Bam, Bang, Boom

505.  "Bam, Bang, Boom"                       April 25, 2012
Introduction to James
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.   James 1:1
Background:
Author:
Which one of the five men named "James" that are mentioned in the Bible is this author? They were:

1. the father of Judas the apostle, not Iscariot (Luke 6:16).
2. the son of Alphaeus, another apostle (Matt. 10:3)
3. James the Little/James the Less(Mark 15:40)
4. the brother of John and the son of Zebedee (Matt. 4:21)
5. the oldest half brother of Jesus (Matt. 13:55, Mark 6:3) and brother of Jude (Jude 1). (Swindoll)

According to MacArthur, the first two were not seriously considered as the writer of this letter, and the son of Zebedee was martyred, under Herod Agrippa I, no later than A.D. 44,  too early to have written it (Acts 12:2). That leaves the last James, the half-brother of Jesus and brother of Jude, who shared the same mother, but not the same father. All five men were living in the first century; the last two were apostles. "Most conservative New Testament scholoars agree that this James was Jesus' half brother, born and raised in the same family," said Charles Swindoll in his Bible study guide on James.

When Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, James, his older brother, and other sibliings, thought Jesus had lost his senses (Mark 3:21) and did not believe in Jesus (John 7:5). James' unbelief may have persisted up to the time of Jesus' death on the cross. But 1 Corinthians 15:1-7 tells us that, afterward, the resurrected Lord Jesus visited James; and from that moment on, James appears in the Scriptures as a different man. He became a significant leader in the Jerusalem church.
Readers:
Written to the "brethren," people dispersed abroad, meaning "scattered throughout," as one might scatter seed. (Swindoll)

In his book, The book of James and First and Second Peter-Faith, Suffering, and Knowledge, William Baker says:

James was speaking to believing Jews who were part of the early Diaspora (dispersion) throughout the Mediterranean region. The gospel had traveled quickly out of Jerusalem by the many Jewish pilgrims who were there for Passover when the Lord Jesus had been crucified and come forth from the grave. The news of this event traveled fast to the synagogues throughout the Roman world, and many Jews realized that Jesus was their promised King and Savior. It appears that James' audience had been believers for some time.

Date:
Most scholars place the date of this book around A.D. 45, just before the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15; A.D. 48-49). (Baker)
The date was about A.D. 45 and Claudius was emperor in Rome. Under his rule the Jews had been persecuted and driven out of Rome and their homeland, Palestine. (Swindoll)
This book was the earliest written of the New Testament cannon books/letters. It was written before Paul wrote Galatians in 48-49 A.D. and the earliest gospel-Matthew (50-60 A.D.) This is a new realization for me. Of course, James wrote this book prior to his death by stoning in A.D. 62.

MacArthur says that James is dated A.D. 44-49.

LET IT GLOW

James doesn't identify his physical relationship with Jesus, half-brother, but his spiritual relationship, by God's grace alone. (verse 1)
James' influence extended to Christian Jews throughout the empire. Tradition nicknames James "the Just." It describes him as a man of great piety and constant prayer. His writing provides us with insights into the earliest day of the church.
Christ's name is only found twice in this book (1:1 and 2:1).He gives over 50 imparitives, warnings and reproofs. He doesn't teach doctrine as Paul did. Instead, James instructs how to live the Christian life. In looking at several outlines of James, a common word or thread is the word "test" or "testing."

The main theme of this book, according to Swindoll, is "Real faith produces genuine works. If you say you've come to know the Lord Jesus, then that should be reflected by your life."
James speaks a lot of works and is practical rather than theological. (MacArthur)

LET IT GROW

How does James describe himself in verse 1? He is a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Servant, in this passage, refers to those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing His cause among men: used of apostles. (Thayer's Lexicon)

Bam, boom, bang. During their growing up years, our children loved sleeping-in on Saturdays. No hurried schedule, no school to go to, so we let them. As for me, my body stayed on the same schedule-up at 5:30. It didn't know Saturdays and Sundays were for sleeping in. So I would get up at the same time, get the chores of house cleaning done, and fix breakfast for them. That sounds nice, but actually, their memories are different from mine. (I did it out of love.) I hear complaints about the noises I made as I cleaned-a mop hitting the hallway walls-bam, boom; dishes being put away-bang; bathrooms' running water, and washer going. Now that they have a family of their own, I think they appreciate what I did for them. Sixteen years later, I still get up early on Saturdays. Oh, well.

How's my attitude in serving my family? How's their attitude in helping me? Do I grumble during the dishwashing duty? Do I complain when I have to pick up clothes to be washed? Do I tire of the endless dusting and vaccuming of the house? Am I creative in cooking or just pour it out of a can? Where is the love in serving those I love most? Oh my, those household duties, they never end, but children do grow up and leave home. Spouses do die. Am I serving the Lord Jesus as I do those mundane duties?  Time for an attitude adjustment.


LET IT GO

Leave those bad attitudes and serve the Lord Jesus.

Let love prevail.