"For which of you intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost whether he has enough to finish it, lest after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all who see it begin to mock him, saying 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'...So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple." Luke 14:28-33
There is a weakness in the Church of America because the strong calling of the gospel has been watered down to become palatable to our self-centered society. It has been remade in the image of man's interests and ambitions in order to attract people to it. It has been toned down so as not to offend, it has been updated to include the latest trends, it has been packaged and marketed along side of a dozen other self-improvement fads whose only aim is to make people feel good about their self image. And in so doing it has become a sword without an edge, no longer able to cut and divide righteousness from wickedness, the sacred from the secular. The calling of the gospel, just as the sword without an edge, has become a museum piece, a memento of Christianity, which has lost its effectiveness to separate. We have tried to "become all things to all men" (I Corinthians 9:19-23) in order to make the gospel big enough for everyone. But here we have erred. The gospel has always been big enough for everyone, for Christ died for the sins of the world. It is the entrance into the gospel, its calling, that we have really objected to. We judge it much too narrow a way for it requires us to come to the gospel on the Lord's terms, not ours. The Lord is clear in John 10:1 "he who does not enter...by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber." Those that have entered by another door do not possess true Christianity. But in every age, in every people, there have been those that have heard the calling of the gospel as a sword that pierced their heart, and have not been ashamed by it; those who have purposed in their hearts to enter by the Lord's door, and who have never once held back having once crossed the threshold. Such a man was James, the son of Zebedee.
He is called "the Greater" by the Church to distinguish him from James, the son of Alphaeus, another of the Apostles. We know that he was the son of Zebedee and brother of John the Apostle as it records in Matthew 4:21-22 (it is believed that he was the elder brother since he is always named first in any mention of the two brothers together). Salome, one of those women who ministered to the Lord until the end, is named as his mother by a comparison of Matthew 27:55-56 with Mark 15:40-41. We also know that he was one of the first disciples called while he sat mending the fishing nets with his family. The scripture simply states that when "He (Jesus) called them (James and John, his brother) ... immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him." There is little doubt that James embraced without hesitation the calling of Lord when it came. But what of counting the cost to see if he was able to finish what he had begun, as our opening scripture exhorts us? For the answer to that we must glean from other accounts in the pages of scripture.
Scripture records that Jesus called James and his brother Boanerges, a Hebrew word which when translated means "Sons of Thunder" (Mark 3:17). As the thunder is the herald for the approaching storm, so perhaps this name characterized the zealous and impetuous nature which the Lord saw at a glance within James. In Luke 9:49 it records that John (perhaps in consort with his brother for he uses the word "we") forbade one casting out demons in Jesus name because he did not "follow with us". And in Luke 9:54 we see the brothers rebuked for wanting to call down the fire of judgment upon the Samaritans that refused to show Jesus hospitality on the road to Jerusalem. Surely we see a burning evangelical zeal for the Lord, one severe in temperament at any perceived sleight of the Master. Had he counted the cost while listening to the demands of Jesus' teachings and judged himself to possess what he had heard? The Lord's words in Luke 9:55-56 indicate that there was still more to count "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of." Scripture also relates that both the brothers and their mother made bold to request from Jesus the honor that one would be seated at His right hand, and the other at His left when He entered into His kingdom (Matthew 20:-28 and Mark 10:35-45). Once more the son of thunder was called to account. "You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" With all his heart he replied "I am able" although he could not yet know fully the bitter dregs that the cup contained. The Lord's answer to him was prophetic "You will indeed drink My cup...."; and we later read in Acts 12:1-3 that "about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the Church. Then he killed James, the brother of John with the sword..."
Was this man of God able to finish what he had begun so many years earlier on the Sea of Galilee? History judges for us. Eusebius, writing in his history of the Church (Book II; 9:2-3) around 325 AD, quoted from Clement of Rome concerning the death of James. So profound was the testimony and demeanor of James before his accusers, that the one who had led him to judgment became a Christian in that very court of Herod and the two were beheaded together. Before the sword fell, the accuser asked James to forgive him, and at that moment when all earthly accounts had come due for the Apostle, James, no longer filled with a spirit of unguided and restless zeal, but now filled up with the Spirit of Jesus, His Master, answered "I wish you peace", and kissed him in brotherly charity. The first of the Apostles to be martyred, James, the Son of Thunder, counted the cost of following Jesus and was not found lacking at the end. In his life and death he showed the words of Jesus Christ to be true...."what you hear in the ear, preach (or perhaps thunder?) from the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body...." (Matthew 10:27)
So, what of us? What call does the blood of James spilled out before the heathen king place upon us? Have we counted the cost? Are we even now striving forward with all of our heart to uphold Jesus Christ and His Kingdom? Of such men of the gospel the Scripture proclaims "they overcame him (Satan, the great dragon) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and that they did not love their lives to the death." ( Revelation 12:11) Such is the cost that the gospel call demands of us. When the Lord bids us follow, may we unhesitatingly spring up, leaving all behind that would hinder us. And when He asks us, "are ye able?" may we with James be not ashamed to say with all the faith our heart can muster "I am able", or, if lacking that, let us as least proclaim, "I am willing Lord, make me able."
