The same roof in Nazareth protected him as well as his brother Jesus. The two of them played together through childhood, struggled together through adolescence, and cut loose the “apron strings” during their teens. Their father patiently taught them both the skills of carpentry. James knew there was something different about his Brother, but it wasn’t until He made some wild claims about being the Messiah that he knew they were miles apart! After all, who was He but the son of Joseph and Mary, lowly as they were. James, as well as his other brothers and sisters, followed from afar and were much offended by their Brother. At one point they tried to persuade Jesus to drop His controversial ministry and live a “normal” life with the rest of them in Nazareth.
Not until after the Resurrection did James completely understand. It was then that he identified with the disciple group in Jerusalem and gave himself, mind, body, heart and soul to the Cause. The Resurrection to James was proof enough that what his Brother had said was truth indeed! Within ten years he became Bishop of the Jerusalem Church and was respectfully known as “the Just.” Three times Paul came to him for advice. The knees of Bishop James, men said, were as calloused as a camel’s from long ardent praying.
So convinced was James of the validity of Jesus that, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he wrote an epistle, a great epistle. It reads like his Brother’s Sermon on the Mount. Practical street-corner Christianity is its theme, saying nothing of doctrine but much about character and good works. Josephus, the early historian, reports that fanatical Jewish leaders had James thrown from a temple pinnacle to his death. Thus, by faith and works, the brother doubter became a saint in his own right.
Thankfully James had a change of heart! The annals of Church history, as well as the Scriptures, would be less poignant had he not been convinced. Has the validity of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection convinced YOU?