Introduction to James

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Introduction to James
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Who wrote the Epistle of James?

• 4 possibilities
• Luke 616, James, the father of Judas (not
  Iscariot), one of the Apostles.
• James the Less, son of Alpheus, one of Jesus
  Apostles.
• James (the Greater), brother of John and son of
  Zebedee, another of Jesus Apostles.
• James, the brother of Jesus. We can confidently
  say that this is the writer of the book of James.

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James Unique Perspective

• As Jesus half brother, and probably the one
  nearest the age of Jesus, James would have had
  the same experiences as our Lord did as a child.
• Matt 13 55  Is this not the carpenter's son? Is
  not His mother called Mary? And His brothers
  James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? 56  And His
  sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did
  this man get all these things?

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James Unique Perspective

• Jesus eventually left to begin his ministry. He
  was teaching, preaching, healing, and appointing
  Apostles.
• His family must have thought he had gone nuts!
• Mark 321  But when His own people heard about
  this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they
  said, He is out of His mind.
• Mark 331  Then His brothers and His mother came,
  and standing outside they sent to Him, calling
  Him. 32  And a multitude was sitting around Him
  and they said to Him, Look, Your mother and Your
  brothers are outside seeking You. 33  But He
  answered them, saying, Who is My mother, or My
  brothers? 34  And He looked around in a circle
  at those who sat about Him, and said, Here are
  My mother and My brothers! 35  For whoever does
  the will of God is My brother and My sister and
  mother.
• How would you have felt (if you were James)?
  Dejected? Shunned? Angry? Disrespected?

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James Unique Perspective

• Eventually, Jesus ministry carried him to
  Nazareth.
• Matt 1354  When He had come to His own country,
  He taught them in their synagogue, so that they
  were astonished and said, Where did this Man get
  this wisdom and these mighty works? 55  Is this
  not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called
  Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and
  Judas? 56  And His sisters, are they not all
  with us? Where then did this Man get all these
  things? 57  So they were offended at Him. But
  Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without
  honor except in his own country and in his own
  house. 58  Now He did not do many mighty works
  there because of their unbelief.
• How would you have felt (if you were James)?
  Offended? Ashamed? Angry?

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James Unique Perspective

• John 7 2  But soon it was time for the Festival
  of Shelters, 3  and Jesus brothers urged him to
  go to Judea for the celebration. Go where your
  followers can see your miracles! they scoffed.
  4  You can't become a public figure if you hide
  like this! If you can do such wonderful things,
  prove it to the world! 5  For even his brothers
  didn't believe in him. (NLT)
• Remember that Jesus did not do miracles in
  Nazareth because of the unbelief of the citizens
  there.
• His siblings my have felt publicly humiliated and
  ashamed at the things Jesus had said. They may
  have been jealous.
• What other reasons can you think of that would
  have led them to disbelieve?

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James Unique Perspective

• John 1926  When Jesus therefore saw His mother,
  and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He
  said to His mother, Woman, behold your son! 27 
  Then He said to the disciple, Behold your
  mother! And from that hour that disciple took
  her to his own home.
• The disciple mentioned was John, the Apostle.
• How disappointing to our Lord, that he could not
  commend his Mothers care to her sons, including
  James.

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James Rise to Prominence

• James conversion is not related in scripture,
  but from later incidents, we know he underwent
  huge changes.
• Acts 112  Then they returned to Jerusalem from
  the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem,
  a Sabbath day's journey. 13  And when they had
  entered, they went up into the upper room where
  they were staying Peter, James, John, and
  Andrew Philip and Thomas Bartholomew and
  Matthew James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the
  Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14  These all
  continued with one accord in prayer and
  supplication, with the women and Mary the mother
  of Jesus, and with His brothers.
• This happened immediately after the Resurrection,
  indicating that Jesus brothers either already
  believed, or were at least there to support Mary,
  their mother.
• Acts 1216  Now Peter continued knocking and
  when they opened the door and saw him, they were
  astonished. 17  But motioning to them with his
  hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the
  Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he
  said, Go, tell these things to James and to the
  brethren.
• By this time in our story, James had risen to
  prominence in the church at Jerusalem.