Showing posts with label St. James. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St. James. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
James, the Less, Apostle (Remembrance Day May 1)
"James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting...If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all men liberally...." James 1:1, 5a
There is a tendency in any religion that professes to be founded at least partly in the supernatural sphere, to place an emphasis on other-worldliness. This often leads to severe asceticism as this world, our bodies and appetites, and indeed anything material is somehow seen as inferior and the source of great evil,. On the other hand, anything truly spiritual is seen as preferred and the target of our higher aspirations. Thus virginity is seen as a higher state of life=s calling than marriage, fasting is preferred to feasting, a priest is accounted closer to God than a farmer, and physical needs are neglected in favor of the search for spiritual ecstasy. But God dispelled the notion of any separation between things natural and things spiritual when He chose to ordain the restoration of our world via the Incarnation of His Son. This forever joined that which was the very fullness of the Godhead to that which was the very crown of God=s physical creation, humanity. This set Christianity apart from the religions of their time. It was not indoctrination into some hidden mystic wisdom, or the seeking of some high and lofty philosophy. It was nothing less than the restoration of the day to day stuff that life in our world is made up of by the Word of God dwelling among us. As such it is a very practical Areligion@ and is meant to be lived, not studied. The Scripture is clear that our world will continue to prefer its own wisdom because to them the sending of the Son of God to our world, not to bring in some new heavenly order but to die in shame upon the cross, appears nothing less than foolishness (see I Corinthians 1:18-25). But there are those men who recognize that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and who would gladly be counted foolish in the sight of the world to gain the kingdom. They are willing to spend themselves in the service of Jesus Christ putting faithful, consistent obedience and action to an unswerving faith in the promise of God. Such a man was James, called “the Less”, but proven to be a righteous man whose fervent prayers availed much.
The simplest place to start is in the apostolic lists contained in the synoptic gospels. All four lists (Matthew 10:2-5, Mark 3:14-19, Luke 6:13-16 and Acts 1:13) identify the apostle James as the Son of Alphaeus and consistently list him ninth in their order. He derives his descriptive title "the Less" from a passage in Mark 15:40 when Mark lists the women present at the crucifixion of Jesus stating that "There were also women looking on afar off, among whom were Mary Magdalene; and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joseph; and Salome..." When this scripture is compared to Matthew 27:56, Mark 16:1 and Luke 24:10 we find a remarkable agreement in the listing of the women present. It is when we add John 19:25 that a problem is introduced. John describes the women in this manner, "Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.” The conclusions that can be drawn from these scriptures and other evidence is that Mary was the mother of James the Less (apostle); that this Mary was the sister of Mary (mother of Jesus) and wife of Clopas; and that Clopas and Alphaeus are the same person. Other evidence favors the further conclusion that James was therefore the Abrother@ of the Lord, the brother of Jude the apostle, the head of the Church at Jerusalem, and the author of the Epistle of James. James never seems to have suffered from the identify crisis modern commentators try to give him as they try to sort among the various James= encountered in the New Testament. He is content to describe himself as "a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ."
If we hold to the conclusions written above, it is instructive to read the scriptures which then apply to James. Paul classifies James as the "Lord's brother" in Galatians 1:19 as he describes his trip to Jerusalem to confer with the disciples after his conversion and his preparation for ministry. Further on in Galatians 2:9 he classes James with Peter and John and calls them "pillars" of the church. From these three men Paul received the Church's recognition of his call to preach to the Gentiles. Paul further proclaims James to specifically be (singled-out) an eye-witness to the resurrection of the Lord in I Corinthians 15:5-7 "After that He (Jesus) was seen of James; then of all the apostles." It is likely that James' position as the head of the Jerusalem congregation required an eye-witness testimony to the risen Christ. The final passage is found in Acts 15:13-29. Persecution is widespread, Herod has already killed James the elder (brother of John) and has imprisoned Peter to please the Jews, Peter was miraculously released, told messengers to tell James of his release, and then "departed and went into another place." (Acts 12:1-19) The care and direction of the Jerusalem church was entrusted to James and it is recorded that he presided over the council of Jerusalem. After all sides are heard concerning the controversy of the requirements for Gentile believers, he brings the final judgment of the council and directs letters to be written to the local churches concerning the decision. He then disappears from further scriptural historical narrative, and from this point we must turn to other writings.
