1. JAMES 1 1-12 COMME TARY EDITED BY GLE PEASE 1 James, a
servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,To the twelve tribes
scattered among the nations:Greetings. BAR ES, "James, a servant of
God - On the meaning of the word servant in this connection, see
the note at Rom_1:1. Compare the note at Phm_1:16. It is remarkable
that James does not call himself an apostle; but this does not
prove that the writer of the Epistle was not an apostle, for the
same omission occurs in the Epistle of John, and in the Epistle of
Paul to the Philippians, the Thessalonians, and to Philemon. It is
remarkable, also, considering the relation which James is supposed
to have borne to the Lord Jesus as his brother (Gal_1:19;
Introduction, 1). That he did not refer to that as constituting a
ground of claim to his right to address others; but this is only
one instance out of many, in the New Testament, in which it is
regarded as a higher honor to be the servant of God, and to belong
to his family, than to sustain any relations of blood or kindred.
Compare Mat_11:50. It may be observed also (Compare the
introduction, Section 1), that this term is one which was
especially appropriate to James, as a man eminent for his
integrity. His claim to respect and deference was not primarily
founded on any relationship which he sustained; any honor of birth
or blood; or even any external office, but on the fact that he was
a servant of God. And of the Lord Jesus Christ - The servant of the
Lord Jesus, is an appellation which is often given to Christians,
and particularly to the ministers of religion. They are his
servants, not in the sense that they are slaves, but in the sense
that they voluntarily obey his will, and labor for him, and not for
themselves. To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad - Greek
The twelve tribes which are in the dispersion, or of the dispersion
( en t diaspora). This word occurs only here and in 1Pe_1:1, and
Joh_7:35. It refers properly to those who lived out of Palestine,
or who were scattered among the Gentiles. There were two great
dispersions; the Eastern and the Western. The first had its origin
about the time when the ten tribes were carried away to Assyria,
and in the time of the Babylonian captivity. In consequence of
these events, and of the fact that large numbers of the Jews went
to Babylon, and other Eastern countries, for purposes of travel,
commerce, etc., there were many Jews in the East in the times of
the apostles. The other was the Western dispersion, which commenced
about the time of Alexander the Great, and which was promoted by
various causes, until there were large numbers of Jews in Egypt and
along Northern Africa, in Asia Minor, in Greece proper, and even in
Rome. To which of these classes this Epistle was directed is not
known; but most probably the writer had particular reference to
those in the East. See the introduction, Section 2. The phrase the
twelve tribes, was the common term by which the Jewish people were
designated, and was in use long after the ten tribes were carried
away, leaving, in fact, only two of the 2. twelve in Palestine.
Compare the notes at Act_26:7. Many have supposed that James here
addressed them as Jews, and that the Epistle was sent to them as
such. But this opinion has no probability; because: (1) If this had
been the case, he would not have been likely to begin his Epistle
by saying that he was a servant of Jesus Christ, a name so odious
to the Jews. (2) And, if he had spoken of himself as a Christian,
and had addressed his countrymen as himself a believer in Jesus as
the Messiah, though regarding them as Jews, it is incredible that
he did not make a more distinct reference to the principles of the
Christian religion; that he used no arguments to convince them that
Jesus was the Messiah; that he did not attempt to convert them to
the Christian faith. It should be added, that at first most
converts were made from those who had been trained in the Jewish
faith, and it is not improbable that one in Jerusalem, addressing
those who were Christians out of Palestine, would naturally think
of them as of Jewish origin, and would be likely to address them as
appertaining to the twelve tribes. The phrase the twelve tribes
became also a sort of technical expression to denote the people of
God - the church. Greeting - A customary form of salutation,
meaning, in Greek, to joy, to rejoice; and implying that he wished
their welfare. Compare Act_15:23. CLARKE, "James, a servant of God
- For an account of this person, or rather for the conjectures
concerning him, see the preface. He neither calls himself an
apostle, nor does he say that he was the brother of Christ, or
bishop of Jerusalem; whether he was James the elder, son of
Zebedee, or James the less, called our Lords brother, or some other
person of the same name, we know not. The assertions of writers
concerning these points are worthy of no regard. The Church has
always received him as an apostle of Christ. To the twelve tribes -
scattered abroad - To the Jews, whether converted to Christianity
or not, who lived out of Judea, and sojourned among the Gentiles
for the purpose of trade or commerce. At this time there were Jews
partly traveling, partly sojourning, and partly resident in most
parts of the civilized world; particularly in Asia, Greece, Egypt,
and Italy. I see no reason for restricting it to Jewish believers
only; it was sent to all whom it might concern, but particularly to
those who had received the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ; much
less must we confine it to those who were scattered abroad at the
persecution raised concerning Stephen, Act_8:1, etc.; Act_11:19,
etc. That the twelve tribes were in actual existence when James
wrote this epistle, Dr. Macknight thinks evident from the following
facts: 1. Notwithstanding Cyrus allowed all the Jews in his
dominions to return to their own land, many of them did not return.
This happened agreeably to Gods purpose, in permitting them to be
carried captive into Assyria and Babylonia; for he intended to make
himself known among the heathens, by means of the knowledge of his
being and perfections, which the Jews, in their dispersion, would
communicate to them. This also was the reason that God determined
that the ten tribes should never return to their own land, Hos_1:6;
Hos_8:8; Hos_9:3, Hos_ 9:15-17. 2. That, comparatively speaking,
few of the twelve tribes returned in consequence of Cyruss decree,
but continued to live among the Gentiles, appears from this: that
in the days of Ahasuerus, one of the successors of Cyrus, who
reigned from India to 3. Ethiopia, over one hundred and
twenty-seven provinces, Est_3:8, The Jews were dispersed among the
people in all the provinces of his kingdom, and their laws were
diverse from the laws of all other people, and they did not keep
the kings laws; so that, by adhering to their own usages, they kept
themselves distinct from all the nations among whom they lived. 3.
On the day of pentecost, which happened next after our Lords
ascension, Act_2:5, Act_2:9, There were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews,
devout men, out of every nation under heaven; Parthians, Medes, and
Elamites, etc.; so numerous were the Jews, and so widely dispersed
through all the countries of the world. 4. When Paul traveled
through Asia and Europe, he found the Jews so numerous, that in all
the noted cities of the Gentiles they had synagogues in which they
assembled for the worship of God, and were joined by multitudes of
proselytes from among the heathens, to whom likewise he preached
the Gospel. 5. The same apostle, in his speech to King Agrippa,
affirmed that the twelve tribes were then existing, and that they
served God day and night, in expectation of the promise made to the
fathers, Act_26:6. 6. Josephus, Ant. i. 14, cap. 12, tells us that
one region could not contain the Jews, but they dwelt in most of
the flourishing cities of Asia and Europe, in the islands and
continent, not much less in number than the heathen inhabitants.
From all this it is evident that the Jews of the dispersion were
more numerous than even the Jews in Judea, and that James very
properly inscribed this letter to the twelve tribes which were in
the dispersion, seeing the twelve tribes really existed then, and
do still exist, although not distinguished by separate habitations,
as they were anciently in their own land. Greeting - Health; a mere
expression of benevolence, a wish for their prosperity; a common
form of salutation; see Act_15:23; Act_23:26; 2Jo_1:11. GILL,
"James, a servant of God,.... That is, of God the Father; not by
creation only, as every man is; nor merely by calling grace, as is
every regenerate person; but by office, as a preacher of the
Gospel, being one that served God in the Gospel of his Son, and was
an apostle of Christ; nor is this any sufficient objection to his
being one, since others of the apostles so style themselves: and of
the Lord Jesus Christ; the Ethiopic version reads this in
connection with the former clause, without the copulative "and",
"James, the servant of God, our Lord Jesus Christ": and so some
consider the copulative as explanative of who is meant by God, even
the Lord Jesus Christ: but it seems best to understand them as
distinct; and that this apostle was not only the servant of God the
Father, but of his Son Jesus Christ, and that in the same sense,
referring to his office as an apostle of Christ, and minister of
the word: to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad; by whom
are meant believing Jews, who were of the several tribes of Israel,
and which were in number "twelve", according to the number and
names of the twelve patriarchs, the sons of Jacob; and these were
not the Christian Jews, who were scattered abroad upon the
persecution raised at the death of Stephen, Act_8:1 but they were
the posterity of those who had been dispersed in former
captivities, by the Assyrians and others, and who remained in 4.
the several countries whither they were carried, and never
returned. The Jews say (f), that the ten tribes will never return,
and that they will have no part nor portion in the world to come;
but these the Gospel met with in their dispersion, and by it they
were effectually called and converted, and are the same that Peter
writes to, 1Pe_1:1 2Pe_1:1. And thus we read of an hundred and
forty and four thousand sealed of all the tribes of Israel, Rev_7:4
and to these the apostle here sends greeting; that is, his
Christian salutation, wishing them all happiness and prosperity, in
soul and body, for time and eternity; and it includes all that
grace, mercy, and peace, mentioned in the usual forms of salutation
by the other apostles. The same form is used in Act_15:23 and since
it was James that gave the advice there, which the rest of the
apostles and elders came into, it is highly probable that the
epistles sent to the Gentiles were dictated by him; and the
likeness of the form of salutation may confirm his being the writer
of this epistle. HE RY, "We have here the inscription of this
epistle, which consists of three principal parts. I. The character
by which our author desires to be known: James, a servant of God,
and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was a prime-minister in
Christ's kingdom, yet he styles himself only a servant. Note hence,
Those who are highest in office or attainments in the church of
Christ are but servants. They should not therefore act as masters,
but as ministers. Further, Though James is called by the evangelist
the brother of our Lord, yet it was his glory to serve Christ in
the spirit, rather than to boast of his being akin according to the
flesh. Hence let us learn to prize this title above all others in
the world - the servants of God and of Christ. Again, it is to be
observed that James professes himself a servant of God and of the
Lord Jesus Christ; to teach us that in all services we should have
an eye to the Son as well as the Father. We cannot acceptably serve
the Father, unless we are also servants of the Son. God will have
all men to honour the Son as they honour the Father (Joh_5:23),
looking for acceptance in Christ and assistance from him, and
yielding all obedience to him, thus confessing that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father. II. The apostle here mentions
the condition of those to whom he writes: The twelve tribes which
are scattered abroad. Some understand this of the dispersion upon
the persecution of Stephen, Acts 8. But that only reached to Judea
and Samaria. Others by the Jews of the dispersion understand those
who were in Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, and other kingdoms into which
their wars had driven them. The greatest part indeed of ten of the
twelve tribes were lost in captivity; but yet some of every tribe
were preserved and they are still honoured with the ancient style
of twelve tribes. These however were scattered and dispersed. 1.
