I. There are certain realities of life common to all believers – 1:1-1:18.
A. Trials and testing will come and can be overcome -- 1:1-8.
Lesson 1.A.1: Greetings from James - James 1.1
Text: James 1:1 (KJV)
1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
Commentary
1. James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
James, a servant (or slave, or bond-servant) of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ - bonded to Him, i.e., in devotion and love. In like manner, St. Paul (Romans 1:1), St. Peter (2 Peter 1:1), and St. Jude, brother of James (James 1:1), begin their Letters. The writer of this has been identified with James the Just, first bishop of Jerusalem, our Lord's brother.
to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad,
Or to the twelve tribes in the dispersion. To these remnants of the house of Israel, whose "casting away" (Romans 11:15) was leading to the "reconciling of the world;" whose "fall" had been the cause of its "riches;" "and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles" (James 1:12). Scattered abroad indeed they were, "a by-word among all nations" (Deuteronomy 28:37), "a curse and an astonishment" (Jeremiah 29:18) wherever the Lord had driven them. But there is something symbolic, and perhaps prophetic, in the number twelve. Strictly speaking, at the time this Epistle was written, Judah and Benjamin, in a great measure, were returned to the Holy Land from their captivity. However, numbers of both tribes were living in various parts of the world, chiefly engaged, as at the present day, in commerce. The remaining ten had lost their tribal distinctions and have now perished from all historical records. However, it is still one of the fancies of particular writers, rather pious than learned, to discover traces of them in the aborigines of America, Polynesia, and almost everywhere else; most ethnologically [The branch of anthropology that analyzes and compares human cultures, as in social structure, language, religion, and technology; cultural anthropology.] improbable of all, in the Teutonic nations[denoting the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family], and our own families thereof. Before the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus and even the preaching of Christianity, Jewish colonists were found in Europe and Asia. "Even where they suffered most, through their turbulent disposition, or the hostility of their neighbors, they sprang again from the same undying stock. However, it might be hewn by the sword or seared by the fire. Massacre seemed not to affect thinning their ranks, and, like their forefathers in Egypt, they still multiplied under the cruelest oppression." While the Temple stood, these scattered settlements were colonies of a nation, bound together by varied ties and sympathies, but ruled in the East by a Rabbi called the Prince of the Captivity, and in the West by the Patriarch of Tiberias, who, curiously, had his seat in that Gentile city of Palestine. The fall of Jerusalem, and the end in addition to that of national existence, instead of added to than detracted from the authority of these strange governments; the latter ceased only in the reign of the Emperor Theodosius, while the former continued, it is said, in the royal line of David, until the close of the eleventh century, after which the dominion passed wholly into the hands of the Rabbinical aristocracy, from whom it has come down to the present day. The phrase "in the dispersion" was common in the time or our Lord; the Jews wondered whether He would "go unto the dispersion amongst the Gentiles" (John 7:35).
Greeting - Welcoming, hailing, salutation, acknowledgment.
James, the Disciple
The Apostle James was one of the so-called "Sons of Thunder," and was specifically named "James, son of Zebedee" and is sometimes called "James the Greater" because there were at least three other James' in the early church. James was called "James, son of Alphaeus," and another James was called "James the Just." The Apostle James was the Apostle John's brother, and James was the first Apostle martyred, probably around 44 AD. James was in the so-called circle of honor among the apostles and Peter and John, and they were privileged to be eyewitnesses of the Transfiguration (Matt 17:1-9). They were also among the privileged few apostles that witnessed Jairus' daughter being raised from the dead (Mark 5:37) and were with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:36-37) on the night that Jesus was betrayed and arrested.
James, the Fisherman
When he called Peter, he later called the Apostle John and James, and all three were fishermen. Jesus intended to make them "fishers of men." The disciples that Jesus called were likely not very popular in society, especially among the religious leaders. Yet, their occupation provided a critical need for the community as fish were staples among Judea residents. They were looked down upon by the Jewish leaders, the Roman authorities, and even among the general population. These were not refined, polished men with excellent speaking skills but were probably looked down upon as country bumpkins or ruffians since their hometown was Capernaum. They would have been on the low rung of society that day; however, God has a history of calling and using men and women who the world has little regard for and thinks very little of.
The Sons of Thunder
The Apostle John and his brother James were, in the beginning, hotheads. When Jesus went to a Samaritan city, they were scorned by the residents, which angered James and John. What was their reaction to the people rejecting Christ and essentially rejecting them? They asked Jesus, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven and consume them" (Luke 9:54)? Jesus rebuked them for their attitude (Luke 9:55) and said, "the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them" (Luke 9:56). The exciting thing is, did they have the authority to call fire down from heaven like Elijah did when he took on the 850 prophets of Baal (1 King 18)? Was that a proper response at all? This was not likely the only time they lost their tempers and showed that they could be rash and impulsive, which was a little like Peter at times.
James Arrested
James was not the first Christian martyr ascribed to Stephen, who was stoned to death in Acts 7:54-60. James' death resulted from being beheaded, and we see this recorded in the Book of Acts (12:1-3): "About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James, the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he also proceeded to arrest Peter. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread." So the Apostle James was the first Apostle to die from martyrdom. Only one Apostle escaped dying for his faith, and that was, ironically, his brother, the Apostle John.
James, the brother of Jesus
Jesus came from a big family. Matthew 13:55-56 names Jesus' brothers: James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas and mentions sisters (plural), so He had at least six siblings.
James is always named first when Jesus' brothers are listed, which in his day likely meant that he was the eldest of the four. Known as James the Just and Old Camel Knees, James led the church at Jerusalem until his violent death in AD 62.
James' Death
James (the elder son of Zebedee, brother of John) was beheaded at Jerusalem. James (one of Jesus' brothers, also called James the Less) was thrown from a Temple's pinnacle and then beaten to death with a club. James was the first Apostle to die a martyr's death.
Conclusion
The Apostle James may have been the first Apostle to die for his faith because he was one of the most outspoken, and given the fact that King Herod killed James, it could have been James propensity to speak boldly for Christ and speak against the evil that King Herod was well known for. Either way, the Apostle James was entirely changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. He was impulsive, outspoken, easily provoked to anger, and highly impulsive and at one time had a so-called "hair trigger" but like John, who became known as "the apostle whom Jesus loved" (John 13:23), became a new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17) and was forever changed. Today, he is one of the 12 apostles that will be ruling or judging the 12 tribes in Israel in the coming kingdom of God (Matt 19:28). That's who the Apostle James was.
