5:7 Because of the dangers James just expounded, believers should adopt a patient attitude. The verb makrothymesate(be patient) describes "self-restraint which does not hastily retaliate a wrong."182The Lord's return is near (cf. Mark 13:32-37; Phil. 4:5; 1 Pet. 4:7; 1 John 2:18).
"The word parousias(coming') was a common term used to describe the visit of a king to a city or province of his kingdom and thus depicts Christ as a royal personage."183
The early rains came shortly after planting in Palestine in late October and early November. The late rains followed as the crop was maturing in late March and early April. The point of James' illustration of the farmer seems to be that as Christians we are primarily sowing and cultivating in this life, not mainly reaping rewards.
"The picture is that of the small farmer in Palestine . . . The small farmer plants his carefully saved seed and hopes for a harvest, living on short rations and suffering hunger during the last weeks. The whole livelihood, indeed the life itself, of the family depends on a good harvest: the loss of the farm, semistarvation, or death could result from a bad year. So the farmer waits for an expected future event (ekdechetai); no one but he could know now precious the grain really is . . ."184
5:8 When the Lord returns we will receive our reward at the judgment seat of Christ. In the meantime we should be patient and encouraged knowing that our reward lies ahead as God has promised (cf. Matt. 6:20). The rich who behave as typical rich people either do not have or have lost sight of this hope. They live only to accumulate as much reward here and now as they can.
". . . the finish line is just ahead: the important point is not to give up now and lose all that for which one has already suffered."185
"Anything that musthappen, and couldhappen today, is in a very legitimate sense at hand."186
5:9 It is easy for us to blame one another for our present discomforts.
"What is forbidden is not the loud and bitter denunciation of others but the unexpressed feeling of bitterness or the smothered resentment that may express itself in a groan or a sigh."187
James forbade this because it involves improper judging (cf. 4:11-12). Judgment will take place soon. This verse is a clear indication that the early Christians expected the Lord Jesus to return imminently.188
"The early Christians' conviction that the parousiawas near', or imminent', meant that they fully believed that it couldtranspire within a very short period of time--not that it hadto."189
"In light of the concept of the imminent coming of Christ and the fact that the New Testament does teach His imminent coming, we can conclude that the Pretribulation Rapture view is the only view of the Rapture of the church that comfortably fits the New Testament teaching of the imminent coming of Christ. It is the only view that can honestly say that Christ could return at any moment, because it alone teaches that Christ will come to rapture the church before the 70th week of Daniel 9 or the Tribulation period begins and that nothing else must happen before His return."190
James pictured Jesus poised at the door of heaven ready to step back onto the stage of human history momentarily. The hope of His imminent (any moment) return should strongly motivate us to live patiently and sacrificially.
