There’s several people in the Bible who experienced dramatic transformations in their lives. People like Jonah (who ran away from God), Peter (who denied Jesus) and Paul (who persecuted the church) all had powerful experiences with God that changed the trajectory of their lives forever.
There’s someone else who fits that same category, even though you might not think of them in quite the same way: James, the brother of Jesus.
James in the Gospels
James was an apostle, a key leader in the church of Jerusalem, and the author of one of the books in the New Testament. But he wasn’t always on team Jesus.
He actually started out as a skeptic who tried to stop Jesus from preaching. Why was James so opposed to the ministry of Jesus? Mark 3:20-21 tells us that James (and the rest of the family) tried to rein Jesus in because they thought he was “out of his mind.” That’s not exactly a positive endorsement, is it?
Later on, in John 7:5, the Bible tells us very simply that “even his own brothers did not believe in him.” (NIV)
James thought Jesus was out of his mind for claiming to be the Messiah. Even though other people might have been convinced, James wasn’t. And James was so concerned about all this that he tried to grab ahold of Jesus and physically prevent him from going out to share his message with the people of Israel. James probably felt that he had a duty to stop Jesus from spreading a false message. And he might have been concerned about the impact Jesus was having on the rest of the family.
A Dramatic Transformation
Later on, James changed his mind about Jesus. As I mentioned, he eventually became a key figure in the early church, culminating in Acts 15 when he stood up as spokesman for the Apostles in Jerusalem who were discerning God’s will about a difficult theological question.
So what was it that caused James to have such a dramatic turnaround in his faith? What helped he change from being a skeptic who opposed Jesus to an apostle who proclaimed Jesus?
Simply put, it was the resurrection of Jesus that helped James come to his senses about the identity of Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:3-7 talks about the key moment in James’ life when he came face-to-face with the resurrected Jesus:
“3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles…” (NIV)
When Jesus was a rabbi traveling through the villages of Israel, telling people about the coming Kingdom and proclaiming that he was the Messiah, James thought Jesus was out of his mind.
But James changed his mind when the risen Jesus appeared to him after the resurrection. At that point, James knew that everything Jesus had said about himself was true. How could it not be? James was staring his formerly-dead-but-now-very-muich-alive brother in the eyes, and that changed everything.
James could plausibly believe that Jesus was out of his mind before the cross and empty tomb, but on the other side of the resurrection, it was impossible not to believe.
A few weeks after this, James was with the rest of the disciples, praying in Jerusalem, awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14). From that point on, the skeptic of Jesus became an ambassador for Christ, and he never looked back.
The Backstory to the Book of James
At some point after becoming a disciple, James sat down to write a book of the Bible about how Christians can live a life that fulfills the greatest commands of loving God and loving our neighbors. It’s a highly practical book of the Bible that is packed with practical wisdom that has stayed relevant even two thousand years later.
People who read the book of James will instantly understand what James is saying about how to live the right kind of life. But knowing the story of how James came to faith helps us understand the right motivation for doing the things James talks about.
The book of James teaches us the what of Christianity.
His story explains the why.
James’ life was transformed by the grace of God. Although he was initially a skeptic who opposed Jesus, he came to believe in Jesus as the Messiah when Jesus appeared to him after the resurrection. Even though he had once tried to prevent Jesus from telling people the truth about God’s plan for the world, God nevertheless called James into ministry.
James knew that his past mistakes didn’t limit what God was able to do through him in the future, so he leaned into his calling to be an evangelist and ambassador for the very person he had once opposed. His gratitude for God’s grace motivated him to passionately pursue God’s will for his life.
Because of that, James is a great example of these words from the Apostle Paul:
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
So as we read through and meditate on the book of James, let’s keep that perspective in mind. James is teaching us how to live a godly life in response to the grace and mercy God has poured out for all of us at the cross.
Watch the Sermon
This summer I am preaching through the book of James at Southwest Church of Christ. This post is based on the first part of my sermon from June 9, which you can view here:
I really like the phrase you used to describe the impetus of James’ transformation, “but on the other side of the resurrection, it was impossible not to believe.”
I want the power of the resurrection to serve as an impetus for my transformation as well..with the mindset that it is impossible NOT to believe!