Patience For the Parousia

September 14th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

James 5:7-8 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.

The “therefore” in v. 7 draws a conclusion from the previous context in 5:1-6, for James’ context moves from the stingy “rich” back to the “brethren.” Though living presumptuously (4:13-16) and luxuriously (5:5) in this life, some within the church face a not-so-luxurious future on “the day of slaughter” (5:5). James was thus exhorting poorer Christians who were suffering at the hands of the rich to “be patient…until the coming of the Lord” (5:7). In the larger context, James addresses how believers can do right in a world that does them wrong.

The Lord’s “coming” (Gr. parousia), or advent (Matt. 24:27; 1 Cor. 15:23; 1 Thess. 3:13; 2 Thess. 2:1; 2 Pet. 3:12; 1 John 2:28), concerns His “presence” (1 Cor. 16:17; 2 Cor. 10:10; Phil. 2:12)—the hope of the Church for 2,000 years. Though Christ’s parousia is certain, its time is unknown (Mark 13:32). What is known is that Christ is not slow about His promise as some count slowness but is patient toward those God chose for salvation. This means that Jesus awaits all those whom God the Father wrote in the Lamb’s Book of Life before the foundation of the world to be born physically then to be born again (2 Pet. 3:9; Rev. 13:8; 17:8; cf. Eph. 1:3-14).

Since the day of Christ’s parousia is both certain and imminent, and since the days leading up to it will be difficult (cf. Phil. 1:29), it is important for God’s people in the midst of persecution to be “patient”—a Greek compound word from macros and thumos (makrothumeō). It literally means “long-anger,” variously translated as “patience,” “perseverance,” and “longsuffering.” In v. 10 James uses the examples of the OT prophets who were patient in the midst of their sufferings along with Job’s successful “endurance” of his trials in v. 11. Therefore, what James is teaching Christians that we must have the same faithful, patient endurance “until” Christ’s coming—when all Christian suffering ends and the difficulties of life are removed forever.

In the latter half of v. 7, James gives an illustration of what patience looks like by using the example of a farmer. In that agrarian society, farmers painstakingly prepared their fields, sowed seeds in the dirt, and then waited patiently for the October-November rains. This allowed their seeds to germinate until the March-April rains that allowed the seeds to take root and grow. During those times, however, farmers were absolutely dependent on God to provide, patiently waiting for Him to act as their Law also taught: “…that [God] will give the rain for your land in its season, the early and late rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil” (Deut. 11:14). In fact, as Douglas Moo notes, “Every reference to ‘early and later rains’ in the OT occurs in a context affirming the faithfulness of the Lord (Deut. 11:14; Jer. 5:24; Hos. 6:3; Joel 2:23; Zech. 10:1).”

Food For Thought
As a farmer patiently waits for nature and for God to work through their diligence and obedience, so too does James encourage all Christians to patiently endure that which is put before us, whether sickness, persecution, loss of job, the threat of death, or the rains for our much-needed crops. With the coming of Christ in view and its certainty, we as Christians can look past our worries and struggles, knowing that our trials are temporary. In light of eternity, they are like a drop in a bucket. The nearness of Christ’s coming—the very prospect of His future presence, is enough to calm all our fears, quiet all of our doubts, and heal all of our wounds. If only we would turn our attention to Jesus Christ and His imminent return. Since that could happen at any time, let us pray, “Oh Lord, may your Kingdom come!