James, Bishop of Jerusalem and Brother of Jesus

Historical and cultural context

The man who wrote this letter is James, the brother of Jesus (Matt 13:55; Mark 6:3). While the Lord was ministering in Galilee, James did not believe in him (John 7:5). He grew up in the same house, ate at the same table, and still did not believe. That changed only after the resurrection, when Jesus appeared to him personally (1 Cor 15:7). A few years later we find James as one of the "pillars" of the church in Jerusalem, alongside Peter and John (Gal 1:19; 2:9). At the Council of Jerusalem he is the one who gives the final word (Acts 15:13-21), and he is also the one who receives Paul on the apostle's last visit to the city (Acts 21:18). In the tradition of the church, James is also called the first bishop of Jerusalem and "James the Just". It is said that he prayed so much that his knees grew hard like a camel's. Flavius Josephus tells us he was stoned to death around AD 62, on the orders of the high priest Ananus the Younger. The letter was probably written between AD 45 and 50, which may make it the oldest book in the New Testament. James writes to Jewish Christians living outside Palestine, many of them scattered by the persecution that began with the death of Stephen (Acts 8:1; 11:19). Most of them were poor. They were day laborers on the land of great estate owners who often held back their wages, and they lived through a time of famine in the days of the emperor Claudius (Acts 11:28). The style is that of wisdom literature, much like Proverbs, and anyone who knows the Sermon on the Mount will hear its echoes all the way through. In 108 verses, James gives more than 50 direct commands.

Overview of the book

The church receiving this letter is suffering, and the suffering has started to make it complacent. There was a lot of talk and little practice. The rich were given places of honor, the brothers quarreled among themselves, and each one made plans without a thought for God. James answers all of this with a single idea: true faith shows up in life. It endures trials, obeys the Word, cares for the poor and learns to hold the tongue. It asks God for wisdom, humbles itself before him and waits patiently for the Lord's return. Many people think James contradicts Paul, and he doesn't. Paul writes against those who think they can buy salvation with works. James writes against those who say they believe and never move. Both speak of the same grace, the kind that changes whoever receives it.

Chapter 1: Faith that endures and obeys

1:1 · Greeting and introduction

The letter opens like any letter of its time, with the sender's name, the recipients and a greeting. James had a title no one else had, that of the Lord's brother. He chose to introduce himself as "a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ". The man who once doubted his brother now calls him Lord. When he speaks of "the twelve tribes in the Dispersion", James is looking at the church as the Israel of God, a people of pilgrims in this world.

References: Jude 1; Rom 1:1; Gal 6:16; 1 Pet 1:1; 2:11.

1:2-4 · Joy in trials

James begins with suffering, and that already says a lot about his readers. He tells them to count their trials as joy. Pain is still pain. The reason for joy is what God produces through it: the testing of faith produces steadfastness, and steadfastness, when it runs its full course, makes us mature. Every time we resist and stand firm, we grow a little more as Christians.

References: Rom 5:3-5; 1 Pet 1:6-7; Heb 12:11; Matt 5:11-12.

1:5-8 · Asking for wisdom in faith

Whoever is in the middle of a trial needs to know how to get through it, and that is where wisdom comes in. God gives to those who ask, generously and without reproach. James sets only one condition, which is to ask in faith. The one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven back and forth by the wind. He calls this person "double-minded", someone who wants God and wants the world at the same time.

References: Prov 2:6; 1 Kgs 3:9-12; Matt 7:7-11; Matt 21:21-22.

1:9-11 · The poor and the rich before God

In trials, poor and rich stand on the same level. The lowly brother can rejoice, because in Christ he has received a standing the world never gave him. The rich man should rejoice when he is brought low, because everything he owns will wither like the flower of the grass under the sun. This is the logic of the Kingdom, which the world finds strange. It is also a reminder that life is short.

References: Isa 40:6-8; Ps 103:15-16; 1 Sam 2:7-8; Jer 9:23-24.

1:12 · The crown of life

A beatitude in the same tone as the Sermon on the Mount. Blessed is the one who remains steadfast under trial, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life. Notice who the promise is for: "those who love him". Whoever loves God keeps standing.

References: Matt 5:10-12; Rev 2:10; 2 Tim 4:7-8; Matt 10:22.

