April 15 - James 1

Today we started a new study - a look at the book of James.  We didn't get very far, but gleaned a few insights - or at least questions.

The book of James is quite different from other New Testament books/letters.  In fact Luther did not like this book, calling it an "epistle of straw" because it did not focus on the story of Jesus or the Holy Spirit, but on the people to whom it was addressed.  There are no quotes from Jesus - but his teaching is reflected within the text. Apparently, with no written text available at that time, oral tradition was so strong any allusion to the teachings of Christ would be recognized as such, so James didn't need to quote or overtly refer to Jesus in order for the themes to be recognized as being based in them. (according to Richard Peace in the Study Guide for the Book of James published by Serendipity Foundation in 1986.)

We also saw that James seems to have been someone well respected and in authority in the early church.  Looking at the story of the Council of Jerusalem in Acts, it was James who seems to have had the final say in what the church would believe/do.  According to Richard Peace, even the brevity of the introduction to the writer shows that he was well known - for he did not have to explain who he was or by what authority he made the statements that were about to be made.  Tradition has James as the brother of Jesus.  We do not know - but we can see he was not a fringe believer but someone central to the early church.

The first chapter of James introduces us to some main themes: Enduring trials/remaining faithful through adversity; wisdom/speach; andthe role of wealth/blessings/generosity in the Christian life. There were a few points that caught us - like what does it mean to be "mature and complete" (James 1:4)? How can we "ask in faith, never doubting (ch 1:6) and not be shaken when the answer seems to be no?  What does it mean for us  when it says "in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away" (1:11)?

So far we are asking more questions than we are answering.  We are seeing little leeway for the unsure, little forgiveness for those with wealth (how wealthy?  Do we count?), little understanding for when circumstances get us down.  We are hoping that, as we get past the introduction and into the letter itself that we will gain more helpful insights, but for now we are starting to wonder - will this be helpful?

There seem to be many challenges ahead as we dig into the book of James.  We hope and pray that we will learn more about who we are meant to be and how we can become those people.