JAMES 1:22-25

I have read this passage many times in the past, but have lately had a sneaking suspicion that perhaps there is more to it than I had first thought. That is especially likely since it is a short parable, and biblical parables always contain more than meets the eye. So I decided to see what scholars had to say on the subject, taking each aspect of the passage one at a time.

“word”

The immediate context begins with James 1:22 – “Be doers of the word, and not only hearers who deceive yourself.” Scot McKnight explains that what follows is basically an expansion of this verse in the following manner:

    A. “Be doers of the word, and not only hearers (1:22a)

        B. deceiving yourself (1:22b)

    A'. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, (1:23a)

        B'. he is like [the following parable].” (1:23b-24)

Since the parable which follows is an example of what James means in terms of our treatment of “the word,” we need to first understand what this word refers to. And there is no 100% agreement among commentators on this point.

“James...despite his knowledge of Jewish tradition, probably refers in the first place to the teaching of Jesus...for it is the word, the gospel message, one is to do, not the law.” (Davids) Hendricksen agrees that it is the hearing of the gospel being preached which is the reference here.

Adamson, however, defines “the word” as “the law.”

“It is the Word of God that supplies wisdom for life, and the person who looks into that Word is warned not to go away unchanged.” (D.H. Johnson)

The landed rich “are foolish to look in the 'mirror' (=biblical law) and then turn away from it without any further reflection of their own frailty.” (Wall)

Finally, Luke Johnson wisely cautions that “too great a distinction should not be made between Gospel, Torah and the word of creation, since for James they all represent gifts of God.”

“natural face”

“The phrase tes geneseos autou is literally 'of his origin,' which here probably means 'of his birth' = 'natural'...The point of contrast is to the fact presented by the perfect law [v. 25].” (L. Johnson)

Another commentator notes: “The face that a man sees as he looks into a mirror is his own face; but it is never quite the same from day to day. For though it is always his natural face, the face with which he was born, it is constantly being changed as it reflects the circumstances of his life.”

Adamson translates it as the face of “mortal, physical birth (created being).”

“His 'natural face' is the rendering of the difficult expression 'the face of his genesis'. Of the various possible translations of this word the best seems to be 'birth.' 'The face of his birth' must then mean 'the face he has had all the time', i.e. his own.” (Ward)

Ellul: “In the mirror we see an image of ourselves, of our natural face: we see our reality...One learns the truth of his being, which only God knows in its ultimate objectivity, and which only God loves in its unique particularity. In the Word God speaks about someone; the person sees himself in his abject need and utter vanity. But because of God's word to him, he now sees the new countenance that is given him: the countenance of life.”

Ward: “the word is compared to a mirror, for it shows a man to himself as he is and the sight is not pleasing.” Tasker, thus, says that it is often a “countenance of the ravages being wrought by sin, sickness, anxiety, or the inevitable passage of time.”

Guhrt: “The Greek literally translates as 'the face of his created life (or natural being).”

McKnight presents two possible understandings of this phrase:

    1. a reference back to the man made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27), or

    2. the moral view referring to human sinful nature.

“mirror”

This is one of three times that the word appears in the New Testament. The poor quality of ancient mirrors is used in I Corinthians 13:12 as an example of our present incomplete knowledge of God's truth. McKnight contrasts this usage with that in James in stating that “here James is speaking of knowledge as such and not self-evaluation.” The last usage is found in II Corinthians 3:18 where the verb form is given as an example of how we, through our lives, reflect, albeit imperfectly, the image of Christ to others.

Davids points out that “as mirrors of polished copper or bronze (less often silver) were typical toilet articles, they formed useful items for illustrations for all teachers.”

Johnson adds that “the fact that the mirror provided a reflection of the self obviously gave it metaphorical potential...the mirror is used in paraenetic [i.e. relating to moral or ethical instruction] literature for the image of 'moral self-examination / reflection.'” He also notes, “Having so briefly sketched the metaphor of the mirror, James leaves it. But not entirely. Three times he will return to the image, as he presents models from Torah for his readers to imitate [in 2:20-26; 5:10-11; and 5:16-18].”