1:13-15 · Where temptation comes from

Here the same Greek word changes meaning. Until now it meant trial, the hardship that comes from outside. Now it means temptation, the pull toward sin. God tests his people, but he never pushes anyone toward evil. Temptation is born inside us, from our own desire, which lures and entices. James describes it as a pregnancy: desire conceives and gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death. It is easy to blame God, or to blame the devil. James points to our own heart.

References: Gen 3:6; Matt 15:19; Rom 6:23; 1 Cor 10:13; Jer 17:9.

1:16-18 · God, the Father of lights

Evil does not come from God. Good does, and all of it comes from him. Every good gift comes down from the Father of lights, who does not shift like the shadows that move through the day. The greatest gift he has given us is the new birth. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be the firstfruits of the new creation.

References: Mal 3:6; John 1:12-13; John 3:3-8; 1 Pet 1:23; Rom 8:23.

1:19-21 · Quick to hear, slow to speak

The Word that gave us new birth must be received with humility. In practice, that means listening more, speaking less and being slow to anger, because the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. James says the Word has already been implanted in us and has power to save. But it needs a clean heart in order to grow.

References: Prov 10:19; 17:27-28; Eccl 5:1-2; Eph 4:26-31; Matt 13:18-23.

1:22-25 · Doers, not hearers only

If the letter had a key verse, this would be it. Whoever hears and does not do is deceiving himself. James compares this person to someone who looks in a mirror, notices what needs fixing and walks away without fixing anything, because he has already forgotten. Whoever looks carefully into "the perfect law, the law of liberty", and keeps doing what he heard, will be blessed in what he does.

References: Matt 7:24-27; Luke 11:28; John 13:17; Rom 2:13; Ps 19:7-11.

1:26-27 · True religion

James defines pure religion in very concrete terms. Whoever thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue is deceived about himself. The religion God accepts visits orphans and widows in their affliction and keeps itself unstained from the world. A religiosity that never reaches the mouth, the hands and the way we live is empty.

References: Ps 34:13; Isa 1:11-17; Mic 6:8; Deut 10:18; Matt 25:34-40; 1 John 2:15-17.

Chapter 2: Faith that shows no partiality and acts

2:1-4 · The sin of partiality

James describes a scene every church knows. A man with a gold ring and fine clothes walks in and gets the best seat. A poor man in shabby clothes walks in and is told he can stand or sit on the floor. James says this does not fit with faith in "our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory". Whoever treats people by their appearance becomes a judge, and a judge with evil thoughts.

References: Lev 19:15; Deut 1:17; 1 Sam 16:7; Acts 10:34; John 7:24.

2:5-7 · God chose the poor

God chose those who are poor in the world's eyes to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom. And the rich people the church treated so well were the very ones who oppressed the brothers, dragged them into court and blasphemed the name of Christ. Without noticing, the church was honoring those who despised it and despising those God had honored.

References: 1 Cor 1:26-29; Luke 6:20; Matt 5:3; Luke 1:52-53.

2:8-11 · The royal law

The royal law commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Treating someone with partiality breaks that law. And God's Law is one: whoever fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. We can't keep the commandments we like and set the others aside.

References: Lev 19:18; Matt 22:36-40; Rom 13:8-10; Gal 3:10; Gal 5:14.

2:12-13 · Mercy triumphs over judgment

We should speak and act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. Whoever has shown no mercy will be judged without mercy. God has been merciful to us, and that mercy needs to reach others.

References: Matt 5:7; 6:14-15; 18:21-35; Matt 7:1-2.

2:14-17 · Faith without works is dead

Here begins the best-known passage of the letter, and also the most debated. James asks a simple question. A brother is hungry and cold, and someone says to him, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled", and gives him nothing. What good is that? Faith that exists only in words is like that. James says it is dead, and that a faith like that saves no one.

References: 1 John 3:17-18; Matt 25:41-46; Gal 5:6; Titus 1:16.

2:18-20 · Even the demons believe

True faith shows itself by works. James quotes the Shema, the confession every Jew repeated each day: God is one. Believing this is right. The demons believe it too, and they shudder. Knowing the right things about God, and nothing more, is far from saving faith.

References: Deut 6:4; Mark 1:24; Matt 7:21-23; Matt 7:16-20.

2:21-24 · The example of Abraham

Abraham was counted righteous when he believed (Gen 15:6). Many years later, he offered Isaac on the altar (Gen 22). His obedience on Mount Moriah made it plain that his faith was alive, and James says that there his faith was "completed" by his works. Paul uses the same Abraham to teach that we are justified before God by faith. James uses him to show that this faith becomes visible before people. The Reformers summed it up in a phrase that became famous: we are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.

