Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
A New Commentary on James 1:23-25
“Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?”
-Snow White by the Brothers Grimm
The famous, and more recently notorious, story of Snow White features an evil Queen misusing a mirror. With her famous question, she uses her magic mirror to force reality to conform to her desires. When she learns that she is only second fairest she sets out to get rid of Snow White, who is first. Such misuse, quite common in our day, reverses the whole point of looking into a mirror. At least that is Seneca’s (c. 4 BC – AD 65) view.
“Mirrors were invented in order that man may know himself,” he wrote. Looking into a mirror was not part of a plan to fulfill our desires but an opportunity to look at ourselves beyond our desires to see what is really there.
Seneca’s focus was less about looks than character. Plutarch (c. AD 40 – 120s) agreed. As he put it, if an ill-favored person looks in a mirror they should ask “What if I am not virtuous?” But a beautiful person should ask, “What I am not virtuous as well?” It is better, he concluded, to be loved for character rather than beauty.
Bias of Prienne from the 6th century BC added that we should focus, not just on character, but on our deeds in the mirror so we can “adorn the noble ones and cover over those that are shameful.” James agrees with the Roman philosophers of his day.
Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
-James 1:23-24
What is “the word” that enables us to see ourselves accurately? A good place to begin is the biblical book of Proverbs. In the next two posts I will offer a self test for those of us with the courage to reflect on our character as reflected in our daily actions. Next week we will begin with the toughest challenge: comparing and contrasting ourselves to the proverbial fool. Then, the following week we will look at the wise person of Proverbs before, in the fourth post, concluding with action steps we can take to move further from the fool and closer to the wise.
This journey will help us take some key steps toward making good happen. I am looking forward to walking it with you!