They were dispersed in mercy. Having the scriptures of the Old
Testament, the providence of God so ordered it that they were
scattered in several countries for the diffusing of the light of
divine revelation. 2. They began now to be scattered in wrath. The
Jewish nation was crumbling into parties and factions, and many
were forced to leave their own country, as having now grown too hot
for them. Even good people among them shared in the common
calamity. 3. These Jews of the dispersion were those who had
embraced the Christian faith. They were persecuted and forced to
seek for shelter in other countries, the Gentiles being kinder to
Christians than the Jews were. Note here, It is often the lot even
of God's own tribes to be scattered abroad. The gathering day is
reserved for the end of time; when all the dispersed children of
God shall be gathered together to Christ their head. In the mean
time, while God's tribes are scattered abroad, he will send to look
after them. Here is an apostle writing to the scattered; an epistle
from God to them, when driven away from his temple, and seemingly
neglected by him. Apply here that of the prophet Ezekiel, Thus
saith the 5. Lord God, Although I have cast them far off among the
heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries,
yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where
they shall come, Eze_11:16. God has a particular care of his
outcasts. Let my outcasts dwell with thee, Moab, Isa_16:3,
Isa_16:4. God's tribes may be scattered; therefore we should not
value ourselves too much on outward privileges. And, on the other
hand, we should not despond and think ourselves rejected, under
outward calamities, because God remembers and sends comfort to his
scattered people. III. James here shows the respect he had even for
the dispersed: greeting, saluting them, wishing peace and salvation
to them. True Christians should not be the less valued for their
hardships. It was the desire of this apostle's heart that those who
were scattered might be comforted - that they might do well and
fare well, and be enabled to rejoice even in their distresses.
God's people have reason to rejoice in all places, and at all
times; as will abundantly appear from what follows. JAMISO ,
"Jam_1:1-27. Inscription: Exhortation on hearing, speaking, and
wrath. The last subject is discussed in James 3:13-4:17. James an
apostle of the circumcision, with Peter and John, James in
Jerusalem, Palestine, and Syria; Peter in Babylon and the East;
John in Ephesus and Asia Minor. Peter addresses the dispersed Jews
of Pontus, Galatia, and Cappadocia; James, the Israelites of the
twelve tribes scattered abroad. servant of God not that he was not
an apostle; for Paul, an apostle, also calls himself so; but as
addressing the Israelites generally, including even indirectly the
unbelieving, he in humility omits the title apostle; so Paul in
writing to the Hebrews; similarly Jude, an apostle, in his General
Epistle. Jesus Christ not mentioned again save in Jam_2:1; not at
all in his speeches (Act_ 15:14, Act_15:15; Act_21:20, Act_21:21),
lest his introducing the name of Jesus oftener should seem to arise
from vanity, as being the Lords brother [Bengel]. His teaching
being practical, rather than doctrinal, required less frequent
mention of Christs name. scattered abroad literally which are in
the dispersion. The dispersion of the Israelites, and their
connection with Jerusalem as a center of religion, was a divinely
ordered means of propagating Christianity. The pilgrim troops of
the law became caravans of the Gospel [Wordsworth]. greeting found
in no other Christian letter, but in James and the Jerusalem Synods
Epistle to the Gentile churches; an undesigned coincidence and mark
or genuineness. In the original Greek (chairein) for greeting,
there is a connection with the joy to which they are exhorted
amidst their existing distresses from poverty and consequent
oppression. Compare Rom_15:26, which alludes to their poverty.
CALVI , "1To the twelve tribes. When the ten tribes were banished,
the Assyrian king placed them in different parts. Afterwards, as it
usually happens in the revolutions of kingdoms (such as then took
place,) it is very probable that they moved here and there in all
directions. And the Jews had been scattered almost unto all
quarters of the world. He then wrote and exhorted all those whom he
could not personally ADDRESS, because they had been scattered far
and wide. But that he speaks not of the grace of Christ and of
faith in him, the reason seems to be this, 6. because he addressed
those who had already been rightly taught by others; so that they
had need, not so much of doctrine, as of the goads of exhortations.
(98) James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, BIDS,
(or sends, or wishes) joy to the twelve tribes who are in their
dispersion. There had been an eastern and a western dispersion, the
first at the Assyrian and Babylonian captivity, and the second
during the predominancy of the Grecian power, which commenced with
Alexander the Great. As this epistle was written in Greek, it was
no doubt intended more especially for those of the latter
dispersion. But the benefit of the eastern dispersion was SOO
consulted, as the very first version of the ew Testament was made
into this language, that is, the Syriac; and this was done at the
BEGI I G of the second century. KRETZMA , "Unlike the salutations
which characterize the OPE I G of Paul's letters, this address is
very brief, exactly in the style which was employed in those days
in writing letters. The Apostle James calls himself a servant,
which includes the ideas of both worshiper and minister. Of God and
of the Lord Jesus Christ he is a servant, the two persons of the
Godhead being altogether on the same level in divinity and
authority. To the twelve tribes this letter is addressed, the
expression being a synonym, not only for the entire Jewish race,
but also for the true Israel, the spiritual people of the Old
Testament, the sum total of those that had expected the Messiah in
firm faith and had now acknowledged Christ as the promised Messiah.
These believers, these Christian Jews, were scattered abroad, were
living in the Dispersion, in the countries outside of Palestine,
and especially outside of Judea. In many cases they formed the
majority of the congregation, and the entire policy of the
congregation was guided by them. To all of these James sends his
greeting in the customary form of salutation. BE SO , ". James, a
servant of Jesus Christ Whose name the apostle mentions but once
more in the whole epistle, namely, James 2:1, and not at all in his
whole discourse, Acts 15:14, &c., or Acts 21:20-25. It might
have seemed, if he had mentioned him often, that he did it out of
vanity, as being the brother, or near kinsman, of the Lord; to the
twelve tribes Of Israel; that is, to those of them that were
converted to Christianity, and with an evident reference, in some
parts of the epistle, to that part of them which was not converted;
which are scattered abroad In various countries; ten of the tribes
were scattered ever since the reign of Hoshea, and a great part of
the rest were now dispersed through the Roman empire, as was
foretold Deuteronomy 28:25; Deuteronomy 30:4. That the twelve
tribes were actually in EXISTE CE when James wrote his epistle,
will appear from the following facts. 1st, otwithstanding Cyrus
allowed all the Jews in his dominions to return to their own land,
many of them did not return, but CO TI UED to live among the
Gentiles, as appears from this, that in the days of Ahasuerus, one
of the successors of Cyrus, who reigned from India to Ethiopia,
over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, (Esther 3:8,) the Jews
were dispersed among the people in all the provinces of his
kingdom, and their laws were diverse from the laws of all other
people; so that, by adhering to their own usages, they kept
themselves distinct 7. from all the nations among whom they lived.
2d, Josephus considered the twelve tribes as being in existence
when the Old Testament Scriptures were translated into Greek,
(namely, in the time of Ptolemy Philadelphus, about two hundred and
fifty or two hundred and sixty years before Christ,) as he says
that six persons were sent out of every tribe to assist in that
work. 3d, On the day of pentecost, as mentioned Acts 2:5; Acts 2:9,
there were dwelling at Jerusalem devout men out of every nation
under heaven, Parthians, Medes, &c: so numerous were the Jews,
and so widely dispersed through all the countries of the world.
4th, When Paul travelled through Asia and Europe, he found the Jews
so numerous, that in all the noted cities of the Gentiles they had
synagogues, in which they were assembled for the worship of God,
and were JOI ED by multitudes of proselytes from among the
heathens. 5th, The same apostle, in his speech to Agrippa, affirmed
that the twelve tribes were then existing, and that they served God
day and night, in expectation of the promise made to the fathers,
Acts 26:6. 6th, Josephus (Antiq., 50. 14. c. 12) tells us, that in
his time one region could not contain the Jews, but they dwelt in
most of the flourishing cities of Asia and Europe, in the islands
and continent, not much less in UMBER than the heathen inhabitants.