References: Gen 15:6; Gen 22:1-18; Rom 4:1-5; Eph 2:8-10; Heb 11:17-19.

2:25-26 · The example of Rahab

After the patriarch, James picks a foreign prostitute. Rahab believed in the God of Israel and risked her own life to hide the spies. Her faith turned into action. James closes the argument with a strong comparison: the body apart from the spirit is dead, and so is faith apart from works.

References: Josh 2:1-21; 6:22-25; Heb 11:31.

Chapter 3: Faith that tames the tongue and seeks the wisdom from above

3:1-2 · The responsibility of those who teach

Many people wanted to be teachers because of the prestige. James warns that those who teach will be judged with greater strictness, and he includes himself ("we who teach"). We all stumble in many ways, and the tongue is where we stumble most. Whoever can master it shows he is mature and able to bridle his whole body.

References: Matt 12:36-37; Matt 23:1-12; Luke 12:48; Heb 13:17.

3:3-5a · The bit and the rudder

Two everyday images. A small bit in a horse's mouth controls the whole animal. A small rudder steers a huge ship, even in strong winds. The tongue is a small member, and even so it sets the direction of our life.

References: Ps 39:1; Prov 18:21; Prov 13:3.

3:5b-8 · The tongue is a fire

A single spark is enough to set a forest ablaze. James says the tongue is a fire that stains the whole person and sets on fire the entire course of life, and that this fire comes from hell. Human beings have tamed every kind of creature. No one can tame the tongue. That should make us depend on God's grace, because on our own we can't do it.

References: Prov 16:27; Prov 26:20-22; Ps 140:3; Rom 3:13-14; Ps 141:3.

3:9-12 · Blessing and cursing from the same mouth

On Sunday we praise God with our mouth, and with the same mouth we curse people made in his likeness. "My brothers, these things ought not to be so." A spring does not pour out fresh and salt water at once, and no one picks olives from a fig tree. What comes out of the mouth shows what is in the heart.

References: Gen 1:26-27; Matt 12:33-35; Luke 6:43-45; Eph 4:29.

3:13-16 · False wisdom

Whoever is truly wise shows it by the way he lives, with humility. When there is bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in the heart, the wisdom that person has is earthly and demonic. James says it produces disorder and every vile practice. He is not measuring how much someone knows. He is looking at the fruit.

References: 1 Cor 3:18-20; 1 Cor 1:20-25; Gal 5:19-21; Phil 2:3.

3:17-18 · The wisdom from above

The wisdom of God is first of all pure. Then it is peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. Reading the list, it is hard not to think of Jesus, and it strongly echoes the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians. Those who make peace sow in peace and reap righteousness.

References: Prov 3:17; Isa 32:17; Gal 5:22-23; Matt 5:9; 1 Cor 1:24,30; Col 2:3.

Chapter 4: Faith that humbles itself and submits to God

4:1-3 · Where quarrels come from

Where do the fights in the church come from? James answers: from the passions at war inside each one of us. We desire and do not have, we covet and cannot obtain, and so we end up fighting. He says we do not have because we do not ask. And when we ask, we do not receive, because we ask only to spend it on our own pleasures.

References: Gal 5:17; Rom 7:23; 1 Pet 2:11; 1 John 5:14-15.

4:4-6 · Friendship with the world and greater grace

James calls his readers "adulterous people", as the prophets did with Israel. Friendship with the world is betrayal of the covenant with God. The Spirit he has made to dwell in us is jealous, the way a faithful husband is jealous for his wife. Right after that comes hope: God gives more grace. He opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.

References: Hos 1-3; Jer 3:20; Exod 34:14; 1 John 2:15-17; Prov 3:34; 1 Pet 5:5.

4:7-10 · The call to repentance

For those who want to come back, James gives direct commands. Submit yourselves to God and resist the devil. Draw near to God. Cleanse your hands, purify your hearts, mourn over your sin and humble yourselves before the Lord. There are two promises in the middle of it: the devil flees, and God draws near. And whoever humbles himself before him is lifted up by him. This is the godly grief that leads to repentance.

References: Eph 6:10-18; 1 Pet 5:6-9; Ps 24:3-4; Ps 51:17; 2 Cor 7:10; Luke 18:14; Zech 1:3.

