James - Hope in Action

We began to read through the New Testament with Peter, who on the Day of Pentecost, was the first to proclaim the Good News on the Streets of Jerusalem. We reflected on his passionate conviction that hope is what the Christian faith is all about in the letters he shared with the world-wide church in his later years.

We went on to take a look at the Gospel According to St Mark, an action packed Gospel, in which Peter doesn’t always appear in a good light, that from as early as the second century has been linked with Peter and more recently has been regarded as the earliest of the Gospels.


The Church in Jerusalem

Let’s go back to join Peter on that day of Pentecost and stay for a moment with the church in Jerusalem. On that Day of Pentecost we are told that the very first disciples of Jesus were joined by 3000 more who became followers of Jesus. Peter and John and the other followers of Jesus continued to value the prayers and worship they shared with others in the Temple.

At the same time they met in each other’s homes and “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” One of those homes belonged to John Mark’s mother. It was there many met to pray when Peter was imprisoned.

That Jerusalem based church faced difficulties as from the very beginning of Paul’s mission work to its very end they experienced times when food was scarce. There were divisions as they neglected to care for those who were widows adequately and divisions occurred between those with Jewish roots and those with Greek roots. They also face times of persecution and Stephen becomes the first Martyr. Shortly before the last imprisonment of Peter that is recorded in Acts 12 James, the brother of John, and one of the twelve was executed.


Pillars of the Church in Jerusalem

Tradition has it that another James became the leader of the church in Jerusalem. James the brother of John dies at Acts 12:2. By Acts 12:17 Peter wants the church gathered together in John Mark’s mother’s house to go and tell about his release to “James and to the believers.”

That other James figures large in the discussions about the equal terms that people with Jewish roots and Gentile roots should enjoy in the church family in Acts 15. It is this other James who sums up the views of the gathering of the church in Jerusalem in Acts 15:13.

In Galatians 2:9 Paul speaks of a ‘James’ as one of the three ‘pillars of the church’ in Jerusalem on one of his very first visits to the Jerusalem church.

This is an important passage for us in a Congregational church as it is one we use to model our welcome of people into church membership.

Paul, earlier known as Saul, had been very involved in the persecution of the Christian community in Jerusalem. It’s no wonder that as he writes in his letter to the Galatians they are dubious about welcoming him. The three leaders of the church, described here by Paul as pillars of the church, James, Cephas (another name for Peter) and John, ‘recognised the grace that had been given to Paul’, and then gave to Barnabas and to Paul the right hand of fellowship. James, Cephas and John then agreed with Barnabas and paul that they should go to the Gentiles, while Peter and the other focused on those with Jewish roots in Jerusalem. The one thing they were all to do was to remember the poor. See Galatians 2:9-10

In Baptism we celebrate the wonderful gift of grace, that free gift of God’s love that is given to us before ever we know anything about it. For the free gift of God’s grace in jesus Christ to make a difference to us we need to make it our own, and that grace will then be seen in our lives.

At the point when the infant grows up and begins making decisions for themselves we ‘confirm’ as it were the gift of grace that is at work within them. We get to know that young person and as we recognise the grace at work within them we welcome them into the church family as we ‘extend the right hand of fellowship to them’.

Other who have made their profession of faith before we welcome by a renewal of that commitment … again it is as we see the grace of God at work that we extend the right hand of fellowship and welcome them into the church family They will have a job to do … and a commitment to the poor. The Gospel imperative!


So who is this James?

Paul gives us a clue earlier in Galatians 1 verse 19. He tells us that he did not see any other apostle except James, the Lord’s brother.

That’s interesting.

Is the James who is one of the pillars of the church in Jerusalem, a brother to Jesus?

Jesus’ brothers are first mentioned in Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:55. On his travels Jesus has returned to his home town where he teaches in the Synagogue much to the amazement of his friends and neighbours … “Is not this the carpenter,” they said, “the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.”


Brothers fall out!

It wasn’t just the townspeople of Nazareth who took offence at Jesus. What’s fascinating is that all the references to Jesus’ brothers and his family prior to the crucifixion suggest that his brothers didn’t take to him either!

After calling together the twelve disciples in Mark 4:13ff he went home. The crowd came together to such an extent that they couldn’t eat. “When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him …”

Luke tells us that on one occasion when Jesus was teaching in parables, indeed, telling the story of the Sower and the Seeds, his mother and his brother came to him (Luke 8:19), but they could not reach him because of the crowd. Jesus was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” You might have thought Jesus would have been delighted and welcoming towards them. Not a bit of it. His response was quite unexpected, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

That’s quite something.

No wonder his brothers didn’t get on too well with Jesus!

Matthew’s account of what probably was the same incident is even more telling, disturbing and challenging …

Matthew 12:46-50 While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." 48 But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49 And pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

The most remarkable reference of all, however, comes in John 7 verse 5. John seems to draw on an independent strand of tradition in telling the story of Jesus. And yet the picture he draws is of the same person and the same kind of circumstances.

John is describing a visit Jesus made to Jerusalem at one of the great Jewish festivals. He is teaching at some length. His brothers seem to miss the point of what he is saying. John then explains why!

John 7:5 5 (For not even his brothers believed in him.)


Something remarkable happens to change everything!

Something happens to James, Joses, Judas and Simon, all the brothers of Jesus. It seems to happen around the resurrection.

By the time we reach Acts 1:14 a very different picture emerges.

The period of Jesus’ actual resurrection appearances is over. He has gone once more to be with his Father in heaven. The disciples return to Jerusalem and to the upper room where Jesus had appeared to them first on the day of Resurrection.

Acts 1:14 All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.