From all which it is evident that the Jews of the dispersion were
more numerous than even the Jews in Judea; and that James very
properly inscribed his letter to the twelve tribes which were in
the dispersion, seeing the twelve tribes really existed then, and
do still exist, although not distinguished by separate habitations,
as they were anciently in their own land. Greeting That is, wishing
you all blessings, temporal, spiritual, and eternal. BARCLAY,
"GREETI GS (James 1:1) 1:1 James, the slave of God and of the Lord
Jesus Christ, sends greetings to the twelve tribes who are
scattered throughout the world. At the very BEGI I G of his letter
James describes himself by the title wherein lies his only honour
and his only glory, the slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
With the exception of Jude he is the only ew Testament writer to
describe himself by that term (doulos, Greek #1401) without any
qualification. Paul describes himself as the slave of Jesus Christ
and his apostle (Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1). But James will go no
further than to call himself the slave of God and of the Lord Jesus
Christ. There are at least four implications in this title. (i) It
implies absolute obedience. The slave knows no law but his master's
word; he has no rights of his own; he is the absolute possession of
his master; and he is bound to give his master unquestioning
obedience. (ii) It implies absolute humility. It is the word of a
man who thinks not of his privileges but of his duties, not of his
rights but of his obligations. It is the word of the man who has
lost his self in the service of God. (iii) It implies absolute
loyalty. It is the word of the man who has no interests of his own,
because what he does, he does for God. His own profit and his own
preference do not E TER into his calculations; his loyalty is to
him. 8. (iv) Yet, at the back of it, this word implies a certain
pride. So far from being a title of dishonour it was the title by
which the greatest ones of the Old Testament were known. Moses was
the doulos (Greek #1401) of God (1 Kings 8:53; Daniel 9:11; Malachi
4:4); so were Joshua and Caleb (Joshua 24:29; umbers 14:24); so
were the great patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Deuteronomy
9:27); so was Job (Job 1:8); so was Isaiah (Isaiah 20:3); and
doulos (Greek #1401) is distinctively the title by which the
prophets were known (Amos 3:7; Zechariah 1:6; Jeremiah 7:25). By
taking the title doulos (Greek #1401) James sets himself in the
great succession of those who found their freedom and their peace
and their glory in perfect submission to the will of God. The only
greatness to which the Christian can ever aspire is that of being
the slave of God. There is one unusual thing about this OPE I G
salutation. James sends greetings to his readers; using the word
chairein (Greek #5463) which is the regular opening word of
salutation in secular Greek letters. Paul never uses it. He always
uses the distinctively Christian greeting, "Grace and peace"
(Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3;
Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians
1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:2; Philemon 1:3 ). This secular greeting
occurs only twice in the rest of the ew Testament, in the letter
which Claudius Lysias, the Roman officer, wrote to Felix to ensure
the safe journeying of Paul (Acts 23:26), and in the general letter
issued after the decision of the Council of Jerusalem to allow the
Gentiles into the Church (Acts 15:23). This is interesting, because
it was James who presided over that Council (Acts 15:13). It may be
that he used the most general greeting that he could find because
his letter was going out to the widest public. THE JEWS THROUGHOUT
THE WORLD (James 1:1 CO TI UED) The letter is ADDRESSED to the
twelve tribes who are scattered abroad. Literally the greeting is
to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora (Greek #1290), the technical
word for the Jews who lived outside Palestine. All the millions of
Jews who were, for one reason or another, outside the Promised Land
were the Diaspora (Greek #1290). This dispersal of the Jews
throughout the world was of the very greatest importance for the
spread of Christianity, because it meant that all over the world
there were synagogues, from which the Christian preachers could
take their start; and it meant that all over the world there were
groups of men and women who themselves ALREADYknew the Old
Testament, and who had persuaded others among the Gentiles, at
least to be interested in their faith. Let us see how this
dispersal took place. Sometimes--and the PROCESS began in this
way--the Jews were forcibly taken out of their own land and
compelled to live as exiles in foreign lands. There were three such
great movements. (i) The first compulsory removal came when the
people of the orthern Kingdom, who had their capital in Samaria,
were conquered by the Assyrians and were carried away into
captivity in Assyria (2 Kings 17:23; 1 Chronicles 5:26). These are
the lost ten tribes who never returned. The Jews themselves
believed that at the end 9. of all things all Jews would be
gathered together in Jerusalem, but until the end of the world
these ten tribes, they believed, would never return. They founded
this belief on a rather fanciful interpretation of an Old Testament
text. The Rabbis argued like this: "The ten tribes never return for
it is said of them, 'He will cast them into another land, as at
this day' (Deuteronomy 29:28). As then this day departs and never
returns, so too are they to depart and never return. As this day
becomes dark, and then again light, so too will it one day be light
again for the ten tribes for whom it was dark." (ii) The second
compulsory removal was about 580 B.C. At that time the Babylonians
conquered the Southern Kingdom whose capital was at Jerusalem, and
carried the best of the people away to Babylon (2 Kings 24:14-16;
Psalms 137:1-9 ). In Babylon the Jews behaved very differently;
they stubbornly refused to be assimilated and to lose their
nationality. They were said to be congregated mainly in the cities
of ehardea and isibis. It was actually in Babylon that Jewish
scholarship reached its finest flower; and there was produced the
Babylonian Talmud, the immense sixty-volume exposition of the
Jewish law. When Josephus wrote his Wars of the Jews, the first
edition was not in Greek but in Aramaic, and was designed for the
scholarly Jews in Babylon. He tells us that the Jews rose to such
power there that at one time the province of Mesopotamia was under
Jewish rule. Its two Jewish rulers were Asidaeus and Anilaeus; and
on the death of Anilaeus it was said that no fewer than 50,000 Jews
were massacred. (iii) The third compulsory transplantation took
place much later. When Pompey conquered the Jews and took Jerusalem
in 63 B.C., he took back to Rome many Jews as slaves. Their rigid
adherence to their own ceremonial law and their stubborn observance
of the Sabbath made them difficult slaves; and most of them were
freed. They took up residence in a kind of quarter of their own on
the far side of the Tiber. Before long they were to be found
flourishing all over the city. Dio Cassius says of them, "They were
often suppressed, but they nevertheless mightily increased, so that
they achieved even the free exercise of their customs." Julius
Caesar was their great protector and we read of them mourning all
night long at his bier. We read of them present in large numbers
when Cicero was defending Flaccus. In A.D. 19 the whole Jewish
community was banished from Rome on the charge that they had robbed
a wealthy female proselyte on pretence of sending the money to the
Temple and at that time 4,000 of them were conscripted to fight
against the brigands in Sardinia; but they were soon received back.
When the Jews of Palestine sent their deputation to Rome to
complain of the rule of Archelaus, we read that the deputation was
joined by 8,000 Jews resident in the city. Roman literature is full
of contemptuous references to the Jews, for anti-Semitism is no new
thing; and the very number of the references is proof of the part
that the Jews played in the life of the city. Compulsory
transplantation took the Jews by the thousand to Babylon and to
Rome. But far greater numbers left Palestine of their own free-will
for more comfortable and more profitable lands. Two lands in
particular received thousands of Jews. Palestine was sandwiched
between the two great powers, Syria and Egypt 10. and was,
therefore, liable at any time to become a battleground. For that
reason many Jews left it to take up residence either in Egypt or in
Syria. During the time of ebuchadnezzar there was a voluntary
exodus of many Jews to Egypt (2 Kings 25:26). As far back as 650
B.C. the Egyptian king Psammetichus was said to have had Jewish
mercenaries in his armies. When Alexander the Great founded
Alexandria special privileges were offered to settlers there and
the Jews came in large numbers. Alexandria was divided into five
administrative sections; and two of them were inhabited by Jews. In
Alexandria alone there were more than 1,000.000 Jews. The
settlement of the Jews in Egypt went so far that about 50 B.C. a
temple, modelled on the Jerusalem one, was built at Leontopolis for
the Egyptian Jews. The Jews also went to Syria. The highest
concentration was in Antioch, where the gospel was first preached
to the Gentiles and where the followers of Jesus were first called
Christians. In Damascus we read of 10,000 of them being massacred
at one time. So, then, Egypt and Syria had very large Jewish
populations. But they had spread far beyond that. In Cyrene in orth
Africa we read that the population was divided into citizens,
agriculturists, resident aliens and Jews. Mommsen, the Roman
historian, writes: "The inhabitants of Palestine were only a
portion, and not the most important portion, of the Jews; the
Jewish communities of Babylonia, Syria, Asia Minor and Egypt were
far superior to those of Palestine." That mention of Asia Minor
leads us to another sphere in which the Jews were numerous. When
Alexander's empire broke up on his death, Egypt fell to the
Ptolemies, and Syria and the surrounding districts fell to Seleucus
and his successors, known as the Seleucids. The Seleucids had two
great characteristics. They followed a deliberate policy of the
fusion of populations hoping to gain security by banishing
nationalism. And they were inveterate founders of cities. These
cities needed citizens, and special attractions and privileges were
offered to those who would settle in them. The Jews accepted
citizenship of these cities by the thousand. All over Asia Minor,
in the great cities of the Mediterranean sea coast, in the great
commercial centres, Jews were numerous and prosperous. Even there
there were compulsory transplantations. Antiochus the Great took
2,000 Jewish families from Babylon and settled them in Lydia and
Phrygia. In fact, so great was the drift from Palestine that the
Palestine Jews complained against their brethren who left the
austerities of Palestine for the baths and feasts of Asia and
Phrygia; and Aristotle tells of meeting a Jew in Asia Minor who was
"not only Greek in his language but in his very soul." It is quite
clear that everywhere in the world there were Jews. Strabo, the
Greek geographer, writes: "It is hard to find a spot in the whole
world which is not occupied and dominated by Jews." Josephus, the
Jewish historian writes: "There is no city, no tribe, whether Greek
or barbarian, in which Jewish law and Jewish customs have not taken
root." The Sibylline Oracles, written about 140 B.C., say that
every land and every sea is filled with the Jews. There is a
letter, said to be from Agrippa to Caligula, which Philo QUOTES. In
it he says that Jerusalem is the 11. capital not only of Judaea but
of most countries by reason of the colonies it has sent out on
fitting occasions into the neighbouring lands of Egypt, Phoenicia,
Syria, Coelesyria, and the still more remote Pamphylia and Cilicia,
into most parts of Asia as far as Bithynia, and into the most
distant corners of Pontus; also to Europe, Thessaly, Boeotia,
Macedonia, Aetolia, Attica, Argos, Corinth, and the most and best
parts of the Peloponnese. And not only is the continent full of
Jewish settlements, but also the more important islands--Euboea,
Cyprus, Crete--to say nothing of the lands beyond the Euphrates,
for all have Jewish inhabitants. The Jewish Diaspora was
coextensive with the world; and there was no greater factor in the
spread of Christianity. THE RECIPIE TS OF THE LETTER (James 1:1 CO
TI UED) James writes to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora. Who has
he in his mind's eye as he writes? The twelve tribes in the
Diaspora could equally well mean any of three things. (i) It could
stand for all the Jews outside of Palestine. We have seen that they
were UMBERED by the million. There were actually far more Jews
scattered throughout Syria and Egypt and Greece and Rome and Asia
Minor and all the Mediterranean lands and far off Babylon than
there were in Palestine. Under the conditions of the ancient world
it would be quite impossible to send out a message to such a huge
and scattered constituency. (ii) It could mean Christian Jews
outside Palestine. In this instance, it would mean the Jews in the
lands closely surrounding Palestine, perhaps particularly those in
Syria and in Babylon. Certainly if anyone was going to write a
letter to these Jews, it would be James, for he was the
acknowledged leader of Jewish Christianity. (iii) The phrase could
have a third meaning. To the Christians, the Christian Church was
the real Israel. At the end of Galatians Paul sends his blessing to
the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16). The nation Israel had been the
SPECIALLY chosen people of God; but they had refused to accept
their place and their responsibility and their task. When the Son
of God came they had rejected him. Therefore all the privileges
which had once belonged to them passed over to the Christian
Church, for it was in truth the chosen people of God. Paul (compare
Romans 9:7-8) had fully worked out the idea. It was his conviction
that the true descendants of Abraham were not those who could trace
their physical descent from him but those who had made the same
venture of faith as he had made. The true Israel was composed not
of any particular nation or race but of those who accepted Jesus
Christ in faith. So, then, this phrase may well mean the Christian
Church at large. We may choose between the second and the third
meanings, each of which gives excellent sense. James may be writing
to the Christian Jews scattered amidst the surrounding nations; or
he may be writing to the new Israel, the Christian Church.