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James Rise to Prominence

• Gal 118  Then after three years I went up to
  Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him
  fifteen days. 19  But I saw none of the other
  apostles except James, the Lord's brother.
• The ONE contact (other than Peter) that Paul had
  when first visiting Jerusalem, 3 years after his
  conversion was James!
• Gal 29  and when James, Cephas, and John, who
  seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that
  had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas
  the right hand of fellowship, that we should go
  to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
• James, at this time (14 years after Pauls last
  visit) was a PILLAR of the church at Jerusalem.
• Acts 1513  And after they had become silent,
  James answered, saying, Men and brethren, listen
  to me
• James, in this passage, is one of the chief
  spokesmen at the so-called Jerusalem conference.
• Acts 2117  And when we had come to Jerusalem,
  the brethren received us gladly. 18  On the
  following day Paul went in with us to James, and
  all the elders were present.
• Luke, after Pauls third missionary journey,
  mentions James prominently. Some believe this
  indicates that James was the Bishop of
  Jerusalem. The NT, however, makes no distinction
  between a Bishop and an Elder.

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Later Years

• James came to be known as James the Just
  because of his great piety.
• It is said that he had calluses on his knees from
  spending long hours in prayer.
• History tells us that he was called upon to deny
  Jesus, but that in a loud voice he confessed the
  name of Christ.
• For this, he was thrown from the temple, stoned,
  and beaten with clubs. He died with a prayer on
  his lips.

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Setting for the Epistle

• Place Almost certainly, Jerusalem
• Time Sometime between A.D. 44 and
• A.D. 62. Probably the first NT book.
• Situation Oppressive period under the High
  Priest, Ananias, and the Roman governor, Felix,
  one of the most corrupt men to ever sit on that
  throne. Famine had impoverished this area.
  Things were not good for Jews, especially Jewish
  Christians. Both groups were being oppressed in
  one way or another.

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Opening the Epistle

• Jas 11  James, a bondservant of God and of the
  Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are
  scattered abroad Greetings.
• The word bondservant is the Greek word
  doulos, which means slave.
• James does not refer to his status in Jerusalem.
• The twelve tribes HAD been scattered by the
  Assyrians, Babylonians, to the point that it was
  nearly impossible to even know from which tribe
  most Jews were descended.
• The phrase twelve tribes is used to indicate
  that he is writing to ALL (Christian) Jews.
• All Christians, however, can glean many lessons
  from this treatise on practical Christianity.
• The word greetings can be translated as be
  happy. This is a remarkable thing for James to
  say when the Jewish Christians were being
  oppressed for their Jewishness AND the fact that
  they were Christians.

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Opening the Epistle

• James 12  My brethren, count it all joy when you
  fall into various trials, 3  knowing that the
  testing of your faith produces patience. 4  But
  let patience have its perfect work, that you may
  be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
• James again tells them to be happy, despite their
  trials.
• Why? Because trials lead to patience.
• No pain, no gain. Many things in our lives are
  painful, but enduring them leads, many times, to
  something very desirable. (training in sports,
  studying hard in school, being forced into
  situations where you had to do something you were
  not quite prepared to do)
• Perfect Mature. God wants us to be MATURE
  Christians. Many times we are not patient with
  Christians who have not matured perhaps they
  have not had their faith tested, perhaps they
  have not had opportunity, perhaps nobody has
  brought them along, perhaps they really are to
  blame. We sometimes see Christians who should be
  mature, but who arent. We all are still
  IMMATURE in some ways.

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Thoughts

• What should be our attitude toward various kinds
  of hardships and trials?
• Do the really tough hardships of life (severe
  illness, death of a loved one) help us in our
  maturity process at all?
• Think of some specific examples when you
  underwent a hardship, but ultimately were
  stronger in some way because you endured that
  difficulty.
• Can hardships also strengthen a congregation? A
  community? A nation?