That’s telling. By now the brothers of Jesus are part of that circle of his closest friends, followers and disciples.

What has happened?

For a clue we have to return to what some suggest is actually the first written account of the Resurection in the New Testament. It is not in the Gospels, but in the first of the letters Paul wrote to the Christian community in Corinth.

It’s a wonderful passage worth quoting at length.

1 Corinthians 15:1-8 Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, 2 through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you-- unless you have come to believe in vain. 3 For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

The James Paul refers to here does not sound like the James who was one of the 12 whose execution is described in Acts 12. Much more likely he is the James who is the brother of the Lord.

This is the James Paul goes on to recognize as one of the Pillars of the Church in Jerusalem.

And it is this James who crops up at the end of the New Testament.


The Letter of James

James 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.

Tradition has it that James is written by this pillar of the Jerusalem church, the brother of Jesus. Who knows?

Look at the letter of James and something strikes you about it.

There’s no theory about who Jesus is. Indeed Jesus is not mentioned in the Letter at all explicitly. That prompted Martin Luther to relegate James to a second tier of New Testament books and describe it as ‘a right strawy epistle’!

But while no mention is made of Jesus the whole letter is shot through with the teaching of Jesus. The practical teaching of Jesus at that.

It is possible to detect parallels between James and the Sermon on the Mount in particular.

It is here more than anywhere else in the New Testament that practical Christianity is spelled out.


James and Jesus … the Letter and the Sermon on the Mount

James 1:1-8 speaks of prayer and takes up the invitation of Matthew 6:6 to pray in secret.

James 1:9-18 rejects the pursuit of wealth and echoes Matthew 6:24 where Jesus says quite bluntly ‘You cannot serve God and money’.

James 1:19-27 speaks of the importance of listening, echoing Matthew 7:24 where Jesus likens the person who hears his word and acts on it to the wise man who built his house on the rock.

James 2:1-13 speaks of welcoming all, especially the ‘unlovely’ and putting faith into action, Jesus as Jesus pleads with us in Matthew 5:45-46 not to love only the people who love you.

James 2:14-26 speaks of a 24/7 faith that has to put into action for ‘faith without actions is dead’. Jesus is quite stark when he says that not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do. (Matthew 7:21)

James 3:1-12 puts paid to the false notion that while sticks and stones may break your bones words can never hurt you, reflecting on the fearful damage the tongue can do. What we say counts! And Jesus knew it: “Your light must shine before other people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

James 3:13-18 speaks of the wisdom that comes from humility – he might have been speaking of Jesus: Help the needy, but do it in secret and with humility says Jesus in Matthew 6:3.

James 4:1-10 gives direction to life with the priorities spelled out by Jesus in Matthew 6:33: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”

James 4:11-17 rejects competitiveness and judgemntalism just as Jesus says in Matthew 7:1-2 Do not judge others, so that God will not judge you.” Matthew 7:1-2

James 5:1-6 returns to riches and the love of money as the root of all evil. A theme close to the heart of Jesus who urged us not to store up for ourselves treasures on ear earth where moths and rust destroy and robbers break in and steal. Instead store up riches for yourselves in heaven … for your heart will always be where your riches are. Matthew 6:19-21

James 5:7-11 Though important, patience cannot be used as an excuse for inaction. How important patience is …”Do not worry about tomorrow: it will have enough worries of its own,” says Jesus in Matthew 6:34.

James 5:12-20 All of this has to do with our health and well being as Matthew says in 6:22-23 The eyes are like a lamp for the body. If your eyes are sound, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eyes are no good your body will be in darkness. So if the light in you is darkness, how terribly dark it will be! (Matthew 6:22-23) and how vital the healing and wholeness so dear to the heart of James!

Whether or not you accept those ancient traditions about the identity of James as the brother of Jesus, here in this down to earth, practical letter we touch the essence of Jesus’ teaching.

The hope at the heart of the Christian faith comes as we put our faith into action. And James should know – it took a long time to come round but in meeting the risen Christ his life was changed and he became a wonderful follower of his brother and Lord, Jesus.

Incidentally, the letter of Jude is linked with another of those brothers of Jesus too!


James – Hope through Actions

I write, not as a leader but as a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. When you feel the world’s against you, keep true to your faith. Pray for wisdom from God so that you can know what is the right thing to do. It’s no good simply listening to fine readings of God’s word … and then doing nothing about it. Act on what you hear. Real religion is about caring for the weakest and the most vulnerable in society. Don’t give pride of place to the great and the good: God’s chosen the world’s poor to be the heirs of the kingdom! So, line yourselves up with the poor.

If you see someone in need and you do nothing about it what good is that? Faith, by itself, if it has no works is dead. Faith needs to be put into action!

Watch your words! Unkind words can do immense harm! Guard your thoughts. Don’t give house-room to envy, jealousy, greedy ambition. Cultivate a mind bent on peace, a heart that’s gentle, and a life that bears really good fruit. Away with prejudice and hypocrisy. Stand up and be counted! When necessary stand out from the world and what other people do. But take great care not to be judgmental. The biggest danger you face is your own love of money and your desire to stay in the world’s comfort zone!

Be patient! If anyone is suffering for any reason, remember to pray. It makes all the difference. Get others from church to come and pray with you … more than that, ask them to pray for you. You may even find it helpful to ask them to put a little oil on your forehead as they pray for you – it’s something that in a strange way can be really helpful. Be prepared to acknowledge when you’ve gone wrong. It makes a world of difference to all sorts of relationships if you simply say sorry and start all over again! Learn from each other. And remember … prayer is so very powerful. It makes all the difference! So … pray!