ELLICOTT, "(1) James, a servant (or slave, or bond-servant) of God
and of the 12. Lord Jesus Christ.Bound to Him, i.e., in devotion
and love. In like manner, St. Paul (Romans 1:1, et seq.), St. Peter
(2 Peter 1:1), and St. Jude brother of James (James 1:1), BEGI
their Letters. The writer of this has been identified (see
Introduction, ante, p. 352) with James the Just, first bishop of
Jerusalem, the brother of our Lord. To the twelve tribes which are
scattered abroad.Or, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion. To
these remnants of the house of Israel, whose casting away (Romans
11:15) was leading to the reconciling of the world; whose fall had
been the cause of its riches; and the diminishing of them the
riches of the Gentiles (James 1:12). Scattered abroad I DEED they
were, a by-word among all nations (Deuteronomy 28:37), a curse and
an astonishment (Jeremiah 29:18) wherever the Lord had driven them.
But there is something figurative, and perhaps prophetic, in the
number twelve. Strictly speaking, at the time this Epistle was
written, Judah and Benjamin, in great measure, were returned to the
Holy Land from their captivity, though numbers of both tribes were
living in various parts of the world, chiefly engaged, as at the
present day, in commerce. The remaining ten had lost their tribal
distinctions, and have now perished from all historical record,
though it is still one of the fancies of certain writers, rather
pious than learned, to discover traces of them in the aborigines of
America, Polynesia, and almost every where else; most
ethnologically improbable of all, in the Teutonic nations, and our
own families thereof. But long before the destruction of Jerusalem
by Titus, and even the preaching of Christianity, Jewish colonists
were found in Europe as well as Asia. Even where they suffered
most, through their own turbulent disposition, or the enmity of
their neighbours, they sprang again from the same undying stock,
however it might be hewn by the sword or SEARED by the fire.
Massacre seemed to have no effect in thinning their ranks, and,
like their forefathers in Egypt, they still multiplied under the
most cruel oppression. (See Milmans History of the Jews, vol. i.,
p. 449, et seq.) While the Temple stood these scattered settlements
were colonies of a nation, bound together by varied ties and
sympathies, but ruled in the East by a Rabbi called the Prince of
the Captivity, and in the West by the Patriarch of Tiberias, who,
curiously, had his seat in that Gentile city of Palestine. The fall
of Jerusalem, and the end therewith of national existence, rather
added to than detracted from the authority of these strange
governments; the latter ceased only in the reign of the Emperor
Theodosius, while the former continued, it is said, in the royal
line of David, until the close of the eleventh century, after which
the dominion passed wholly into the hands of the Rabbinical
aristocracy, from whom it has come down to the present day. The
phrase in the dispersion was common in the time or our Lord; the
Jews wondered whether He would go unto the dispersion amongst the
Gentiles (John 7:35, and see OTEthere). COFFMA , "THE GE ERAL
LETTER OF JAMES Oesterley thought that "For the most part this
epistle is a collection of independent sayings";[1] but the
viewpoint advocated here is that every portion of it fit
beautifully and appropriately into the one theme of "Perfection"
which ties every word of it into a cohesive whole. This theme was
stated at the outset (James 1:4), thus: "That ye may be perfect and
entire, lacking in nothing." In this chapter, the 13. following
requirements for those who would be perfect are advocated: (1) be
joyful in trials (James 1:2-4); (2) in ignorance and uncertainties,
let the Christian pray in faith without doubting (James 1:5-8); (3)
in economic disparities, the rich and the poor alike are to rejoice
at their new STATUS in Christ (James 1:9-11); (4) God is not to be
blamed for temptations, but the source of temptation must be
recognized as lying within Christians themselves; (5) anger and
wrath are to be suppressed (James 1:19-20); and (6) it is not
hearing God's word but the hearing and doing of it that lead to
perfection (James 1:21-27). James, a servant of God and of the Lord
Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are of the Dispersion,
greeting. (James 1:1) The manner in which James here bracketed the
names of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ carries the affirmation
of the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord taught that "no man
can serve two masters" (Matthew 6:24); and, in James' affirmation
here, he did not mean that he had two masters, but that the two are
one. The very use of the title "Lord" in the ew Testament denotes
this, the same being the "title given to the early Roman emperors
to denote their deity."[2] Servant of God ... Paul, Timothy, Peter,
Jude, and Epaphras were all so designated, the ew Testament word
for each being [@doulos], meaning "one born into slavery"; thus
every such usage of it indicates that such a servant was a "born
again" Christian. The Old Testament Hebrew word for "servant"
([~`ebed]) was the title by which "the greatest ones of the Old
Testament were known."[3] Moses, Caleb, Joshua, Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, JOB, Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Zechariah were all called
"servants of God." However, it is wrong to make this fact the basis
of identifying James with the Old Testament prophets. Paul also
repeatedly referred to himself as the [Greek: doulos] of God and of
Jesus (Romans 1:1); and both Paul and James belong to the ew
Testament, not to the Old Testament. To the twelve tribes which are
of the Dispersion ... This is an unfortunate rendition because of
the capitalization of "Dispersion," making it a technical term for
the Jewish people. This epistle is not written to the Jews, in the
sense of racial Jews. The ADDRESS of those to receive this letter
as "brethren" in the very next verse proves this. "The twelve
tribes" is here a reference to the spiritual Israel of God, that
is, the Christians of all ages. In this very first verse, James
followed the same pattern that occurs repeatedly throughout the
letter, in which the words of Jesus Christ dominate every line of
it. It was Christ who promised the apostles that they would "sit
upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matthew
19:28); and James here used exactly the same terminology to
describe the church of Jesus Christ. Wessel declared that "This is
a symbolical designation of the Christian church."[4] Harper AGREED
that "The words here include the whole of spiritual Israel, all
Christians everywhere."[5] Barnes likewise noted that "The phrase,
`the twelve tribes' became a sort of technical expression to denote
the people of God, the church."[6] This epistle, therefore, should
be understood as inspired instructions to Christians, and the
efforts of some to write it off as a mere appeal to racial Jews
should be resolutely resisted. Paul frequently used "Israel" as a
designation of the 14. Christian community, the true children of
Abraham; and James did exactly the same thing here. Morgan said
that "There are more references to the Sermon on the Mount in James
than in all the other ew Testament letters put together."[7] It is
not surprising, therefore, that in this very first verse James
EMPLOYED the terminology used by our Lord. [1] W. E. Oesterley, The
Expositor's Greek Testament, Vol. IV (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm.
B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1967), p. 408. [2] Ibid., p. 419.
[3] A. F. Harper, Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. X (Kansas City,
Missouri: Beacon Hill Press, 1967), p. 193. [4] William Barclay,
The Letters of James and Peter (Philadelphia: The Westminster
Press, 1976), p. 35. [5] Walter W. Wessel, The Wycliffe ew
Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1971), p. 945. [6]
Albert Barnes, OTES on the ew Testament, James (Grand Rapids,
Michigan: Baker Book House, 1953), p. 17. [7] G. Campbell Morgan,
The Unfolding Message of the Bible (Old Tappan, ew Jersey: The
Fleming H. Revell Company, 1941), p. 382. COKE, "We are to rejoice
under the cross, to ask wisdom of God, and in our trials not to
impute our weakness or sins unto him; but rather to hearken to the
word, to meditate upon it, and to act accordingly: otherwise men
may seem, but never can be, truly religious. Anno Domini 60. THE
object of this epistle being to persuade the WHOLE BODY of the
Jewish nation to forsake the many errors and vices into which they
had fallen, the apostle first directed his discourse to such of
them as were Christians, many of whom, it would seem, were
becomeimpatient under the persecution that they were suffering for
their religion; and the rather, because their unbelieving brethren
had endeavoured to persuadethem, that the evils under which they
laboured were tokens of the divine displeasure: for they applied to
them those passages of the law, in which God declared he would
bless and prosper the Israelitish nation, or curse and afflict it,
according as it adhered to, or forsook the law of Moses.
