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James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. (James 1:1 ESV)
Many skeptics question the validity of the Scripture and the truth of the resurrection without any real examination or study. A few years ago I was blessed to lead a series of Sunday School studies in a series I titled: Through the Eyes of the Witnesses. During our study, we looked at the eyewitness, first hand accounts of men like Peter, John, and James. Today as I prepared to lead our high school Sunday School class, I was reminded of James, the Lord’s brother.
Just before I share a few quick thoughts, I wanted to point out just a few ways the Bible is radically different than manmade religious texts. The God-breathed Scriptures do not hide the faults, failures, doubts, or sins of the heroes we meet there. Other religions try to deify the so called messengers and pretend profits of their manmade faith. After the arrest, illegal trial, and crucifixion of Jesus, all His closest disciples thought it was over. They were scared, scattered, and as the Scriptures clearly reveal they didn’t have any hope of ever seeing Jesus again. Thank God for Sunday!
One of the most curious men we meet in Scripture is James, the half-brother of Jesus. Though the Scripture doesn’t explicitly tell us James was among them, the heart of the brothers of Jesus are revealed this way: So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” For not even his brothers believed in him. (John 7:3-5 ESV) Before the resurrection, there was doubt concerning His true identify, power, and work, even among His earthly family.
Try and stop for a moment. James, and the other brothers of Jesus, had the Messiah with them every day for years. They missed it! Proximity to Christ doesn’t guarantee saving faith or transformation. As we think about the unbelief of His brothers, men who themselves were faithful Jews, we have to consider this question: What changed? His brothers seemed to mock Jesus before He was arrested. There is no doubt that His arrest, illegal trial, mocking, torture, and crucifixion did little to alleviate their doubts. If anything, it probably left their hearts cold, grieving, and left them filling a bit justified in their doubt. So… what changed?
It’s imperative that you don’t miss the question or the implications, so let me ask again: How does a man like James the half-brother of Jesus go from mocking and doubting His brother’s true identity, to becoming fully devoted followers of Jesus as Lord, James ultimately giving his life as a martyr for Christ? Notice James 1:1, this epistle was written by the very same James who once doubted Jesus. Recognize the total transformation of heart as He identifies himself not as the half-brother of Jesus but as a dulos of Jesus Christ. The word translated servant (dulos) is the Greek for slave.
I don’t know about you but there is no way in the world I would ever refer to myself as a slave to either of my brothers. I’m sure if James were with us today, he would have admitted the same thing. Perhaps before the resurrection James would have said, “Jesus as my Lord? Yeah, no way that will ever happen.” So, back to the question, what changed?
Paul gives us a little behind the scenes look: For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. (1 Corinthians 15:3-7 ESV)
Did you catch it? Jesus, the half-brother of James, was brutally murdered on a Friday. Even if James didn’t personally witness any of the Passion events himself, he knew his brother was dead. Even in his unbelief, there can be no doubt he grieved for his brother. I can only imagine him trying to comfort his grieving mother as her soul was pierced by the brutal death of her first born. One day passed. Two days passed. The third day came and everything changed. “Then he appeared to James…” shows us the life transforming encounter James had with the One he would lay down his life to serve. What changed? The resurrection.
How in the world can a rag tag band of misfits and rejects go from scared, hiding, and huddled in mass in a locked room to a world shaking army of Saints? By the power and faithfulness of God. The resurrection changed James life. The resurrection has changed my life. By the grace of God, may the resurrection of Jesus Christ change your life! Jesus is alive, the tomb is empty, death, hell, and the grave have been defeated, and because He lives I can face every tomorrow!
