoicism, not Christian patience. What then is Christian patience?
Whatever patience is, it is clearly not optional for a Christian. The apostle Paul repeatedly commanded Christians to demonstrate patience with each other. So much so that we get the impression that it is a critical test of genuine Christian discipleship. Some years ago I was aware of a person in a position of considerable importance within a major Christian denomination. He was, on the one hand, admired as a "go to" kind of person who could really produce results. But to those who worked with him closely, he was also known as an individual with little patience who could fly into a rage over seemingly trivial matters. It got to the point that some subordinates who really cared about him suggested he take time off or move into a position with less self-created tension. He refused, feeling he had important work to do, and within six months was dead of a stroke, suffered when he had gone into one of his fits. None of us is in a position to judge the heart of another, but this case was very troublesome to me. This man exhibited character traits that would be highly valued in many business settings, but were they appropriate for a Christian leader? For any Christian, for that matter? Many would argue that in our fast-paced, hard-driving, assertive culture, patience is a liability, not an asset, even for Christians.
Paul exhorted the Ephesian Christians to "lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:1-3). Similarly, he called the Colossian Christians to "put on" the virtues of "compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience" (Colossians 3:12), as one might "put on" a garment, clearly suggesting that while patience is a fruit of the spirit, we have something to do with it. In many of his letters, particularly the Corinthian correspondence, Paul highlighted the necessity of patience in dealing with conflict in the Christian community. In a number of places, Paul, echoing Jesus in Matthew 18, said that if one Christian has a complaint against another, they are to respond with patience, willing to suffer loss rather than to injure the reputation of the church. You will recall that Matthew 18 explicitly warns that we may not always prevail. Reconciliation is neither easy nor guaranteed. Unlike Margaret Thatcher's version, we may not "get our own way in the end." So Paul's instructions to the Thessalonian believers were absolutely clear: "Be at peace among yourselves" (1 Thessalonians 5:13). In order to achieve this peace, Paul instructed the Thessalonians to "be patient with all of them" (1 Thessalonians 5:14). Writing to Timothy, his young protégé in ministry, Paul set the example: "And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient, correcting opponents with gentleness" (2 Timothy 2:24-25).
"Be patient, therefore, beloved,until the coming of the Lord," says James. Christian patience is part of the whole package of Christian truth. Patience begins with the affirmation that God is sovereign working in human lives, caring about you, me, and those dolts with whom we are dealing, so we need to be patient! Some readers have always felt that James' allusion to the second coming of Christ is out of place, but Christians have always understood that full satisfaction will never be achieved in this life. We know that our sanctification will be incomplete in this life, and so look at each other as fellow sinners saved by grace, in whom the Holy Spirit is at work calling us to Christlikeness. And we do have to work at it, sometimes putting on patience like that garment. The root meaning of patience is "suffering." It is bound up in Christ's words, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it" (Luke 9:23-24 NKJV). It cannot be much clearer that this demands constant and deliberate choice. Patience includes the daily deaths we die for the cause of Christ.
"Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You must also be patient" (James 5:7-8a). Some folks get nervous whenever they see a reference to the second coming because they assume it will be taken as a kind of "pie in the sky when you die, bye and bye" escapist and quietistic theology. "Nothing to do until the Lord comes and takes us out of this wicked world." James' illustration of the farmer makes it abundantly clear that this is not what he had in mind. The farmer is patient "with" one thing and "until" another thing. The text says the farmer waits for the valuable fruit of the earth, being patient "with it" that is the fruit. He is patient "until" it receives the autumn and spring rains. The great theme of the letter of James is his conviction that the goal of becoming "mature and complete" as Christians is of the greatest value. This is the fruit with which we are concerned.
... you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.... (James 1:3)
... be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. (James 1:2)
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded ... Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:7-8, 10)
So what we are about now, our growth in Christlikeness, the fruit which is growing, is important.
But if the farmer had no hope for the rains, all the plowing and planting and weeding would be futile, and watching over the parched land would be foolish. The "early and late [rain]" is a standard Old Testament image of God's promised and continuing faithfulness (Jeremiah 5:24; Joel 2:23). Because of God's faithfulness there is no doubt about how appropriate it is to be patient. God has promised these rains; therefore the farmer can be patient in laboring. Analogously, God's promise of Christ's return is a reminder that all of history is in God's hands. This is why we can be patient — because we know there is much more to life than meets the eye. "Strengthen your hearts" (NIV "stand firm") Christian patience is much more than waiting for "this to pass." It is confidence that all of history, including our individual lives, are providentially in God's control.
