At first glance, James’ opening to his (book) seems like a formality: “James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.“ James 1:1 NASB. But like many things in scripture, context is critical. He declares his authorship and greets the diaspora (both the historical and metaphorical). What more could one read into this? What more should one read into this opening line? For that answer we must turn to James’s contemporaries and also historians where they provide insight on four striking truths.
First, James was family to Jesus. Specifically, they were brothers. Second, the resurrected Christ appeared to James. Third, Paul respected and sought out James. And fourth, James was considered to be the leader of the Jerusalem church.
Paul writes to the church at Corinth: “then He [Jesus] appeared to James, then to all the apostles;” (1 Corinthians 15:7 NASB). And to the church at Galatia: “But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother” (Galatians 1:19 NASB); “and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised” (Galatians 2:9 NASB). And finally F. F. Bruce writing in New Testament History, “…James the brother of Jesus, widely esteemed in Jerusalem as a strictly observant Jew, appears as principal leader of the church of Jerusalem”.
James: literal family to the Messiah; first hand experience with the resurrection; esteemed by Paul; and a leader in the early church. And yet, he mentions not one of these truths. Instead, he opens his letter with a greater truth: James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ…
Bond-servant is a phrase lost in the excess of our 21st century advancements. Further, the freedoms of Western culture preach that we are our own masters. Our allegiance might look patriotic or even spiritual, but we often live as self serving orphans. Hence, James’ introduction places emphasis on that single greater truth to how he saw himself: an identity determined by his master. So instead of leading with a list of qualifications or reinforcing his personal brand, James established to his readers, the church, that who he had become (and becoming) is defined by who Jesus is (and will always be). It is the antithesis to false love, perversion, and pride. James has died and been reborn. His only path is towards a living and righteous God. Thus, his introduction: put away your resume.
His closing: “My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins”
(James 5:19-20 NASB). The same verse in the contemporary translation of The Message reads, “My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.” Unlike Paul’s letters that contained personal greetings in his closings, James appeals to the universal and collective church: keep running your race and keep running after your neighbor. In an age of self-righteous rage, take-down’s, and cancellations; James insists that our empathy have legs. And also have a direction that grounds and orients our lives. Our brother is worth our effort; our sister is worth our time. Our reputation is on the back of a cross that is on our own back.
Thus, put away your resume and start running.