Wherefore,to enable the Jewish Christians to judge rightly of the
afflictions they were enduring, and to reconcile them to their then
suffering lot, the apostle, in the beginning of his epistle,
exhorted them to rejoice exceedingly in afflictions, as a real
advantage, James 1:2.Because it was intended by God to produce in
them patience, James 1:3.And if it produced patience, it would
contribute to the perfecting of many 15. other graces in them,
James 1:4.In the second place, the apostle exhorted them to pray
for wisdom to enable them to make a proper use of their
afflictions, and assured them, thatGod was most willing to grant
them that, and every other good GIFT, James 1:5.provided they asked
thesegifts sincerely, James 1:6-8.Thirdly, that the poor among the
brethren might be encouraged to bear the hardships of their lot
patiently, and that the rich might not be too much cast down when
they were stripped of their riches and possessions by their
persecutors, he represented to the poor their great dignity as the
sons of God, and the excellent possessions they were entitled to as
the heirs of God: on the other hand, the rich he put in mind of the
emptiness, instability, and brevity of all human grandeur, by
comparing it to a flower, whose leaves wither and fall
immediatelyon their being exposed to the scorching heat of the sun,
James 1:9-11.Fourthly, to encourage both the poor and the rich to
suffer cheerfully the loss of the transitory goods of this life for
Christ's sake, he brought to their remembrance Christ's promise to
bestow on them, in recompence, a crown of life, if faithful unto
death, James 1:12. The apostle next directed his discourse to the
unbelieving part of the nation, and expressly condemned that
impious notion by which many of them, and even some of the
Judaizing TEACHERS among the Christians, pretended to vindicate
their worst actions; namely, that God tempts men to sin, and is the
author of the sinful actions to which he tempts them. For he
assured them that God neither seduces any man to sin, neither is
himself seduced by any one, James 1:13.but that every man is
seduced by his own lusts, James 1:14.which being indulged in the
mind, bring forth sin; and sin, by frequent repetition, being
nourished to maturity, bringeth forth death at length to the
sinner, James 1:15.Wherefore, he besought them not to deceive
themselves by the impious notion, that God is the author of sin,
James 1:16.He is the author of every good and perfect GIFT, and of
nothing but good, and that invariably, James 1:17.Farther, that
such of them as professed the gospel might be brought to a right
faith and practice, he desired them, as learners, to hearken with
attention and submission to the apostles of Christ who had brought
them word, and to be charitable in delivering their opinion on
matters of religion, lest they might say something that was
dishonourable to God; and by no means to be angry with those who
differed from them, James 1:19-20.and to lay aside all those evil
passions which they hast hitherto indulged, and which hindered them
from receiving the word with meekness, James 1:21.Then he exhorted
them to be doers, and not hearers only of the word, James
1:22.because the person who contents himself with hearing the word,
is like a man who transiently beholds his natural face in a glass,
then goes away, and immediately forgets his own appearance; so that
he is at no pains to remove from his face any thing that is
disagreeable in it, &c. James 1:23-25. The apostle, having thus
exhorted the Jews to be doers of the law, PROCEEDED to mention
certain points of the law, which too many professors are apt to
neglect, but which merit the attention of all who are truly
religious: And, first, he recommended the bridling of the tongue,
that virtue being a great mark of holiness in those who possess it,
and the want of it a certain proof of the want of genuine religion,
James 1:26.An exhortation of this kind was peculiarly suitable to
the Judaizing teachers, 16. who sinned exceedingly with their
tongue, both by inculcating erroneous doctrines, together with a
most corrupt morality, and by reviling all who opposed their
ERRORS: and it is highly expedient for professors in general. The
second point of duty which the apostle recommended, was kind
offices to orphans and widows in their affliction, because such
good works are principal fruits of true religion in the sight of
God: and the third and last was, a crucifixion to the spirit and
practices of the world. JAMES.] As this epistle plainly intimates
that the destruction of Jerusalem was near, which happened in the
year 70, this epistle could not be written by St. James the Elder,
who was beheaded by Herod in the year 44. or were any large number
of Jewish Christians dispersed, nor were the Jewish Christians sunk
into any remarkable degeneracy, so early as his death. Hence we may
conclude, that it was written about the year 60, by St. James the
Less, called the brother or kinsman of our blessed Lord. This James
chiefly dwelt at Jerusalem; and as he presided over the churches of
Judea, to the inhabitants of which he had limited his personal
labours, he endeavours in this epistle to extend his services to
the Jewish Christians who were dispersed in more distant regions.
For this end the apostle confines himself particularly to these two
points, to correct those ERRORS into which the Jewish converts had
fallen; and to establish the faith, and animate the hope of sincere
believers, both under their present and approaching sufferings.
These are both treated, jointly or distinctly, in a free
epistolarymanner. This epistle is placed before those of St. Peter,
because St. James was the first bishop, and because it is more
general than the epistles of St. Pet Verse 1 James 1:1. To the
twelve tribes, &c. It is well known, that the Jews were
dispersed abroad, and to be found in great multitudes in almost all
parts of the world, as well at the time of writing this epistle, as
at present.It seems to be plainly deducible from this passage, that
no entire tribes were lost in the captivity. The number of those
who came back was REGISTERED by Ezra and ehemiah; twelve goats were
offered for a sin-offering for all Israel, according to the number
of the tribes of Israel. See Ezra 6:17; Ezra 8:35. CO STABLE, "I. I
TRODUCTIO 1:1 The writer identified himself for the original
recipients of this epistle and greeted them to introduce himself to
his readers. James (lit. Jacob) was probably the half-brother of
the Lord Jesus Christ who evidently became a believer late in
Jesus' earthly ministry (cf. John 7:5; 1 Corinthians 15:7). He
became the leader of the church in Jerusalem early in its history
(Galatians 2:9; Acts 15:13-21). APART from Paul and Peter, no
figure in the church of the first days plays a more substantial
part upon the historic and legendary stage than James, first Bishop
of Jerusalem." OTE: G. H. Rendall, The Epistle of James and Judaic
Christianity, 17. pp. 11-12.] James described himself simply as a
bond-servant (Gr. doulos) of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Only
he and Jude, another half-brother of the Lord, described themselves
simply as bond-servants in their epistles. This probably indicates
that they were so well known in the early church that they did not
need to describe themselves in more detail. [ ote: Mayor, p. 29.]
James did not refer to himself as Jesus' brother or the church's
leader. He evidently purposed not to know Jesus "after the flesh"
(2 Corinthians 5:16) but only as his Lord and God. Being a bond-
servant of God was his most important relationship (cf. Romans 1:1;
Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Judges 1:1; Revelation
1:1). He placed Jesus equal with God by saying he was the
bond-servant of both God and the Lord Jesus Christ. The term
bond-servant did not carry the degrading connotation in the first
century that it does today. In the Septuagint doulos described
Israel's great leaders who occupied POSITIO S of privilege and
honor (e.g., Moses [Deuteronomy 34:5; et al.]; David [2 Samuel 7:5;
et al]; and the prophets [Jeremiah 7:25; Jeremiah 44:4; Amos 3:7]).
By using this word James was proudly asserting that he belonged to
God and to Jesus Christ body and soul. OTE: Burdick, p. 167.] "It
is only his servanthood to the Lord Jesus Christ that matters to
him here, for this is the theme of his letter: How shall we live as
servants of the Lord Jesus Christ?" [ ote: Stulac, p. 30.] The 12
tribes (cf. Matthew 19:28; Acts 26:7) scattered abroad most
naturally refer to Jewish Christians of the Diaspora, those who
were living outside Palestine. [ ote: Hiebert, pp. 32-34. Cf.
Martin, pp. 8-11.] James knew nothing of the ten so-called "lost
tribes;" he regarded Israel in its unity and completeness as
consisting of 12 tribes. These Jews were very likely members of the
Jerusalem church who had left Jerusalem SHORTLY after Stephen's
martyrdom (cf. Acts 8:1; Acts 8:4; Acts 11:19-20). Some scholars
believed they lived within Palestine. [ ote: E.g., Zane C. Hodges,
The Epistle of James, p. 12.] However the location of the
recipients does not affect the interpretation of the epistle
significantly. What James wrote to them as a fellow Jewish
Christian is normative for both Jewish and Gentile Christians since
both are one in Christ. It is unnatural to take the 12 tribes as
descriptive of the so- called "new Israel," the church, as some
interpreters do. [ ote: E.g., R. V. G. Tasker, The General Epistle
of James, pp. 39-40; Motyer, p. 24; and Sidebottom, p. 26.]
"Israel" can and does always refer to the physical descendants of
Jacob whenever it occurs in the ew Testament, just as it does in
the Old Testament. Furthermore there is no other revelation that
the church consists of 12 parts as the nation of Israel did. James
wrote in very good Greek; his grammar, syntax, and word choice were
excellent. "Greetings" was a common Greek salutation familiar to
his readers. SCHAFF, "James 1:1. James: the same name as the Hebrew
Jacob. The James who is the author of this Epistle is the Lords
brother, known in ecclesiastical history as the bishop of
Jerusalem, and was either a son of Mary and Joseph, or a son of
Joseph by a previous marriage (see Introduction, sec. 1). 18. a
servant, literally a bondman or a slave; the word denotes absolute
subjection, but we must not associate with it the degradation and
involuntary compulsion ATTACHED to our conception of slavery. A
certain undefined ministerial office is perhaps implied; but the
phrase, a servant of Christ, has become a popular term, belonging
not only to all the office-bearers of the Church, but to all
Christians (1 Peter 2:16). We are all the servants of Jesus Christ,
bound to obey His commands, and to devote ourselves to His service.
