Week 51: James, Day 1

READ
Acts 15:1-21; 21:17-25
Psalm 101

REFLECT 

The General Letter
 James, you say? Which one? Not the son of Zebedee, the older brother of John the Evangelist. Not the son of Alphaeus, James “the less,” one of the 12 disciples. But, yes, “our James” was the son of Joseph and Mary, half-brother of our Lord. Quite clearly, the name James figures prominently in the formative years of the Christian church.
 During the brief years of Jesus’ ministry, “our James” was not a believer (John 7:3-10). But something happened to his heart and mind during the last hours of his Brother’s travail; he overcame his skepticism, and became a believer. We find him post-Ascension, meeting in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost with the other disciples. His participation in the formative years of the Christian movement led to a prominent place of leadership, the undisputed head of the church, and convener of the first Jerusalem Council in AD 44 (Acts 15:13, 19), which led to the acceptance of Gentiles into the Christian community. He died a martyr’s death at the hands of the Jewish priestly authorities in AD 62.
 It will help our understanding of the content of the “General (or catholic) Epistle of James,” to consider the context in which he penned this earliest of letters. James was not a traveler, like Paul; so his communication is not directed either to a person or a location, but “to the twelve tribes who are disbursed abroad.” Initially, this letter was directed to the Jewish Christians living outside Palestine, forced out by persecution, and carried into slavery throughout the Roman Empire – “The Diaspora.” In other words, it’s for everybody who receives it.
 This letter is the most “Jewish” of all the books in the New Testament, probably because James appears to have remained loyal to his orthodox Jewish understanding of the Law. But the wide circulation of this Epistle, and its emphasis on living faithfully the Christian life, contributed greatly to the rapid spread of Christianity through the Roman world.
 The aim of James is clearly an appeal to leave worldliness behind, and press forward to the practical expressions of Christian faith. The letter contains 108 verses; 60 of them are imperatives! Can you get the weight of the message? For new Christians, scattered to the four winds, needing encouragement and counsel, James offers clear instruction about “living out” life in Christ. For most of the listeners, what James provided was not new information, but rather a “wake up” call to translate knowledge into action, and thus give full expression to the godly life.
 In the following days of this week, we will give attention to the multiple dimensions of Christian faith and practice that James wrote about, and which speak today in early twenty-first century, just as they did in the ancient world. Scripture is always current. And especially in this season of Advent, there are pointed instructions about how to express our faith in Christ through right living.

RESPOND
Consider how James progressed from being a non-believing brother of our Lord, to becoming the leader of the Jerusalem community of faith; to writing a letter to a group of Christians about whom he cared deeply and identified with closely; to his desire to provide encouragement for endurance and persistence in their faith life. Each of us needs to hear the word of encouragement. But we can also follow the pattern of James to be the encourager of others in our circles of influence.

PRAY
Lord, in my busy days of this Advent season, let me echo the words of the Psalmist who wrote: “I’m finding my way down the road of right living” (101:2) TM.

- D.E.E.