Chapter 6 - James, Letter to the Jews

“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:17 NIV)

If you believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God but you have a problem with James, do not feel alone in your opinion. Many people have had difficulty with James. Such a statement as found in the above verse, seemingly, unparallel to anything penned by the authors of the Gospels, the Pauline letters, or any of the other general letters is what almost kept the book of James from being included in the Cannon[1]
So many have been compelled to try and figure out why James is so different and why he made such a straight forward statement. So many critics, the fact is, at closer examination, Paul also said what James says in James 2:17 in Paul's letter to the Romans in Romans 6:19-22[2].
Paul’s statement is not as concise as James’, but he in fact does say eternal life is the end result of righteousness unto holiness.
You may argue that Romans 6:19-22 does not say “works” as James 2:17 does. No, but how do you move from righteousness to holiness? Through works! This is how we show ourselves to be disciples of Christ. This is how we demonstrate our faith. This is how we look as members of the Family of God.
In trying to make the connection of Paul’s and James’ letters by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, works is where you find consistency.
The kind of works is drawn out for us in James’ statement in James 1:27:

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (NIV)

The world is selfish. We, by our nature want only to please ourselves. Paul condemned this behavior in Romans 12:1-2:

“Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.” (NIV)

Paul and James were in essence saying the same thing. We looked at II Samuel 9:3 when David referred to the kindness of God. Remember that the Hebrew word was chesedh? It had the idea of a presupposed relationship in which kindness and respect and unconditional acceptance were already present.
The example David gave in his extending chesedh to Mephibosheth is the kindness and mercy of God that Paul talked about in Romans, and James illustrated in the above verses from The Letter of James.
From Galatians 5:22-23, the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are all encompassed by love, or love is at the heart of what we should desire to accomplish.
What motivated James? James being a Jew had a need to hear from God in simple, unambiguous terms, directives, and declarations. Also, perhaps the character of James (post ressurection) was just so near to the heart of God that he really understood what was lacking among the Jews. The latter may have come about from something forever burning in the heart of the repentant soul – James. You see, James, being the brother of Jesus, means that their bond was of kinship and concern for one another’s well being. Or, it should have been. If measured on a scale, James’ relationship with Jesus grossly tipped in favor of Jesus’ love for James.
James and Jesus played together as they were growing. No doubt they worked along side one another in their father’s carpentry shop. However the scripture may be suggesting that James (pre-resurrection) did not love his brother[3]. (Be patient with me in my having said this. I need you to continue reading as I unpack the evidence against James' pre-resurection relationship with Jesus)
The Bible says the heart is deceitful among all things. Who can know it? To understand how James may have not respected or loved Jesus, you have to stretch your imagination, be open-minded and possibly, even ask God for direction in your thinking as you try to become attune to the heart of James. All the while, you will be aware of your own human deficiencies and tendency toward selfishness, which will easily help you to understand James. In this mode you may see very well what may have had real possibility in shaping the man James, and what causes him to be so aware of how to minister to the Jews.
There are very few mentions of James through out New Testament scripture which give us insight into the relationship James had with Jesus. Those that are accounted for are probably because God wants us to see ourselves in James and learn how to become an effective witness in the way James became an effective witness among the Jews. You will see it is by contrast to the reputation James built among the people of his community concerning his opinions of his brother, Jesus. (“pre-resurrection relationship and post-resurrection faith.” The resurrection is the thing of ultimate significance for the NT writers. Cross is the pattern of Christian living, Resurrection is the power. The resurrection changed all of the disciples, including James )
Opinions and word of mouth were the world press of the ancient near eastern civilizations. It was the Paparazzi, hounding the trail of Jesus, drawing attention to Him, reporting His claims, and angering those who thought Him a heretic. And James is right in the thick of it all. The spokes person in a campaign to rid Judaism of "The Way". The following Jesus was gaining was growing quickly. He was known wherever He went and His popularity threatened to put an end to the Jewish national religion. The arrogance of the Jews demanded the Christ come from a member of the Pharisees, Sadducees, or Zealots. Maybe even a political figure or one of the priests, privileged in his position to commune with God.
Some of Jesus’ actions gave the Jews plenty more to talk about as Jesus appeared to not be keeping the Law. Jesus seemed to have not been in attendance at the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:1-10)[4].
An opinion Jesus’ family had concerning Jesus’ sanity is recorded in Mark’s letter to Rome.

