We would expect the Book of James to be written by the apostle James, the brother of John. That James was part of the inner circle of disciples (Peter, James and John) and would have been a most likely candidate for writing an epistle to the church. But this James was the brother of Jesus, who did not even believe that Jesus was the Messiah until after his resurrection.
I find it interesting that he began the letter describing himself as “James, a servant (slave) of God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Ja. 1:1). He didn’t “name drop” by mentioning he was also the “brother of Jesus.” By this time in his life, he found his significance in being a servant of God and Jesus Christ. I think he would have been an interesting psychological study as he grew up with Jesus as his older brother and since he was unable to ever see Jesus as Messiah until he encountered the resurrected Lord. In fact, it seems as if James had some contempt for his older brother as they grew up.
John tells us, “But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said to him, ‘You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.’ For even his own brothers did not believe in him” (Jn.7:1-5). It seems as if his brothers were chiding him about his claims to be the Messiah and his interest in becoming a public figure through his preaching. In another place, Jesus said, “Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor” (Matt.13:57).
This scenario demonstrates how difficult it is at times for us to see people as they are Instead of who they were. This is especially true in families. Parents tend to always see their children as children…even when they are grown and accomplished. Very often, adult children slip back into the role of a child when they go home. A friend of mine who has a Masters in Counseling was telling me how she went home one Christmas when she was about 40 years old and was on the house phone (land line) with a client one afternoon for an extended period. Her father walked by and said, “Been on the phone long enough haven’t you.” Like a dutiful teenager she said, “Yes sir,” and hung up. She had subconsciously slipped back into the familiar paradigm of parent and child. So had her father, by the way.
The brothers of Jesus could only see him as their older brother…maybe the resented favorite. All of his teachings and even his miracles could not get them to see him as more than that. When he was crucified they probably thought, “I knew if he didn’t get over his “God complex” something like this would happen.” It took a resurrection for them to change paradigms. It wasn’t just the brothers either. There were times when his mother could not see him as more than her boy. Mark tells us, “Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind” (Mk. 3:20-21).
As you read through the gospels, many who had known his family could only see him as the son of Joseph and Mary. We are told when he went back to Nazareth, he could do only a few miracles because of their unbelief. They could not believe because they had already defined who he was in their mind based on the past, regardless of what they were seeing in the present.
Sometimes, it is difficult for us to lead our families and old friends to the Lord, especially if we were not living as a believer “back then.” They can only see us as we were, not as we are now. We speak truth to them, but somehow our words lack credibility. Take heart, Jesus faced the same predicament. It’s not about your wisdom or your authenticity as a believer, but about their inability to see people as they are, not as they were. The Holy Spirit will have to do some work there before they can hear you.
On the other hand, we need to guard ourselves against defining people as they were, rather than as they are now…especially when they have begun to follow the Lord. Jesus is in the business of change. He can change anyone. And yet, when someone has failed us or betrayed us in the past, even when they have sincerely repented and begun to pursue Jesus, we may never recognize the change that has occurred. I see this often when a spouse has committed adultery, done drugs, or hidden a pornography addiction for years.
As a defense against being wounded again, we often refuse to see their efforts and their change as anything but manipulation. Our response often discourages them in their pursuit of Jesus rather than encouraging the very thing we say we want for them. Sure, there is some caution in trusting too soon, but there is, perhaps, greater risk in never trusting.
God often does amazing things through those who were once hurtful and untrustworthy. He changed Jacob, the deceiver, into Israel. He changed Saul of Tarsus, who had fueled the persecution in Acts 8, into the apostle Paul. Only Barnabas was willing to believe that Saul had been transformed by an encounter with Jesus. If Barnabas had not been able to see this man with different eyes and convince others of the change, we may have been missing most of the New Testament.
Sometimes, the person we cannot see with fresh eyes is ourself. We keep defining ourselves by past failures and mistakes and filter out the changes God is actually making in us. Then we become a discouragement to ourselves and often turn even down the encouragement others give us.
think the lesson here is to ask the Holy Spirit, very consistently, to enable us to see others and ourselves in the present, not in the past. Sometimes we need to ask for the faith to believe God changes us and others as well. Sometimes, we need to give God a chance to bless us through these transformed people by seeing them as the person God is transforming or promoting. They may have a gift, a word, or a message that God will use to change us as he changed them.