James, Brother Of The Lord Jesus

by WEBSTER, D.J. | Category: Builders For God | Apr 2008

It must have been hard growing up with an older brother who never did, or said, anything wrong! Maybe that was what turned James – and his other brothers and sisters – against Jesus so that we read ‘... even his own brothers did not believe in him’ (John 7:5). Those of us brought up in a Christian home can sometimes fail to see the blessings of that environment, but can easily list the difficulties and it can be the same if we have been introduced to the house of God at an early age. James messed up his time in a God-honouring home but, later, made sure that he and others understood the significance of living in the Kingdom of God and it was in that way that he became a great builder for God.

Maybe James gives us a clue to the great turn-around in his life when he writes, ‘My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ ...’ (Jas. 2:1). Glorious because of the resurrection, for not only had James, obviously, heard about it, but the risen Jesus made a special appearance to James as he did to Peter and, later, to Paul, too (1 Cor. 15:7). It seems that the Lord Jesus only appeared to those who believed – so the reality of who Jesus really was must have already been dawning on James for the Lord to make that special visit to see him.

Unlike Bezalel and Oholiab who physically constructed sacred objects for the tabernacle, or David who amassed a fortune to pay for the temple, or Solomon who arranged the building of his great temple, or Zerubbabel who started again in 535 BC, James is not linked with any physical building. You can't go to the site of James' temple and there's no heritage plaque commemorating his architectural skills! So, in what way was James a builder for God?

Building by leading

James has traditionally been recognised as a leader of the Jerusalem church. When Peter was released from prison by an angel of the Lord and interrupted the prayer meeting with the answer to their prayers in person, he ‘... motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell James and the brothers about this," he said, and then he left for another place’ (Acts 12:17). After his amazing conversion Paul went to Jerusalem to speak to Peter and James (Gal. 1:18-19), and it was in this leadership role that James' God-given skills were to be harnessed in God's building project: redeemed people gathered together in churches of God forming the house of God following the pattern as Moses did, using the gifts God gave them as Bezalel and Oholiab did, giving to God as David did and seeking to build to God's glory as Solomon and Zerubbabel did.

The blueprint for this spiritual building project had been given by the Lord Jesus to His disciples in the days following His resurrection and they, in turn, preached it and passed it on to others (Acts 1:3). It went from Jerusalem to Judea and then on to Samaria. That posed the first difficulty – was the gospel open to people who were not Jewish? The Lord's clear answer was, "Yes," of course. That meant bringing in people who had never been familiar with the Scriptures and the Jewish law. What about circumcision? The food laws? Should they learn to keep the Sabbath? There was a split in the making because ‘some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved"’ (Acts 15:1). Paul and Barnabas were the workers on the ground and they did not agree with them. Some might have been happy for there to emerge a Jewish church and a Gentile church with key differences in teaching and practice. But the house of God is meant to be ‘the pillar and foundation of the truth’ not an umbrella organisation for diverse attitudes! (1 Tim. 3:15) Elders are to rule as a united body and, as James' brother Jude puts it, disciples are ‘to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints’ (Jude 1:3). James was able to draw on Peter's experiences and his own knowledge of the Scriptures and the Spirit of God used him to move God's project forward and prevent a major split.

Building by standing

Paul writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit referred to James as one of the 'pillars' of the early churches of God (Gal. 2:9). A pillar is an upright supporting post. It is a great privilege and responsibility to be one of those in God's house which is, itself, ‘the pillar and foundation of the truth’. James taught that patience in the face of suffering and perseverance in the face of life's trials are ways we can stand pillar-like: ‘You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near’ (Jas. 5:8).The return of the Lord Jesus and the promise of the crown of life are incentives enough to keep on keeping on! (Jas. 1:12; 5:7-9)

James believed in unity in diversity; not as some would proclaim today in which truth and error come together but in a very real practical way. James, Peter and John agreed that Paul and Barnabas should work with the Gentiles while they should focus on the Jews (Gal. 2:9). Paul's recollection of the Jerusalem Conference of Acts 15 is not of schism or compromise but of standing firm for the faith. James in summing up recognised that God had ‘"at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself,"’ and then he quoted Amos in support (Acts 15:14). Even though he himself felt called to minister to fellow Jews he recognised the place for the Gentile believers as fellow disciples and that they should not make it difficult for them to be part of God's spiritual house.

Building by teaching

James recognised the value of teaching! Let's beware of the current notion that everyone is entitled to his opinion! In God's kingdom we are built up as we learn, and we learn when we present ourselves for teaching. The important issues for James were intensely practical ones – the nature of temptation and its source. ‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds’, would make them think hard! (Jas. 1:2) He pointed them to the Word of God not to his own ideas: ‘Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says’ (Jas. 1:22). He warned about the dangers of the tongue, false wisdom and evil desires. He was concerned about brothers and sisters falling out, the future and how to face it and the dangers of wealth. He has teaching on patience, prayer and confession. He felt so strongly about these things that he wrote his letter, which became part of the inspired Scriptures.

These first century issues are, of course, also twenty-first century issues. We need to know what to do in the face of 'trials of many kinds' or our lives of service may be derailed. We need to know what God expects from us; James was promoting an anti-discrimination policy centuries before it became part of our normal expectations. We can identify with the strong warnings about what we say. Only God knows how many lives have been ruined by slander, gossip or careless talk. Let's not do it! We need to know the difference between what our society (James, like John, calls it ‘the world’) regards as wise and what God's wisdom is like. Am I a peacemaker or a trouble maker? We certainly need to hear warnings about the danger of amassing wealth and living in luxury and self-indulgence while ignoring the injustice all around us. And we need to remember that ‘the Lord's coming is near’ (Jas. 5:8) – keeping that in mind will focus our minds on what we are building and sharpen ideas as to life's priorities. James' final word in building for God is what to do about those who have fallen down. Do we want them back? Do we just leave them to go their own way? ‘My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins’ (Jas. 5:19-20).

Bible quotations are from NIV

For further study:

1. In what way do the events of Acts 15, under James' Spirit-led leadership, fill out the pattern of God's New Testament house?

2. Which of the practical issues featured in the letter by James are of major importance in church life today?

WEBSTER, D.J. | Apr 2008
Builders For God