A crucial aspect of this teaching just hit me for the first time ever.
James is making progress or he is dangerously delusional. He thinks the former. A lot of progress in terms of being a Force for good in the world.
Sometimes it seems easy. Sometimes it seems too hard, discouraging, makes him question what he's doing wrong that it takes so much work.
This morning is like that, he is not the joyful servant attempting to please his master Jesus this morning, not reflexively, not easily. What's James doing wrong?
Partly, James was understanding it wrong.
It's hard work and takes constant vigilance to make of oneself the good tree. If not, why did Jesus spend so much time in prayer? So much time alone?
If not why in so many ways and so many times did he speak of the work involved? Make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and it's fruit bad. He did not say be a good tree, or be an evil tree. He said make of the tree....
It takes constant working with the words and example of the man jesus. Hundreds, thousands of hours. A Fraction of what we spend learning to fit into our evil cultures.
It takes constant prayer, constant deep pondering of Jesus lessons and example, constant self-examination.
Sabbath must be understood in that light. A special day each week devoted to making the tree good. Prayer must be understood that way. The need for constant vigilance as to when the tree needs to be tended, one's soul. And when it is needed, it needs to be the priority. Frustrating, but if it's needed often, it's needed often.
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