Similarly, The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery says, “James also uses an ancient metaphor of the mirror as self-improvement, based on moral examples reflected to us for imitation. “

“Mirrors are part of life. But the repeated returns to the mirror establish the point that our memories are like sieves.” (Hendricksen)

“look”

There are two different Greek verbs for “look” utilized in this passage: katanoeo in verses 23 and 24 and parakupto in verse 25. Vine defines katanoeo as “the action of the mind in apprehending certain facts about a thing: to consider, discover, perceive. Harder explains that it is a strengthened form of noeo, meaning to perceive, and it means “to direct one's mind and interest towards something, to notice and perceive it...Lk. 20:23 shows that katanoein includes what goes on behind the scenes.” Philo uses it in the sense of a meditative reflection.

However, in James 1:25 the verb is parakupto, which has the basic meaning of looking down into or at something. The physical picture probably refers to a person looking down into a polished metal plate or bowl resting on a stand in order to see himself.

The question is whether there is any substantial difference in emphasis between the two verbs. The following two commentators feel that there is:

    “To look into the mirror of the Word of God involves an obligation...The intent and sustained look with a ready response is the key to spiritual strength and continued maturity. The word for 'looks intently into' (parakupsas) literally means 'to stoop down' in order to have a good close look.” (Blue)

    “The one, hearing the Word/Law, listens only perfunctorily, with no more effect than a fleeting glance as his face in a mirror; the other, hearing the Word/Law, gives it sustained attention, not only then but throughout life – just as it he were poring over God's design for living and trying to fulfill it in thought, word, and deed.” (Adamson)

Davids denies the above distinction between the two words for “look” and points to several places in the NT where katanoeo means “contemplate or observe carefully” (see Matthew 7:23; Luke 12:27; 20:3). The word definitions given by Vine and Harder above would seem to confirm Davids' contention. Other commentators make the identical point in different ways. They show that it is not the verb meaning by itself that is determinative, but the verb tense and modifying words that need to be taken into account also.

McKnight: “'Look at themselves' (present tense) does not mean staring for a long time. The point is not how long or when but the kind of action the author chooses to depict: it is depicted as uncompleted or 'imperfect'...There could be a contrast in verbs between 1:23 ('look at,' katanoeo in the present tense) and 1:24 ('look at,' katanoeo in the aorist tense)” but McKnight doubts that is the case.

Luke Johnson: “The verb katanoein can mean either 'to perceive'...or to 'apprehend/understand.' In the present case, the repetition of the verb with 'leaving and immediately forgetting' (1:24) obviously puts the stress on the sensory and transitory character of the glance: hence, 'noticing'...The perfect tense emphasizes the suddenness of his action: 'just a glance and he is off.' Everything in the description stresses haste and casualness...The euthus ('immediately') further stresses the haste of glance and departure.”

Overall Meaning

Putting all of the above together, all of the commentators reach basically the same conclusion from this passage:

“The language recognizes that the Word addresses the individual and he knows that it does. But the mere hearer gives himself a glance and hurries off; and away from the mirror he at once forgets what he saw – though his face was dirty (cf. v. 21). He does not receive the Word and act on it.” (Ward)

“He hears the gospel preached, makes minor adjustments, and goes his own way. But the gospel is unable to penetrate his heart and cannot change the internal disposition of man. The mirror is an object used to alter a man's external appearance; the Word, however, confronts man internally and demands a response.” (Hendricksen)

“The point is that the impression is only momentary: the look in the mirror while combing one's hair may be temporarily absorbing, but it normally bears no practical results when one engages in the business of the day. It is useless. The momentariness and lack of real effect is the point of the parable, not a comparison with a different type of mirror or a different way of seeing.” (Davids)

“To simply hear the word and not do it is like those looking in a mirror (moral example) who quickly forget what they saw when they walk away from it (do not imitate). Perseverance in the perfect law of liberty (moral example) is required in order to be hearers who do not forget but act.” (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery)

“The contrast appears to be a simple one. On the one hand is the careless man who looks at his natural face in a mirror...His face may be soiled, careworn or wrinkled, but he goes away, and becoming absorbed in other matters, soon forgets. On the other hand is the earnest man who 'looks closely' into the divine mirror, and instead of going away 'lives in its company' (cf. Ps. 1:2) and, instead of forgetting, 'acts upon it' (NEB). He is the man who will receive the blessing.” (Carson)