James 1:1
“To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations . . .”
If you’ve been reading through Paul’s letters with me in my other devotionals, you’ll immediately notice the difference in how James introduces his letter. I think this difference is because James wrote to Jewish believers rather than to the Gentiles Paul wrote to. If this observation means something to you, great. If not, here’s my thinking.
First century Gentiles lived primarily in the western part of the world. They were known for their more logical way of thinking (remember Socrates?), and their lifestyles followed how they viewed the world. Epicureans had the philosophy of “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you may die.” The philosophies of the day created numerous gods, and their gods were selfish, demanding, distant, angry, and capricious. Gentiles didn’t have any consistency or confidence in their gods or in their lives.
On the other hand, Jewish believers all shared a cultural and religious heritage. Their eastern mindset focused on stories, parables, and rich imagery. They had one God, and they had learned through the Scripture (our Old Testament) and experience what would happen if they went chasing after foreign gods. But I think they had gotten a little complacent in their thinking, like children do with loving parents; they were used to being taken care of and looked after and so didn’t want to grow up and be responsible.
But then Jesus came, and James and the others had their lives turned upside down. They began longing for the same to happen for their friends. James found he had to rethink everything he knew in terms of the cross, and he wanted his countrymen—and us—to do the same.
James, as a Jew and half brother of Jesus, could have thought that his future was settled and he could just ease on into heaven. But in this introduction, he calls himself a “servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Are we—you and me—servants of God and Jesus Christ? Regardless of how others are living and treating us, a servant does what his master says. In his letter, James is going to give us multiple examples of what a servant of God really looks like. We need his perspective because, if you’re like me, we limit our serving to what we’re comfortable with.
I’m ready to start our adventure with James, and I’m ready to have my life turned upside down by someone who grew up with Jesus. You too? Then this letter is for us.
