My friend Tony says that short people often walk with a swagger and a chip on their shoulder because of their size. They have spent a good portion of their childhood fighting and clawing to prove themselves. Judged by their size, they are often underestimated and misjudged. They have something to prove and they have spent considerable effort proving it.

The tongue is a small member of the body, James observes, but exerts a disproportionate influence. He uses examples of small objects making a great impact to drive home the point that small doesn’t necessarily mean powerless or unimportant. He talks about large ships with big sails being guided by small rudders. He talks about large animals, such as horses, controlled and guided by small bits in their mouths. Then he drives the point home. “The tongue may be small, but it boasts of great things.”

That’s why James opens his discussion of the tongue with the warning: Not many of you should even consider becoming a teacher, for you will be judged with greater strictness. We who preach and teach understand that, because our occupation focuses on communication and communication is a difficult area to navigate successfully, we are under greater pressure to control what we say and how we say it. God will judge every word, so we who spend our lives speaking ought to beware. In fact, if we could control our speech, we would be practically perfect. It takes a very mature person to avoid stumbling over her words.

Ah, the power of words. James uses a couple of analogies to illustrate the powerful influence of our words. Fire seems an appropriate and very vivid analogy. Many of us growing up in the 60s or 70s remember Smokey the Bear. He would appear on TV to warn us to put out those campfires and to avoid discarding cigarette butts on the side of the road. A single spark could ignite raging forest fires. James presses the point that the tongue is like a spark that can set ablaze a world of emotions which erupt in actions which are out of control and do considerable damage. The tongue, he warns, is set on fire by hell and disrupts the whole course of nature, damaging our reputation, our relationships and our self image. He even asserts that, although we have been successful in taming all sorts of wild beasts, we seem powerless to tame the tongue. “It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”

The tongue can be “forked.” It can reveal that we are “two-faced.” We can bless God and curse people without taking a breath. Unlike a spring that can either pour out fresh water or salt water but not both and unlike fruit trees which can only bear one kind of fruit, the tongue can pour out sweet words and bitter words, yielding sweet and bitter fruit. It’s amazing how quickly that change can occur.

We know the damage that the tongue can inflict. We have been both the victims and the perpetrators. “Loose lips sink ships.” This saying, from World War II, was a way of reminding people to watch what they said, because the enemy might be able to use those “slips of the tongue.” We need to remember the exhortation to “watch what we say.” The tongue can be razor sharp and can cut to the core. We can hurt others deeply with careless words. They go away, wounded internally, and we are unaware that the wound we just inflicted will take a toll on our relationship and much time to heal. Had we only thought before we talked. We said and they bled.

Were the wounds of our words of a physical nature, we would be required to obtain a permit to carry the deadly weapon between our cheeks. Sadly, if one were required, I’m not sure I could pass the background check. I have too many violations on my record. Fortunately, I can claim the forgiveness that blots out past transgressions and “cleanses from all unrighteousness.” And I can depend on the power that transforms my speech as well as my actions. Now, I am more cautious and try to “keep the safety on.”

James 3: 1-12 ESV Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. (‭James‬ ‭3‬:‭1-12‬ ESV)