Because Christian patience hinges so directly on the notion that God is truly in control of things, Tertullian, the second-century African theologian, saw patience as foundational to Christian morality and the lack of patience as key to the fall and sin. How? Satan, Tertullian wrote, became impatient with God's decision to give dominion to humankind and so rebelled and tempted the first man and woman. Adam and Eve, likewise, failed at patience. Instead of waiting for permission and the proper moment to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they impatiently bit into the forbidden fruit. Sin, death, and the curse came crashing down. For Tertullian, impatience is bound up in original sin, and can be traced to every other sin that we commit.
Tertullian was not alone. Cyprian, Augustine, Gregory the Great, Calvin, the Puritans, the Anglican Divines, you name it, all were adamant about the importance of patience. It's no wonder that Patience was such a common name. It may take a little reflection, but once we begin seeing the connections, we discover the pervasive destructiveness of impatience everywhere. Much of what Jesus taught can be read as a commentary on the meaning of patience. Think of the beatitudes: "Blessed are the poor in spirit; Blessed those who mourn; Blessed are the meek, the merciful, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted" (Matthew 5:3-12). The poor in spirit and the meek patiently await God's help. The mourners patiently bear their afflictions as well as those of others without self-pity. The merciful patiently renounce the idea of vengeance. The peacemakers create tranquility where there has been discord. And don't forget those who patiently endure persecution for Christ's sake.
Isn't it interesting that of all the examples of patience James could have selected he makes grumbling his single application? (v. 9). But this is where the rubber hit the road then just as it does today. Someone has given a litany of modern complaints that try our patience: "Difficult marriages, frustrated dreams, demotions at work, commotions at home, insomnia, high blood pressure, allergies, credit-card bills, and insecurity." Christians lose patience with each other under these pressures, and the church and workplace become infected with a readiness to criticize and blame. Maybe James wasn't so far off.
"As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord." What prophets? How about Moses who was chosen to lead God's people out of bondage only to endure ingratitude, murmuring, and complaining? For the most part, Moses was actively patient, even interceding with God on the people's behalf. And yet, because of his impetuousness in striking the rock in anger (Numbers 20:12), he was not able to enter the promised land. I wonder if James had this in mind when he warned that we should not grumble so that we are not ourselves judged.
Amos not only had to contend with the almost to be expected lack of response from the people of Israel, but was more or less accused by Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, of being a charlatan who was just out for money: "And Amaziah said to Amos, ‘O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.' Then Amos answered Amaziah, ‘I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, "Go, prophesy to my people Israel" ' " (Amos 7:12-15). There was Hosea whose public life and private tragedy merged in a way that required both patience and humility. Jeremiah faced both public antagonism and threats on his life (Jeremiah 18-20).
From the moment of his call, Isaiah knew that his mission would be one that would demand patience:
Make the mind of this people dull, and stop their ears, and shut their eyes, so that they may not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and comprehend with their minds, and turn and be healed. (Isaiah 6:10)
Isaiah's whole life's work would be, God said, one of frustration.
While James would not have had him in mind as a prophet, I think I could be forgiven for including the apostle Paul on the list who famously had had some physical infirmity that he learned to bear with God's grace, concluding, in 2 Corinthians 12, "So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong" (vv. 9b-10). That, it seems to me, is a good example of Christian patience.
The point in recalling these lives of saints of the past is that we are reminded that ultimately, God will accomplish the divine purpose. What does practicing Christian patience look like? It will look like the prophets, who kept speaking and believing, in suffering and perseverance, with this specific assurance: God will bless. This is the message of grace. God gives good gifts because God is full of compassion and mercy. Grace is the element in God's character, which James wants his readers to know with absolute confidence. The Christian can be patient in suffering and consider trials pure joy because of the assurance that God will give wonderfully good gifts even through the hardships.
Wesleyan-type Christians are fond of saying that we need to "Pray as if it all depends on God and work as if it all depends on us." Christian belief is fundamental to Christian practice. What is the truth about God? Is God a god of grace or not? If we believe that God is, then we can patiently wait for his providential purposes to be worked out in history. Then we will never mistake patience with "getting what I want in the end," and we will not fret over "Are we there yet?" Because we will know that ultimately all history is in God's hands. And as we live lives of patience and hope, we will get there — where God intends us to be — in the end. Amen.