Lambat Untuk Marah

Ringkasan (dalam bahasa Inggris):

James 1 : 19 - 21

One of the unique aspects of the book of James is that it addresses very practical matters in the Christian life. While it addresses practical matters, this does not mean that there are no doctrines behind them. The doctrines serve as the basis for these practical applications. On the other hand, there are also letters that may be more doctrinal, but this does not mean that there are no practical implications in them. However, the approach taken by the book of James is more bottom-up, addressing practical matters first.

If we read from verse 19-20, they are quite self explanatory. But we want to highlight the relationship between several parts i.e. ‘quick to hear’, ‘slow to speak’, and ‘slow to anger’. As we know, the Bible is not present in a vacuum; there is always a context behind it. For example, it is mentioned here: “Let every person be quick to hear.” The opposite of this could be either ‘slow to hear’ or ‘quick to speak’. We live in a society where people do not like to hear. We prefer to speak and to lecture others. Sometimes, we even put our own dignity in our ability to lecture others. Moreover, our culture is very much shaped by social media, where everyone seems to be an expert on everything. Everyone teaches all sorts of things on social media, to the point that it becomes difficult to discern which ones are actually true. To be quick to hear is truly a difficult virtue to have.

A person who is mute is often also deaf. They are unable to hear correctly, which is why they cannot speak correctly. Similarly, for those who are not quick to hear, since nothing good enters their ears, whatever comes out of their mouths is often meaningless babble, not worth hearing. I believe there is a connection between being quick to hear and verse 21. Being quick to hear doesn’t just refer to the ability to listen to others, but also the ability and willingness to be addressed by God Himself. As Christians, we pray to God, and when we pray to God, we want to be heard. But when God speaks to us, do we listen, or are we too busy speaking to hear Him? Oftentimes, we want to be heard by God, but we don’t want to hear the word of God.

For this reason, the book of James says, “Be quick to hear, slow to speak.” Be slow to lecture others, because we are often not even qualified to do so. Sadly, we live in a sick society where our dignity is often measured by our ability to lecture others. We have this race to become influential and we take pride when we are heard by others, even though what we say might not be worth hearing. Sometimes, there are great statements that we haven’t fully understood, contemplated, and applied in our life, yet we are quick to share and forward them everywhere. However, God wants us to be slow to speak because He wants us to speak out of the depth of our relationship with Him.

It is also written in James 3:1, “Not many of you should become teachers.” I believe this very much relates to being slow to speak. Being quick to hear and slow to speak is not just about patience but also humility. Humility in the truest sense of the word, because when we are in the position of listeners, we are, in a sense, in a less important position than the speaker. It is quite painful to our ego because, naturally, we want to lecture others and show how knowledgeable we are.

Christian maturity is demonstrated when we shift from speaking more to humbling ourselves to listen more. It is totally opposite to the way of the world. If the older we get, the more we like to show off and lecture others, it means that, from a Christian perspective, we are regressing toward immaturity. For as we grow in maturity, the more we are able to listen. Of course, it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t speak at all, but as it is written here, we must be quick to hear and slow to speak. The God we worship has every qualification to lecture everyone without exception because He is God. Yet, He hears our prayers and patiently listens to us. If this is what God does, shouldn’t we also do the same?

After ‘slow to speak’, it is written ‘slow to anger’. In the book of Exodus, being slow to anger is one of God’s attributes. It doesn’t mean that God can’t be angry, but when He is angry, it means the time has come for Him to be angry. God is not easily angered; He is slow to anger. The Greek word for patience is makrothymia, which can be literally translated as ’long-tempered’. Thus, being slow to anger means not easily provoked, having a ’long fuse’ that is not quickly burned up. We need to be slow to anger because we are imitating God, who is slow to anger.

Not only that, in this context, we can again see the connection to verse 21. It is impossible for someone who is quick to anger to “receive with meekness the implanted word.” If we are quick to anger, our hearts will be like hard soil, and thus the word of God cannot enter. In the Bible, we see several reasons that hinder us from receiving the word of God, such as the deceitfulness of riches and the cares of the world. Hence, it is not about whether we lack the opportunities to hear the word of God or how often we hear it; rather, it is about our hearts being too greedy, too anxious, too quick to anger. In medieval tradition, anger or wrath is one of the seven deadly sins. We can, of course, have a critical perspective on this concept. From the Reformed perspective, we believe all kinds of sins are deadly. Nevertheless, this reminds us that certain sins, such as anger, though they may seem less serious, are also deadly. Someone who is quick to anger is not meek and will not be receptive to the word of God.

We are living in a fallen world, and it is impossible for us to not be hurt or disappointed. Christianity does not teach that once we become Christians, we will never be hurt again; this is not a realistic teaching. What Christianity promises is the maturity to help us deal with our disappointment and hurt, to learn to forgive others, and to avoid becoming cynical or sarcastic when we are vulnerable. As Christians, the more we mature, the less we fear being hurt. When we love others, we open ourselves to be vulnerable and to be hurt. We can look at the life of Christ. He loves us, and He was not just hurt, He died on the cross. We, who confess that we believe in Jesus, are also invited to walk the same path.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-29, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” He used only these two attributes: gentle (or meek) and lowly in heart. The life of a meek person will be full of rest. The life of a person who is quick to anger will always be restless, as it will be filled with never-ending conflicts. Anger is as destructive to others as it is to ourselves. Those who always live in anger and bitterness are very pitiful and in need of salvation. Jesus invited those who are weary and heavy laden to come to Him. One of the secrets to finding true rest in God is by being meek and lowly in heart.

Martin Lloyd-Jones once explained meekness by a simple illustration. He said we may position ourselves very lowly before God when we pray, confessing our sins and weaknesses, yet when others rebuke us for the same faults, we may respond with anger. This is the problem with our understanding of meekness. We are only meek when we talk about our sins and weaknesses ourselves, but we become offended when others point out our faults. It was probably Charles Spurgeon who said that when others criticize us, we shouldn’t be offended because they likely don’t know the full extent of our faults. In reality, we are much worse than what others perceive and say about us, yet we often don’t see ourselves that way.

Once again, as we grow in God, we should become more meek and less easily provoked to anger. The Bible says that only those who are meek can receive the implanted word. Without meekness, it is impossible for the word of God to enter their hearts. The two attributes of Jesus are being gentle or meek, and lowly in heart. If we grow in Christ, we should grow in the same meekness and lowliness of heart. May God grant us such humility and meekness that we can be more receptive to the word of God. May God bless all of us. (T.F.L.)