Some suppose that it is a proof that James was not an apostle,
because he calls himself only a servant of God and of the Lord
Jesus Christ; but this supposition cannot be maintained, as Paul
gives himself the same appellation in the Epistle to the
Philippians (Philippians 1:1). of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Only in another place in this Epistle does James mention our Lord
by name (chap. James 2:1), though elsewhere he alludes to Him
(chap. James 5:7; James 5:14-15). to the twelve tribes, a common
designation of the Israelites (Acts 26:7). The twelve tribes were
now mingled together, and formed the nation of the Jews. The name
Israel was, however, still retained as being the covenant people of
God; to Israel, and not specifically to the Jews, were the promises
made (Romans 9:4). which are scattered abroad, or more exactly,
that are in the dispersion. The Dispersion, or the Diaspora, was
the name given to those Jews or Israelites who resided in foreign
lands beyond the boundaries of Palestine. This Epistle was not
written primarily to the Gentile Christians, or to the Jews
generally, but to the Christian Jews of the dispersionto those who
are elsewhere called Hellenists (see I TRODUCTIO , sec. 2). The
Jews were everywhere scattered abroad. Josephus says that it was
not easy to find an eminent place in the whole world where the Jews
did not reside; and the same observation holds good in the present
day. greeting, or wishes joy. The usual Greek form of salutation.
It is found at the commencement of no other apostolic Epistle, but
occurs in the Epistle drawn up by James, ADDRESSED to the Gentile
churches, at the council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:23), over which
James seems to have presided. HAMPTO , "Ask and it shall be given,
seek and you shall find, knock and it will be open unto you, except
if you doubt. Then you have a promise of unanswered prayer. One
Sunday in a Midwest city a young boy was "acting up" during the
morning worship hour.The parents did their best to maintain some
sense of order in the pew but were losing the battle.Finally the
father picked the little fellow up and walked sternly up the aisle
on his way out. Just before reaching the safety of the foyer the
boy called loudly to the congregation, "Pray for me! Pray for me!"
PETT, "Note here the standard formula for a letter, that is, name
of the sender, name of the recipient, and greeting. This was a
typical OPENING to a letter in ancient times. James, a servant of
God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. 19. The majority evidence points
to this as being James, the Lords brother. Through the death of
Jesus he has become the heir to the throne of David, but to him
that is as nothing compared with the privilege of being a servant
of the Lord, Jesus Christ. There are two ways of looking at the
word servant here. The first as indicating that he is, in
privilege, in the line of the great men and prophets of old, the
servants of YHWH. And the second as indicating a servant in
relation to his lord. If we see it in terms of the first the term
My servant or The Servant of YHWH was used in various ways, with
various DEGREES of honour. Only Moses and Joshua were actually
given the title of the servant of YHWH, and in both cases it was
posthumously. For Moses as the servant of the Lord (YHWH: Greek -
Kurios, Lord) see Deuteronomy 34:5 Joshua 1:1 and often; 2 Kings
18:12; 2 Chronicles 1:3; 2 Chronicles 24:6. For Joshua (Greek
Jesus) as the servant of the Lord (YHWH) see Joshua 24:9; Judges
2:8. Thus we have here the great Lawgiver and the great Deliverer
who each had bestowed on them after their death the title the
servant of YHWH. Both were types of the great Servant of YHWH
(Isaiah 42:1; Isaiah 49:3; Isaiah 49:5; Isaiah 52:13) of Whom it
was said that the coastlands would wait for His Law (Isaiah 42:4),
and that He would restore Israel (Isaiah 49:6) and be a light to
lighten the Gentiles in bringing them deliverance (Isaiah 42:6-7)
taking YHWHs salvation to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6). He
was to be both Lawgiver and Deliverer. It is not likely that James
had this in mind. However, Abraham was spoken of by YHWH as My
servant ( GENESIS26:24; compare Psalms 105:6; Psalms 105:42) as
were Jacob and his descendants (Isaiah 41:8-9; Isaiah 44:1-2;
Isaiah 44:21; Isaiah 45:4; Isaiah 48:20; Jeremiah 30:10; Jeremiah
46:28; Ezekiel 28:25), and Moses ( NUMBERS12:7-8; Joshua 1:2;
Joshua 1:7) and Caleb (Numbers 14:24). David the king (2 Samuel
3:18; 2 Samuel 7:5; 2 Samuel 7:8; 1 Kings 11:32; 1 Kings 11:36; 1
Kings 11:38; 1 Kings 14:8; 2 Kings 19:34; 2 Kings 20:6; 1
Chronicles 17:4; 1 Chronicles 17:7; Psalms 89:3; Psalms 89:20;
Ezekiel 34:24) and Zerubbabel, the ruler of Israel after the exile
(Haggai 2:23) were also spoken of by YHWH as My servant and the
prophets were described as My servants the prophets (2 Kings 17:13;
Jeremiah 25:4; Jeremiah 25:9; Jeremiah 29:19; Ezekiel 38:17;
Zechariah 1:6, compare Daniel 9:10; Amos 3:7). See also the use of
My servant of Job (Job 1:8; Job 2:3; Job 42:8); of Isaiah (Isaiah
20:3); of Eliakim (Isaiah 22:20) and of Nebuchadrezzar, in his case
by YHWH as the God of Israel (Jeremiah 43:10; Jeremiah 46:26). But
the people in general who were true to Him were also called My
servants (Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 65:8; Isaiah 65:13; compare Psalms
34:22 and often; Isaiah 56:6; Isaiah 65:15; Isaiah 66:14) and the
servants of YHWH (Psalms 113:1; Psalms 134:1; Psalms 135:1; Isaiah
54:17). And, of course, Isaiah spoke of the coming great Servant as
My Servant (Isaiah 42:1; Isaiah 49:3; Isaiah 49:5-6; Isaiah 52:13
compare Isaiah 50:10). It will be noted how many inflections there
are to the idea. With Moses and Joshua it was especially a
posthumous title of great honour as the potential introducers of
the Kingly Rule of God. David was unique in that YHWH paralleled
him as His servant with Himself (2 Kings 19:34), He would act for
His own Names sake and for Davids sake. Again the thought is of
ensuring the MAINTENANCE of the Kingly Rule of God established by
David. In other cases it indicated the privilege of serving YHWH,
and the intimate concern that YHWH had for His servants. Thus if
James had this in mind, and it must surely have been in the back of
his mind, he was putting himself in line with all who served YHWH
in the Old Testament. On the other hand it is also probable that,
while having this BACKGROUND in mind, it is 20. the humbling
emphasis of the title that he was mainly thinking of. He was not by
it seeking to exalt himself as some great one (others did that for
him). He was seeking to express his heartfelt gratitude to God and
the Lord Jesus Christ for His goodness towards him as his Master,
aiming to indicate the seriousness of his purpose. He was writing
as the Lords servant, and indicating what his attitude of mind was
to his readers. He was the slave of His God and Lord, Jesus Christ,
and all that he wrote had in mind pleasing Him and accomplishing
His will among His people. Of the God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the Greek the phrase is emphasised by its position in the
sentence, and there are no definite articles in it, although we
should bear in mind that with such nouns as God and Lord the
article was often to be assumed. It therefore leaves it OPEN to
ambiguity. We can translate in a NUMBER of ways. But in which ever
way we do it, it is impossible to avoid the fact that James is
equating the two titles in such a way that they are seen as
parallel. We can compare here Pauls words in 1 Corinthians 8:6, we
have one God, the Father -- and one Lord, Jesus Christ. Given the
fact that Lord is the TRANSLATION of YHWHs name in the Old
Testament, and that in the Greek world it was used in parallel with
gods as describing gods this is a clear indication of deity. There
is no question but that the Rabbis would have seen it as
blasphemous. It could signify: 1) God on the one hand and the Lord,
Jesus Christ on the other, but with an emphasis in the latter case
on Lord (the idea of kurios = YHWH would have been one thing in
mind to one who read the Scriptures in both Greek and Hebrew). 2) A
deliberate contrast between God and Lord and himself as a servant
so that he has over him both One Who is his God, and One Who is his
Lord, (and thus is the Lord, Jesus Christ). 3) Jesus Christ as his
God and Lord. This would tie in with the parallel idea in 2 Peter
1:1; 2 Peter 1:11, where we have our God and Saviour Jesus Christ
and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, where the article before God
and Lord indicates that THE LINK with Saviour indicates the One
person (compare for this usage James 3:9, the Lord and Father).
Whichever way we see it there can be no doubt that taken in its
natural meaning this is an indication of deity. James is
recognising the great gap between himself and his Lord, and putting
his Lord on the divine side of reality. (How then could he also at
the same time have said the brother of the Lord? It would have been
incongruous). We should also note the significance of the other
names. Jesus means YHWH is salvation, and was given because He
would save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). Indeed the
story of His naming was presumably regularly told in the household
of Joseph and Mary, something which would have gained new
significance after His death and resurrection. Christ means
literally Messiah. Thus James is also stressing His Messiahship.
These inflections would be obvious to all his readers. It is
sometimes suggested that the letter is somewhat SHORT on references
to Jesus Christ who is named only here and in James 2:1. But that
is to ignore a number of things. Firstly it is to ignore what we
see here. For James often speaks of the Lord, and certainly in
James 5:7-8, where we read of the coming of the Lord, that can only
mean the Lord Jesus Christ. It is apparent that, to James, God and
the Lord, Jesus Christ, can be spoken of almost in the same breath.