4:11-12 · Do not judge your brother

Whoever speaks evil against a brother is placing himself above the Law and taking a place that belongs to God. There is only one lawgiver and judge, and he is able to save and to destroy. James asks: "Who are you to judge your neighbor?"

References: Matt 7:1-5; Rom 14:4,10-13; Lev 19:16; Isa 33:22.

4:13-17 · If the Lord wills

Now James speaks to the merchants who already had the whole year planned: the city, the business, the profit. They did not even know what tomorrow would bring. Life is a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. The Christian learns to say "if the Lord wills". James does not condemn planning. He condemns the arrogance of making plans as if we owned tomorrow. And the chapter ends with a sentence that reaches everyone: whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it is sinning.

References: Prov 27:1; Luke 12:16-21; Ps 39:4-6; Prov 16:9; Acts 18:21; Luke 12:47.

Chapter 5: Faith that waits, prays and restores

5:1-6 · A warning to rich oppressors

Here James speaks like the prophets of the Old Testament. He pronounces judgment on the unjust rich, who were probably not even part of the church. Their riches have rotted and their garments are moth-eaten. The wages they kept back from the harvesters are crying out, and that cry has reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. They lived in luxury and fattened their hearts in a day of slaughter. God sees injustice and hears the exploited worker.

References: Amos 4:1; 5:11-12; Mal 3:5; Lev 19:13; Deut 24:14-15; Matt 6:19-21; Luke 16:19-25.

5:7-9 · Patience until the coming of the Lord

And what should the oppressed brothers do? James does not tell them to fight back. He tells them to wait patiently, as the farmer waits for the early and the late rains before the harvest. The coming of the Lord is at hand, and the Judge is standing at the door. That is also why it makes no sense to grumble against one another.

References: Deut 11:14; Matt 24:42-44; 1 Thess 4:13-18; Heb 10:36-37; Phil 2:14; Rev 22:20.

5:10-11 · The prophets and Job

James gives two examples of people who suffered patiently. The prophets were persecuted for speaking in the name of God. Job lost everything, stayed firm and saw what the Lord did for him in the end. Even while telling Job's story, James ends by speaking about God: the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

References: Matt 5:11-12; Heb 11:32-38; Job 1:20-22; Job 42:10-17; Exod 34:6.

5:12 · Let your yes be yes

A Christian does not need to swear an oath to be taken seriously. His word should be enough. Here James repeats almost word for word what Jesus taught.

References: Matt 5:33-37; Lev 19:12; Eph 4:25.

5:13-15 · Prayer in every circumstance

Are you suffering? Pray. Are you cheerful? Sing praise. Are you sick? Call for the elders of the church to pray over you and anoint you with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and it is the Lord who raises him up. The oil is a sign, and the one who heals is God. He still heals today, and the church should keep praying for the sick in this way, trusting in his sovereignty.

References: Ps 50:15; Eph 5:19-20; Mark 6:13; Mark 16:18; 1 Cor 12:9; Acts 3:6-16.

5:16-18 · Confession and the prayer of the righteous

Healing also comes through confessing our sins to one another and praying for one another. The prayer of a righteous person has great power. So that no one thinks this is only for spiritual giants, James reminds us that Elijah was "a man with a nature like ours". He prayed, and it did not rain for three years and six months. He prayed again, and the rain came back.

References: 1 Kgs 17:1; 18:41-45; Luke 4:25; Ps 32:3-5; 1 John 1:9; Prov 28:13.

5:19-20 · Bringing back the brother who wanders

The letter ends without a farewell, with a pastor's appeal. If anyone wanders from the truth and another brother brings him back, that brother has saved a soul from death and covered a multitude of sins. James takes seriously the danger of someone wandering away, and he places on the church the responsibility of going after those who have drifted. The letter began by speaking about perseverance and ends by asking us to help others persevere.

References: Gal 6:1-2; Matt 18:12-15; Luke 15:3-7; Heb 3:12-13; 1 Pet 4:8; Ezek 34:16.

Short outline (for reference)

1. Faith that endures and obeys (1:1-27)
2. Faith that shows no partiality and acts (2:1-26)
3. Faith that tames the tongue and seeks the wisdom from above (3:1-18)
4. Faith that humbles itself and submits to God (4:1-17)
5. Faith that waits, prays and restores (5:1-20)

Ariel Zimbrão