2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
The Lord is directing me to begin a series of devotions on James, the one I call our “parent-apostle.” My reason for tacking on this description to him is that he gives us all kinds of practical advice for how to conduct ourselves as God’s children just as a parent raising a house full of children ordinarily does. I used a small “p” here, because of course we know that God is our real Parent. There is no doubt in my mind that God is speaking to us through James in this book of the NT. What that reveals about James was his willingness to allow this to happen. That is one reason why James, or any other person who allows God to use them to do His work, is a good example for us to follow. I find it quite interesting that the book of James was written before Paul’s Gospel of grace to the Jews. Paul characterized himself as a “bondservant of Christ set apart for the Gospel” in his introduction to Romans. James describes himself as “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The first question that came up in my mind is just who is James? Four men with that same name have been suggested as the author of this book: James, son of Zebedee and brother of John [MT 4: 21]; James, the son of Alphaeus, mentioned in MT 10: 3 as one of the apostles but almost unknown; James, the father of Judas [not Iscariot] mentioned in LK 6: 16 and even more obscure than the last one; James, the half-brother of our Lord Jesus who is mentioned in MT 13: 55 & GA 1: 19. It is this last James that is most surely the actual author of this book. James, the son of Zebedee, was martyred in 44 AD, most probably before this book was written. Both James, son of Alphaeus and James, the father of Judas, were too unknown to be willing to refer to themselves as the author of this book did simply by the name, James. That leaves James, the half-brother of Jesus, who was known to be humble enough not to mention his physical relationship to the Lord and who was a Jewish-Christian who lived an extremely strict lifestyle. This James was the man who presided over the Jerusalem Council and stayed at that city until his death. The historian, Josephus, and church tradition remember James as a man who perfectly fits the profile of a man who would have written a book such as this one. The epistle of James says nothing of the decisions of law made at the Jerusalem Council over which James presided from 48-49 AD. It is widely accepted that this book was written between 45 and 48 AD.
There are parallels between the books of Proverbs and James. Both are full of practical-minded ethics and deal with the issue of what constitutes wisdom. Neither is laid out in a way that there is a clear progression of ideas making it easy to outline. However, some of the greatest common sense available to us can be found in them. It is clear from the style of writing that James was directing this work at believers whom he acknowledged as “brethren.” The letter is addressed to the twelve tribes scattered abroad, Jews in dyaspora. So, the average Christian might ask: Is this meant for us? The answer is found in PHIL 3: 20 and 1 PET 2: 11. PHIL 3: 20, “We, however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven.” 1 PET 2: 11, “I appeal to you my friends, as strangers and refugees in this world! Do not give in to your bodily passions, which are always at war with your soul.” We must also not forget the “grafting in” of Gentiles when they accept Christ spoken of in RO 11. Thus, we can apply this letter to ourselves, even if a believer is not Jewish.
The first section of JAS 1 deals with faith and wisdom. JAS 1: 1-3, “My brothers, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is your ability to endure.” This is the same concept that Paul spoke of in RO 5 3-4, “We also boast of our troubles, because we know that troubles produces endurance, endurance brings God’s approval, and His approval creates hope.” This deals with the test of faith that everyone living in Christ must endure to one extent or another. The values of a believer go against those of the world. Sadly, believers are greatly outnumbered by those in unbelief or those who had not yet come to faith. That forces them to take the narrow gate that Christ spoke of in MT 7: 13-14. As faithful and obedient believers in Christ, we are asked to stretch beyond our ordinary human perspective and see ourselves as citizens of heaven and merely tent-dwellers here on Earth. We share in the hope of the resurrection, which provides sufficient justification for taking this very difficult action.
James makes it clear that we are to be steadfast in our faith. His way of putting this is found in JAS 1: 5-8, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should pray to God, Who will give it to him; because God gives generously and graciously to all. But when you pray, you must believe and not doubt at all. Whoever is driven and blown about by the wind. A person like that, unable to make up his own mind and undecided in all he does, must not think that he will receive anything from the Lord.” We never have to guess at what James’ attitude is. The way to approach God is clear, even if the gate isn’t wide or easy to pass through.
PRAYER: O Lord, James, the parent-apostle, speaks Your words to us in an effort to help us understand Your will. We need to listen to these words, all the while knowing they are stated for our best interest. Because of our limitations, we pray that You will allow us to reach beyond our perspective toward Your own. We need to endure our trials and pain with the dignity and courage of faith which only You can give us. We humbly ask for Your help in not only doing that but in keeping our eyes focused on You while we do it. We thank You for giving us these opportunities to grow in our spiritual maturity and for guiding us through the difficulties we must face. You deserve our praise, adoration, worship, and honor. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, we will take more time to get to know James. In the meanwhile, never forget that it is the Lord Who commissions people including James to deliver His sage advice and counsel to us. It is God, through Christ, Whose primary directive for mankind is develop the heart-attitude and take the action from it necessary to forward the process of sanctification. Even when there is pain and hardship involved, we must keep a more Godly perspective on our situation, so that this can be done. Such a system has been crafted for us by a Lord with unconditional love for His children. Peter and I also send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn