James showed us in a simple way what wisdom means. But now, with the last verse, he drops a bombshell: ¹⁸You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honour.

Does this make sense to you? Maybe we should start at the end of the verse. If people work at getting along with one another and treat one another in a dignified and honourable way, the result is a just society.

Justice itself is a word that I did not fully understand at first, and I had to find out what it meant. But it actually just means that we live right in God’s eyes and that our actions will be acceptable to God.

So James is painting the picture he sees in his mind’s eye. He sees people who go out into the world and sow bags and bags of peace everywhere they go. And as the seed comes up, he sees a great harvest growing, and there are fields of righteousness (justice), fields of people who live right before God.

Now it makes sense: ¹⁸You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honour.

When there is discord, when people shout and scream at each other, when war reigns, and people kill each other, yes, maybe not shooting at each other with guns, but wounding each other with words, then it’s not a pretty picture.

Then people aren’t living beautifully and right before God. It is not God’s will, and there are no winners anywhere.

The problem is that this is happening in many homes around us. It’s as if the devil knows exactly where to hit people. Maybe it’s finances that make people fight so much. Maybe it’s my ego that stands up and doesn’t want to stand aside for others. Maybe people have become so selfish that they must sow discontent to stay standing.

The world has become so used to not having peace that it has become the norm. That’s why people are no longer happy and struggle to stay alive, with no sight of joy.

In fact, the whole world is shouting: “We want peace! We need peacemakers! We need peacemakers who sow peace!” And we who are children of God automatically qualify for this position.

Each of us is called to be a peacemaker. We must go into the homes where things are rough and sow God’s peace there. We have to make peace between people. We have to show them what they are doing, and we have to show them what they are missing.

Let’s make sure that peace follows us like a shadow, because then there will be a great harvest. People will live right before God everywhere, which is so beautiful to God. In peace, true joy is to be found.

Scripture
James 3:17-18

Reflection
Where is discontent?
Where should you sow peace?
How are you going to sow peace there?

Prayer
Father, I know I am called to sow peace. However, I hesitate because sometimes I wonder if I’m the right one to do so. Help me to fulfil my calling here and sow peace everywhere I go. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.