More Like Jesus
St. James of Jerusalem
October 23, 2022 anno Domini
St. Matthew 13:54-58
“I wish you were more like Jesus.” How many times do you think James heard those words from Mary? Can you imagine growing up in the same house with Jesus? When Jesus’s brothers and sisters whined to their mother that “Jesus never does anything wrong. He’s perfect” they weren’t being sarcastic or exaggerating. They were spot on in their confession. Jesus didn’t complain when there was liver and onions for supper. He always brushed his teeth before bedtime and when he took harp lessons, he practiced more than a ½ hour every day without being told by his parents. What a pain to have Jesus as your brother.
Today is the Festival of St. James of Jerusalem, brother of Jesus and Martyr and even on James’s day we’re going to hear more about Jesus than James. That’s as it should be. That what James would insist upon.
There are two or three James in the New Testament. The first and foremost James is appropriately called James the Elder. He is James the brother of John, the son of Zebedee. He was part of that inner circle of Apostles – Peter, James, and John. He and his brother are most famous for asking for places of glory next to Jesus when He came into His Kingdom. The brothers didn’t realize they were asking to hang on crosses next to Jesus, but Jesus did grant their request. James was the first of the Apostles to die for Jesus. In Acts 12 he was killed by Herod. What glory to die for Jesus with your faith intact. Be careful when you seek glory from God – you just might get it.
Another James is James the son of Alphaeus – James the lesser. He is also listed as one of the twelve. Then we get the third James, the James we celebrate today. James the Just, James of Jerusalem, James the brother of Jesus, but some speculate he might also be James, the son of Alphaeus, but don’t worry about that. Let’s stick to James of Jerusalem, which means we’ll stick to Jesus.
In the text, the Devil uses James (and his brothers) to offend the crowds about Jesus. The Greek Word offense is scanalidzo, from which we get our word scandalize. The word means the trigger on a trap, you know that little fake cheese on the mouse trap that once the mouse touches – SNAP. In our day we understand this word well. In certain crowds I might have to give them a “trigger warning” before I said something like – marriage is between one man and one woman. Or that there is only one way to heaven, and it is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Those claims would trigger some people because they don’t believe the truth.
The Devil uses James to trigger the residents of Nazareth. When they heard Jesus speak in the Synagogue and witnessed His mighty deeds as He claimed to be God, they were offended. Why? Because they believed Jesus was just a man – after all he was the carpenter’s son, and he had brothers – James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. They knew Jesus. They changed his diaper. Wiped his snotty nose. He played in the dirt like all the little boys. Granted. He was a little weird. When he worked in the wood shop he never had to measure twice and cut once. When he built furniture all His right angles were perfectly right. The Devil scandalized the Nazarenes with human flesh. How could Jesus, who lived down the block at 101 Olive Grove lane, be God? How could the mighty God dwell in human flesh?
I think our scandal is a slightly different but equally dangerous twist on their scandal. They could not believe God would use the ordinary flesh of a man. We make God out to be ordinary. The church of our day has made Jesus out to be your boyfriend, your lover, and buddy. We come to His house no differently than going to anyone’s house. His house is so common it doesn’t take much to keep us away– a child’s sport, a brunch with friends, a weekend away. Do you believe that Jesus is God in the flesh? Do you trust His Word that where his man forgives you your sins they are forgiven in heaven? Do you believe that it is His risen and living body and blood given you at this altar? Do you consider this so ordinary that it doesn’t differ much from going to Perkins or Scheels or a brewery? Shame on us. Repent and learn from James.
At first, James didn’t believe that Jesus was God. He thought he was crazy, out of his mind, but by the time we get to Acts 12, James is not only a believer, but he’s a big wig, a District president, the Bishop of the Church at Jerusalem. Saint Paul tells us that James got his own special resurrection appearance from his brother Jesus. Perhaps that was where he was converted or even ordained to be the head pastor in Jerusalem. By the end of his life James might have been considered crazy. He preached His brother as the Christ of God until it cost him his own life. For James of Jerusalem, the brother of Jesus was also martyr.
James was also chosen by the Holy Spirit to pen a letter for the church of his day and ours. The Epistle of James hasn’t always been well received by Lutherans because James says something that seems to disagree with what your pastor taught you in confirmation, “A person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
James grew up in the same house as Jesus. He saw how human Jesus was but came to believe that Jesus was God in the flesh. He believed not just that God took on flesh, but that He took on flesh for James, died for James. Think of all the sins of James that Jesus knew first-hand. James believed that Jesus, His brother, His God, took all his sins and suffered hell for them, that Jesus might be his brother for all eternity.
If you believe that Jesus is God in the flesh for you, you’ll do good works, as James did. He didn’t stay in the carpenter’s shop. Jesus gave him orders to be an Apostle, the Bishop of Jerusalem. Being a pastor in Jerusalem would be like being a pastor today in the Ukraine. The Romans were killing the Christians. The Jews were killing the Christians. And James preached Christ until they came for him. Ironically James died very much like his brother. The High Priest called an illegal meeting of the Sanhedrin at night. James was accused of crimes he didn’t commit. And before the sham trial could be stopped James was stoned to death.
That means the artwork on your bulletin insert is the wrong James. James the Elder was beheaded. James of Jerusalem was stoned. They didn’t consider Jesus common or ordinary. James of Jerusalem preached that His brother was Lord and God. Then he followed the advice of his mother and became more like Jesus. That should be our prayer on this day of James. That our faith would be shown more in our works. That we don’t make God comfortable and common or convenient. That we’re not afraid to trigger someone by speaking the truth. That we count it a privilege to suffer like our brother Jesus and even die for and in the name of Jesus. Amen.