Tiago 5
Theophylact of Ohrid
Tiago 5:1
The thrift and stinginess of the rich often makes them weep. But the apostle makes them howl, that is, weep bitterly, because they heap up their wealth for corruption and do not distribute it to the poor, for wealth is preserved only when it is spent on the poor. Therefore the author of Proverbs also says: "Cast your bread upon the face of the waters" ("Send your bread upon the waters") (Eccl. 11:1), that is, upon seeming destruction and corruption. For this is what happens with bread cast upon the water: it does not perish, but by its dissolution provides us with refreshment — refreshment for the time when our tongue will be tormented in the flame there. — Commentary on James
Tiago 5:2-3
The rotting of wealth, he says, the eating of garments by moths, and the rust of silver and gold will testify against you, exposing you for having given nothing. Therefore in the last days, that is, at the coming of the Lord, your wealth will prove to be, as it were, fire gathered for your destruction, which the rich man mentioned in the Gospel also experienced. This must be joined with the words "your riches," so that the speech reads as follows: "your riches, which you have heaped up like fire, and on earth have spent on pleasures and squandered." — Commentary on James
Tiago 5:4-5
This is an exposure and shaming of the Jewish leaders, who tended the poor and glutted themselves with honors from all, but were themselves being prepared for slaughter at the hands of the Roman authorities, especially for having condemned the only Righteous One — the Lord — and killed Him when He did not resist, did not cry out. — Commentary on James
Tiago 5:6
By the words "you have murdered the just," the apostle undoubtedly has in mind Christ Himself. However, with the addition "He does not resist you," he generalizes the discourse, extending it to others who suffered similarly from the Jews, and perhaps prophetically speaks of his own suffering. — Commentary on James
Tiago 5:7
Having condemned the luxury of the Jewish leaders and their cruelty toward the poor, the apostle turns his discourse to the faithful and says: brethren! do not be scandalized at the sight of this and do not be discouraged, as though there will be no retribution. He speaks of the invasion of the Romans and their captivity of the Jews, which he also calls the coming of the Lord, just as John who reclined on the Lord's breast, when speaking of his own death, presents the Lord Himself saying: "If I will that he remain till I come" (John 21:22), for his earthly life extended to the capture of Jerusalem and a little beyond. And that the coming of the Lord both here and in John signifies the destruction of Jerusalem is evident also from the words of the prophet: "Behold, He is coming, says the Lord of hosts. And who can endure the day of His coming?" (Mal. 3:1–2), that is, when the coming of God brings punishment upon the ungodly. John Chrysostom in some of his commentaries, when examining the words "till I come," also sees in them a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem and confirms this by the prayer of the three youths, who say: "So let our sacrifice be before You today, and may it be accomplished according to You" ("so let our sacrifice be acceptable in Your presence today") (Dan. 3:40). In this he says that "according to You" means: after Your wrath has passed. And when did it come? When Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem. This regarding the word "coming." Some of the Fathers also say that by longsuffering the apostle here means forbearance toward one another, and by patience — forbearance toward those outside, for a person is longsuffering toward one upon whom he could take vengeance, but endures patiently one against whom he cannot take vengeance. Therefore, concerning God the word "patience" is never used, but "longsuffering," while concerning people — "patience." By the early rain is signified tearful repentance in youth, and by the late rain — in old age. All, however, depends on the lovingkindness of God, which is why he says: "until it receives." — Commentary on James
Tiago 5:12
Let your affirmation be firm in firmness and your negation be the same. Otherwise: let the testimony of your life be firmer than an oath. If someone shameless, not respecting your life, insistently demands an oath from you, then instead of an oath let your "yes, yes" and "no, no" suffice. By hypocrisy he means either the condemnation that will befall those who swear recklessly and from the habit of swearing fall into perjury, or hypocrisy itself, which is one thing and appears another. In what way does the one who swears fall into hypocrisy? In the following way: as one who swears, he is regarded as affirming the truth, but when a violation of the oath follows, he turns out to be a liar. The apostle forbids swearing by God in order to avoid perjury, and by heaven and other objects — so as not to attribute to them the honor due to God, for all who swear, swear by what is greater (Heb. 6:16). But someone will say: what should one do if a person is compelled to swear? We answer: the fear of God is stronger than the compulsion of the one forcing him. Another, having in mind the Old Law, will also be perplexed: if the Old Law approves of one who swears by the name of the Lord, then how does grace forbid doing this? We answer: the Old Law commanded the Jews to swear by God in order to turn them from swearing by idols, just as it commanded them to offer sacrifices to God in order to divert them from offering sacrifices to idols. But when it had sufficiently taught the Jews piety, it then abolished sacrifices as useless and began to require as a sacrifice not the slaughter of animals, but a contrite soul. What kind of soul is this? One that through humility is entirely consumed by the fire of love, like Paul, who burned most intensely when some of the faithful were caused to stumble (2 Cor. 11:29). — Commentary on James
Tiago 5:13
Let prayer accompany suffering, so that for the one being tried the way out of trials may be easier. Then, when our agitations have been stilled through prayer and the soul has attained the state proper to it, let it sing psalms, so that its blessedness may be multiplied, for the singing of psalms, according to Basil the Great, produces a peaceful and sorrowless state of the soul. Whoever has not attained such a state, which David calls holiness, urging the saints to sing to the Lord (Ps. 30:4), the prayer of such a one long remains mere idle talk. — Commentary on James
Tiago 5:14
The apostles were already doing this even when the Lord still lived among men: they anointed the sick with oil (Mark 6:13). — Commentary on James
Tiago 5:16
The prayer of the righteous man has great power when the one for whom he prays also assists his prayer with spiritual sorrow, for if when others pray for us we ourselves spend our time in luxury, indulgence, and intemperance, then by this we weaken the power of the prayer of the one laboring on our behalf, and the word of blessed Peter is fulfilled in us: "When one builds and another tears down, what do they gain but toil?" (Sir. 34:23). — Commentary on James
Tiago 5:19-20
Jeremiah says the same: "If you bring forth the honorable from the unworthy, you shall be as My mouth" ("and if you extract the precious from the worthless, you shall be as My mouth") (Jer. 15:19), for everyone who proclaims the words of God becomes the mouth of God. For what does He say? "It is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you" (Matt. 10:20). Therefore through David He also forbids the sinner to declare His ordinances (Ps. 50:16). — Commentary on James