Discovering The Young Church – Chapter 5: James and Jude
Chapter 5. James and Jude
In the city of Sydney there are many people in desperate need who really need care. Henry Lawson, the Australian poet, looking from an office window summed up the situation in this way:
And cause I have to sorrow,
in a land so young and fair
to see upon these faces
stamped the marks of want and care.
I look in vain for traces
of fresh and fair and sweet
in the sallow sunken faces
that go drifting in the street.
Wesley Central Mission, in the centre of Sydney, is one agency that has sought to both worship God and meet these needs. It provides for worship and service to the poor, the unemployed, the homeless, the aged, the drug addict, the orphan and many other needy in the community.
Similarly, the early church was a church that knew how to go out in practical service to people in need. Its members cared for the widows in need. They looked after little children. Orphans were mentioned specifically in the New Testament. They cared for people who were hungry. They gave property, offerings, food and clothing to those who had special needs. Theirs was a practical faith that went up to God in expressions of worship and that went out in care for people right in the heart of their cities.
James, the brother of Jesus
One man who particularly stressed the practical nature of faith was James. He wrote to the young church to encourage people not just to believe but also to serve.
This is not the disciple James who was the son of Zebedee; he is not the other disciple James who was the son of Alphaeus; he is not the James who was the father of Judas (not Iscariot); but he was probably James the natural brother of Jesus.
Jude describes himself as a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James. 1 He may have been a brother of Jesus: such a brother is named. 2 We know nothing about Jude’s ministry and his letter is too general to give us details about where it was written or to whom it was written.
(a) The brother
The other children were always with Mary as a natural family would be. 3 The family did not believe that Jesus was God’s Son at first and they did not follow him. 4 However, the elder brother James witnessed the resurrected Jesus and that changed his whole life. 5 He became a leader in the church, particularly in Jerusalem. 6
Each of the Gospels mentions James as the first of Jesus’ four brothers and presumably the eldest. These younger men are described as our Lord’s brothers, an interesting word that describes the special relationship these other members of the family of Jesus had with him and which promoted them into the leadership of the early church after they came to faith. 7
Many do not accept that these are brothers of Jesus in the natural sense, but are only ‘cousins – and the word ’brother ’ which usually used in the normal sense can occasionally refer to a cousin or a member of the same clan or fellowship group. Others describe them as ‘half brothers’, children of Joseph by a previous marriage. St Jerome, in AD 383, developed a doctrine supporting the perpetual virginity of Mary. To him it was important that Mary had no more children, so these previously-mentioned brothers were treated as cousins. But Matthew says clearly:
Jesus taught in the synagogue and those who heard him were amazed ‘Where did he get such wisdom?’ they asked. ‘And what about his miracles? Isn’t he the carpenter’s son? Isn’t Mary his mother? And aren’t James, Joseph, Simon and Judas his brothers? Aren’t all his sisters living here? Where did he get all this?’ And so they rejected him. 8
We know something about this James. While Jesus was working in Nazareth as a carpenter, James decided to study for the priesthood. He went away to Jerusalem and learnt all the intricacies of the Old Testament and the Jewish faith. An ancient tradition has it that he used to spend long hours in prayer, so long, in fact, that the skin on this knees became really calloused from kneeling down for so many hours every day, giving rise to an early nickname: ‘Camel Knees’.
(b) The church leader
The training James received as a priest meant that the young church had within its key leadership someone with professional training and education.
The other apostles – Peter, Matthew, John, Philip, Andrew and others – went to different parts of the world preaching the gospel as overseas missionaries. Someone had to stay at home and care for the young church, and that was James the brother of Jesus. Clement of Alexandria, an early church leader, indicates that James was chosen for the leadership of the church in Jerusalem by Peter and John, and Jerome states that he was chosen by the apostles as the first bishop of Jerusalem.
James was a traditional Jew. He wrote the phylacteries around his head and bound them on his forearm. He wore a prayer shawl over his head and shoulders. The early Christian writers indicate that he was conservative and not too keen on the gospel being taken to the Gentiles. Only through the argument of Paul and Peter was he eventually convinced. He had a concern about the question of circumcision and he was the chairman of the Council of Jerusalem which discussed the question of circumcising the Gentiles.
(c) The martyr
James was stoned to death in AD 62. There was conflict between the Christian leaders and the Jewish leaders at the instigation of the High Priest Ananius, son of Annas, who took part in the trial of Jesus.
The Roman procurator Festus had died, and during the time before the arrival of the new procurator, Albinus, the opportunity was taken to get rid of some of the leaders of the early church. King Agrippa II, however, believed this would cause trouble with the new procurator and deposed Ananius.
The death of James caused many Christians in Jerusalem to be afraid and many fled to Pella, Egypt and the area around Ephesus.
(d) The author
Some scholars have accepted the Epistle of James as being written by others and named in honour of James, but everything in the epistle is consistent with what we know of James, and his early training and scholarship certainly prepared him for his leadership task and for writing the epistle. As he did not travel like Paul, a general letter such as we have would be expected.
The form of the letter is quite distinct from that of other New Testament letters, especially those of Paul. There is no situational immediacy for the writing of the letter. It is similar to other first century exhortatory letters and to the book of Proverbs.
The teaching of James
This letter was probably a written sermon that James had preached on many occasions, covering the manner in which the Christians should live within the Jewish cultural environment. There is little in it that an orthodox Jew could not accept. There are many points of close connection with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. 9 There are some parallels with other early Christian writings like 1 Peter, Clement of Rome’s Letter to the Corinthian Church, and the Shepherd of Hermas.
