Henry Krabbendam - James - World Evangelical Alliance

of the “lustful desire,” the “passionate lust,” that is “hell-bent” for pleasure,
hedone (Jam. 4:1) stands for this pleasure itself, which is derived from the
lustful desire. In fact, it is the lust realized, or actualized in pleasure (Zodhiates,
II, 224). It is the desire coming into its satisfied own (Tasker, 83).
In other words, the self-indulging pleasures that lurk in “our members”
lay the foundation and produce the conditions for conflict and war, which are
inevitable as long as these pleasures are allowed to dominate, and remain in
control. Anyone, who stands in the way, turns into the occasion of conflict
and war. As such each “occasion” becomes a target that must be overwhelmed,
conquered, occupied, removed or annihilated in order for those
pleasures to be obtained and enjoyed. At the same time, the “passionate lust”
for pleasure furnishes the impetus and provides the fuel, which keeps the war
machine going at times through the bitterest of combats and with a view to
the most self-gratifying of ends. It overrides everything, allows nothing stand
in its way, and is ruthless in its aim to gain the desired satisfaction. Incidentally,
the plural indicates that no one is immune to this process. In fact, it implies
that, to James, it is standard procedure in all members of the covenant
community (See Burdick, 192). Since James addresses “the twelve tribes in
the diaspora” as a designation of the Church universal, and does not attach a
terminus ad quem, a time limit, on his message, we cannot but conclude that
he eyes a perennial problem, from which no historical segment of the Church
is exempt. So the probing question in (self-) examination for everyone who is
en route to perfection, is not whether this is the case, but where to locate the
diagnosed problem, in order to deal with it on the spot! To be point blank,
this also applies to the writer and readers of this Commentary!
Regrettably, it is possible to add a grim dimension to this already sobering
scenario, and so to up the ante considerably. The seemingly omnipresent
and perennial pursuit on the part of all human beings, including Christians, of
happiness, whether in the form of “additional space,” “more time,” “better
pay,” “improved health,” “increased strength,” “quickened recognition,” etc.,
legitimate as all this may seem on the surface, may very well be indicative of
the lustful impulse of self-seeking pleasures that James condemns in this
context (Turner, 88). Ironically, however, the enjoyment of such pleasures
does not provide lasting contentment, but is the platform and paves the way
for the continuing pursuit (at least) to retain the level of enjoyment that has
been achieved, usually at too high a price. In fact, it is frequently the impetus
behind an even more intense pursuit to increase the level of enjoyment.
James 5:1-10 paints this picture in living color. It is all part of a selfindulgent
culture that refuses to major in biblical self-denial in the one-andmany
spheres and equally to display biblical sacrifice and submission in the
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