3/19/61

Scripture: Matthew 10: 24-39

Among the disciples of Jesus, two of the twelve are named “James.” I. Very little is written about one of them, “James, the son of Alpheus.” He is listed, all right, in each of the synoptic gospels and in the book of Acts. But there is not great discussion of his acts or character. There is some evidence that he was one of those intense patriotic zealots. There is also the possibility that he was a brother of Matthew since Matthew appears to be a son of a man named Alpheus --- as was this James. If James and Matthew were brothers, there may have been deep enmity between them. For Matthew had become a tax collector for Rome, at least prior to the time when Jesus called him. If James were really one of the zealots he can hardly have done otherwise than hate a brother who could have so far “sold out” to the hated enemy as to collect the taxes for that enemy.

If all this speculation be true, the fact that Matthew and James, the sons of Alpheus, were part of Jesus’ band of 12 apostles may have meant a great reconciliation between the two in their common loyalty to the Master’s call. At any rate, their presence in Jesus’ band of followers is a great reminder that Jesus came not only to reconcile men to God, but to reconcile them to each other.

II. There is a third “James” who is not listed as one of the 12 disciples, but who became (so we are told) the leader of the Jewish side of the Christian Church. He has been called the president of the church in Jerusalem, and a martyr for the faith. He is referred to as James, the brother of Jesus. When Paul describes his own first visit to Jerusalem as a converted man, he tells of meeting Peter, and then he says, “But other of the apostles saw I none, save James, the Lord’s brother.” [Galatians 1: 19].

There is much of this James that we do not know about and concerning which we can only guess. Whatever he was like, it seems certain that his attitude toward Jesus must have undergone a revolutionary change. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he and his family moved about together. We read of Jesus’ mother at the wedding in Cana. They all appear to have been together at Capernaum for a few days.

But there came a widening breach. His family came to regard Jesus as either mad, or at least to be restrained from his folly. John says in one place about Jesus, “Neither did his brethren believe in him.” Jesus once remarked, “A man’s foes shall be they of his own household,” [Matthew 10: 36], and he seems to be speaking out of his own experience.

But there comes a change. James, the brother of Jesus, is listed among those who gathered together after the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. James soon emerges as the leader of the church in Jerusalem. James does some clear thinking, and speaking, about the reception of gentiles into the church. When Paul brought a collection for the poor to Jerusalem, it was by James that he was received.

And so, if James were for a time, a sort of enemy of Jesus, he nonetheless, became an advocate of Jesus in the church, and a leader among Christian folk. When Paul visited the church in Jerusalem, 14 years later, he found James, Peter, and John as pillars of the church.

It is not in the New Testament, but rather in the writings of the early historians and fathers of the church, that we find how James lived and died for Jesus Christ. For the Lord’s brother, James, became a martyr for the faith. The writer, Josephus, says that a high priest, seizing the opportunity between governors, when the old governor had left and the new one not yet arrived, had James, the brother of Jesus, seized, brought before the legislative council on a charge of violation of the law, and gave him over to be stoned. Another historian has a more elaborate account of the life and death of James. But he, too, attests that James was stoned, dying for the name of the brother whom he had once held in contempt. There may be some debate as to whether James, the brother of Jesus, should be referred to as an apostle. But it seems certain that he became a man of exemplary righteousness, a follower of Jesus’ way, a leader in the church, and a martyr to the faith.

III. Now we turn to yet another “James” of the New Testament -- the best known of the three. He is James the brother of John, these two being the sons of Zebedee. James the son of Zebedee is also a tantalizingly vague figure among the twelve. It can not be doubted that he occupied a leading place among the apostles. In each of the four New Testament listings of the apostles, this James is listed among the first three. Indeed, Mark and the writer of Acts both list “James” second only to Peter. Matthew and Mark list him 3rd, after Peter and Andrew. It may be that his name comes before that of his brother John in the listings because he is older. Yet we know little of him, and much more about John.

We recall that the brothers were both fishermen, sons of a fisherman, Zebedee. They were called by Jesus and they accepted his challenge and invitation. They were impulsive quick-tempered, “sons of thunder.” They were, together with Peter, with Jesus on some of the most intimately sacred occasions, like the transfiguration. They were ambitious for place, or status, in the coming kingdom of the Lord.

