13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am
tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any
man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust,
and enticed. (James 1:13-14)
The
Collect
St.
James the Apostle
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G
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RANT, O merciful God, that,
as thine holy Apostle Saint James, leaving his father and all that he had,
without delay was obedient unto the calling of thy Son Jesus Christ, and
followed him; so we, forsaking all worldly and carnal affections, may be
evermore ready to follow thy holy commandments; through the same Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
I have
chosen the verses from the Book of James to commemorate the example and service
of that great Apostle. The drawing away from God suggests a parable of how the
fisherman's catch is drawn away from the place that best suits them and the
only place in which life is possible. But, first, let us examine the COLLECT
for this day.
The
Collect asks for no personal gain in material or wealth, but for the CHARACTER
of obedience, steadfastness, and rejection of the things of the world exhibited
by this Godly man. James obeyed the invitation of Christ "without
delay' evening leaving his father and servants to gather the netting of his
boat. He followed Christ all of the way by prizing the company of Christ
above every other consideration the world had to offer. His descriptive
nouns and phrases in the Book of James are beautiful beyond compare which, I
believe, is evidence of his taking on that One Mind of Christ. The death of the
Apostle James is the only one given account in Holy Scriptures of the means of
death of an Apostle. James was beheaded by Herod, according to Acts 12:1-2: Now
about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the
church. 2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
(Acts 12:1-2) The calling of James is found, among others, in the Gospel of St
Matthew: And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the
son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father,
mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and
their father, and followed him. (Matt 4:21-22)
13 Let
no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted
with evil, neither tempteth he any man. While it is true that God
cannot be tempted, nor does He tempt any man to sin, God does, as in the case
of Abraham's presumed sacrifice of Isaac, try the faith and steadfastness of
His people. Many of the unjust and painful experiences of this life God allows
to sound out the depth of our faith. Our own church, the Anglican
Orthodox Church, has experienced hard trials and wondered about God's plan for
us. As we remained steady at the helm, the fog of doubt cleared and the harbor
lights of god were bearing straight ahead. There are times in our lives when
faith is the ONLY thing, but in the end it is always the most reliable after
all.
14 But
every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed
Have you ever considered that Christ is not the only Fisherman? The devil is
also a fisherman. He knows well the habits and desires of the fish. He does not
catch fish to save them (as does Christ and His evangelist), but to devour
them. At the very first, let us emphasize that this fisherman cannot hook
one of the darlings of Christ – in fact, he can hook no one who has not allowed
him unwise access to his heart. The Fuller Brush man used to go from house to
house in Tennessee. He became equivalent to a friendly neighbor to most
households. However, there was another kind of salesman who came to the door
and would not take "No" for an answer. He would thrust his foot
between the door and it's facing to prevent its being shut in his face. Once
the foot was in, the whole ungainly man usually followed. The devil is of like
character. He may knock. It is best to leave his knock unanswered. If the door
is opened to him, and he gets his foot in the door, you may count on having the
most dangerous of guests in your home.
The
devil loves low light levels. He chooses the hours of low light for fishing so
that his visage may not be recognized from the water. He wears subdued clothing
to conceal his presence. He baits his hooks with the most delectable and
appetizing treats that fish love. Once the bait is taken, and the hook is set
in his jaw, the fish may desperately fight against the line; but he will be
drawn to shore and eaten nonetheless. I have seen many young people, left to
their own judgments, fall for the bait of Satan. They have been tempted to
`try' a bit of cocaine, or to be promiscuous. It is all very innocent pleasure,
you know. Once they have bitten, the hook is set and their lives may be ruined.
Satan is very good at his profession, and he never takes leave of it. Men love
vacations, but Satan never takes one.
Satan, we are told, is the Prince of the Air. As long as he remains in the
`air' he can harm no soul. The damage and danger comes when he is taken into
the heart. Once admitted, he will make a shambles of it. Only the limitless
grace of Christ could ever recover such a heart. Wherein in time past ye
walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the
power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience
(Eph 2:2) Even as children of disobedience, we may be amended and made new
creatures in Christ. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love
wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us
together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together,
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages
to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward
us through Christ Jesus. (Eph 2:4-7)
Please
observe that something must happen first before we are subject to Satan's
temptations: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own
lust, and enticed. When we began to desire the fruit of the forbidden
Tree, it is then that we come into Satan's lair. He abides in the branches of
that forbidden Tree – the same before which Eve tarried unwisely and was
beguiled (seduced). When we place ourselves in the place of temptation by
diverting our minds to those things which are not wholesome, we shall be
tempted for certain. At first, we are only drawn TO the hook; and later we are
drawn by the hook in our capitulation to temptation. Drawn away means to be
drawn near the hook. Enticed means drawn BY the hook. The first is invisible
and spiritual; the second is cruel and physical in nature.
The art
of Satan in fishing for our souls is two-fold: the first involves openly
displaying his enticing and attractive bait; the second concealing himself and
the hook with which he intends to enslave. By this means, souls are drawn from
the place of deep cover into the place of slaughter. Satan does not need to go
into the bush or the murky waters to find us; we draw near to him by the
impulse of our fleshly desires. He uses our own energy and desires to destroy
us. Is he not cruel above all else? Are not the sweet breads of heaven far more
delectable and soul nourishing than Satan's dirty allurements of a worm with a
hook in it?
There are two tremendous episodes of struggle when the fish, or sinner, is
first hooked by swallowing what he presumes to be a delicious meal. Before he
first feels the hook cut into his flesh, the fisherman has been in hiding. He
has remained very quiet and gentle in positing his hooked treat. But once the
fish has swallowed the bait, how cruelly does the fisherman reveal himself on
the shore or in the boat. He stands up boldly and jerks and pulls on the line
sinking the hook ever deeper into the tender flesh of the poor fish. He shouts
and cries aloud in victory as his catch is certain. The fish, feeling the first
pains of the hook, fights with all his strength. He then, realizing to fight
against the hook only increases his pain, follows the slow draw of the hook to
the shore. He seems resigned to perish. But when drawn near to shore, he
realizes with certainty that he is doomed. He then truly fights again against
the inevitable and is at last netted and flayed without mercy. The yoke of
Satan is a painful and tortuous hook. But the yoke of the Lord is light and,
actually, a joy and comfort to bear. Which do you choose – the hook of Satan or
the yoke of Christ? One draws, the other lifts.
