REFLECTIONS FROM THE EPISTLE OF JAMES

The Epistle

Author: James, the brother of Jesus wrote this epistle. He served as the Pastor of the Judean church for a long time.

Story of the Martyrdom of James
“According to Josephus; and Hegesippus, a Christian historian of the second century, whose narrative Eusebeus accepts:
Shortly before Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman army, 70 A.D., when the Jews were, in large numbers, embracing Christianity, Ananus, the High-Priest, and the Scribes and Pharisees, about the year 62 A.D. or 66 A.D., assembled the Sanhedrin, and commanded James, ‘the brother of Jesus who was called Christ’, to proclaim from one of the galleries of the Temple that Jesus Was Not the Messiah. But, instead, James cried out that Jesus Was the Son of God and Judge of the World.
Then his enraged enemies hurled him to the ground, and stoned him, till a charitable fuller ended his sufferings with a club, while he was on his knees praying, ‘Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.’” (Halley, 1962)

Recipients: The epistle is addressed to all the Jewish Christians living outside Palestine.

Main Concern: James’ main intention is to strengthen the faith and devotion of the persecuted and dispersed Jewish believers.
James is concerned about life within the believing community. It is true that each individual should do his or her role, but the concern here is a healthy community not personal holiness.

Probable Date of Writing: The epistle was probably written between 49-50 A.D.


A Closer Look at Trials
James 1:2-18

James 1:1-18 (NASB)
Testing Your Faith

1 James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;
10 and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.
11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.
12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.

14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.


Introduction

To talk about trials and testing will only aggravate the already burdensome life here on earth. James, however, is begging us to take a closer look at trials to see if we can pick up some good things out of bad situations.


I. An Occasion to be Joyful (1: 2-4)
“Consider it all joy my brethren…” trials serve as occasion to experience joy in the Lord. There is a better alternative to frowning when we experience trials – be joyful! This alternative is not difficult for Filipinos. We can easily smile at the troubles we experience almost everyday. There was even a survey reports that Filipinos is the 6th happiest people in the world and the no. 1 happiest people in Asia.
When situations such as persecution, hard moral choices and tragic experiences come, let us accept the hardship involved but seeks a transformed perspective on such trials.
When these situations come our way, we need to see what God is doing and to look forward to what He is preparing for us. Perseverance or endurance is faith stretched out. It involves trusting God for a long period of time. This will help us to persevere.
The result of perseverance is maturity. It involves the shaping of the whole person. This shaping is a process. Just as a butterfly should not be taken out of the cocoon too soon, so also the process of molding the character cannot be short-circuited.

II. An Occasion to Pray for Wisdom (1: 5-8)
Wisdom is the ability to make wise decisions in difficult situations.
The assurance of a wise decision comes with two conditions:
o He must believe – one must commit his faith to God when he asks for wisdom. It means a determined trusting in the face of uncertainties and doubts.
o He must not doubt – doubting is reserving some alternative actions in case God fails to answer our prayers. James said if we doubt we are like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. In the same way, doubting persons struggle between trusting God and preparing for alternatives in the event that God failed to send the favor.

The goal here is steadfast faith that refuses to be disturbed in all the storms of life. God is gracious but the person with a divided mind should not expect anything from God.

III. An Occasion to Demonstrate Equality (1: 9-11)
The poor are sometimes overlooked even in our churches today but they are not overlooked by God. The poor always have a place in the family of God even during the Old Testament. The rich should not boast about their wealth because just like flowering glass they will fade away.
This serves as comfort for people who are far away from home just like James’ recipients who were dispersed abroad. They are marginalized because they are foreigners and they are poor. There is the tendency to put the rich above the poor. A song by a popular local singer says, “Baliktarin ang tatsulok ang kagaya mong dukha ilagay mo sa tuktok…” (Bamboo). This song says that the poor should be placed on top. James on the other hand, is saying that the rich and the poor are equal. Wealth as well as poverty is only temporal. God wants us to rely on his eternal promises. Both the rich and the poor should trust God.

IV. An Occasion to Consider the Goodness of God (1: 12-18)
There is a song that goes, “it’s good to remember the goodness of God…” In times of difficulties, remembering the goodness of God will enable one to rise above the situation.
God should not be blamed for trials and temptations because he does not temp anyone nor can God be tempted by evil. We are tempted by our own sinful desires and thoughts. We can be assured that God wants only the best for us.

Here are some further evidences of God’s goodness:
o God chose to give us new life through the Word of truth.
o He is the author of creation and of new creation
o We see God’s goodness in the work of Christ.

The idea of “first fruits” shows that God will redeem humanity and creation. Indeed, the rebirth of Christian believers is the start of the redemption of all creation.


Conclusion

We don’t have to resent trials and testing whenever they come. Rather, let us take them as great opportunities to be joyful, to ask for wisdom, to be fair, and to think about God’s goodness.