But very little is said of James by himself. The one account of James by himself is his martyrdom. The New Testament story of this is told in two brief verses in Acts, Chapter 12, verses 1-2. “Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hand to vex certain of the church. And he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.” This is just about the sum total of our knowledge of James, the brother of John. There are certain legends about him, one of which makes him the patron saint of Spain. But even from the limited and shadowy picture of James in the New Testament, and in legend, he emerges as a man of definitely discernible characteristics.

1) James, the brother of john, was a man of both courage and forgiveness. The one definitely known fact about him is that he was the first of the apostles to become a martyr. And one very likely tradition about him is that his courage and his forgiveness won even his prosecutor for the Christian faith.

2) It seems quite clear also that James was a man without jealousy. You recall that Andrew lived in the shadow of Peter, his brother. So it was with James; he lived in the shadow of John. He could have resented it, and could have been unhappy over John’s prominence. Not everyone is big enough to endure a famous brother! But James did. And he emerged triumphant.

3) It is also easily seen that James and John together were men of really extraordinary faith. It is true that they came to Jesus with a request for the first places in his kingdom. (One account says their mother made the request for them.) And this is taken as an example of worldly ambition. It would be hard to deny it as otherwise. And yet this very request is an example of real optimism and victorious faith. To the ordinary observer, nothing appeared less likely than that Jesus would ever sit on any throne! He was a homeless Galilean preacher, following a course that was certain to collide with the power of religious and civil authorities. Disaster was more likely than conquest. And yet, even in this hopeless-appearing situation, the brothers James and John did not doubt that Jesus was king.

4) One of the most interesting things of all emerges when we put James and John together, contrasting and comparing them. On that occasion when they asked for the chief places in the Kingdom, Jesus asked them if they could drink the cup which he had to drink. They said that they could. And Jesus said that, in the time to come, they would indeed drink it. So, then, both of the brothers drank the cup of Christ. Let us see what that cup was for them. John took care of Jesus’ mother while she lived. Then he went to Rome and suffered persecution. He was banished to the island of Patmos. And then he came to Ephesus where he lived to an extraordinarily ripe old age, full of years and honor and peace. James’ life was short and came to an end swiftly and suddenly through martyrdom by the sword. And yet both drank of the cup of Christ.

There is a Roman coin which has as its inscription the picture of an ox facing an altar and a plow. The ox must be ready for the dramatic sacrifice of the altar, or the long routine of the plow. The Christian who dies in one heroic moment, and the Christian who lives a long life of fidelity to Christ, both have drunk the cup of the Lord; for the Christian, too, must be ready for either.

We have looked, briefly thus far, at three of the Master’s men who bore the name “James;” James, the son of Alpheus; James, the brother of Jesus; and James, the brother of John. Two of them died a martyr’s death; James the brother of Jesus was stoned to death; and James, the brother of John, perished by the sword as the first of the apostles to be martyred. The Christian tradition is full of reference to saints, apostles, prophets, and martyrs. Throughout the nearly 2 thousand years of history since Jesus came to earth, people have given their lives for the faith which they have in God through the Christ.

And it still happens in our time! For there are folk and forces who not only will not accept the Christian gospel for themselves, but desire to stamp it out in others. Christians have met persecution in many times and in many ways. And it behooves us to know in what spirit and in what ways Christ and his apostles and other followers have handled the danger.

For one thing, there is no guarantee by Christ that his followers will escape suffering, and persecution, and even violent death. He himself endured all of these when the time came that he must face an issue without compromise. And so the question arises: How should one of his followers face persecution? There are several ways suggested by his teaching and actions in the Scriptures.

a) One way to meet it is by a compassionate shrewdness. Jesus is realistic about the world’s cruelty and suffering. Early in World War II, Winston Churchill stirred the people of the British Isles to great loyalty by warning them to expect “blood, toil, sweat, and tears.” Jesus issued a darker warning than that. The new faith would bring his followers before synagogue courts, local rulers, and even kings. It would divide homes so that, in bitterness, brother might be pitted against brother, parent against child. This warning of persecution was tragically fulfilled. Christians were flogged by synagogue courts, were hailed before governors and kings, and the new faith divided families. Jesus says that shrewdness in love is an asset. His followers are to be “as wise as serpents” and yet as “harmless as doves.” [Matthew 10: 16]. They are not to provoke the ungodly to violence. In some cases, when persecuted in one city, they are to retire to a more kindly locale. They are not to cast their life away without due occasion. Martyrdom is not to be courted even by the most zealously devoted Christian. Neither is it to be avoided when a stand must finally be taken. For sometimes the persecution could not be escaped.

