Proper 18 Year B

Proper 18

Proverbs 22.1-2, 8-9, 22-23
James 2.1-10[11-13], 14-17
Mark 7.24-37

James’ comments about faith and works, part of his wide- ranging application of ‘the law of liberty’ (1.25, 2.12), have become famous because of their apparent contradiction of Paul’s insistence on justification by faith alone. Perhaps that’s why his strong emphasis on the ‘no favourites in church’ rule (2.1–7) has so often been ignored; if Luther said James was an epistle of straw, who are we to take him seriously? Thus the entire Wisdom tradition in both Testaments (consider James’ closeness to Proverbs, in both style and content) is often set aside...

Taken from Twelve Months of Sundays Year B by N T Wright