James 5:6

Ye have condemned, ye have killed the righteous one; he doth not resist you.

The righteous one ... is an expression used of Christ in a number of New Testament references (Acts 3:14; 7:52; 22:14), and this is clearly the meaning of it here. That James did not specify Christ by name is no problem, because New Testament writers generally were most reluctant to mention by name their own family; and James adhered to this rule, making only enough exceptions to identify Jesus as the Christ and Saviour. Dummelow, and many others, concede that "this may refer to the Lord,"[16] and in the total absence of any reason why it should not be referred to him, this is the way we shall construe it. Ward likewise allowed that "James seems to see the condemnation of the Messiah repeated in the experience of his righteous subjects."[17] Tasker and Gibson also apply this to righteous men generally; but, while it is clear enough that it is true of righteous men generally the specific reference here must be to Christ. Our interpretation of this whole paragraph will hardly allow any other meaning. The great sin of the heartless rich being thus condemned and judged was that of murdering the Messiah. "Ye have condemned ..." indicates formal trial and passing sentence, details that were often absent from their unjust dealings with the poor. "Ye have killed ..." This, they did not generally do to the poor; but they effectively wrought the crucifixion of Christ. Barclay admitted that this verse "could be a reference to Jesus Christ,"[18] though he left the question open. That this is actually the meaning will appear in the further examination of the last clause.

He doth not resist you ... It is a well know fact that the Greek words here may be either affirmative or interrogative, the latter being in all probability correct. Hort suggested, and Ropes advocated that it be read as a question, "Doth he not resist you?"[19] Tasker explained that this would have a prophetic meaning, demanding an affirmative reply.[20] The true meaning of the clause then is, "You have killed the Christ, but will he not resist you? .... Do you really think you can escape judgment for such a crime as that?" Thus read, this verse is a powerful and dramatic conclusion of this terrible, yet magnificent, prophecy. The oppression of the poor, the persecution of the church, the cruel and heartless crucifixion of the Messiah inspired James in this sublime paragraph to announce the forthcoming judgment of God as about to fall upon the perpetrators of such wickedness.

While construing this paragraph as primarily a prophecy against entrenched Judaism, it should also be observed that it is charged with social consequences of the most extensive dimensions. As Barclay said:

One of the mysteries is how Christianity ever came to be regarded as the opium of the people. There is no book in any literature that speaks so explosively of social injustice as does the Bible. It does not condemn wealth as such, but there is no book which more strenuously insists on wealth's responsibilities, and on the perils that surround the man of wealth.[21]

This passage (James 5:1-6) deserves to rank alongside the greatest passages of the Bible for its tremendous social implications. Charles David Eldridge identified the Bible as the source of all social justice in these words:

The Old Testament prophets and the New Testament writers denounce the exclusive privileges of the rich, and the usurpation of the rights of the poor, and strenuously enforce their demands for righteous dealings among men. The Bible, like an unfailing arsenal, has supplied the ammunition for the age-long struggle for liberty.[22]

Such qualities shine with exceptional brilliance in James' thundering denunciation in this passage.

The connection with the foregoing in the following passage (James 5:7-12) is most intimate and instructive. With Lenski we deplore the blindness which has viewed these as isolated statements. "He is charged with patching heterogeneous pieces together. A redactor (!) is also mentioned."[23] It is simply incredible that men should not see how closely James followed the teachings of Jesus Christ, the writings of the New Testament authors, and the teachings of the Old Testament in this epistle. There is no need whatever to quote from apocalyptic literature, the book of Wisdom, Sirach and the inter-testamental writings in an effort to understand James. The Holy Bible illuminates every word that he wrote.

The historical situation in which this epistle occurs is that of the expectancy permeating the whole church during those years leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem, an event which was known and anticipated throughout the world of that period. Christ had categorically predicted it in a prophecy that so inspired the church that when the city was finally destroyed, not a Christian perished in the disaster. They, having been forewarned, fled to Pella. This universal expectancy which dominated Christian thought in this period is conspicuous in the writings of Paul, who noted with consternation a flowering of conceit and gloating expectancy among the Gentile segment of Christianity, and who at Once wrote the book of Romans, addressing it specifically to that conceit (see in my Commentary on Romans, pp. 412,413). In the same manner, James in this epistle addressed that air of expectancy (especially among the poor who had made up the vast majority of Jewish Christianity), which as the years passed and Jerusalem was still standing, had tended to be alloyed with impatience. The vital, intimate and urgent connection is simply this: (1) the first six verses are a prophecy of the certain and impending overthrow of the Sadducean overlords who were notorious oppressors of the poor and the terminal heirs of that generation which had murdered the Son of God; (2) the next six verses are concerned with the proper behavior and attitude of the Christians who were destined to witness the fulfillment of the prophecy.

[16] J. R. Dummelow, op. cit, p. 1037.

[17] Ronald A. Ward, New Bible Commentary, Revised (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970), p. 1233.

[18] William Barclay, op. cit., p. 120.

[19] R. V. G. Tasker, op. cit., p. 116.

[20] Ibid.

[21] William Barclay, op. cit., p. 117.

[22] Source of this quotation unknown.

[23] R. C. H. Lenski, op. cit., p. 645.