The letter was always highly valued but in every conference of the church concerning the content of the New Testament canon, the place of James was questioned. This was not because of problems over authorship, but because of the practical teaching of James, which seemed to come onto conflict with Paul’s teaching on the essential nature of faith. It is, however, an apparent not a real contradiction. James insists on works of the Jewish Law that have to do with our faith expressed in action in compassionate service to others. The works of the Law that Paul condemns are those ritualistic requirements that people substituted instead of trust in God’s unconditional acceptance of us. James seems to be aware of Paul’s teaching, and seems to correct those who misused Paul’s emphasis upon the faith that saves by neglecting our obligations to serve.
The letter was written in Greek as can be seen from the clever wordplays. 10 But there are many semitisms that arise from the Hebrew scriptures rather than from the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, which is consistent with a man trained as a priest, learning the scriptures in Hebrew. The Jewishness in this letter is more marked than that of any other book in the New Testament except the epistles of John.
James was a great man of faith and his faith was practical faith. He speaks about testing, wisdom, wealth, speech, envy, patience, prayer and neighbourly conduct and, having mentioned each of these aspects in the first chapter, develops each of them in the later chapters.
His main concern is that our faith must be expressed in our social obligations. We must not be hearers of the word only, but we must put it into practice (1:22). The royal law of God must be expressed as compassion for our neighbour. Ritual religion must develop into a religion that cares for the widow, the orphan and the helpless (1:26-27); refuses to show partiality (2:1-13); demonstrates compassion for the poor (2:14-26); has guarded speech (4:11-12); and demonstrates patience, prayer and faithful concern for the wayward (5:7-20).
James makes two major points:
First, faith must be expressed in caring. Faith is not merely a matter of an intellectual understanding of God: it must also mean caring for other people. James puts it bluntly:
Does anyone think he is religious? If he does not control his tongue, his religion is worthless and he deceives himself. What God the Father considers is pure and genuine religion is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering and to keep oneself from being corrupted by the world. 11
Second, faith must be expressed in actions. It is not enough just to believe; faith must be put into practice in a practical way. James says:
My brothers, what good is it for someone to say that he has faith if his actions do not prove it? Can that faith save him? Suppose there are brothers and sisters who need clothes, and don’t have enough to eat. What good is there in your saying to them ’God bless you! Keep warm and eat well’ — if you don’t give them the necessities of life? So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead. 12
James points to two well-known people in Jewish history, Abraham and Rahab. Abraham put his faith into action when he left his home and country, went to a strange place under God’s leading and established a nation against all possible odds. Rahab was prostitute condemned by the Law who gave shelter and protection to two Jewish spies, thus saving their lives and leading to the nation’s successful capture of Jericho. Both of them cared and exercised their faith in action. ‘So then, as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without action is dead.’ 13
The Epistle of Jude
The epistle of Jude is one of the briefest in the Bible, containing only twenty-five verses. It is a general letter designed to encourage faithfulness against false teachers. It is a very Jewish piece of writing, drawing upon Old Testament and apocryphal imagery of Egypt, angels, Sodom and Gomorrah, the archangel Michael, Cain, Balaam and Korah, together with pastoral ideas from Zechariah and Enoch.
This little book is a small tract addressed to the believers encouraging them ‘to fight on for the faith which once and for all God had given for his people.’ 14
From the earliest days it was accepted as authoritative, from the youngest brother of Jesus. The only doubts were raised because of his quoting from two of the apocryphal books of the Old Testament. Some scholars have pointed out the use of words was typical of a Galilean, and the words were very similar to those of James.
Jude’s writing so closely parallels that of 2 Peter chapter 2 that they seem either to be dependent upon some common source or one has been dependent upon the other.
The challenge of practical faith
Let me root it finally right down in your heart. Is that your kind of faith? Because what good is it if you just talk words and not do deeds? Mother Teresa put it beautifully when she said: ’We have hearts to love and hands to serve.’
God is not just a talker; God is a doer. He not only gives words, but he does things. Jesus is not just a preacher. He went about preaching the gospel, but also he went about doing good. The church is not just a group of people that have beliefs; it is a family of servants who are willing to help.
Endnotes:
1. Jude 1
2. Mark 6:3
3. Matthew 12:46-47; Luke 8:19; John 2:12
4. John 7:5
5. 1 Corinthians 15:7
6. Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18; Galatians 1:19; Galatians 2:9,12
7. Acts 1:14
8. Matthew 13:54-57. See also Galatians 1:29 and 1 Corinthians 9:5
9. Matthew 5:7, 34-37; 6:19; 7:16,20
10. James 1:4-5, 12,13; 2:22, 4:13
11. James 1:26, 27
12. James 2:14-17
13. James 2:26
14. Jude 3
For personal reading
Theme: A faith that works
Monday : The family (Matthew 13:53-58)
Tuesday : Jesus’ appearance to James (1 Corinthians 15:1-7)
Wednesday : A disciple (Galatians 1:19; 2:9; Acts 12:17)
Thursday : A decision (Acts 15:12-21)
Friday : Teachings (James 1:2-18)
Saturday : A faith of action (James 2:14-3:12)
Sunday : False teachers (Jude 4-13;17-25)
For group reading
Topic: A brother remembers
1. Why didn’t Jesus’ brothers believe he was the Messiah?
2. How did James’ early training equip him for the role of leader of the Jerusalem church?
3. How is James’ writing different from that of many other New Testament writers?
4. What is the value of James’ epistle today?
5. How is the message of Jude’s letter still relevant today?