Sermon: St. James of Jerusalem – 2022

23 Oct 2022

Text: Matt 13:54-58 (Acts 15:12-22a, Jas 1:1-12)

In the name of + Jesus.  Amen.

Today the church honors St. James, the Bishop of Jerusalem, and the brother of our Lord.  And, of course, the word “brother” used in the Scriptures has a broader meaning than our English word.  For Jesus is the only biological Son of God the Father.  At the most, James would be a half-brother, if he were the son of the Virgin Mary. 

The earliest historians of the church said that Mary had no other children other than Jesus, and that the brothers and sisters of our Lord mentioned in Scripture were step-siblings: children of Joseph by a previous marriage.  And this makes sense considering that at His cross, Jesus placed His mother in the care not of His brother James or another member of His own immediate family, but rather gave her to His beloved disciple John to care for.  John took Mary to the city of Ephesus, where she lived out her days.

So although Scripture doesn’t explain what the nature of James’s “brotherhood” with Jesus is, the church has long taught that James was a step-brother.  And this indeed explains our Lord’s “brothers and sisters” – extended family members – not really believing at first that He was the Son of God – even though this was revealed to Mary and Joseph.

But James did come to believe in the divinity of his kinsman Jesus.  In fact, he would eventually lay down his own life and be martyred for the sake of his Lord.  That is why the church is adorned in red paraments today, dear friends.  St. James’s testimony was given in blood.  The Jewish historian Josephus reports that the Pharisees stoned James to death as a Christian martyr.

In our first reading, James is the bishop of Jerusalem, and he has to address the burning question of the day: were Gentile Christians subject to Old Testament ceremonial laws, like the dietary regulations, celebrating Jewish feasts, and submitting to circumcision.

“My judgment,” said Bishop James, “is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God.”  He instructs them to avoid “things polluted by idols,” to turn away from their Pagan sexual immorality, and, as a concession to avoid scandalizing Jewish Christians, to avoid eating animals that have been strangled, and thus still have the blood in them. 

St. James also wrote one of the books of the New Testament: the epistle known by his name.  In his letter, James teaches Christians to “count it all joy… when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”

To be steadfast means to cling to the Word of God in faith, to continue to make the good confession – even in the face of death.  And not only does James instruct us to live this way, he sets the example by confessing Jesus unto his own death.  For, says James, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

So the life and ministry of Bishop James is not his own.  For he belongs to Jesus, to the one in whose name he preaches and serves the flock of God in Jerusalem, and the one for whom he will remain steadfast to the end.

St. James is mentioned by St. Matthew the Evangelist.  Our Lord Jesus is at first received as a hometown hero, coming back to Nazareth to preach the good news of the kingdom.  But as He “taught them in their synagogue” they “were astonished and said, ‘Where did this man get his wisdom and these mighty works?’  Is this not the carpenter’s son?  Is not His mother called Mary?  Are not His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?  And are not all His sisters with us?”

It is interesting because they recognize that His preaching is “wisdom.”  They also acknowledge the many miracles that He has performed.  But as the old saying goes, “familiarity breeds contempt.”  For “they took offense at Him.”  There may be a little jealousy at work here.  Jesus says: “A prophet is not without honor except in his own hometown and in his own household.”  He is suggesting that members of his own extended family and people living in the community, who perhaps knew the family of Mary and Joseph, and perhaps even Jesus as a child – were having difficulty seeing Him in His new role as preacher, rabbi, prophet – and as soon will be revealed, as the Messiah and as God in the flesh. 

Their lack of faith, their “unbelief,” that grew out of their resentment, actually impeded Jesus’ ability to work miracles there.

Dear friends, let us not take that which is familiar to us for granted.  Just because we are in this sanctuary often, let us not forget that this is sacred ground.  Do not let familiarity lead you into seeing this holy place as ordinary.  It is not.  For with Jacob, we confess “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” 

For it is here that Jesus comes to us: God in flesh now appearing in His Word and in the Holy Sacrament of His body and His blood.  His Word declares you to be forgiven of all your sins.  His Word proclaims the coming of the kingdom.  And His sacraments are among those “mighty works” of Jesus that we receive by faith.  Don’t let unbelief impede the work of Christ in this place and in your life.  Don’t let familiarity breed contempt.

Later in his letter to us Christians dispersed around the world, St. James implores us to “be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.  For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.  But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

St. James also reminds us not to use St. Paul’s theology of salvation being by grace and not by works to become an excuse not to do good works.  Rather, our salvation motivates our good works as an offering of gratitude.  For as James says: “faith apart from works is dead.”  Living faith produces works of love.  Let us not use our faith as an excuse for laziness, dear brothers and sisters.

St. James warns us of the danger of the tongue.  Such a small flap of muscle that causes such large sins.  “Look at the ships,” he says, “though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder…. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.”

St. James also teaches us that when we are sick, we are to call the pastors of the church, “and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.  And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”  For “the prayer of a righteous person has great power.”

Thus James teaches lay people to call the pastor when they are sick, and James teaches pastors to make visits, to pray, and to anoint the sick with oil.  These liturgical actions are not hollow rituals, dear friends, but result in forgiveness.  For the Lord hears our prayers, especially the prayers of those whose righteousness is in Jesus Christ our Lord.  The use of oil on the sick person is a reminder of Christ (which means “the anointed one”). 

And so it is with all the saints, whom we honor not in and of themselves, but because their lives and deaths point us to Christ. 

We sing of James, Christ’s brother,
Who at Jerusalem
Told how God loved the Gentiles
And, in Christ, welcomed them.
Rejoicing in salvation
May we too, by God’s grace,
Extend Christ’s invitation
To all the human race.  

Amen. 

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.