b) If one had to face flogging by a Synagogue court, or the sentence of death by a governor’s court or king’s decree, let him face it with courage and trust. For this situation Christ gave his followers 3 assurances. First, that God would supply both words and courage to those who trust Him so that they need not worry over a rehearsed speech. God would speak through their assurance and valor. Second, their testimony would mightily proclaim the kingdom, as did the utterance of the aged Polycarp. Polycarp was an early Christian leader who as an aged man was put to death in the Roman arena. Waving his hand toward the throng of heathen looking in from the stands, he said, “Eighty and six years have I been His servant, and He hath done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who has saved me?” Third, this trust will save those who thus bear their witness. The persecutions are not interminable. And death itself is a haven for the faithful, who are saved from the canker of cowardice and the chaos that besets those who deny the truth.

c) Another way to meet persecution is by remembrance of Christ. Jesus reminded his followers that a disciple is not above his teacher. If the Master, or Teacher suffers, his followers and pupils may be called upon to suffer likewise.

During the Boxer uprising in China, a missionary was struck with a stone so that he could feel the warm blood flowing from a wound in his head. Whereupon he exclaimed, “Now I am a Christian.” It meant not just that he had met some kind of a test, but that he now knew what sharing with Christ had come to be. The remembrance of Christ quickens into His presence and the deep assurance of the One who says: “I am with Thee.”

d) And of course Jesus repeatedly urged his followers to meet persecution, or any other trouble with a good courage. Over and over again he used those encouraging words, “fear not.” Sometimes one comes to the place where, like did Polycarp, he must boldly proclaim his faith. Jesus assured his followers that they need not fear those who could kill the flesh. For God watches over each one. The body may perish, but not the man. The profound psychology of Jesus is that his followers must face the fear -- even at its possible worst. Then he gives them the faith to overcome the fear. For God, who has both life and death in His hands, is mighty to save.

We are told that the English word, “martyr,” is a transliteration of the Greek term for witness. It is easily traced from the meaning: “one who tells what he has seen” to “one who dies for his convictions.” The New Testament writers do not generally use the term “witness” in the technical sense of one who is called before a court to testify to what he has seen. Rather, they came to speak of a “witness” as one who testified to his faith in the face of persecution. Persecution became so intense that known Christians who refused to repudiate their faith, were punished by death. And so the term “witness” came to mean one who suffered martyrdom for the sake of his faith. An earlier meaning of the word “witness” is seen in the back of Acts wherein Christians told what they had seen of the Risen Christ. But by the time of the book of Revelation, and in later writings, the term “witness” had come to mean what our English word “martyr” means.

One more thing about the giving of life by the martyrs: it was a sacrifice in the original intent of that offering. The essence of sacrifice, even in Old Testament times, was not in the death of the victim, but in the offering of life to God. The worshipper offered a portion of the best of his life to God -- the fruit of his labors, or a living creature. The truest sacrifice that man can offer to God is that of living according to His will. For John, the son of Zebedee, this meant a long life of service. For James, his brother, it meant early martyrdom.

Therefore, Jesus says, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow me.” [Mark 8: 34]. “He that loveth his life (with selfish absorption) shall lose it”-- miss it! “He that loses his life -- (offers it; spends it for the Master) shall find it.” [Mark 8: 35].

This utter loyalty, says Dr. Fosdick, is a basic condition of the liberty that we find in Christ. The apostle Paul assured Christians saying, “All things are yours.” [I Corinthians 3: 21]. He was a preacher of freedom. But the rest of the text from Paul has to go with the first part of it: .. “and ye are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.” [I Corinthians 3: 23].

Albert Schweitzer mulled over the truth of this utter loyalty to Christ until the answer to his life question came in an early morning. when he awoke it was with a feeling that he must not accept this joy as a matter of course. Listening to the birds singing as he lay there, it occurred to him that he would be justified in living for science and art until he was 30, in order to devote himself for the rest of his life to the service of humanity.

The meaning of the saying of Jesus then came alive for him: “Whosoever would save his life shall lose it, and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it.” And 50 years or so of his life has been poured into merciful service to the needy folk of Africa.

For James, the brother of John, it was loyalty and service and the sudden death of a martyr; for James the brother of Jesus it was also loyalty and service and martyrdom. For John and for Albert Schweitzer it meant longer years of dedicated giving in self-spending service. For all of them, it meant sharing the cup of our Lord. Shall we also dare to drink of it?

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Delivered in Wisconsin Rapids, March 19, 1961.