It hit me this morning as I began preparing this post. What would it have been like to have been a sibling of the Lord Jesus.? To have grown up in the same home, raised by his mother Mary who God placed his trust in to send the Savior of the world into her womb to bring forth Jesus. And Joseph,, his earthly father that could have put her away had he been that kind of man that would do that? What would it have been like? In all the 60 plus years of my life, it is a question that I have never contemplated before.
And then other questions that come to mind are, being Mary's firstborn and knowing who he was, was he favored among her other children? What kind of child was he? What kind of relationship did he have with his siblings? Were they jealous of him, if Mary did favor him? They were after all, human.
He was the Son of God who knew no sin the bible says. 2 Corthinians 5:21.
What was it like for his siblings to have a brother that did not sin? What kind of childhood did he have? Did he heal the sick? Was he ever sick himself? Did he perform other miracles?
There are stories about his childhood, but what is truth and what is fiction?
There are stories about his childhood, but what is truth and what is fiction?
We don't know because the bible does not say much about his childhood. However, we do know that Jesus had 3 bothers. James was the second eldest mentioned of the siblings, Jesus being the eldest. But he was not really sold on his brother's ministry at first. He was not a believer. James 5:7.
Later, he is one of the witnesses of Jesus' resurrection. From then on, he became a part of Jesus's following. He had been a skeptic but after his conversion became a leader of the church.
In his epistle bearing his name, James identifies himself by his name but describes himself as a "servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ." James 1:1.
His ministry was geared mostly towards Jewish believers but he did care for Gentile believers as well. He wanted peace within the church and emphasized grace over the law. Acts 15:14-21.
James was a humble leader of his church, never using the fact that he was a blood brother of Jesus to assert authority on anyone. He was truly a servant of Christ and he knew that. And because of it, God greatly blessed his church.
There is no record of James' death, but it is believed he was martyred.
Today's sources: Scripture and What can we learn from the life of James, the brother of Jesus?
Indeed, what would have been like growing up in the same family as Jesus? I don't know but I am thankful that despite not knowing, I am part of his family now. I have brothers and sisters all over the world that no, we do not have his bloodline running through our veins as we know it. However, because of his shedding of blood, I by faith have it. Are you a part of his family? If not, you can be. Please consider it. You have nothing to lose and eternity to gain.
Up tomorrow: Simon
Thanks for coming by Friends. Be blessed, stay blessed, pass your blessings on!
But we do know that James was not a believer
Later, he is one of the witnesses of Jesus' resurrection. From then on, he became a part of Jesus's following. He had been a skeptic but after his conversion became a leader of the church.
In his epistle bearing his name, James identifies himself by his name but describes himself as a "servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ." James 1:1.
His ministry was geared mostly towards Jewish believers but he did care for Gentile believers as well. He wanted peace within the church and emphasized grace over the law. Acts 15:14-21.
James was a humble leader of his church, never using the fact that he was a blood brother of Jesus to assert authority on anyone. He was truly a servant of Christ and he knew that. And because of it, God greatly blessed his church.
There is no record of James' death, but it is believed he was martyred.
Today's sources: Scripture and What can we learn from the life of James, the brother of Jesus?
Indeed, what would have been like growing up in the same family as Jesus? I don't know but I am thankful that despite not knowing, I am part of his family now. I have brothers and sisters all over the world that no, we do not have his bloodline running through our veins as we know it. However, because of his shedding of blood, I by faith have it. Are you a part of his family? If not, you can be. Please consider it. You have nothing to lose and eternity to gain.
Up tomorrow: Simon
Thanks for coming by Friends. Be blessed, stay blessed, pass your blessings on!
But we do know that James was not a believer
No comments:
Post a Comment