Introduction to The Book of James, Part 2 (TMF:1871)

Monday, June 13, 2022
Peace to Live By: Introduction to The Book of James, Part 2 (TMF:1871) - Daniel Litton
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       Like Thomas is so famously recorded for, James here, who like I said was Jesus’ half-brother (having been a son of Joseph and Mary; remember, Jesus’ real father was God himself), he did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah that was to come to Israel, God’s original chosen people. Recall, John recorded for us in John 7:5: “For not even his brothers believed in him” (ESV). Obviously, James here had a change in his ways. He was such a faithful and true brother in Christ that he eventually became one of the chief leaders of the Christian church in Jerusalem (see Galatians 2). This being the case, James wrote the letter from the city of Jerusalem then. And, also, let us note that he had his Jewish brothers and sisters in mind when he wrote this—for he wrote it to them (that is, Jewish believers in Jesus). He starts the letter by addressing it “to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion” (1:1, ESV). So, he is referring to the Twelve Tribes of Israel which had been scattered about, and he is pinpointing it to the Christians within the twelve tribes.