“Isn’t this the carpenter?  Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon?  Aren’t his sisters here with us?”  Mark 6:3.

 Let’s take a break from the Coronavirus that is ravaging our world today and focus on a different topic.  The name “James” has been popping up in my Bible study and I thought it would be good to do a “word study” on him.  In Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3, we see the Lord had siblings, at least 4 other brothers and several sisters.  I wonder what it was like growing up in a home where the oldest brother NEVER did anything wrong!  Since Jesus didn’t have the sin nature that His siblings had, he was always the perfect son.  I wonder if Mary ever said to her other children, “Why can’t you be like Jesus?”  I also wonder if James watched his older brother and eventually Jesus life and example came to fruition in later years.

It doesn’t appear that James believed Jesus was the Messiah until after the resurrection. John 7:5 states:  “his brothers did not believe in him.”  But, in Acts 1:14, when the apostles and “Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers,” got together to pick an apostle to take the place of Judas Iscariot, Jesus’ brothers were in attendance.

James soon became a leader in the early church in Jerusalem.  When Peter was imprisoned in Acts 12:1-17, the church prayed earnestly that he would be released.  James, the brother of John had been put to death by the sword and the church feared Peter would suffer the same fate.  But Peter having miraculously escaped from prison and fleeing Herod Agrippa’s persecution, asked the praying believers, “Tell James and the brothers about this…”  In 1 Corinthians 15:7, Paul gives an account of the Resurrection and mentions, (Jesus) “appeared to James, then to all the apostles and last of all to me, also.”  Paul also speaks about a visit with James in Jerusalem.  He saw Peter and “none of the other apostles – only James, the Lord’s brother,” Galatians 1:19.  In Galatians 2:9, James was described as a “pillar,” giving the “right hand of fellowship” to the missionary journey of Paul and Barnabus.  He along with Peter shepherded the church.

James was also the main spokesman at the Council of Jerusalem, Acts 15:13-21.  It was his judgment that the gentiles who were turning to God should “abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from meat of strangled animals and from blood.” After this, there is only one more mention of James in Acts, meeting with Paul shortly before Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem: “And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.  And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.” Acts 21:17-18

James remained prominent in the Church for 30 years until his death around AD 62.  Historians say James was called “James the Just” because of his righteous life.  The book of James is considered the “Proverbs of the New Testament.” He was respected by all the sects of Judaism giving witness that Jesus was the Savior.  There are different accounts of his martyrdom, but all historians agree he was stoned to death by an angry crowd led by the Pharisees and the Chief Priest Ananas.  In AD 66, the Romans invaded Israel and besieged Jerusalem.  The events were so closely related in time, that the more sensible of the Jews were of the opinion that the death of James the Just was the cause of the siege and ultimate destruction of the Temple.  They failed to admit that the crucifixion of Jesus was the reason the Temple was destroyed!  We have a “new and living way opened for us.”  “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith,” Hebrews 10:22.

 Your friend, Jean