Thus the letter could be seen as having a number of references to
Him (at least James 1:1; James 2:1; James 4:15; James 5:7-8; James
5:14- 15). Furthermore he also refers to the worthy/honourable Name
by which you are called (James 2:7). The idea of the Lord, Jesus
Christ thus underlies the whole narrative. 21. James 1:1, To the
twelve tribes who are of the Dispersion. For a detailed argument
indicating that the twelve tribes means the whole church, including
ex-Jews and ex-Gentiles (Galatians 3:28) as in the new Israel in
Christ, the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16), see the introduction.
The phrase is also used in the Shepherd of Hermas to indicate the
same, when Hermas (Similitudes 9. 17) explains that the twelve
mountains in his vision are the twelve tribes who inhabit the whole
world, to whom the Son of God was preached by the apostles. Hermas
had evidently read James. Compare also its use in Matthew 19:28;
Luke 22:30, for which see our commentaries. There too in our view
it means the whole church. James had a strong sense that the church
was the true Israel (not what some call the spiritual Israel in
contradistinction to Israel, but the actual CONTINUATION of the
real Israel, made holy by cutting off and engrafting as had always
been the case), founded on Jesus as the new Vine (John 15:1-6), and
then on the Apostles (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 2:20). He saw it as
the new nation of Matthew 21:43, established first in Jerusalem
(Acts 1-9) but then spreading outwards to take in the Jews who
became Christians, many of whom were then dispersed by persecution
(Acts 8:1), which James saw as the new Dispersion, and grafting in
the huge number who turned from being Gentiles to ENTER the new
Israel as followers of the Messiah, who were also dispersed around
the world. This was Israel as God had always intended it to be, an
Israel throbbing with spirituality and life. Many scholars see it
as indicating all Christian Jews but this is unlikely in view of
the fact that the writer, while stressing inter-church behaviour,
never deals with the question of how the Gentiles fit in. To have
written just to Jews worldwide, and to totally ignore the Gentiles
who shared with them the same synagogues and churches, without
dealing with that question, would have been to be seriously
divisive, and certainly unlike the ever considerate compromiser (in
a good sense) James is revealed to be in Acts 15, 21. It would have
been a separatist letter suggesting a division in the church. Some
therefore, recognising this, argue that it is written to the
Christian Jews in Judaea, but that is to give a totally new meaning
to the term the Dispersion, which in fact regularly indicates Jews
outside Palestine. Why not also then give a new meaning to the
twelve tribes, one already used by Jesus? James 1:1, Greeting. It
is noteworthy that this greeting only occurs elsewhere twice in the
New Testament. The first is as used by James, the Lords brother and
the elders in Acts 15:23, in a letter to the churches, and the
second is as used in Acts 23:26 of the greeting from the Roman
tribune in a letter to the Procurator about Paul. It has been seen
as support for the idea that the writer was James, the Lords
brother. On the other hand it might be seen as a common
non-Biblical greeting. Either way it is an OPENING greeting
intended to indicate oneness and love/loyalty with those to whom it
is written. WHEDON, "1. JamesJacobus, the name which our English
language has made Jacob in the Old Testament it has capriciously
shortened to James in the New. Servant NOTE on Romans 1:1. The
twelve tribesSee note on the , or twelve-tribedom. Acts 26:7. Which
are scattered abroadLiterally, which are in the dispersion. 1 Peter
1:1. The dispersion was a customary term APPLIED to that scattered
condition of the twelve tribes arising from their repeated
captivities. There were four chief dispersionsthe Babylonian, the
Egyptian, the Syrian, and the western in Greece and Italy. In John
7:35 is mentioned the 22. dispersion of the Greeks; that is, of
Jews among the Greeks, or Gentiles. Josephus says: The race of the
Jews has been plentifully dispersed among the inhabitants of the
world, but the largest mingling has been in Syria. Compare the
beautiful greeting in 2 Maccabees 1:1, from the Jews of Jerusalem
to the Jews in Egypt: The brethren, the Jews that be at Jerusalem
and in the land of Judea, wish unto the brethren that are
throughout Egypt, health and peace. The infant Jesus was for a
brief period among the dispersion of Egypt. The two epistles of
Peter are also ADDRESSED to the dispersion. Yet these epistles
contain nothing implying that they do not suit also to the
conditions of Palestine and Jerusalem, as partaking, like the rest,
in the tribal disorganization arising from the captivities and the
desolations. In modern times, the dispersion of Israel, by a
memorable history, has been extended to almost every part of the
world. Yet it is plain that St. James specially ADDRESSES this
epistle to the Christian Israel in Israel; the twelve-tribedom in
the twelve-tribedom, who had accepted Jesus Christ. If the whole
dispersion of Jews is nominally, and, in some parts, directly
addressed, it is because to his strong Judaic feeling all nominally
belong to the Messiah, and all ought to accept his epistle as to
them. Compare our notes on Matthew 10:5-6; Matthew 19:28; Acts 1:8.
GreetingThe word greeting is a SINGLE Greek word in the infinitive,
signifying to rejoice, with the phrase BIDDINGyou to be supplied
before it, making a salutation equivalent to our wishing you joy.
The old Saxon word greeting signifies saluting, addressing in
friendly and honorary style. See NOTE, Acts 15:23. OTES, "Ancient
letters started with the author rather than how we do it now with
the name at the end, and the fact is, that makes more sense, for
you know who it is from the start and not after you read it all.
We, of course, just look at the end first to see who it is from.
James grew up with Jesus as his older brother, and he and his
brothers, no doubt, resented Jesus because he was the ideal child.
Who knows how often they had to hear from Mary or Joseph, Why cant
you be more like Jesus? Jesus was favored for they knew he was
special. When Jesus had great crowds following him, his brothers
thought he was out of his mind. (Mark 3:21). We see that Jesus had
4 brothers and at least 2 sisters in Mark 6:3 where we read, Isnt
this Marys son and the brother of James, Joses, Judas and Simon?
Arent his sisters here with us? In John 7:5 we read, For even his
own brothers did not believe in him. James was changed after the
resurrection in I Cor. 15:7, and the other brothers became active
also in the early church in Acts 1:14 and I Cor. 9:5. Two of them
wrote books of the New Testament-Jude and James. Jude 1:1 begins,
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, James
became a major leader in the early church. He was the leader of the
mother church of Christianity in Jerusalem. See Gal. 1:19; 2:9-12;
Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18 . He was a married man as we see in I Cor.
9:5 23. a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ A servant is
one who lives in obedience to his master, and gives his life in
serving the will of the master. In the Bible it puts you into the
category of all the great people God has used to accomplish his
will on earth, and so is a title worthy of honor. A servant was a
doulos, or slave. Joseph Addison said, The grand essentials to
happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and
something to hope for. All of these are fulfilled as servants of
God and Christ, for their is much to do in obedience, a world to
love, and a heaven to hope for. Being a servant is the most
practical way to express your Christian faith. Try being a servant
at work or at home and see the results. I thought we could not
serve two masters? But here the two are one and so their is no
conflict with the principle. Why is the Holy Spirit so often left
out and not included with the Father and the Son? His absence is
often conspicuous. He is the silent partner in the Godhead, and
often get less than equal exposure. Some offset this neglect by
giving the Holy Spirit a special focus in their theology, but this
misses the point of the Bible by keeping Him obscure and not on
center stage. 12 tribes Christian Jews felt they were the new
Israel, and the true Israel through whom God would achieve his
purpose in history. They were the Israel of God-Gal. 6:16. There
are no lost tribes in Christ, for he combines all in one family.
Christianity if Judaism fulfilled. Paul agrees with this completely
in Gal. 3:29 and 6:16. Gentiles are now the citizens of Israel in
Eph 2:11-22. So they are now part of the 12 tribes, which represent
Gods people everywhere. In Acts 26:7 Paul refers to the 12 tribes
who are looking for the hope to be fulfilled. The Jews had
synagogues all over the world and this is what made it possible for
Christians to go everywhere and share the Gospel, for the synagogue
was open for others to come in and share. Roper, The 12 tribes are
the 12 tribes of Israel. James is a thoroughly Jewish book. These
are Christian Jews to whom he is writing, who were dispersed
throughout the world. The Greek word "diaspora" means "to sow
throughout." These were Jews God had sown throughout the world as
the result of many scatterings and captivities and persecutions.
These people had received Jesus as their Messiah. Perhaps Jews who
were in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost had spread the gospel to
them. And now James is writing to them to encourage them and
instruct them. These were people who were suffering. This is a
constant note throughout the book. They were suffering because they
were Christians. Businessmen had lost their jobs, and their shops
were being boycotted. Young people had been thrown out of their
homes. Children were mocked and turned out of the Jewish schools.
They were hated and despised. The Gentiles hated them because they
were Jews, and the Jews hated them be cause they were 24.
Christians. They had no place to go. Life was indeed grim. Roper,
The third aspect of the introduction is a brief salutation:
"Greeting." But "greeting" is a very poor translation of the Greek
term. The word is not "greeting" but "Rejoice!" "Be satisfied!"
What a strange word to address to these persecuted people. How
could they rejoice in their present circumstances? Well, James
answers that question in the next paragraph. There is one problem
that those of us who work on college campuses face, over and over
again. It is the problem of the justice of God: "Why do the
innocent suffer?" James picks up this issue immediately, because it
is one that was on the minds of these people as well. The problem
of suffering was not a theoretical problem to them. They were
suffering, and they needed to know what relationship this had to
their Christian life. James does not provide a complete explanation
to the dilemma but he does tell them how they can utilize suffering
in their lives. BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, "James, a servant of God St.