Eusebius in his History of the Church, Book 2 Chapter 23 quotes from Hegesippus who wrote in his fifth book of commentaries the following description of James. "James, the brother of the Lord, who, as there were many of this name, was surnamed the Just by all, from the days of our Lord until now, received the government of the church with the apostles. This apostle was consecrated from his mother's womb. He drank neither wine nor fermented liquors, and abstained from animal food. A razor never came upon his head, he never anointed himself with oil and he did not use the public baths. He alone was allowed to enter the sanctuary. He never wore woolen but linen garments. He was in the habit of entering the temple alone and was often found upon his bended knees and interceding for the forgiveness of the people; so that his knees became as hard as camel's in consequence of his habitual supplication and kneeling before God." Hegesippus further recounts his martyrdom. James was accused by the Scribes and Pharisees of blasphemy, thrown down from one of the temple wings, and then stoned and beaten. As he suffered he prayed the prayer of Christ from the cross, "I entreat you O Lord God and Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." As cooler heads tried to stop the beating a fuller ran forward with his fuller's club and crushed his head.
What further can be said of James? He chose to remain in one of the most resistant mission fields facing the church -- Jerusalem, the center of the Sanhedrin's power and influence. He was known for both his piety and his just dealings and was blameless in his behavior before God and men. He left behind his testament, the epistle that bears his name, written to the Christian Jews scattered throughout the Roman Empire. And in that testament he exhorts them to faith, perseverance in trial, application of the word of God to daily life, justice and mercy towards widows and orphans, equity in their dealings with all men, faith put into meaningful action, consistency in daily behavior, humility before and dependence upon God, submission to His will, fervent prayer and a real expectation of the Lord's appearing. This is exactly the practical "religion" that incarnates divinity into every day life and has the power to "convert the sinner....save a soul from death and....cover a multitude of sins." (James 5:20) It is for that reason that James could boast of his Christianity in this way, "I will show you my faith (or substitute my Lord, His Kingdom, the grace and mercy of God, the sureness of His promise) by my works (that is, by the way I live out my daily life before you)." Like James may we also be fervent in prayer, steadfast in the promise of God, and extending our hands to those who need justice, mercy, forgiveness and grace.
There is a tendency in any religion that professes to be founded at least partly in the supernatural sphere, to place an emphasis on other-worldliness. This often leads to severe asceticism as this world, our bodies and appetites, and indeed anything material is somehow seen as inferior and the source of great evil,. On the other hand, anything truly spiritual is seen as preferred and the target of our higher aspirations. Thus virginity is seen as a higher state of life=s calling than marriage, fasting is preferred to feasting, a priest is accounted closer to God than a farmer, and physical needs are neglected in favor of the search for spiritual ecstasy. But God dispelled the notion of any separation between things natural and things spiritual when He chose to ordain the restoration of our world via the Incarnation of His Son. This forever joined that which was the very fullness of the Godhead to that which was the very crown of God=s physical creation, humanity. This set Christianity apart from the religions of their time. It was not indoctrination into some hidden mystic wisdom, or the seeking of some high and lofty philosophy. It was nothing less than the restoration of the day to day stuff that life in our world is made up of by the Word of God dwelling among us. As such it is a very practical Areligion@ and is meant to be lived, not studied. The Scripture is clear that our world will continue to prefer its own wisdom because to them the sending of the Son of God to our world, not to bring in some new heavenly order but to die in shame upon the cross, appears nothing less than foolishness (see I Corinthians 1:18-25). But there are those men who recognize that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and who would gladly be counted foolish in the sight of the world to gain the kingdom. They are willing to spend themselves in the service of Jesus Christ putting faithful, consistent obedience and action to an unswerving faith in the promise of God. Such a man was James, called “the Less”, but proven to be a righteous man whose fervent prayers availed much.
