2nd Sunday after Epiphany Year B Sermon

G’day, A quick bit of background, to help give some extra depth to the letter. Now it is possible you don’t know who James is. Well actually no-one is 100% positive; as there are three James’ mentioned in the New Testament, who could be the author. But, as the author doesn’t call himself an Apostle (and Acts 12:1 tells us the Apostle James (son of Zebedee) was murdered by King Herod about 6 years before the earliest date given to the letter) that rules him out. The other disciple named James is the son of Alphaeus. He is barely mentioned, and therefore it is safe to assume that he would distinguish himself from the well known James, son of Zebedee, by clarifying that he was the son of Alphaeus. Which leaves James, the brother of Jesus, whom we first hear about in Matthew 13:35; who after disbelieving that Jesus was who he said he was. (And let’s not blame him. Sure Jesus was the nerdy, goody two shoes older brother! Always talking about God! But the Son of God! C’mon pull the other one)! But eventually, the undeniable evidence that Jesus was the Messiah, convinced James, and he became more than just a follower of Jesus. For the Apostle Paul mentions in Galatians 1:19 that he saw the Lord’s brother James, who was one of the top guys in the church in Jerusalem. And when you look at this letter (in particular the first chapter) you get glimpses of someone who struggled to believe the truth that Jesus wasn’t an ordinary person; but the son of God. And wants other people to avoid the long hard struggle he faced, by setting out what and how faith in Jesus will look like, so they don’t give up and walk away from Jesus! Like he had! And all of this adds up to make James the brother of Jesus, the prime candidate to be the author of this letter.