“Then Jesus entered a house, and again, a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples were not even able to eat. When His family heard about this, they went to take charge of Him, for they said, ‘He is out of His mind…’

Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside they sent someone in to call Him. A crowd was sitting around Him, and they told Him, ‘Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.’
‘Who are my mother and Brothers?’ He asked. Then He looked at those seated in a circle around Him and said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother’.” (Mark 3:20-21; 31-35 NIV)

The opinions of James and his brothers came to John’s attention and are recorded in John 7:1-5:

“After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take His life. But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said to Him, ‘You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles You do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since You are doing these things show Yourself to the world.’ For even His own brothers did not believe in Him.” (NIV)

It must have been known to James that people were looking to take Jesus’ life. Public opinion spread wide and far. Remember, the paparazi?
What we read from James' letter to the Jews comes from what painful lessons James forced on himself. As spokes person, James learned the harm and the contribution to harm that his tongue brought forth, producing grief, suffering and death to his brother. His tongue contributed to the crucifixion of Jesus. And so James penned:

“With the tongue we praise Our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.” (James 3:9 NIV)

Speaking from his conscience to the Jews and to his very own guilt, James acknowledged that man is made in the image of God. God presented Himself as a man who was a wealth of blessing for James, but James offered only curses and not praise.
The messenger of Mark 3:31-32 came back with this response from Jesus:

“Whoever does God’s will is My brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:35 NIV)

Do you imagine this confused Jesus’ family a little as Jesus still seemed to be acting like a mad man? He was not disowning them, just prioritizing.
Not until later, after the crucifixion of Christ, maybe as Jesus ascended into heaven did James realize, who is brother was, then broke down and wept in repentance. (Acts 1:4 indicates that Jesus’ family either observed His ascent or was summoned to attend prayer in the upper room in Jerusalem and heard the testimony of those who witnessed Christ ascent).
Again, imagine that James wrote in James chapter two of men who are rich and men who are poor because James himself realized how errant he was in that his spiritual wealth was in being a Jew. James was in fact impoverished and poor in spirit because he did not acknowledge the wealth that was with him while his brother, Jesus, was alive.
This was such a lesson to James that he could not allow it to stagnate. With this lesson, he spoke to the Jews, telling them what they had. But the Jews (as a nation) would not accept Jesus as Christ, and His reward fell to the Gentiles. The religious sects and the priests all were thinking they were still the apple of God’s eye. Continuing on the Jewish national religion in observance of law, they all forfeited salvation because they did not know:

“God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” (I Corinthians 1:27 NIV)

As long as the Jews continue, even to this day, to wait for the Messiah to come from within the many companies of priest or religious leaders and politicians, instead of acknowledging that the Christ was born in a manger, the wealth that is in the account of the Jews diminishes with each passing day. How many billions of souls have been lost because they could not accept a man who was born poor?
James tells them:

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (Proverbs 3:34; James 4:7 NIV)

And

“Come near to God and He will come near to you.” (Psalms 73:28; James 4:8 NIV)

He adds:

“Wash your hands you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:8b NIV)

In using the imagery of a priest preparing to enter into service by stopping at the bronze basin to wash his hands and feet, which symbolizes a spiritual cleansing[5], James brought to the Jews’ attention that it was now time to prepare themselves as priest and enter into the service of God.
James was truly an apostle to the Jews in the way that Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles. Both opposed God in His effort to redeem mankind. They both had the same good intentions: to preserve the Jewish National Religion until the real messiah came. This is what they believed. They really thought that they were doing a service to God. They had different objectives: Paul persecuted the church and created fear as a deterrent against followers of Christ. James slandered Jesus and served as a kind of spokesperson in a campaign against heresy. Who could be a better spokesperson than a member of the family of the accused?
By the testimony of a changed heart and a new mission, for Christ rather than against, Paul was an ever effective witness to the Gentiles.
James had built a reputation for believing that Jesus was insane. But now, the Jews were presented with these words from James which stand in defiance to words that he previously spoke.

“Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the Law and judges it. When you judge the Law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But you, who are you to judge your neighbor?” (James 4:11-12 NIV)


For those who were building their case against Jesus, based on the testimony and opinion of Jesus' brother, James, it was inaccurate to believe that James knew better than anyone that Jesus was not the Christ. However, it is almost unmistakable that James discovered he knew less of his brother when He was alive than after His death and resurrection.
No one knows the kinship of Holiness better than James because no one could know better the pain when he realized the abandonment, betrayal, scoffing, and slander was done to a man for saying that He was who He said he was, than a man who painfully discovered that he was wrong.
And this is the message we get from James. A message that should remind us of our own selfishness and abuses of the human family. It should convict us as James' message should have convicted the Jews. But we remain stubborn. In not truely understanding the salvation messaage, people side step virtues and the fruit of the spirit claiming they are saved and are going to Heaven. God's grace is sufficient to forgive their sins.
Well, what about the love Jesus commanded the human family. Will that somehow not matter to a person's eternity? We have to be seen as God's family if we hope to be invited to abide with Him.
The human family is God's family. We belong to one another and so, must love one another.

Foot Notes

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistle_of_James page two, third paragraph: “In Reformation times a few theologians, most notably Martin Luther, argued that this epistle was too defective to be part of the canonical New Testament. This is probably due to the book’s specific teaching that faith alone is not enough for salvation, which seemed to contradict his doctrine of sola fide” (faith alone).
[2] Vs.19 “…so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness”. Vs. 22 “ …the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”
[3] John 7:1-5 – Jesus’ brothers came to entice Jesus to go to Jerusalem where they knew an ambush was being set to take Jesus’ life. “After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said to him, “you ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” For even his own brothers did not believe in him.”
[4] Verses 1-5 are recorded under footnote 3. “Therefore Jesus told them, “The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come.”
[5] Exodus 30: 17-21