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The first 8 verses of James tells us to be happy that we have burdens. First we need to look at just who James is and what qualifies him to tell us anything about handling a problem. This will help us to understand James better as we see how events in his life helped shape these words that he wrote for us today. About James
James was the half brother of Jesus. Jesus was the oldest child in His family. I'm sure that His mother watched over him closely and with admiration. While James probably wasn't neglected, watching a mother always treating a brother better had to be hard for James.
Remember when you were a child and it seemed like your parents weren't always fair or how you were just sure they loved someone else more than you. This wasn't true for you and it wasn't for James either. James, like most kids, probably felt slighted.
Just imagine if your brother were to claim he was the Son of God. That claim alone had to have brought about great tensions and hard feelings from time to time. When you consider that Mary and Joseph, his own mother and father would not dispute this fact, there is huge potential for a boy to have some troubles growing up.
I wonder if the kids back then made fun of their friends that might have been a little different. Jesus would have been a good target for bullies and James, His brother would also be a likely target.
When Jesus started his ministry it had to be a hard time for James. He wasn't a believer and I bet his friends teased him a lot about that. Mary was always off somewhere with Jesus.
Do you think maybe James had some troubles in his day?
John tells us a story about Jesus and His brothers.
-CEV- John 7:1 After this, Jesus went from place to place in Galilee. He did not go about in Judaea, because the Jews were looking for a chance to put him to death.
-CEV- John 7:2 But the feast of the Jews, the feast of tents, was near.
-CEV- John 7:3 So his brothers said to him, Go away from here into Judaea so that your disciples may see the works which you do.
-CEV- John 7:4 Because no man does things secretly if he has a desire that men may have knowledge of him. If you do these things, let yourself be seen by all men.
Imagine seeing these brothers all getting ready for the Feast of Tabernacles, talking and gesting with one another. Jesus knew that the authorities had just about had enough of Him and were looking to kill Him if given the chance and here his brothers all saying...
Go on out into the public. Make yourself known if you feel so sure that what you say is true. They were clearly trying to antagonize Jesus just as brothers always do and these brothers were not believers in Jesus.
-CEV- John 7:5 For even his brothers had no belief in him.
-CEV- John 7:6 Jesus said to them, My time is still to come, but any time is good for you.
-CEV- John 7:7 It is not possible for you to be hated by the world; but I am hated by it, because I give witness that what it does is evil.
-CEV- John 7:8 Go you up to the feast: I am not going up now to the feast because my time has not fully come.
-CEV- John 7:9 Having said these things to them, he still kept in Galilee.
-CEV- John 7:10 But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he went up, not publicly, but in secret.
Is that some form of mistrust that Jesus has of His brothers?
Not neccessarily a mistrust that they would want to cause harm but maybe so. Maybe just a concern that their jesting might could cause Him troubles. Whatever the case we see that Jesus and His brothers did not get along real well.
Could this have caused James troubles in his life?
Once James and his brothers got to the feast the people were waiting.
-CEV- John 7:11 At the feast the Jews were looking for him and saying, Where is he?
-CEV- John 7:12 And there was much discussion about him among the mass of the people. Some said, He is a good man; but others said, No, he is giving people false ideas.
-CEV- John 7:13 But no man said anything about him openly for fear of the Jews.
Just imagine being the brother of this man that is the center of concern at the Feast of Tabernacles. Not only the "talk of the town" but people were even scared to talk about this openly. During that time the biggest fear anyone had was to be thrown out of the church and being an outcast of society. People only spoke of these things in private conversations. I am so sure that James was scared as well as many other emotions.
Just when James thought things couldn't get any worse...
-CEV- John 7:14 Now in the middle of the feast Jesus went up to the Temple and was teaching.
Can you see the look on the face of James and his brothers. They had left Jesus at home. This was NOT supposed to happen. "We tried sitting here minding our own business, trying to ignore all of this talk and look at this, right in the big middle of the feast. People will think I am a fool just because I am his brother." Can you just imagine the thoughts going through this mans mind at this point in time?
This wasn't the first event in which James and his brothers had to "put up" with a brother that some considered crazy, others considered demonic and the authorities considered him a criminal guilty of blasphemy. This had become a way of life for James. Even as a child when they went to the temple, Jesus stayed behind talking to the priests and everyone made a huge deal out of finding Jesus. Jesus was often teaching in the streets causing some type of "comotion" that James had to usually deal with in some way.
Imagine how hard it was for James that weekend that Jesus was put to death. Even that entire week had to be hard for James. Even if James didn't agree with his brother, Jesus, on most things, he was still his brother. To top that off can you imagine James trying to keep his mother, Mary, calm during those last few days leading up to that great climax of Jesus' ministry?
We see that James did have some troubles in his life. There is a lot to be said about what is said above, "Just when James thought it couldn't get any worse, then...". Has that ever happened to you, just when you thought things couldn't get any worse they usually do?
James did finally become a believer. After Jesus died, He was buried and on the third day arose from the grave. James was one of those who Jesus appeared to after this.
1Corinthians 15:5 And he was seen by Cephas; then by the twelve;
1Corinthians 15:6 Then by more than five hundred brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, but some are sleeping;
1Corinthians 15:7 Then he was seen by James; then by all the Apostles.
This is thought to be when James became a believer and he quickly became a leader in the early church.
A couple of things we have learned before even looking at this mans words are...1) Even when you think things just can't get any worse, they can.James tells us about troubles and how to deal with them from the beginning of his book in God's Holy Word. We now see that James tells us these things from experience. James has empathy for those with troubles and tells us that we, like him, can make the most out of our problems and maximize our peace and joy.
2) It is never too late to become a believer.
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