James and his Epistle This Epistle, although Luther stigmatised it
as an epistle of straw, has many claims on our regard. It is the
first Christian document that was given to the world, the earliest
of all the New Testament Scriptures: It is more like the writings
of the Old Testament than any other contained, in the New, and
forms a natural transition from the one to the other. To St. James
the gospel of Christ was simply the true Judaism, Judaism fulfilled
and transfigured. It was the law of Moses, which St. Paul called
the law of bondage, transformed into the law of liberty. it was the
beautiful consummate flower of which the old economy was the bud,
the perfect day of which that was the dawn. The first special claim
of the Epistle is, then, that it presents us with the earliest view
of the truth as it is in Jesus which obtained in the Christian
Church; and the second is, that it was written by that brother of
the Lord who was the first bishop, i.e., the first chief pastor, of
the first Christian Church, viz., the Church of Jerusalem. And this
James the brother of the Lord had much, not of the mind only, but
of the very manner of the Lord. The style of St. James is precisely
that of his Divine Brother plain, simple, direct, pungent, and yet
instinct with poetic imagination. The Epistle opens, as most of the
apostolic letters open, by announcing the names of the writer and
of the persons to whom it was addressed: James to the Dispersion.
This was the ancient epistolary style in private as well as in
public correspondence. We have many instances of it in the New
Testament, as, for instance, in Act_23:26, Claudius Lysias to the
most excellent governor Felix. James had a history, and so had the
Dispersion; and by his history he was marked out as the very man to
write to the Jews who were scattered abroad. James was a Jew at
heart to the day of his death, though he was also a Christian
apostle. Who, then, so suitable as he to instruct men who, though
Jews by birth and training and habit, had nevertheless embraced the
Christian faith? After the death and resurrection of Christ he
became the bishop and pillar of the Church in Jerusalema Church
which was as much Hebrew as Christian; a Church which shook its
head doubtfully when it heard that Gentiles also were being
baptized; a Church from which there went forth the Judaisers who
dogged St. Pauls steps wherever he went, hindered his work, and
kindled a tumult 25. of grief and indignation in his heart. And
these Judaisers carried with them letters of commendation from St.
James, and were for ever citing the authority of the Lords brethren
against that of St. Paul. It may be doubted whether he ever really
approved the generous course St. Paul took. It is quite certain
that, to the end of his life, he was as sincerely a Jew as he was a
Christian. Till he was put to death by them, the Jews, the very
Pharisees of Jerusalem respected and honoured him, although they
hunted many of the Christians, and especially their leaders, to
prison and the grave. Writing soon after James had passed away, an
ecclesiastical historian tells us that he was holy from his mothers
womb. He drank no wine nor strong drink, and no razor ever came on
his head. He alone was allowed to go into the holy place of the
temple, the shrine sacred to the priests, he was so long and often
on his knees that they grew hard like a camels. When a religious
crisis arose, and the Pharisees heard that many were going astray
after Jesus, they came to James of all menthe brother of Jesus and
the bishop of the Church!to beg that he would recall the people
from their errors, so entirely did they regard him as one of
themselves. On the feast-day they placed him on the front of the
temple, and adjured him to tell the multitude, since many had gone
astray after Jesus, what the true way of salvation was. They were
thunderstruck when he gave testimony to the Son of Man as the Lord
and Christ foretold by the prophets; but, as soon as they could
believe for wonder, they rushed upon him, crying, Woe! woe! Even
the Just One is deceived! They cast him down from the temple, and
beat out his brains with a club. His testimony to Jesus as the
Christ can hardly have been very zealous if the Pharisees regarded
him as one of themselves, and put him forward to speak against the
Son of Man. The fact seems to be that he never regarded Jesus as
more than the Jewish Messiah, or the gospel as more than the
fulfilling of the law. He did not see that, when a law is
fulfilled, it gives place to a higher law. But whatever the defects
we may discover in St. James, it is obvious that these very defects
adapted him to be an apostle to the Jews. He may have quietly won
many to the faith whom a man of a more catholic spirit would have
alienated. At least he could help to make the men of Jerusalem
better Jews; and that, after all, was the most likely way to make
them Christians. But what sort of Jews were those to whom this
letter was addressedthe Jews of the Dispersion?and wherein did they
differ from the Jews of Jerusalem? When the Jews returned from
their captivity in Babylon they left behind them the great bulk of
their race. Only a few poor thousands returned; hundreds of
thousands preferred to remain in the lands in which they had been
settled by their conquerors. As they multiplied and prospered they
spread, until they were found in most of the great centres of
commerce and learning in the ancient world. So, too, the Jews who
had returned to Judaea also multiplied and grew, till the land
became too strait for them. Their fathers had been farmers and
wine-growers, each tilling his own acres or dressing his own vines.
But the sons were compelled by their growing numbers to build
cities and to embark in manufacture and traffic. Meanwhile the
great heathen empiresPersian, Syrian, Egyptian, Greek, Romanhad
thrown the whole world open to them; and of this opening they were
quick to avail themselves. It was inevitable that travel and
intercourse with many men of many races should widen their
thoughts. They could not encounter so many new influences without
being affected by them. The influence they most commonly met, and
to which they yielded most, was that of Greek thought and culture.
Though they retained the faith and the Scriptures of Moses, they
read them in a more philosophical and cosmopolitan spirit. Now, if
we picture these foreign Jews to ourselvesthese twelve tribes in
the Dispersion, as St. James calls them, just as we might speak of
the greater Britain beyond the seaif we picture to ourselves these
men, far from the land of their fathers,dwelling in busy, populous
cities, where they were compelled to hold daily intercourse with
men of other creeds and customs than their own, where, so to speak,
a larger, freer current of air 26. tended to disperse the mists of
local or racial prejudice, we shall readily understand that they
were more accessible to new ideas, and especially to any new ideas
which came to them from the land of their fathers, than their
brethren who remained at home breathing the loaded atmosphere of
their ancient city, into which the movements of the outside world
could seldom penetrate. The Christian ideas, the good news that He
was come for whom their fathers had looked, would be more
impartially weighed by these Hellenised and foreign Jews than by
the priests and Pharisees who dwelt under the shadow of the temple,
and felt that, if Jesus should increase, they must decrease. Nor
would the catholicity of the Christian faith, its appeal to men of
every race, be so offensive to the tribes of the Dispersion as to
the Jews of Judaea. (S. Cox, D. D.) The ministry of James I. A
MINISTRY CONSCIOUSLY AUTHORISED BY GOD. The pledge of our
soldiership, the credentials of our ambassage, are to be found
chiefly within us, not without and around, II. MINISTRY
AFFECTIONATELY ADDRESSED TO ALL. The true ministry never seeks to
limit its love to one Church, or to square its sympathies to one
sect. No scattering, either of denomination or distance, hinders
the desire that all may be taught, comforted, sanctified, saved.
III. A MINISTRY OCCASIONALLY WROUGHT BY WRITING. Some things are
noticeable about the ministry of writing as compared with that of
speech. 1. It is wider in its scope. 2. It is more permanent in its
form. 3. It is frequently more easily discharged. Parents, friends,
all who write to dear and most distant ones, can discharge a
ministry thus. (U. R. Thomas.) Service the true idea of a Christian
life The world is full of servants of one kind and another. 1. Many
are servants through the force of their worldly position. 2.
Through the weakness of their intellectual and moral natures. 3.
Through the dominant force of an evil passion. 4. Through their
effort to pursue a Christly method of life. By striving to bring
our daily life into conformity with the Saviours, by endeavouring
to become pure in our nature, spiritual in our ideas, reverent in
our dispositions, and unselfish in our activities, we enter upon
the highest service of which a human soul is capable. I. IT IS
SERVICE DEDICATED TO THE SUPREME BEING OF THE UNIVERSE: James, a
servant of God. 1. It is a service dedicated to God. 2. It is a
service dedicated to the only Saviour of mankind: And of the Lord
Jesus 27. Christ. 3. This service requires the divinest attitudes
and truest activities of our moral nature. It must be (1) Sincere
in its motives. (2) Pure in its effort. (3) Willing in its
obedience. (4) Eternal in its duration. The moral relationships of
the soul are deeper and more enduring than any other. 4. This
service confers the highest dignity upon the moral nature of man.
5. This service presses itself upon our moral nature with the most
emphatic claims. (1) That God is our Creator. (2) That Christ is
our Saviour. II. IT IS A SERVICE DIRECTED TO TSHE MORAL CONSOLATION
AND INSTRUCTION OF THE SORROWFUL. 1. James recognises the sorrowful
condition and painful circumstances of those to whom he wrote. 2.
The service of James was rendered effective by the ministry of the
pen, III. IT IS A SERVICE INTENSE IN ITS CONVICTION AND PERSONAL IN
ITS REALISATION: James. IV. IT IS A SERVICE MOST JUBILANT IN ITS
INSPIRATION: Greeting. 1. It is jubilant because united to the
highest source of joy and hope. 2. Because it has to console the
worlds sorrow. 3. Are we all engaged in this service? (Joseph S.
Exell, M. A.) Servants of God and Christ Men are the servants of
God either generally or particularly. Generally, they are all the
servants of Jesus Christ whosoever profess His religion and promise
their service unto Him in the general calling of a Christian.
Specially, they are called the servants of God and of Christ who in
some chief calling do homage unto God and promote His kingdom. So
princes in commonwealths, preachers and ministers in the Church of
Christ, are servants of God and of Christ in special service. It we
were princes, prelates, angels, yet this is the height of all
glory, to rejoice in the service of Christ. Who are we, and what
are our fathers houses, who can imagine greater glory than to be
servants unto Christ? 1. Now, this name of servant must teach us
humility, that we submit ourselves to Christ, whose servants we
are, and for His sake and by His example to serve one another,
whereunto He exhorteth (Mat_20:25-27); whereunto His example in
washing His disciples feet serveth Joh_13:4-7; Joh_13:10;
Joh_13:17). Submit yourselves one to another, deck yourselves
inwardly in lowliness of mind, for God resisteth the proud and
giveth grace to the humble. Hereof our profession and calling
putteth us in remembrance, who are servants by calling, to serve
God in spirit and 28. truth, and to serve one another in the fear
of God. 2. By our service we a