I just began a new expository sermon series on Sunday mornings from the Old Testament book of Joshua, entitled “Acquiring God’s Promise.” But starting this next Sunday, I will begin a new expository series from the New Testament book of James. Ever since I began at Maranatha as Pastor, I’ve preached from the New Testament in the morning service and from the Old Testament in the evening services, with very little exception. However, I felt that it was time to switch this pattern in an effort to help our people gain a better appreciation of the whole counsel of God.
The epistle of James starts out in a very interesting manner. After identifying himself as the author of the letter, James says something intriguing about his station in life. While most people might draw from their lofty qualifications and roles to define themselves, James uses the noblest and highest honor he can bestow upon himself – “bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (NKJ)
Taken by itself, this is a remarkable display of humility and submission. But with an understanding of who James was, it makes an even greater statement. James was the key leader of one of the most significant churches of their day, the church in Jerusalem. It was the site of the so-called “Jerusalem Council” where the Apostles and other prominent church leaders met to discuss the matter of circumcision for Gentile converts. James was the one who makes the final declaration which leads to the inception of the Jerusalem decree, which was included in the canon of Scripture, permitting the Gentiles to be admitted to the church without circumcision. (Acts. 15)
More importantly than that, however, was the fact that James was the half-brother of Christ. James grew up as the brother of Jesus, although he would have been Joseph’s biological son as Jesus was not. But that distinction doesn’t in any way diminish their close relationship as siblings in the same family. They grew up together! They ate together. They traveled together. They shared rooms together. They probably played together. James, as the oldest of Jesus’ half-brothers, would have most likely remembered when Jesus was left behind by his family for days, only to be found in the temple of Jerusalem interacting with the scribes. Although He was the same in many ways, James would have noticed that Jesus was different than other teenagers.
By the time Jesus had begun His earthly ministry, at the approximate age of 30, James and his family were not quite ready to accept everything that He was teaching. We find in various places in the gospels that his family couldn’t understand His claims about Himself. It was in Nazareth, Jesus hometown, where He said that “a prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” (Matt. 13:57) In fact, the people mentioned James and his brothers as condemning evidence of his family origins, and therefore, was pegged as a man without pedigree. At one time, James and his brothers were even said to not believe in Jesus’ identity and mission. (John 7:5)
But something transforming happened to Jesus’ brother James. He had witnessed the risen Christ! I Corinthians 15 reports that, in the midst of Jesus’ multiple post-resurrection appearances, He had also appeared to James. And from that time James would quickly rise to leadership in the church, earning the reputation as James the Just because of his fervent devotion to righteousness. It was as if he finally understood about his brother’s uniqueness. He put it all together and pledged the remainder of his life to making up for lost time.
He wrote his letter with a renewed perspective of his relationship to Jesus, not as a brother or a colleague in ministry, but as a bondservant. His insight about his own unworthiness is instructive to us. He refuses to acknowledge his family connections because they had become meaningless to him. He knew that his real sense of worth would be found in serving Christ, as a slave serves his master.
According to the historian Josephus, James was martyred for his zeal for Christ in 62 A.D. But not before he left us this tremendous letter about the relationship of faith and works, among other things. I’m looking forward to exploring all the nuances of truth found within the letter. May each of us learn what it means to become the bondservant of the Lord.