The simplest place to start is in the apostolic lists contained in the synoptic gospels. All four lists (Matthew 10:2-5, Mark 3:14-19, Luke 6:13-16 and Acts 1:13) identify the apostle James as the Son of Alphaeus and consistently list him ninth in their order. He derives his descriptive title "the Less" from a passage in Mark 15:40 when Mark lists the women present at the crucifixion of Jesus stating that "There were also women looking on afar off, among whom were Mary Magdalene; and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joseph; and Salome..." When this scripture is compared to Matthew 27:56, Mark 16:1 and Luke 24:10 we find a remarkable agreement in the listing of the women present. It is when we add John 19:25 that a problem is introduced. John describes the women in this manner, "Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.” The conclusions that can be drawn from these scriptures and other evidence is that Mary was the mother of James the Less (apostle); that this Mary was the sister of Mary (mother of Jesus) and wife of Clopas; and that Clopas and Alphaeus are the same person. Other evidence favors the further conclusion that James was therefore the Abrother@ of the Lord, the brother of Jude the apostle, the head of the Church at Jerusalem, and the author of the Epistle of James. James never seems to have suffered from the identify crisis modern commentators try to give him as they try to sort among the various James= encountered in the New Testament. He is content to describe himself as "a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ."
If we hold to the conclusions written above, it is instructive to read the scriptures which then apply to James. Paul classifies James as the "Lord's brother" in Galatians 1:19 as he describes his trip to Jerusalem to confer with the disciples after his conversion and his preparation for ministry. Further on in Galatians 2:9 he classes James with Peter and John and calls them "pillars" of the church. From these three men Paul received the Church's recognition of his call to preach to the Gentiles. Paul further proclaims James to specifically be (singled-out) an eye-witness to the resurrection of the Lord in I Corinthians 15:5-7 "After that He (Jesus) was seen of James; then of all the apostles." It is likely that James' position as the head of the Jerusalem congregation required an eye-witness testimony to the risen Christ. The final passage is found in Acts 15:13-29. Persecution is widespread, Herod has already killed James the elder (brother of John) and has imprisoned Peter to please the Jews, Peter was miraculously released, told messengers to tell James of his release, and then "departed and went into another place." (Acts 12:1-19) The care and direction of the Jerusalem church was entrusted to James and it is recorded that he presided over the council of Jerusalem. After all sides are heard concerning the controversy of the requirements for Gentile believers, he brings the final judgment of the council and directs letters to be written to the local churches concerning the decision. He then disappears from further scriptural historical narrative, and from this point we must turn to other writings.
Eusebius in his History of the Church, Book 2 Chapter 23 quotes from Hegesippus who wrote in his fifth book of commentaries the following description of James. "James, the brother of the Lord, who, as there were many of this name, was surnamed the Just by all, from the days of our Lord until now, received the government of the church with the apostles. This apostle was consecrated from his mother's womb. He drank neither wine nor fermented liquors, and abstained from animal food. A razor never came upon his head, he never anointed himself with oil and he did not use the public baths. He alone was allowed to enter the sanctuary. He never wore woolen but linen garments. He was in the habit of entering the temple alone and was often found upon his bended knees and interceding for the forgiveness of the people; so that his knees became as hard as camel's in consequence of his habitual supplication and kneeling before God." Hegesippus further recounts his martyrdom. James was accused by the Scribes and Pharisees of blasphemy, thrown down from one of the temple wings, and then stoned and beaten. As he suffered he prayed the prayer of Christ from the cross, "I entreat you O Lord God and Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." As cooler heads tried to stop the beating a fuller ran forward with his fuller's club and crushed his head.
What further can be said of James? He chose to remain in one of the most resistant mission fields facing the church -- Jerusalem, the center of the Sanhedrin's power and influence. He was known for both his piety and his just dealings and was blameless in his behavior before God and men. He left behind his testament, the epistle that bears his name, written to the Christian Jews scattered throughout the Roman Empire. And in that testament he exhorts them to faith, perseverance in trial, application of the word of God to daily life, justice and mercy towards widows and orphans, equity in their dealings with all men, faith put into meaningful action, consistency in daily behavior, humility before and dependence upon God, submission to His will, fervent prayer and a real expectation of the Lord's appearing. This is exactly the practical "religion" that incarnates divinity into every day life and has the power to "convert the sinner....save a soul from death and....cover a multitude of sins." (James 5:20) It is for that reason that James could boast of his Christianity in this way, "I will show you my faith (or substitute my Lord, His Kingdom, the grace and mercy of God, the sureness of His promise) by my works (that is, by the way I live out my daily life before you)." Like James may we also be fervent in prayer, steadfast in the promise of God, and extending our hands to those who need justice, mercy, forgiveness and grace.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
